| A | B |
|---|
| Competition | Multiple organisms seek the same limited resources they need to survive |
| Interspecific competition | Competition between members of two or more species |
| Intraspecific competition | Competition between members of the same species |
| Competitive exclusion | One species completely excludes another species from resources |
| Coexistence | Neither species fully excludes the other from resources |
| Fundamental niches | When an individual fills its entire role by using all available resources |
| Realized niches | The portion of the fundamental niche that's actually filled |
| Resource petitioning | When species divide shared resources by specializing in different ways |
| Exploitation | One species is harmed while the other benefits (predation, herbivory, parasitism) |
| Predation | Process by which individuals of one species feed off of another |
| Parasitism | A relationship in which one organism (parasite) depends on another (host) for nourishment or other benefit |
| Herbivory | Animal feeds off of plant tissues |
| Mutualism | Two or more species benefit from interactions, such as pollination |
| Amensalism | One organism is harmed while the other is unaffected |
| Commensalism | One organism benefits while the other is unaffected |
| Trophic lelves | Rank in feeding hireacrch |
| Producers | First level. Autotrophs "self feeders," are organisms that use solar energy |
| Consumers | Organisms that consume producers. Primary consumers are the second trophic level (herbivores). Secondary consumers are the third trophic level, they prey on primary consumers (carnivores). Tertiary consumers are the fourth tropic level, they are predators that consume other predators |
| Omnivores | Consumers that eat plants and animals |
| Detritivores | Scavenge waste products or dead bodies |
| Decomposers | Break down leaf litter and other nonliving bacteria |
| Energy and food webs | Less and less energy is available at each successive tropic level. Each level contains only 10% of the energy of the one below it |
| Why are top predators so rare? | Less energy is available to them |
| Keystone species | Have a stronger or wide-reaching impact far out of proportion to their abundance. Removal of these species has a substantial ripple effect that alters the food chain |
| Succession | The predictable series of changes in a community following a disturbance |
| Primary succession | A disturbance that eliminates all vegetation and/or soil life |
| Pioneer species | The first species to arrive in a primary succession area |
| Secondary succession | A disturbance that dramatically alters but does not destroy all local organisms |
| Climax community | The community resulting from a successful succession |
| Invasive species | Non-native (exotic) organisms that spread widely and become dominant in a community. Have major ecological effects |
| Indigenous | A species that originated in the area |
| Naturalized | A species that has been in an area for an extended period of time and has become part of the local environment |
| Introduced | A species introduced to a new environment |
| What role does human bias play on how we see invasive species? | Humans are more receptive to some despite their impact based on an animals: Aesthetics, symbolism, familiarity and apparent benefit |
| Biomes | Major regional complex of similar communities recognized by plant type and vegetation |
| Tropical Dry Forest | Wet and dry seasons, warm but less rainfall. Converted to agriculture, erosion prone soil (India, Africa, SA, northern Australia) |
| Savannah | Grassland interspersed with trees. Precipitation only in rainy seasons. Water holes for zebras, lions, etc. (Africa, SA, Australia, India) |
| Desert | Some are bare with sand dunes (Sahara) some vegetated (Sonoran). Not always hot, temps vary widely. Minimal precipitation. Nocturnal or nomadic animals, plants with thick skins or spines. |
| Tundra | Minimal precip (almost as dry as desert), seasonal temps vary widely. Permafrost: layer of soil is permanently frozen, little vegetation (Canada, Scandinavia, Russia) |
| Boreal forest (taiga) | Variation in temp and precipitation. Cool, dry climate (long winters, short summers). Poor, acidic soils. Few evergreen tree species (Canada, Alaska, Russia, Scandinavia) |
| Chaparral | Highly seasonal: mild, wet winters with warm, dry summers. Frequent fires. Densely thicketed, evergreen shrubs. (Mediterranean Sea, California, Chile and southern Australia) |
| Tropical rainforest | Year round rain and warm temps. Dark and damp, lush vegetation. Very poor, acidic soils. (Central America, SA, southeast Asia and west Africa) |
| Temperate rainforest | Great deal of precipitation. Coniferous trees: cedar, hemlock, fir. Fertile soil susceptible to erosion and landslides. (Coastal Pacific Northwest region) |
| Temperate grasslands | More extreme temperature difference between wither and summer. Less precipitation. Much was converted for agriculture (once widespread throughout N/S America) |
| Temperate deciduous forest | Mid-latitude forests. Fertile soils. Oak, beech, maple; trees that lose leaves in the fall but are dormant in winter |
| What impact does latitude have on biomes | Similar biomes occupy similar latitudes |
| Feedback loop | A system's output serves as input to that same system |
| Dynamic equilibrium | Things change in a system but in a way that keeps things constant |
| Homeostasis | Maintaining an unchanging state |
| Earth systems | Networks of relationships among elements or components that interact with and influence each other |
| Lithosphere | The crust and upper mantel of the earth |
| Atmosphere | The envelope of gas surrounding the earth |
| Hydrosphere | All the waters on earth's surface |
| Eutrophication | Nutrient over-enrichment. Plankton overpopulate, then die, then bacteria overpopulate the water and use all the oxygen, leading to hypoxia |
| Hypoxia | Low concentrations of dissolved oxygen water. Leads to dead zones |
| Net primary productivity | Conversion of solar energy to chemical energy by autotrophs |
| Nutrients | Elements and compounds required for survival that are consumed by organisms |
| Macronutrients | Nutriends required in relatively large amounts |
| Micronutrients | Nutrients needed in smaller amounts |
| Redfield ratio | 106 carbon: 16 nitrogen: one phosphorus |
| Metapopulation | A network of subpopulations |
| Habitat fragmentation | Breaking a habitat into small, isolated patches due to human activity |
| Carbon cycle | Photosynthesis moves carbon from the air to organisms, respiration returns carbon to the air, decomposition returns carbon to the sediment |
| Nitrogen cycle | Nitrogen gas is inert and cannot be used by organisms. Nitrogen comprises 78% of the atmosphere and is contained in proteins, DNA, and RNA |
| Phosphorous cycle | Most phosphorus is contained in rocks and is released by weathering. It is often a limiting factor in plant growth |
| What is harmful about some algal blooms | Some are toxic and can lead to hypoxia |
| Toxic algal blooms: | Red tide, brown tide (Chetoceros, Heterosigma). Diarrhetic shellfish poisoning, Paralytic shellfish poisonging, Amnecis shellfish poisoning |
