Earth Science

Front 1

Ecology

Back 1

study of ways organisms interact with each other and their non-living surroundings.

Front 2

Enviornment

Back 2

everything that affects an organism during its lifetime.

Front 3

Abiotic Factors

Back 3

non-living parts of environment that affect living organisms.

Front 4

Biotic Factors

Back 4

any living component that affects another organism.

Front 5

Habitat

Back 5

space in which an organism lives; defined by biological requirements.

Front 6

Niche

Back 6

functional role (profession) the organism has in its surroundings.

Front 7

Limiting Factors

Back 7

any factors whose shortage/absence restricts species success.

Front 8

Range of Tolerance

Back 8

indicates range of conditions in which an organism can survive.

Front 9

Population

Back 9

includes all organisms of the same kind found within a specific region.

Front 10

Species

Back 10

population of all organisms potentially capable of reproducing naturally and having offspring that can also reproduce.

Front 11

Natural Selection

Back 11

process determines which individuals within a species will reproduce.

Front 12

Evolution

Back 12

changes seen in genes and characteristics of population of organisms over time.

Front 13

Speciation

Back 13

production of new species from previously existing species.

Front 14

Extiction

Back 14

Loss of an entire species

Front 15

Coevolution

Back 15

2 or more species can influence evolutionary direction of the other.

Front 16

Predation

Back 16

kind of interaction in which 1 animal kills another.

Front 17

INTRAspecific competition

Back 17

competition between members of same species

Front 18

INTERspecific competition

Back 18

competition between members of different species.

Front 19

Symbiosis

Back 19

close, long-lasting, physical relationship between 2 different species

Front 20

Parasitism

Back 20

1 organism lives in/on another organism

Front 21

Commensalism

Back 21

1 organism benefits while the other isnt affected.

Front 22

Mutualism

Back 22

both species benefit

Front 23

ECTOparasites

Back 23

live on hosts surface//outside

Front 24

ENDOparasites

Back 24

live inside hosts body

Front 25

Ecosystem

Back 25

space where interactions take place between a community and physical environmental substances.

Front 26

Producer

Back 26

organisms that can use sources of energy to make organic molecules from emviornment.

Front 27

Consumer

Back 27

organism that require organic matter as a source of food

Front 28

Herbivore

Back 28

Primary, only plants

Front 29

Carnivore

Back 29

secondary, only animals

Front 30

Omnivore

Back 30

both plants and animals

Front 31

Decomposer

Back 31

use non-living organic matter as source of energy

Front 32

Keystone species

Back 32

Plays critical role in maintnance of specific ecosystems. wolves. humans.

Front 33

Food Chain

Back 33

series of organisms occupying different trophic levels through which energy passes one organism consuming the other.

Front 34

Food Web

Back 34

Series of multiple, overlapping food chains

Front 35

Succession

Back 35

series of predictable changes in community structure over time.

Front 36

Climax Community

Back 36

relatively stable, long-lasting community, primarly determined by climate.

Front 37

Primary succession

Back 37

begins with total lack of organisms on bare mineral surfaces like water

Front 38

Secondary Succession

Back 38

Begins with disturbance of an existing ecosystem.

Front 39

Pioneer community

Back 39

collection of organisms able to colonize bare rock.

Front 40

Biome

Back 40

terrestrial climax communities with wide geographic disturbances.

Front 41

Euphotic Zone

Back 41

upper layer of ocean where sun's rays penetrate.

Front 42

Phytoplankton

Back 42

microscopic plants floating in the ocean

Front 43

Zooplankton

Back 43

microscopic animals of many kinds

Front 44

Benthic

Back 44

organisms, attached//non-attached, live on the ocean bottom

Front 45

Estuaries

Back 45

where tide meets the sun

Front 46

Oligotrophic

Back 46

deep, cold, nutrient-poor

Front 47

Eutrophic

Back 47

shallow, warm, nutrient rich

Front 48

Biochemical Oxygen Demand

Back 48

Amount of oxygen used by decomposes to break down specific amount of organic matter.

Front 49

Natality

Back 49

# of indviduals added through reproduction

Front 50

Mortality

Back 50

# of individuals removed via death

Front 51

Population density

Back 51

# of indiciduals per unit area

Front 52

Dispersal

Back 52

Movement of individuals from density populated locations to new areas

Front 53

EMigration

Back 53

movement from an area

Front 54

IMmagration

Back 54

movement to an area

Front 55

Sex ratio

Back 55

relative # of males and females in a population

Front 56

Population growth rate

Back 56

birth rate-death rate

Front 57

survivorship curve

Back 57

shows proportion of individuals likely to survive each age

Front 58

Age distribution

Back 58

# of individuals of each age in the population.

Front 59

Biotic Potential

Back 59

inherent reproductive capacity

Front 60

Carrying capacity

Back 60

# of individuals of a species that can be indefitely sustained in a given area without harming the habitat.

Front 61

Enviornmental resistance

Back 61

any factor (limiting) in the environment limiting carrying capacity.

Front 62

K-strategists

Back 62

elephants, humans. Spend time with babies raising and caring for them.

Front 63

R-strategists

Back 63

produce large numbers of offspring to overcome high mortality

Front 64

Density dependent limiting factors

Back 64

any factor limiting the size of a population whose effect is not dependent on # of individuals in population

Front 65

Abiotic factor examples

Back 65

rain, wind, temperature, soil

Front 66

Biotic factor examples

Back 66

plants, animals, living things

Front 67

Biomes

Back 67

Desert-windy,cloud cover

Grassland-steppes, rainfall sporadic

Savanna-fire common,seasonally structure

Tundra-short,wet summer, permafrost

Front 68

Major equatic ecosystems

Back 68

Freshwater, marine, lakes and ponds, streams and rivers.

Front 69

calculate population growth rate

Back 69

Birth rate minus death rate.

Front 70

Survivor ship curve

Back 70

3 curves

decrease at steady rate

Front 71

Exponential growth curve phases

Back 71

lag, log, stationary, death phase.

Front 72

4 factors that limit the carrying capacity

Back 72

1. Available raw materials

2. Available energy

3. Waste disposal

4. Interaction with other organisms

Front 73

K-strategists (characteristics and examples)

Back 73

-Elephants, humans, cougar

-Low biotic potential, rely on learning, long gestation, lower population growth

Front 74

R-Strategists (characteristics and examples)

Back 74

-insects, fish, frogs

-high bio potential, high reproductive rate, rely on instincts.

Front 75

Nutrient Cycles (effecting factors)

Back 75

-carbon cycle (deforestation, global warming)

-nitrogen cycle (fertilizer)

-water cycle (temperature)