Ecology

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ice ages

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long periods of time when the mean global temperature is lower than normal & caused ice sheets to grow and shrink

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glacial periods

Back 2

time period when ice sheets grow

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interglacial periods

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higher temps. increase causing ice sheets to shrink

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kettles

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temporary or permanent ponds created when blocks of ice broken off of glaciers were buried and then melted, creating a depression

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Biomes

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look the same but don't have the same species

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Limnology

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the study of lakes and oceans

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Theoretical ecology

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provides explanations for the patterns in nature

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applied ecology

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take what theoretical ecologists observe and prove theories

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Glacial erratic

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large rocks that drop off of a glacier erratically

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ecological succession

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soil that is there is determined by the species living there (autogenic charge)

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retrogressive slump

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when a chunk of riverbank slowly slides out/backwards (broken)

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glacial till

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clay, silt, sand, gravel & rock deposited by the glacier as it moves

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homeotherms

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maintain a constant body temperature; this burns calories

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biomass

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what an individual weighs

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community

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all the populations that are within an ecosystem

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species

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a group of morphologically similar organisms that naturally interbreed and produce fertile offspring

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ecosystem***

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a defined region where members of the community interact with each other, & their physical environment in the transfer of energy and materials. the scope of the ecosystems is defined by the observer

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ecological succession*

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a process by which each of a series of plant communities changes the physical environment in such a way as to make the environment suitable for the next community

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population ecology

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the study of the way in which populations grow

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cohort

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all members of the population are the same age

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biotic potential

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the characteristic of all populations to produce more individuals that are required to replace those already existing; defines the max rate at which a population will grow IF conditions are ideal

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deterministic

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mathematical models formulated in terms of simple algebraic equations which predict the future of the population

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stochastic

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models that are formulated in terms of the probability of occurrence of events like births & deaths

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exponential growth

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rate of growth is constant

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carrying capacity

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(K) the max number of individuals a given environment can support

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flora

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a list of plant species that occurs in a gif area where the order of species is related to ease of use; alphabetically

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vegetation

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list of plant species that occur in a given area where the order is related to importance or abundance of each species present

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transects

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series of straight lines either parallel or perpendicular used for measuring plant abundance; grid system

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quadrats

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sample reference frames placed along the transects

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line intercept method

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measure physical intersections of a species with a line (long skinny quadrat); not good for determining density

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areal cover

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the vertical projection of the above ground parts of each plant on to the ground

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leaf area index (LAI)

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the ratio between the total leaf area above the soil surface & the soil surface area

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photosynthetically active radiation (PAR)

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the amount of light available for photosynthesis; trees in a forest have all the access to PAR while low shrubs only receive what is not absorbed by the trees

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frequency

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the number of times a species occurs in a given number of sample plots; % of the total number of placements

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shoot frequency

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recording as present all foliage overlapping into a quadrat

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rooted frequency

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records a species being present only when it is actually rooted in the quadrat

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density

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the number of individuals per unit area; obtained by a count of plants in a series of random quadrats

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biomass

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the total dry weight of biological material per unit area; obtained by harvesting plants in a series of random quadrats

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null hypothesis

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there is NO difference between observed data and expected data

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degree of freedom

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one less than the number of independent samples (df)

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fresh mulch

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easily removed from the standing crop; dead standing material which grew in current or late in the previous growing season

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standing crop

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live, photosynthetically active material which is clipped at ground level

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litter

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covers the surface of the mineral soil as a layer of fine, fibrous organic material

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gross primary production (GPP)

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the amount of light energy (PAR) that is actually captured by chloroplasts of primary producers and converted to energy (glucose); only energy available for an entire system

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light capture efficiency (LCE)

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a ratio of the amount of light energy stored in the chemical bonds of sugars produced, to the amount of available PAR

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respiration (R)

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during the energy producing process, the sugars are converted to CO2 and water & heat is produced

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Net Primary Production (NPP)

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the amount of new biological material (biomass) per unit area per unit time after primary producers are done respiration

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Turnover rate (TR)

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ratio between net production and the dry weight biomass for that trophic level

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mean residence time (MRT)

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measures the average amount of time that objects remain in a system; inverse of turnover rate

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ingestion (I)

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process of consumption

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assimilation (A)

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the process of absorbing materials from the primary producer

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egestion (W)

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waste; portion of materials that can not be broken down (feces)

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ecological efficiency (EE)

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ratio between the net productions of success of trophic levels