Term
|
Definition
All the parts of the planet that are inhabited by living things.
– Includes both the atmosphere and the soil; the sum of all the earths ecosystems. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A community of living things and the non-living features of the environment needed for their survival. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Anything that can independently carry out life processes.
– A living thing. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A membrane-bound structure that is the basic unit of life. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Deoxyribonucleic acid; the hereditary material that controls all the activities of a cell, contains the information to make new cells, and provides instructions for making proteins. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
A segment of DNA that carries the hereditary instructions for producing a protein.
– The basic unit of hereditary information. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
An organism that makes its own food using the energy in light (photosynthesis) or a chemical reaction (chemosynthesis).
– Green plants and some bacteria are examples. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
An organism that must eat other living things to provide its food energy.
– All animals are examples. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
A type of consumer that breaks down waste and/or dead organisms to provide its food energy.
– Fungi, bacteria, and scavangers are examples. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A map of energy flow that shows what organisms eat what in an ecosystem. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A more complete map of energy flow that shows all of the various food chains in an ecosystem and how they are related. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The distribution of individuals among different ages in a population. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| • The number of births occurring in a period of time (most often a year). |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| • The number of individuals of a species that an ecosystem is capable of supporting for a long period of time. |
|
|
Term
| Death Rate or Mortality Rate |
|
Definition
| The number of deaths occurring in a population during period of time. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
• A limiting factor whose effect is related to the density of a population.
• The higher the population density, the more strongly this factor limits population growth.
– Examples include availability of food, nesting sites and other resources used by the population. |
|
|
Term
| Density-independent Factor |
|
Definition
• A variable that affects population size regardless of population density
– Examples include fire, flood, drought and other natural phenomena |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
• The spatial distribution of individuals in a population
– May be described as even, clumped, or random. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
• The movement of individuals out of a population.
• This decreases the population of an area without altering the death rate. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
• The movement of individuals into a population.
• This increases the population without the birth of new individuals. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| • How long, on average, an individual is expected to live |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
• The number of individuals in a population in a given area at a specific time.
• A measure of how crowded the population is. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| • The graph of a species’ mortality-rate data distributed over the age of the individuals who die. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
The scientific study of the interactions among organisms and between organisms
and their environment. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Any living part of an ecosystem. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Any nonliving component of an ecosystem.
–Includes both the physical and chemical features of the environment. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A group of organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| All the populations of organisms living in an area. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| The specific environment in which an organism lives with all its characteristic abiotic and biotic factors. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
The average seasonal weather conditions for a given location.
– Includes average high and low temperatures, precipitation, and solar radiation |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
A climate in a specific area that differs significantly from the
climate of the surrounding region. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| A major type of terrestrial (land) ecosystem. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Forest ecosystem near the equator that receives as much as 250 cm of rainfall yearly. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Grassland with scattered trees found in tropical regions.
– These regions have a warm climate with alternating wet and dry seasons. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Land area that receives less than 30 cm of rain a year.
–Climate may be hot, temperate, or even polar. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
A temperate, coastal ecosystem dominated by dense evergreen shrubs.
– Climate consists of mild, rainy winters and hot dry summers. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
Ecosystem built on deep nutrient- rich soil that supports a wide variety of grasses.
– Growth of woody shrubs and trees is prevented by drought, occasional fires, and the grazing of large animals. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
A forest ecosystem in a temperate region characterized by trees and shrubs that drop
their leaves each winter. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
A forest ecosystem dominated by cone-bearing evergreen trees,
mostly found in northern latitudes.
– Trees are adapted to long cold winters with heavy snow. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
An ecosystem found above the arctic circle or on high mountains characterized by extreme cold, frozen sub-soil, and high winds.
– Plant communities are dominated by mosses and grasses. |
|
|
Term
|
Definition
| Permanently frozen sub-soil. |
|
|
