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29 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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archaea |
prokaryotes distinguished from bacteria on the basis of structural, physiological, and other biological features |
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autotroph |
an organism that can synthesize organic molecules using inorganic molecules and energy from either sunlight (photosynthetic autotrophs) or from inorganic molecules, such as hydrogen sulfide (chemosynthetic autotrophs |
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batesian mimicry |
evolution of a nonnoxious species to resemble a poisonous or inedible species |
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bundle sheath |
structure that surrounds the leaf veins of C4 plants, made up of cells, where four-carbon acids produced during carbon fixation are broken down to three-carbon acids and CO2 |
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C3 photosynthesis |
the photosynthetic pathway used by most plants and all algae, in which the product of the initial reaction is phosphoglyceric acid, or PGA, a three-carbon acid |
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C4 photosynthesis |
in C4 photosynthesis, CO2 is fixed in mesophyll cells by combining it with phosphoenol pyruvate, or PEP, to produce a four-carbon acid. Plants using C4 photosynthesis are generally more drought tolerant than plants employing C3 photosynthesis |
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CAM photosynthesis |
a photosynthetic pathway largely limited to succulent plants in arid and semiarid environments, in which carbon fixation takes place at night, when lower temperatures reduce the rate of water loss during CO2uptake. The resulting four-carbon acids are stored until daylight, when they are broken down into pyruvate and CO2 |
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chemosynthetic autotroph |
refers to autotrophs that use inorganic molecules as a source of carbon and energy |
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detritivore |
organisms that feed on nonliving organic matter, usually on the remains of plants. |
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ecological stoichiometry |
the study of the balance of multiple chemical elements in ecological interactions, for example, in trophic interactions |
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functional response |
an increase in animal feeding rate, which eventually levels off, that occurs in response to an increase in food availability |
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heterotroph |
an organism that uses organic molecules both as a source of carbon and as a source of energy |
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irradiance |
the level of light intensity, often measured as photon flux density |
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I saturation |
the irradiance required to saturate the photosynthetic capacity of a photosynthetic organism |
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Mullerian mimicry |
comimicry among several species of noxious organisms. |
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net photosynthesis |
total CO2 uptake (or energy fixed) during photosynthesis minus the CO2 produced (or energy consumed) by the plant's, or alga's, own respiration |
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optimal foraging theory |
theory that attempts to model how organisms feed as an optimizing process, a process that maximizes or minimizes some quantity, such as energy intake or predation risk |
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organic compounds |
a chemical compound, or molecule, that contains carbon bound to other elements such as hydrogen and nitrogen; examples include carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and alcohols |
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photon flux density |
the number of photons of light striking a square meter surface each second |
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photorespiration |
a metabolic process occurring mainly in C3 plants under hot, dry conditions that reduces the efficiency of photosynthesis; initiated by the enzyme rubisco as it combines oxygen with RuBP; occurs in the light, consumes oxygen and energy, and releases CO2 |
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photosynthetic autotroph |
an organism that uses carbon dioxide as a carbon source and light as an energy source to synthesize organic compounds |
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photosynthetically active radiation |
wavelengths of light between 400 and 700 nm that photosynthetic organisms use as a source of energy |
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P max |
maximum rate of photosynthesis for a particular species of plant growing under ideal physical conditions |
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principle of allocation |
the principle that if an organism allocates energy to one function, such as growth or reproduction, it reduces the amount of energy available to other functions, such as defense |
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prokaryote |
organisms with cells that have no membrane-bound nucleus or organelles. include the bacteria and the archaea |
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rhodopsin |
light-absorbing pigments found in the eyes of animals and in bacteria and archaea |
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rubisco |
he enzyme that catalyzes the initial reaction in photosynthesis that combines CO2 and ribulose bisphosphate |
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size-selective predation |
prey selection by predators based on prey size |
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trophic (feeding) biology |
the study of the feeding biology of organisms |
