Biology Term One: Ecology Definitions

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Biosphere	The part of the Earth occupied by living organisms. Although the biosphere is thin, the organisms in it are very diverse and vary from one geographical region to another.
Biomes	The largest subunits of the biosphere are called biomes. Each biome is defined in terms of its living organisms and their interactions with the environment. There are approximately 40 biomes.
Ecology	Ecology is a science that studies the interrelationships between organisms and their environment.
Ecosystem	An ecosystem is a definable area containing a relatively self-sustained community of organisms interacting with their non-living surroundings.
Community	A community consists of populations of different species which live in the same place at the same time, and interact with each other.
Population	Each population is a group of individuals of different species which live in a particular area at any one time.
Habitat	The area in which an individual lives is called its habitat or, if it is very small, its microhabitat.
Environment	The complete range of external conditions in which an organism lives is called its environment. Within an ecosystem, the community forms the living, or biotic environment.
Biotic Factors	Factors such as predation and disease which result from the activities of living organisms are called biotic factors.
Abiotic Factors	The non-living part of an ecosystem forms the abiotic environment.
Ecological Niche	An ecosystem contains a community of interacting populations. Each population is a collection of individuals belonging to the same species that play a particular role in the community. The role of a population is called its ecological niche.
Competition	Competition occurs whenever two or more individuals have to share resources in short supply.
Autotrophs	Organisms able to manufacture their own food, either by chemosynthesis or by photosynthesis.
Decomposers	Mainly bacteria and fungi, which obtain nutrients by breaking down the remains of dead organisms.
Herbivores	Which eat the autotrophs.
Seasonality	This can include any resource that occurs at specific times of the year along with abiotic influences.
Predation	The number of species consumed by predators.
Simpson Species Diversity Index	D=N(N-1)/<n(n-1) D= diversity index N= total number of individuals of all species found n= total number of individuals belonging to a particular species
The GAIA Hypothesis	Proposes that on any planet that supports life, the physical and chemical conditions necessary for life are maintained through the organisms own feedback responses.
Competitive Exclusion	The greater ability of one species to access a resource to the detriment of other species.
Intraspecific Competition	Competition within a species
Interspecific Competition	Competition between species
Mutualism	Interactions are beneficial to individuals of both species
Predation	Interactions benefit individuals of one species but are harmful to those of the other species.
Commensalism	Interactions benefit individuals of one species and have no significant effect on individuals of other species.
Allelopathy	One organism produces a chemical substance which has a harmful effect on another organism.
Coevolution	While prey may develop a new genetic edge over a predator, predators develop new genetic edges to acquire prey.
Biodiversity	Is a measure of the variety in plants, animals and micro-organisms their genes and the ecosystems of which they are a part.
Genetic Diversity	Refers to the variety of genetic information contained in all of the individual plants, animals and microorganisms. It occurs within and between populations of species as well as between species.
Species Diversity	Refers to the variety of living species.
Ecosystem Diversity	Relates to the variety of habitats, biotic communities, and ecological processes as well as the tremendous diversity present within ecosystems in terms of habitat differences and the variety of ecological processes.
Species Richness	Refers to the number of species present in a habitat.
Diversity Index	The most commonly used measure of biodiversity.
Resistance	The ability of an ecosystem to resist a change following a disturbance.
Resilience	The ability of the ecosystem to return to its original state after being changed.
Local Stability	The tendency of a community to return its original state after a small disturbance.
Global Stability	The tendency of a community to return its original state after a large disturbance.
InSitu Conservation	Conservation of a species in their natural habitat.
ExSitu Conservation	Conserving species in isolation of their natural habitat.

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