| A | B |
|---|
| Biology | The study of life |
| Reductionism | studying details to understand a larger concept |
| Homeostasis | steady state |
| Biogenesis | life comes from life |
| Natural selection | survival and reproduction of the fittest individuals in a population |
| Prokaryotic | cells without a nucleus |
| Eukaryotic | cells with a true nucleus |
| Science | Latin for "to know" |
| Scientific method | Process of discovery |
| Hypothesis | proposed answer to a question before an experiment |
| Variable | the one aspect of a study that changes from one experimental setup to the next |
| Control | the parts of an experiment that stay the same, or the group without the variable used for comparison |
| Ecology | study of abiotic and biotic interactions on earth |
| Biotic | living factors in the environment |
| Abiotic | nonliving factors that influence living things in their environment |
| Population | members of the same species in the same place at the same time |
| Community | all species in a given area |
| Principle of allocation | each species' unique energy plan |
| Fixed Action Pattern | Instinctive set of behaviors based on a stimulus |
| Imprinting | learning by mimicking |
| Associative learning | trial and error learning |
| Anthropomorphism | assumption of human emotion and motivation in other organisms |
| Cognition | highest level of learning including judgement language and emotion |
| Kinesis | random movement |
| Taxis | movement toward or away from a stimulus |
| Migration | seasonal movement based on food |
| Search image | recognition of food sources |
| Optimal foraging | yields highest benefit with least effort |
| Agonistic behavior | contests of strength for territory and mates |
| Dominance hierarchy | order of rank within a population |
| Pheromones | chemicals released to communicate with members of the same species |
| Waggle dance | used by bees to communicate direction and distance to food |
| Altruism | giving up of personal resources for the benefit of the population |
| Population density | number of individual per area |
| Mark-recapture method | (first catch x second catch)/recaptures |
| Population dispersion patterns | clumped, random, uniform |
| Semelparity | single reproductive event |
| Iteroparity | multiple reproductive events |
| Exponential growth | unlimited growth of a population |
| Logistic growth | population near carrying capacity and limited by resources or predation |
| K-selected populations | equilibrial, at or near carrying capacity |
| R-selected populations | opportunistic, fluctuates rapidly based on environment |
| Density dependent factors | limit populations more as conditions become crowded |
| Density independent factors | limit populations of all sizes |
| Niche | specific description of how an organism fits into its environment |
| Competitive exclusion principle | no two species can occupy the same niche |
| Keystone species | greatly influences community without being dominant or high in number |
| Mutualism | two species benefit from a relationship |
| Commensalism | one organism benefits, host is relatively unaffected |
| Parasitism | one organism benefits, host is harmed |
| Permafrost | permanently frozen ground |
| Humus | soil from the TDF rich in nutrients |
| Coniferous | cone-bearing |
| Oligotrophic | few nutrients & plants, high oxygen |
| Mesotrophic | medium nutrients, plants & oxygen |
| Eutrophic | high nutrients & plants, low oxygen |
| Estuary | where fresh & salt water mix, 1-3% salinity in brackish waters |
| Succession | predictable transitions from one plant type to another over time |
| Primary productivity | amount of photosynthesis in an ecosystem |
| Carbonification | fossil fuels from decay of organisms over millions of years and tremendous pressure |
| Sequestration | isolation of fossil fuels under ground |
| Keeling curves | shows combination of carbon dioxide levels and global temperatures |
| Nitrifying bacteria | convert atmospheric nitrogen into soil nitrates |
| Denitrifying bacteria | convert soil nitrates to atmospheric nitrogen |
| Transpiration | evaporation of water from leaves |
| Albido effect | reflection of sunlight by white ice |
| Milankovitch cycles | Wobble, Tilt & Eccentricity that affect Earth's temperatures without human influence |
| Acid rain | caused by sulfur compounds |
| Smog | ozone near the ground |
| Biological magnification | toxins increasing in concentration as they move up the food chain |
| Nonrenewable resources | limited supply of fossil fuels - oil, coal, gas |
| Renewable resources | unlimited for the foreseeable future - wind, water, solar |
