Term
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Definition
| a group of interacting plants and animals inhabiting a given area |
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Definition
| the variability among living organisms from all sources |
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Definition
| in a food web, the arrows leading from prey (consumed) to predator (consumer) |
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Definition
| : number of species in a given area |
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Definition
| consume no other species (autotrophs) but are consumed by others |
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Definition
| a measure of the distribution of individuals among total species in a given area |
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Definition
| consume other species and are themselves consumed |
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Definition
| variety of organisms occurring in a given place or habitat |
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Definition
| variety of organisms occupying different habitats over a region |
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Definition
| consumed by no other species but may exhibit cannibalism |
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Definition
| organisms that substantially influence community structure as a consequence of their abundance (numerical or biomass) |
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Definition
| organisms that substantially influence community structure in spite of their (low) abundance |
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Definition
| directional change in community composition and structure though time |
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Term
| Autogenic environmental change: |
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Definition
| a direct result of the organisms within the community |
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Term
| allogenic environmental change: |
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Definition
| a feature of the physical environment |
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Definition
| groups of sites within the same area that are in different stages of succession |
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Definition
| study of structure, function, and change in a heterogeneous landscape composed of interacting ecosystems |
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Definition
| results from some disturbance; are subject to successional changes through time; therefore my be impermanent |
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Definition
| an area of habitat that differs from its surroundings with sufficient resources to allow a population to persist |
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Term
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Definition
| place where the edge of one patch meets the edge of another |
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Definition
| results from presence of long-term natural features; generally stable and permanent |
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Definition
| transition zone between two structurally different communities |
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Definition
| any process that limits organisms by removing or destroying biomass |
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Definition
| interlocking pattern formed by a series of interconnecting food chains |
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Definition
| movement or recycling of nutrients within an ecosystem |
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Term
| Retranslocation (reabsorbtion): |
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Definition
| movement or recycling of nutrients within a plant |
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Term
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Definition
| the breakdown of organic matter accompanied by the release of carbon dioxide and other inorganic compounds |
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Term
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Definition
| microbial transformation of elements contained in organic compounds into inorganic (or mineral) forms |
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Term
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Definition
| uptake and assimilation of mineral forms of elements into organic compounds |
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Term
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Definition
| mineralization - immobilization |
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Term
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Definition
| movement of nutrients and water from nonliving to living ecosystems components and back again |
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Term
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Definition
| conversion of atmospheric nitrogen to forms usable by organisms (typically done by cyanobacteria or symbiotic bacteria) |
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Term
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Definition
| product of microbial decomposition; ammonia is released as a waste product |
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Term
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Definition
| breakdown of nitrogen-containing organic compounds to nitrates and nitrites |
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Term
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Definition
| reduction of nitrites and nitrates to nitrogen by microorganisms (esp. bacteria) |
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