Printable Essential Ecology Vocabulary flash cards
39 words
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| abiotic |
characterized by the absence of living organisms |
| allelopathy |
suppression of growth of a plant by a toxin released from a nearby plant |
| autotroph |
organism capable of self-nourishment which uses photosynthesis or chemosynthesis for energy |
| biota |
animals, plants, fungi, etc., of a region or period |
| commensalism |
relation in which one organism obtains benefits from another without damaging it |
| communities |
assemblage of interacting populations occupying a given area |
| competition |
struggle among organisms for food, space, and other vital requirements |
| disturbance |
crustal movement of moderate intensity, somewhat restricted in area |
| dominant plants |
plants that by virtue of size or numbers modify and control the environment |
| ecologist |
expert of biology branch dealing with interactions between organisms and their environment |
| ecology |
biology branch dealing with the interactions between organisms and their environment |
| ecosystem |
system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their environment |
| environmental science |
branch of science concerned with physical, chemical and biological conditions of the environment |
| functions |
normal and specific contribution of a bodily part to the economy of a living organism |
| heat |
sexual receptiveness in animals |
| herbivore |
animal which eats plants |
| inputs |
materials or organisms entering |
| life forms |
living creature which can be classified by overall form and structure |
| nutrients |
substance providing nourishment |
| outputs |
materials or organisms leaving |
| phytoalexin |
plant compounds accumulating at site of invading microorganisms and confer resistance to disease |
| pioneer species |
life forms which colonize previously uncolonized land, usually leading to ecological succession |
| plant community |
collection of plant species within a designated geographical unit |
| primary carnivore |
flesh-eaters and consumer of herbivores |
| primary producer |
plant or microorganism that can convert light energy or chemical energy into organic matter |
| primary succession |
change in composition of vegetation a site over time on newly exposed surfaces |
| resource |
source of supply, support or aid that can be readily drawn upon when needed |
| secondary carnivore |
flesh eater which dines on the primary carnivores |
| secondary consumer |
in the food chain, a carnivore that feeds only upon herbivores |
| secondary metabolite |
chemical substances that protect plants from being eaten by herbivores |
| secondary succession |
change in composition of a site over time when vegetation is removed and new plants colonize |
| succession |
progressive replacement of one community by another until a climax community is established |
| symbiosis |
the living together of two dissimilar organisms |
| synergism |
when elements combined produce an effect that's greater than the sum of the individual elements |
| taiga |
coniferous evergreen forests of subarctic lands, covering areas of North America and Eurasia |
| tolerance range |
range of environmental conditions in which individuals of a particular species will grow |
| trophic level |
class of organisms that occupy the same position in a food chain |
| tundra |
vast, nearly level, treeless plains of the arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America |
| abiotic |
characterized by the absence of living organisms |
| allelopathy |
suppression of growth of a plant by a toxin released from a nearby plant |
| autotroph |
organism capable of self-nourishment which uses photosynthesis or chemosynthesis for energy |
| biota |
animals, plants, fungi, etc., of a region or period |
| commensalism |
relation in which one organism obtains benefits from another without damaging it |
| communities |
assemblage of interacting populations occupying a given area |
| competition |
struggle among organisms for food, space, and other vital requirements |
| disturbance |
crustal movement of moderate intensity, somewhat restricted in area |
| dominant plants |
plants that by virtue of size or numbers modify and control the environment |
| ecologist |
expert of biology branch dealing with interactions between organisms and their environment |
| ecology |
biology branch dealing with the interactions between organisms and their environment |
| ecosystem |
system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their environment |
| environmental science |
branch of science concerned with physical, chemical and biological conditions of the environment |
| functions |
normal and specific contribution of a bodily part to the economy of a living organism |
| heat |
sexual receptiveness in animals |
| herbivore |
animal which eats plants |
| inputs |
materials or organisms entering |
| life forms |
living creature which can be classified by overall form and structure |
| nutrients |
substance providing nourishment |
| outputs |
materials or organisms leaving |
| phytoalexin |
plant compounds accumulating at site of invading microorganisms and confer resistance to disease |
| pioneer species |
life forms which colonize previously uncolonized land, usually leading to ecological succession |
| plant community |
collection of plant species within a designated geographical unit |
| primary carnivore |
flesh-eaters and consumer of herbivores |
| primary producer |
plant or microorganism that can convert light energy or chemical energy into organic matter |
| primary succession |
change in composition of vegetation a site over time on newly exposed surfaces |
| resource |
source of supply, support or aid that can be readily drawn upon when needed |
| secondary carnivore |
flesh eater which dines on the primary carnivores |
| secondary consumer |
in the food chain, a carnivore that feeds only upon herbivores |
| secondary metabolite |
chemical substances that protect plants from being eaten by herbivores |
| secondary succession |
change in composition of a site over time when vegetation is removed and new plants colonize |
| succession |
progressive replacement of one community by another until a climax community is established |
| symbiosis |
the living together of two dissimilar organisms |
| synergism |
when elements combined produce an effect that's greater than the sum of the individual elements |
| taiga |
coniferous evergreen forests of subarctic lands, covering areas of North America and Eurasia |
| tolerance range |
range of environmental conditions in which individuals of a particular species will grow |
| trophic level |
class of organisms that occupy the same position in a food chain |
| tundra |
vast, nearly level, treeless plains of the arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America |
