Unit 5: The Principles Of Ecology

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Abiotic factor

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a nonliving condition or thing, as climate or habitat, that influences or affects an ecosystem and the organisms in it

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Biomass

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the amount of living matter in a given habitat, expressed either as the weight of organisms per unit area or as the volume of organisms per unit volume of habitat.

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Biological pest control

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a method of controlling pests such as insects, mites, weeds and plant diseases using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms, but typically also involves an active human management role.

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Biotic factor

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is any living component that affects the population of another organism, or the environment

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Cellular respiration

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the process in which glucose is broken down for energy

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Chemoautotroph

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An organism that depends on inorganic chemicals for its energy and principally on carbon dioxide for its carbon

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Climax community

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a stable mature community in a successive series which has reached equilibrium after having evolved through stages and adapted to its environment

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Co-evolution

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the evolution of complementary adaptations in two or more species of organisms because of a special relationship that exists between them

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Commensalism

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a type of relationship between two species of a plant, animal, fungus, etc., in which one lives with, on, or in another without damage to either

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Community

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an assemblage of interacting populations occupying a given area

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Competition

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the struggle among organisms, both of the same and of different species, for food, space, and other vital requirements

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Competitive exclusion principle

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when two species compete for the same critical resources within an environment, one of them will eventually outcompete and displace the other

also called Gause's law.

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Detritivore

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an organism that uses organic waste as a food source, as certain insects

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Ecological succession

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the progressive replacement of one community by another until a climax community is established

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Ecology

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the branch of biology dealing with the relations and interactions between organisms and their environment, including other organisms

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Ecosystem

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a system, or a group of interconnected elements, formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their environment

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Food chain

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a series of organisms interrelated in their feeding habits, the smallest being fed upon by a larger one, which in turn feeds a still larger one, etc.

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Food web

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a series of organisms related by predator-prey and consumer-resource interactions; the entirety of interrelated food chains in an ecological community

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Habitat

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the natural environment of an organism; place that is natural for the life and growth of an organism

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Intraspecific competition

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competition between members of the same species

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Interspecific competition

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a simple mathematical model that can be used to understand how different factors affect the outcomes of competitive interactions

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Keystone species

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A species whose presence and role within an ecosystem has a disproportionate effect on other organisms within the system.

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Photoautotroph

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any organism that derives its energy for food synthesis from light and is capable of using carbon dioxide as its principal source of carbon

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Pioneer species

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the first species that grows in an area after a disturbance

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Primary succession

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change the environment and pave the way for other species to move into the area- occurs in an area that has never been colonized before

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Secondary succession

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occurs in a formerly inhabited area that was disturbed- could be a fire, flood, or human action such as logging or farming

REBUILDING

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Symbiosis

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a close association between two species in which at least one species benefits

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Trophic level

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any class of organisms that occupy the same position in a food chain, as primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers