Unit 8 Bio Cards

Front 1

mesotrophic

Back 1

of or pertaining to nutrition; concerned in nutritive processes.

Front 2

ecology

Back 2

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

Front 3

benthos

Back 3

the biogeographic region that includes the bottom of a lake, sea, or ocean, and the littoral and supralittoral zones of the shore.

Front 4

canopy

Back 4

a covering (usually of cloth) that serves as a roof to shelter an area from the weather

Front 5

permafrost

Back 5

(in arctic or subarctic regions) perennially frozen subsoil

Front 6

acclimation

Back 6

to accustom or become accustomed to a new climate or environment; adapt.

Front 7

estaury

Back 7

that part of the mouth or lower course of a river in which the river's current meets the sea's tide.

Front 8

detritus

Back 8

rock in small particles or other material worn or broken away from a mass, as by the action of water or glacial ice.

Front 9

biome

Back 9

a complex biotic community characterized by distinctive plant and animal species and maintained under the climatic conditions of the region, esp. such a community that has developed to climax.

Front 10

eutrophic

Back 10

characterized by an abundant accumulation of nutrients that support a dense growth of algae and other organisms, the decay of which depletes the shallow waters of oxygen in summer

Front 11

Lek

Back 11

a traditional place where males assemble during the mating season and engage in competitive displays that attract females

Front 12

ethology

Back 12

The scientific study of animal behavior, especially as it occurs in a natural environment

Front 13

taxis

Back 13

Biology. oriented movement of a motile organism in response to an external stimulus, as toward or away from light

Front 14

kinesis

Back 14

Movement or activity of an organism in response to a stimulus such as light

Front 15

polygyny

Back 15

the habit or system of having two or more mates, either simultaneously or successively

Front 16

polyandry

Back 16

the habit or system of having two or more mates, either simultaneously or successively

Front 17

pheromones

Back 17

A chemical secreted by an animal, especially an insect, that influences the behavior or development of others of the same species, often functioning as an attractant of the opposite sex

Front 18

monogamous

Back 18

the custom or condition of having only one mate

Front 19

cognition

Back 19

the act or process of knowing; perception

Front 20

altruism

Back 20

behavior by an animal that may be to its disadvantage but that benefits others of its kind, as a warning cry that reveals the location of the caller to a predator

Front 21

fecundity

Back 21

the quality of being fecund; capacity, esp. in female animals, of producing young in great numbers

Front 22

istraspecific

Back 22

existing or occurring within a species

Front 23

dispersion

Back 23

an act, state, or instance of dispersing or of being dispersed

Front 24

cohort

Back 24

a companion or associate

Front 25

demography

Back 25

the science of vital and social statistics, as of the births, deaths, diseases, marriages, etc., of populations

Front 26

opportunistic

Back 26

causing disease only under certain conditions, as when a person's immune system is impaired

Front 27

biogeography

Back 27

the study of the geographical distribution of living things

Front 28

mimicry

Back 28

the close external resemblance of an organism, the mimic, to some different organism, the model, such that the mimic benefits from the mistaken identity, as seeming to be unpalatable or harmful

Front 29

predation

Back 29

a relation between animals in which one organism captures and feeds on others

Front 30

symbiosis

Back 30

the living together of two dissimilar organisms, as in mutualism, commensalism, amensalism, or parasitism

Front 31

symbiont

Back 31

An organism in a symbiotic relationship

Front 32

dynamic

Back 32

pertaining to or characterized by energy or effective action; vigorously active or forceful

Front 33

parasitism

Back 33

relation between organisms in which one lives as a parasite on another

Front 34

herbivory

Back 34

the state or condition of feeding on plants

Front 35

endoparasites

Back 35

A parasite, such as a tapeworm, that lives within another organism

Front 36

ectoparasite

Back 36

an external parasite

Front 37

commensalism

Back 37

living with, on, or in another, without injury to either.

Front 38

biomass

Back 38

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

Front 39

detritivores

Back 39

An organism that feeds on and breaks down dead plant or animal matter, returning essential nutrients to the ecosystem. Detritivores include microorganisms such as bacteria and protists as well as larger organisms such as fungi, insects, worms, and isopod crustaceans. In a food chain, detritivores are primary consumers. Compare carnivore

Front 40

detritus

Back 40

rock in small particles or other material worn or broken away from a mass, as by the action of water or glacial ice

Front 41

ecosystem

Back 41

system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their environment

Front 42

ammonification

Back 42

the act of impregnating with ammonia, as in the manufacture of fertilizer

Front 43

bioremediation

Back 43

The use of biological agents, such as bacteria or plants, to remove or neutralize contaminants, as in polluted soil or water

Front 44

initiative

Back 44

an introductory act or step; leading action

Front 45

metapopulation

Back 45

A metapopulation consists of a group of spatially separated populations of the
same species which interact at some level

Front 46

biodiversity

Back 46

diversity among and within plant and animal species in an environment

Front 47

endemic species

Back 47

Endemic types or species are especially likely to develop on islands, because of
their geographical isolation