ecology the scientific study of the interactions between organisms and the

environment.
organismal ecology includes the subdisciplines of physiological, evolutionary, and
behavioral ecology. it is concerned with how an organism's structure, physiology,
and (for animals) behavior meet the challenges posed by its environment.
population a group of individuals of
the same species living in an area.
population ecology analyzes factors
that affect population size and how
and why it changes through time.
community a group of populations of
different species in an area.
community ecology examines how
interactions between species, such as predation and competition, affect community
structure and organization.
ecosystem the community of organisms in an area and the physical factors with
which those organisms interact.
ecosystem ecology emphasizes energy flow and chemical cycling between
organisms and the environment.
landscape a mosaic of connected ecosystems
landscape ecology focuses on the factors controlling exchanges of energy,
materials, and organisms across multiple ecosystems.
biosphere the global
ecosystem; the sum of all
planet's ecosystems and
landscapes.
global ecology examines
how the regional exchange of
energy and materials
influences the functioning and
distribution of organisms
across the biosphere.
biotic living factors; all the
organisms that are part of the
individual's environment
abiotic nonliving factors; all
the chemical and physical
factors, such as temperature,

light, water, and nutrients, that influence the distribution and abundance of
organisms.
dispersal the movement of individuals away from their area of origin or from
centers of high population density; major contribution to the global distribution of
organisms.
climate the long-term prevailing weather conditions in a particular area.
temperature, precipitation, sunlight, and wind are the four major abiotic
components
macroclimate patterns on the global, regional, and local level
microclimate very fine patterns, such as those encountered by the community of
organisms that live beneath a fallen log.
tropics those regions that lie between 23.5 degrees north latitude and 23.5
degrees south latitude
biomes major terrestrial (vegetation) or aquatic (physical environment) life zones
photic zone upper zone where there is sufficient light for photosynthesis
aphotic zone lower zone where little light penetrates
benthic zone substrate located at the bottom of all aquatic biomes. it is made up
of sand and organic and inorganic sediments.
benthos communities organisms that
make up the benthic zone.
detritus dead organic matter that is a
major food source of food for he many
benthic species. it "rains" down from the
productive surface waters of the photic
zone.
abyssal zone in the ocean; the part of
the benthic zone that lies between
2,000 and 6,000 m below the surface.
thermocline in the ocean and in most
lakes; a narrow layer of abrupt
temperature change that separates the
more uniformly warm upper layer from more uniformly cold deeper waters.
turnover the process where many temperate lakes undergo a semiannual mixing of
their waters as a result of changing temperature profiles. this brings oxygenated
water from a lake's surface to the bottom and nutrient-rich water from the bottom
to the surface in both spring and autumn.
oligotrophic lakes lakes that are nutrient-poor and generally oxygen-rich

eutrophic lakes lakes that are nutrient-rich and often depleted of oxygen in the
deepest zone in summer and if ice covered in winter.
littoral zone the shallow, well-lighted waters close to shore where many rooted and
floating aquatic plants live.
limnetic zone the deep water farther up the shore (that is too deep to support
rooted aquatic plants); inhabited by a variety of phytoplankton and cyanobacteria.
wetland a habitat that is inundated by water at least some of the time and that
supports plants adapted to water-saturated soil.
intertidal zone a periodically submerged and tide-exposed zone (twice daily on
most marine shores).
oceanic pelagic zone a vast relam of open blue water, constantly mixed by winddriven oceanic currents.
coral reefs formed largely from the calcium carbonate skeletons of corals.
marine benthic zone consists of the seafloor below the surface waters of the
coastal, neritic, zone and the offshore plagic zone
neritic coastal
pelagic offshore
abssal very deep benthic zone (very cold zone with high water pressure)
deep-sea hydrothermal vents dark, hot vents where unique assembalges of
organisms are found
disturbance an event (such as a storm, fire, or human activity) that changes a
community, removing organisms from it and altering resource availability.
climograph a plot of the temperature and precipitation in a particular region.
ecotone the area of intergradation
canopy the uppermost layer of vegetation in a terrestrial biome
density the number of individuals per unit area or volume
dispersion the pattern of spacing among individuals within the boundaries of the
population
mark-recapture method a sampling method ecologists use to estimate the size of
wildlife populations
emigration the movement of individuals out of a population
immigration the influx of new individuals from other areas
territoriality the defense of a bounded physical space against encroachment by
other individuals; think: penguins

demography the study of the vital statistics of populations and how they change
over time
life tables age-specific summaries of the survival pattern of a population
cohort a group of individuals of the same age, from birth until all are dead
survivorship curve a plot of proportion or numbers in a cohort still alive at each
age
reproductive table fertility schedule; an age specific summary of the reproductive
rates in a population
big-bang reproduction aka. semelparity; reproduction in which an organisms
produces all of its offspring in a single event
iteroparity repeated reproduction; reproduction in which adults produce offspring
over many years
zero population growth (zpg) occurs when the per capital birth and death rates
are equal (r=0) births and deaths still occur in such a population, but they balance
each other exactly
exponential population growth aka. geometric population growth
Equation: dN/dt = rN where r represents the maximum growth rate and N
represents population size
logistic population growth when the per capita rate of increase approaches zero as
the carrying capacity is reached
K-selection density-dependent selection (sensitive to population density)the
birth rate or death rate does not change with population density
r-selection density-independent selection (insensitive to population density) a
death rate or birth rate that rises as population density rises
population dynamics the study that focuses on the complex interactions between
biotic and abiotic factors that causes variation in the size of populations
metapopulation a group of spatially separated populations of one species that
interact through immigration and emigration
demographic transition a shift from rapid population growth in which birth rate
outpaces death rate to zero population growth characterized by low birth and death
rates.
age structure the relative number of individuals of each age in the population
ecological footprint the concept that summarizes the aggregate land and water
area required by each person, city, or nation to produce all the resources it
consumes and to absorb all the waste it generates.

ecosystem the sum of all organisms living within its boundaries and all the abiotic
factors with which they interact
law of conservation of mass law important to ecosystem: matter cannot be created
or destroyed
primary producers the trophic level that ultimately supports all others; consists of
autotrophs
primary consumers herbivores, organisms that eat plants and other primary
producers
secondary consumers carnivores that eat herbivores
tertiary consumers carnivores that eat other carnivores
detritivores aka. decomposers; consumers that get their energy from detritus
(nonliving organic material such as remains of dead organisms, feces, fallen leaves,
wood, etc.)
primary production the amount of light energy converted to chemical energy
(organic compounds) by autotrophs during a given time eperiod
gross primary production (gpp) the amount of light energy that is converted to
chemical energy by photosynthesis per unit time
net primary production (npp) equal to the gross primary production minus the
energy used by the primary producers for respiration (R)
equation: NPP = GPP - R
limiting nutrient the element that must be added for production to increase
eutrophication a process by which nutrients, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen,
become highly concentrated in a body of water, leading to increased growth of
organisms such as algae or cyanobacteria.
actual evapotranspiration the annual amount of water transpired by plants and
evaporated from a landscape, usually measured in millimeters
secondary production the amount of chemical energy in consumers' food that is
converted to their own new biomass during a given time period
production efficiency the percentage of energy stored in assimilated food that is
not used for respiration.
trophic efficiency the percentage of production transferred from one trophic level
to the next.
turnover time standing crop compared to production (phytoplankton's is small)
Equation: standing crop (g/m^2) / production (g/m^2 * day)
green world hypothesis terrestrial herbivores are held in check by a variety of
factors.

biogeochemical cycles aka. nutrient cycles because they involve both biotic and
abiotic components.
biological magnification a process in which retained substances become more
concentrated at each higher trophic level in a food chain.
greenhouse effect the warming of earth due to the atmospheric accumulation of
carbon dioxide and certain other gases, which absorb reflected infrared radiation
and reradiate some of it back to earth.