Environmental Biology Hw

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Abiotic Factor

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Physical and chemical environment factors - Eg, temperature, rainfall, soil nutrient.

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Adaption

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changes in an organisms physiological structure or function or habits that allow it to survive in new surroundings.

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Assimilation

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Process whereby organic carbon is taken in by food and goes through the body

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Autotroph(s)

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Organisms that are able to make energy containing organic molecules from inorganic raw materials by using basic energy sources such as sunlight. (Plants are prime examples of autotrophs

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Biogeochemical Cycle

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Natural processes that recycle nutrients in various chemical forms from the environment, to organisms, and then back to the environment. Examples are the carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and the phosphorus cycle. - Cycling of nutrients between organisms and the environment - For any essential element at any one time, part of the total naturally occurring amount of elemnt is in the organisms and part is in the different components of the natural environment.

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Biomass

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Living or recently living biological matter that can be used as fuel. Usually refers to plant matter but can also refer to animal waste materials

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Biome(s)

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Are the major types of land and associated organisms found on the earth. (Such as deserts and rainforests)

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Biotic Factor

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Environment factors connected with presence of other organisms (feeding relationship, competition) Living.

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Biotic Index

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Is a scale for showing the quality of an environment by indicating the types of organisms present in it. Used to asses the quality of water in rivers.

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Blanket Bog

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Blanket of very acidic, low nutrient conditions and therefore a low diversity of species. Thakes place in podsols (mor)

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Bog

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A type of wetland that accumulates appreciable peat deposits. Depend primarily on precipitation for their water source, and are usually acidic and rich in plant residue with a mat of acid loving plants - various sphagnum species, heathers and cotton grass.

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Bog Peat

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Very acidic, low nutrient content and thus, low diversity of species.

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Calcareous Soil

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Calcium containing soil. More nutritious. Alkaline.

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Dune Building Grasses

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Well adopted plants to extreme habitat. Few in number but survive well in specific difficult conditions in the absence of competition from other less well adapted species. - long fibrous roots - symbiotic association with nitrogen fixing bacteria in their root system. - xeromorphic adaptations (structural adaptations to reduce water loss) - tough outer cuticle which resists abrasions.

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Dune Slack

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A low lying area between two walls. They have grey dune vegitation on the outside but bare sand on the inside. Will erode until it reaches the water table where the dman sand coheres and doesn’t blow away. Becomes periodically flooded (cyclic succession can occur in dune ridges).

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Ecological Isolation

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Gene pools in different habitat types, e.g different soils.

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Ecological Succession

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When for natural reasons an ecosystem changes through a succession of commmunities (predictable, directional; involves changes in SPP and productivity) - Where one cumminty naturally replaces another on an area of land/water abailable for colonisation (often as a result of the modification of the habitiat conditions by the organisms that are replaced so that it is no longer suitable for their own survival.

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Embryo Dune

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Small lump of sand, only a few cm high, parallel to the high tide line. They are very fragile and can be very temporary habitats. Can be somewhat stabilised if they become colonised.

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Ethological Isolation

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Ethology is the study of animal behaviour. Ethological isolation is for example when the behaviour of pollination insets means that only certain groups of plans or colours of flower are visited by particualar insects so resticting cross fertilisation.

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Eustatic change

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A general change in sea level. Sea level only rises if the eustatic change in sea level is greater than the isostatic rate of adjustment of the land level.

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Eutrophic

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Lake with high nutrient level.

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Fen Peat

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Alkali conditions, reasonable nutrient level therefore high diversity of species.

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Ferric Iron

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Dissolved iron which has been oxidized and transformed into an orange particulate

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Ferrous Iron

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An iron oxide - Iron that is dissolved in water and is also called clear water iron

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Fitness

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The ablilty of an organisms to survive and produce viable offspring in a given environment

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Food Chain

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A chain of dependence with different levels showing producers and consumers.

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Food Web

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A more realistic concept of a food chain considering the feeding preferences of different species.

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Gene Pool

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All the genes possessed in a population of species

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Geographical Isolation

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Formation of rivers, separation across mountains and seas.

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Greenhouse Effect

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Short wave radiation strikes the earths surface and is transformed into long wave radiation (heat). Since CO2 absorbs long wave radiation, the greater the atmospheric CO2 content the more heat is retained and the warmer the atmosphere becomes.

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Grew (Fixed) Dunes

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Less liable to erosion/fixed, stable sand dunes, with increased vegetaion cover. Closed community [complete ground coverage and more diversity of clolonising species]. (Aged dune, in less extreme habitat conditions. Accumulation of organic litter increases nutrient level of soil, can retain water now. Reduced abrasion damage to plants, and more shelter. They are named this due to the presence of grasses and lichens such as the Cladonia species. This creates the characteristic grey colour.

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Habitat

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A specific place or natural conditions in which a plant or animal lives.

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Hydrosere

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Primary seral succession in which open water gives rise eventually to terrestrial vegetation around the edge of a eutrophic (moderately rich body of water) - Arises from open water. Organisms modify their own environment so that it is no longer suitable for their own survival and other species invade instead.

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Interspecific Competition

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Competition for a limited resource between members of DIFFERENT species

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Intraspecific Competition

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Competition for a limited resource between members of the SAME species

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Isostatic Change

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A change in sea level due to land masses raising. (The land rises up after it has lost weight of ice on it from the last ice age. E.g Norther Scotland

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Leaching

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By rainwater percolation through the soil that is forming will remove a proportion of the elements that are relased by chemcial weathering. Calcium is the most easily leached element and is therefore associated with the alkalinity of the soil. As it leaches the soil becomes more acidic - loss of nutrients, particually calcium.

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Limiting Factor

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Environmental factor which limits the growth, reproduction or distribution of organisms.

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Lithosere

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Succession starting with bare rocks

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Macronutrients

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Needed in large quantites (nitrogen, phosphorus)

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Mesotrophic

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Lakes with medium nutrient level

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micronutrients

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Trace nutrients - Only needed in trace qantites, generally toxic - copper.

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Mineralisation

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The process where an organic substance is converted to an inorganic substance

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monoclimax Theory

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Given long enough all or most communities in a particualar general area will tend towards the same climax community

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Mor

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Less fertile soil (Podsols), sharp horizons

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Mull

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Fertile soil (brown earth) Indistinct horizons

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Net Primary Production

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NPP = What is left over after respiration is available to the plant to accumulate biomass

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Nitrogen Cycle

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The transformation of nitrogen from an atmospheric gas to organic compounds in the soil, then to compounds in plants and eventually the release of nitrogen gas back into the atmosphere.

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Oligotrophic

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Lakes with low nutrient content

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Open community

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Such an extreme habitat means extreme adaptations are more important for survival than those finely tuned differences than enable 2 closesly similar species to occupy diffferent niches. (LARGE AMOUNT OF UNCOLONISED LAND OR OPEN GROUND SPACE)

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Opportunist Species

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A species that can take advantage of adverse conditions and thrive in locations where more sensitive species will not survive.

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Panmictic Population

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Is a sexual outbreeding population. Every member is theroetically about to undergo successful reproduction

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P/E ratio

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Ratio of Biomass - Low p/b ration usually for higher organisms that are slower grazing and long lived. - High p/b ratio is usually for lower organisms that are very productive but short lived.

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Peat

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Partially decomposed and compact remains of plants

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Pelagic

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Water-column

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Physiotype

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Varients in physiological features (functions and activities of life or living matter and of the physical and chemical phenomena involved) which adapt organisms to different habitats. E.g flowering, rhythems of frowth, seeding ripening, cold resistance.

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Photic Level

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That part of the near surface body of an ocean or lake that recieves enough sunlight for photosynthesis to be possible.

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Pioneer Community

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First hardy species, often microbes, mosses and lichens that being colonising a site as the first stage of eological succession. The community found in the first stage of an ecological succession. Pioneer stages are poor in species because they are the stages where the conditions are most severe.

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Plagioclimax

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A climax community which is different from that normally expected and is induced by mans disturbance of the system.

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Podsols

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(Mor) less fertile soil with sharp horizons. Water logged and infertile. Anoxic conditions, acidic, low nutrient - P/E

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Pollution

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Substances which are naturally present in the ecosystem but in toxic/increased/dangerous quantities. Any increase in the concentration of matter or energy generated by human activity which degrades a living community or its abiotic environment.

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Population

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A group of individuals of a single species living together in one place at one time and having interrelationships within the group.

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Primary Producer

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Growth of new body matter, (autotroph(s)) organisms that converts CO2 to biomass. Usually refers to photosynthesisers, bacteria that use chemcals instead of light energy to fix CO2 to biomass

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Primary Succession

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Starts from relatively uncolonised or unproductive land or water. (Psammosere, Lithosere, hydrosere.)

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Progressive Succession

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Increasingly productive communities formed.

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Psammosere

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Succession starting with bare sand (sand dune)

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Pyramid of biomass

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Shows the relationship between biomass and trophic level by quantifying the amount of biomass present at each trophic level. - Biomass pyramids provide a single snapshot in time of an ecological community.

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Pyramid of Numbers

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An ecological pyramid of numbers shows graphically the population of each level in a food chain.

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Raised Bog

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In a small lake the invasion of sphagnum and the associated formation of fen peat and bog peat can completely take over the lake and fill it. - The surface is raised up with a spongy mass of sphagnum.

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Reedswamp

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A natural habitat found in floodplains, water logged depressions and estauaries. Reed beds are part of a succession from young reed colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground. As reed beds age, they build up a considerable litter layer which eventually rises above the water level, and ultimately provides opportunites for scrub or woodland invasion. Artificial reed beds are used as a method of removing pollutants from grey water.

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Reproductive Isolation

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When a gene pool of a species is isolated/separated for repoductive purposes. A single gene pool has to be split into two or more gene pools - therefore organisms can no longer undergo sexual reproduction with fertile offspring with different gene pools. Geographical isolation, ecological isolation, temporal isolation, ethological/behavioural isolation.

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Retrogressive Succession

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Decline is productivity during succession.

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Salt Marsh

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A community of higher plants that is tolerant to a little salt water immersion and which can therefore grow at the higher tidal levels on muddy shores.

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Sand Dune

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Natural method of land claim - organisms modify their own environment so that it is no longer suitable for their own survival and other species invade instead.

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Secondary Production

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(Heterotrophs) recycling of already existing organic matter by converting that from their food source into their own body matter.

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Secondary Succession

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Start from an existing productive community

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Seral Succession

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Starts with one prioneer community (A) and ends with another (D - the climax community) passing through intermediate communities or seres (B & C)

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Sere

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An intermediate starge found in ecological succession in an ecosystem advancing towards its clamax community.

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Speciation

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The division of a single poulation into two or more distinct populations which can no longer reproduce with eachother - the process gives rise to the formation of a new species

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Stranded-Line Plants

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Small plants that can live on the stranded line (e.g sea rocket) They live at the top of the beach at a tidal level that is only reached by the highest tides. They promote settlement of sand. Well-adapted species that can exploit the lact of competition from another species in such an extreme environment. They are tolerant to soil lacking nutrients, well drained sand, no shelter from wind, high salinity and high temperatures.

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Taxonomic Hierarchy

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species can be united into increasing larger units of similar species going up the taxonomic Hierarchy - KPCOFGS

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Temporal Isolation

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The development of groups in a plant population which flower at different times.

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Water Logged

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Flooded and therefore low in oxygen. Trees which clolonise have to be flooding tolerant (root systems have to be able to function in relatively anoxic soils)

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Yellow (Mobile) Dune

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Sand has very little organic content, large amount of bare sand, most of the ground is uncovered. [OPEN COMMUNITY] Fragility of yellow dunes means they are also called mobile dunes. Size of dunes is a balance between erosion and accretion. As long as accretion is greater, the dune grows in size.

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Accretion (Sand Dunes)

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The additon of sand/gradual growth of sand.

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Anoxic

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Without/Lacking oxygen.

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Tundra

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Found under cold conditions in northern arctic, where soil is permanently fozen below the surface. Wet and boggy surface and cold climate allow only very short growing. Treeless vegetation, grassy and flat landscape. Grasses, sledges and mosses and lichens.

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Succession

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Changes in composition and structure of ecological communities.