| A | B |
|---|
| ecology | the study of the interactions between organisms and the environment |
| biotic | living part of the environment |
| abiotic | nonliving part of the environment |
| aquatic biomes | make up 75% of Earth's surface, divided into fresh and marine |
| photic zone | the zone in an aquatic biome where photosynthesis takes place |
| benthic zone | found at the bottom of the biome, contains detritus |
| thermoclines | area of fast temperature change, found between warm and cold areas |
| freshwater biomes | either standing water or moving |
| littoral zone in a lake | well-lit, shallow water, contains plants |
| limnetic zone in a lake | well-lit, further from shore, contains phytoplankton |
| oligotrophic lake | deep lakes, nutrient poor, oxygen rich |
| Eutrophic lake | shallow, high nutrient, low oxygen |
| estuaries | where fresh and marine mix |
| intertidal zone (marine) | where land meets water |
| pelagic biome (marine) | open blue water, past the continental shelves |
| coral reef (marine) | most productive ecosystem, created by cnidarian, calcium carbonate |
| climograph | shows precipitation and temperature of different biomes |
| savannas | Biotic:grasses, some trees, insects, ants, termites. abiotic: fires, rainy season, droughts |
| desert | abiotic: little rain, cold or hot temp. |
| chaparral | biotic: dense evergreens. Abiotic: fire season, mild rainy winters, long dry summer |
| temperate grasslands | abiotic: seasonal drought, nutrient rich soil. Biotic: grazing animals |
| broadleaf forest | biotic: stratifies trees, shrubs, berbaceous stratum, animals hibernate or migrate in winter. |
| coniferous forest | biotic: cone bearing trees |
| tundra | abiotic: permafrost, cold temp. high winds, little rainfall |
| tropical forest | vertical stratification, great biodiversity, epiphytes |
| population | individuals in same species, same general area, same time |
| population density | number of individuals per unit area, increases by immigration and birth-decreases by death or emigration |
| dispersion | pattern of spacing among individuals: clumped, uniform, random |
| type II survivorship | constant death rate over organism's life span (Squirrel) |
| type I survivorship curve | low death rate in early and midlife, death rate increases with old age (humans) |
| type III survivorship | high early death rate, flattens out in old age (Clam) |
| carrying capacity | maximum population size than an environment can support without degrading the environment |
| K-selection | found in populations living close to carrying capacity, density dependent |
| r-selection | occurs in populations well below carrying capacity, density independent |
| competitive exclusion | the species with the advantage will eliminate the other species |
| ecological niche | the sum total of biotic and abiotic resources that the species uses in its environment |
| cryptic coloration | animal camouflaged |
| aposematic coloration | a poisonous animal is brightly colored as a warning to other animals |
| batesian mimicry | a harmless species has evolved to mimic a poisonous species |
| mullerian mimicry | two bad tasting species resemble each other to avoid predation |
| parasitism | +/- |
| mutualism | +/+ |
| commensalism | +/who cares |
| trophic levels | links in the feeding relationships among the organisms in a community |
| food web | two or more food chains linked together, arrow points into the one doing the eating |
| primary succession | plants and animals invade an area where soil does not yet exist |
| secondary succession | a disturbance or abandonment leaves an area uninhabited and plants and animals invade |
| primary production | the amount of light energy converted into chemical energy |
| gross primary production | total primary production, not all the energy is available to |
| net primary production | gross primary production minus the energy used for respiration by producers |
