Bio Chpt 9,10, 13

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habitat

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part of an ecosystem in which an organism lives, feeds and reproduces

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extreme environments

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describes environmental conditions in so-called hostile habitats (from a human perspective)

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micro habitat

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describes environmental conditions in so-called hostile habitats (from a human perspective)

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range

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geographic area enclosing all the habitats where a given species lives; sometimes referred to as distribution

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migratory

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refers to a population that moves to a new habitat at a predictable time, either on an annual basis or once in a lifetime

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diapause

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a state of inactivity characterised by low metabolism

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remote sensing

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data-gathering about an object from a distance, such as with LandSat satellite

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radio tracking

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general term to describe methods of tracking the movements of animals in their habitats where the animals do not need to be within sight of an observer

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satellite tracking

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method of tracking animals in their habitats through use of a tag fitted to an animal that transmits a unique signal to a ground station via a satellite

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community

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biological unit consisting of all the populations living in a specific area at a specific time

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niche overlap

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situation in an ecosystem in which different species are in competition for the same energy and space resources; in reality, niche overlap in natural ecosystems is typically zero or minimal

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biotic

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living

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abiotic

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non living

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micro environment

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conditions in a small region of a habitat

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tolerance range

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extent of variation in an environmental factor within which a particular species can survive

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limiting factor

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environmental condition that restricts the types of organism that can survive in a given habitat

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adaptaions

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features that appear to equip an organism for survival in a particular habitat

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closed forest

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type of forest in which the foliage of the upper storey covers 70 per cent or more of the sky (when viewed from below)

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open forests

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type of forest in which the foliage of the upper storey covers less than 70 per cent of the sky (when viewed from below)

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water tappers

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refers to trees that have a single main root extending to depths near the water table before forming lateral branches

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transpiration

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oss of water from the surfaces of a plant

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stomata

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singular = stoma) openings, typically on a leaf surface, through which water vapour and carbon dioxide can move

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dormancy

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condition of inactivity resulting from extreme lowering of metabolic rate in an organism

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humidity

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measure of the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere

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vascular plants

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lants that have xylem and phloem tissue

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species

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taxonomic unit consisting of organisms capable of mating and producing viable and fertile offspring

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macroscopic

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of a size that is visible to the unaided eye

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scats

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faeces

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pellets

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mass of indigestible fur, bones and other material from captured prey that is regurgitated by a bird of prey

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raptors

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birds of prey, such as eagles, hawks, owls

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dichotomous key

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means of identifying organisms based on a series of questions, each able to be answered by selecting one of two alternatives

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binomial system on naming

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system of naming organisms, introduced by Linnaeus, in which all species are given a two-part scientific name, the first part being the generic name and the second being the trivial (specific) name

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gerneric name

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name of the genus to which an organism belongs; first part of a scientific name

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specific name

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second part of the scientific name of a species, such as sapiens (in Homo sapiens)

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polynomial system

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early system of naming organisms using long Latin descriptions; now superseded by the binomial system

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biodiversity

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total variety of life forms, their genes and the ecosystems of which they are a part; biodiversity can relate to planet Earth or to a given region

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taxonomy

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rea of study concerned with the describing, naming and classification of organisms

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classifications

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artificial process of organising things into groups according to one or more criteria

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criterion

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basis for separating a large group into smaller groups

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taxon

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(plural = taxa) any taxonomic group, for example, class, family, genus

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genus

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(plural = genera) taxonomic group consisting of members of related species

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family

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taxonomic grouping consisting of members of related genera

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order

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taxonomic grouping consisting of members of related families

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class

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taxonomic grouping consisting of members of related orders

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phylum

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(plural = phyla) taxonomic grouping consisting of members of related classes

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primitive characters

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features that were present in the common ancestor of a group of organisms

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derived characters

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modified features that were not present in the common ancestor of a group but evolved later in some members only of the group; features useful in cladistic analysis

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population

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members of one species living in a specific habitat at a particular time

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ecosystems

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biological units comprising the community living in a discrete region, the non-living surroundings and the interactions occurring within the community and between the community and its surroundings

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ecology

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study of communities in their habitats and the interactions between them and their environment

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littoral zone

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inter-tidal zone along a coast between high- and low-water marks

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desiccation

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drying out

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producers

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photosynthetic organisms and chemosynthetic bacteria that, given a source of energy, can build organic matter from simple inorganic substances

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autotrophs

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organisms that, given a source of energy, can produce their own food from simple inorganic substances; also known as producers

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consumers

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organisms that obtain their energy and organic matter by eating or ingesting the organic matter of other organisms; also termed heterotrophs

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heterotrophs

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organisms that obtain their energy and organic matter by eating or ingesting the organic matter of other organisms; also termed heterotrophs

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decomposers

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organisms, such as fungi, that can break down

and absorb organic matter of dead organisms or their products

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competition

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interaction between individuals of the same or different species that use one or more of the same resources in the same ecosystem

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intra-specific competition

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competition for resources in an ecosystem involving members of the same species

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inter-specific competition

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competition for resources in an ecosystem involving members of different species

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predator prey relationships

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a form of interaction within a community that involves the eating of one species, the prey, by another species, the predator

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predator

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an animal that actively seeks out other animals as its source of food

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prey

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living animal that is captured and eaten by a predator

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herbivore prey relationship

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one of many relationships existing between different species in a community, this one being the interaction between plants and the animals that eat them

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parasite host relationship

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orm of interaction within a community that involves one species, the parasite, living on or in another species, the host, typically without killing the host

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parasite

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organism that lives on or in another organism and feeds from it usually without killing it

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host

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organism on or in which a specific parasite lives

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exoparasites

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organisms, such as fleas, that live on the exterior of another organism (the host) and obtain food from it

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endoparasites

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organisms that live inside another organism (the host) and obtain food from it, such as a tapeworm

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holo-parasites

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form of parasitism in which a plant parasite depends completely on its host for nutrients and water

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hemi-parasites

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form of parasitism in which a plant parasite obtains some nutrients and water from its host plant but also makes some of its own food through photosynthesis

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paraistoids

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adult females of some wasp and fly species that are like parasites but that slowly kill their hosts

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mutualism

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an association between two different species in a community in which both gain some benefit

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commensalism

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association between two different species in a community in which one benefits and the second apparently neither gains nor is harmed

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symbiosis

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prolonged association between different species in a community in which at least one partner benefits; includes parasitism, mutualism and commensalism

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niche separation

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situation in which two species in the community use different resources such that the two species have no degree of niche overlap

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niche overlap

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situation in an ecosystem in which different species are in competition for the same energy and space resources; in reality, niche overlap in natural ecosystems is typically zero or minimal

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radiant energy

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kind of wave energy which includes X-rays, ultraviolet rays, and most importantly, visible sunlight

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chemical energy

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potential energy stored in substances that becomes available when certain types of chemical reactions occur

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ecosystems

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biological units comprising the community living in a discrete region, the non-living surroundings and the interactions occurring within the community and between the community and its surroundings

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energy.

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any non-material agent that can cause matter to change, such as chemical energy and mechanical (kinetic) energy

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kinetic energy

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the energy of motion, including heat energy and energy of moving objects

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potential energy

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stored energy including the chemical energy of compounds

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producers

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photosynthetic organisms and chemosynthetic bacteria that, given a source of energy, can build organic matter from simple inorganic substances

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primary consumers,

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: herbivores that obtain chemical energy by consuming organic matter made by producers

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secondary consumer

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organisms that obtain chemical energy by eating primary consumers

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tertiary consumers

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organisms that consume the organic matter of secondary consumers

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trophic level

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refers to the feeding level of organisms in an ecosystem

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detritivores

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organisms that eat particles of organic matter found in soil or water

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herbivores

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organism that eats living plants or parts of them

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food chains

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one kind of representation to show chemical energy flow within an ecosystem beginning with producers

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food web

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one kind of representation of energy flow in an ecosystem; a food web comprises interrelated food chains

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energy flow

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flow of chemical energy through an ecosystem; can be shown by food chains and food webs

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ecological pyramids

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diagrammatic representation of aspects of trophic levels in an ecosystem, such as a pyramid of numbers, a pyramid of biomass and a pyramid of energy

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pyramid of numbers

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diagram that shows the numbers of organisms at each trophic level per unit area of an ecosystem

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biomass

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total mass of organic matter present in all living things in a given space within an ecosystem; biomass will vary depending on environmental conditions prevailing in the ecosystem

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pyramid of biomass

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diagram that records the total dry organic matter of organisms at each trophic level in a given area of an ecosystem

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pyramid of energy

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diagram that shows the amount of energy input to each trophic level in a given area of an ecosystem over an extended period

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productivity.

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rate of production of organic matter by producers, typically as a result of photosynthesis, in a given area over a given period of time

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limiting factor

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limiting factor

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carbon cycle

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cyclic process of exchange of carbon-containing matter between the various parts of the biosphere

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nitrogen cycle

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: cyclic process of exchange of nitrogen-containing matter between various parts of the biosphere

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bioaccumulation

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also known as biological magnification; refers to the increasing accumulation of a non-biodegradable substance in organisms at higher trophic levels in an ecosystem

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biological magnification

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: progressive accumulation of a non-biodegradable substance in the tissues of consumers at higher trophic levels in a food chain

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non-biodegradable or persistent

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refers to substances that cannot be excreted or broken down by living organisms

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community

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biological unit consisting of all the populations living in a specific area at a specific time

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species richness

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the number of different species, that is, different populations, in a community

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Abundance or density

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the number of individuals of a given species per unit area; also termed abundance

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sampling

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technique by which part of a population is examined and, from this sample, estimates are made about the size of the total population

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Distribution

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pattern of spread of members of a population over space; may be described as random, clumped or uniform

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quadrats

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areas of known size, often one-metre square, used to outline an area for sampling a population of plants or sessile animals

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transects

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techniques for sampling the species present in a habitat; may be a line transect or a belt transect (also known as a strip transect); with a line transect, various species present at regular intervals along the line crossing the area of study are recorded; with a belt transect, the abundance of one or more species within a band of known width and length is recorded

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mark-recapture

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technique used to estimate size of an animal population that entails capturing a sample, marking and then releasing each captured animal and later, recapturing a second sample of the same population

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birth rate,

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number of organisms born over a given period in a population

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death rate

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number of organisms dying in a given period in a population

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migration rate

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number of organisms immigrating to or emigrating from a population over a given period; one of the factors affecting population growth

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zero population growth.

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refers to a stable population with no net growth in which increases from births and immigration are matched by decreases from deaths and emigration

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closed populations

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populations that are not subject either to immigration into or emigration from the populations

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open populations.

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populations whose numbers are affected by immigration and emigration

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Exponential growth

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in population biology, a type of growth in which the rate of growth increases as the population size increases

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lag phase

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: stage of population growth, denoted by the initial flat section of both a J-curve and an S-curve, that covers the period when the population size is small and growth rates are low

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acceleration phase

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stage of population growth denoted by that part of a J-curve (or an S-curve) that starts at the upward-turning section of the curve and continues sharply upwards; stage of growth of a population when its size is sufficient to result in much higher population growth in each generation as compared with the lag phase

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J-shaped curve

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describes the plot of population size over time under conditions of exponential growth

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carrying capacity

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stabilised size reached by a given population in a given habitat

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density dependent.

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: refers to factors whose impact on members of a population is dependent on the size of the population

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density independent

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refers to factors whose impact on members of a population is not affected by the size of the population

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environmental resistance

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collection of factors that act as natural checks to limit growth of a population

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logistic growth,

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a model of population growth in which growth eventually slows and the population size stabilises at the carrying capacity of the habitat concerned

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S-shaped curve.

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describes the plot of population size over time under conditions where resource availability limits population size to the carrying capacity of the habitat concerned

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deceleration phase

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: stage of population growth denoted by the final flat section of an S-curve during which the growth rate progressively declines to zero as the carrying capacity of the habitat is approached