A

• adaptive behavior
  Adaptive behavior (ecology)
  In behavioral ecology an adaptive behavior is a behavior which contributes directly or indirectly to an individual's survival or reproductive success and is thus subject to the forces of natural selection...
  
  - In behavioral ecology
  Behavioral ecology
  Behavioral ecology, or ethoecology, is the study of the ecological and evolutionary basis for animal behavior, and the roles of behavior in enabling an animal to adapt to its environment...
  
  , this is any behavior which contributes to an individual's reproductive success and is thus subject to the forces of natural selection
  Natural selection
  Natural selection is the nonrandom process by which biologic traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution....
  
  .
• Adaptive management
  Adaptive management
  -What is Adaptive Management ?:Adaptive management , also known as adaptive resource management , is a structured, iterative process of optimal decision making in the face of uncertainty, with an aim to reducing uncertainty over time via system monitoring...
  
  - a systematic process for continually improving management policies and practices by learning from the outcomes of operational programs
• adoption
  Adoption
  Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
  
  - when an organism permanently assumes the role of parent
  Parent
  A parent is a caretaker of the offspring in their own species. In humans, a parent is of a child . Children can have one or more parents, but they must have two biological parents. Biological parents consist of the male who sired the child and the female who gave birth to the child...
  
   towards a juvenile individual which is not its offspring.
• aerobic metabolism - the process of cellular respiration
  Cellular respiration
  Cellular respiration is the set of the metabolic reactions and processes that take place in the cells of organisms to convert biochemical energy from nutrients into adenosine triphosphate , and then release waste products. The reactions involved in respiration are catabolic reactions that involve...
  
   that occur in the presence of oxygen
  Oxygen
  Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
  
  
• age structure
  Population pyramid
  A population pyramid, also called an age structure diagram, is a graphical illustration that shows the distribution of various age groups in a population , which forms the shape of a pyramid when the population is growing...
  
  - the distribution of various age groups in a population
  Population
  A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
  
   (typically that of a country or region of the world), which normally forms the shape of a pyramid
  Pyramid
  A pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...
  
  .
• agroecology
  Agroecology
  Agroecology is the application of ecological principles to the production of food, fuel, fiber, and pharmaceuticals. The term encompasses a broad range of approaches, and is considered "a science, a movement, [and] a practice."...
  
  - the science of applying ecological concepts and principles to the design, development, and management of agricultural environments
• agroecosystem
  Agroecosystem
  An agroecosystem is the basic unit of study for an agroecologist, and is somewhat arbitrarily defined as a spatially and functionally coherent unit of agricultural activity, and includes the living and nonliving components involved in that unit as well as their interactions.An agroecosystem can be...
  
  - an assembly of mutually interacting organisms and their environment in which materials related to crop production are interchanged in a largely cyclical manner
• allee effect
  Allee effect
  The Allee effect is a phenomenon in biology characterized by a positive correlation between population density and the per capita population growth rate in very small populations.-Description:...
  
  - a biology-related concept that is characterized by the relationship between the size of the population and the growth rate of the species.
• altruistic behavior - behavior in which the subject shows less of a concern for their own well being and more for the welfare of others or offspring.
• anaerobic
  Anaerobic respiration
  Anaerobic respiration is a form of respiration using electron acceptors other than oxygen. Although oxygen is not used as the final electron acceptor, the process still uses a respiratory electron transport chain; it is respiration without oxygen...
  
   metabolism - the fermentation of organic compounds in which air is not breathed in. Contrary to aerobic respiration which needs oxygen to be carried out.
• Animal behavior - studied in ethology & zoology. the desire to understand animals and their use of communication, emotions, sex, and other behaviors.
• Applied ecology
  Applied ecology
  Applied ecology is a subfield within ecology, which considers the application of the science of ecology to real-world questions. It is an integrated treatment of the ecological, social, and biotechnological aspects of natural resource conservation and management. It is also called ecological or...
  
  - the practice of employing ecological principles and understanding to solve real world problems (includes agroecology
  Agroecology
  Agroecology is the application of ecological principles to the production of food, fuel, fiber, and pharmaceuticals. The term encompasses a broad range of approaches, and is considered "a science, a movement, [and] a practice."...
  
   and conservation biology
  Conservation biology
  Conservation biology is the scientific study of the nature and status of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction...
  
  )
• area effect
  Island biogeography
  Island biogeography is a field within biogeography that attempts to establish and explain the factors that affect the species richness of natural communities. The theory was developed to explain species richness of actual islands...
  
   (island biodiversity) - the hypothesis that larger islands can support more species than smaller islands
• atmosphere
  Earth's atmosphere
  The atmosphere of Earth is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by Earth's gravity. The atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the surface through heat retention , and reducing temperature extremes between day and night...
  
  - earth's atmosphere is composed of gases and water
  Water
  Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
  
   that are retained by earth's gravity and help the earth retain heat
  Greenhouse effect
  The greenhouse effect is a process by which thermal radiation from a planetary surface is absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse gases, and is re-radiated in all directions. Since part of this re-radiation is back towards the surface, energy is transferred to the surface and the lower atmosphere...
  
   and reflect UV radiation.
• autecology
  Population ecology
  Population ecology is a sub-field of ecology that deals with the dynamics of species populations and how these populations interact with the environment. It is the study of how the population sizes of species living together in groups change over time and space....
  
  - Also known as population ecology. It is a major sub-field of ecology that deals with the dynamics of species populations and how these populations interact with the environment.
• autopoïesis - An organized self contained system whose parts and systems integrate seamlessly in a relationship of form and function.
• autotroph
  Autotroph
  An autotroph, or producer, is an organism that produces complex organic compounds from simple inorganic molecules using energy from light or inorganic chemical reactions . They are the producers in a food chain, such as plants on land or algae in water...
  
  - an organism who makes its own food from inorganic materials.

B

• bacteria
  Bacteria
  Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
  
  
• Behavioral ecology
  Behavioral ecology
  Behavioral ecology, or ethoecology, is the study of the ecological and evolutionary basis for animal behavior, and the roles of behavior in enabling an animal to adapt to its environment...
  
  - studies the ecological and evolutionary basis for animal behavior, focusing largely at the level of the individual
• biodegradable - capable of decaying through the action of living organisms
• biodiversity
  Biodiversity
  Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
  
  - diversity among and within plant and animal species in an environment
• Biogeochemistry
  Biogeochemistry
  Biogeochemistry is the scientific discipline that involves the study of the chemical, physical, geological, and biological processes and reactions that govern the composition of the natural environment...
  
  - effect of biota on global chemistry, and the cycles of matter and energy that transport the Earth's chemical components in time and space
• biogeochemical cycle
  Biogeochemical cycle
  In ecology and Earth science, a biogeochemical cycle or substance turnover or cycling of substances is a pathway by which a chemical element or molecule moves through both biotic and abiotic compartments of Earth. A cycle is a series of change which comes back to the starting point and which can...
  
  - the pathway through which a chemical, element
  Chemical element
  A chemical element is a pure chemical substance consisting of one type of atom distinguished by its atomic number, which is the number of protons in its nucleus. Familiar examples of elements include carbon, oxygen, aluminum, iron, copper, gold, mercury, and lead.As of November 2011, 118 elements...
  
  , or molecule
  Molecule
  A molecule is an electrically neutral group of at least two atoms held together by covalent chemical bonds. Molecules are distinguished from ions by their electrical charge...
  
   moves through the atmosphere
  Atmosphere
  An atmosphere is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, and that is held in place by the gravity of the body. An atmosphere may be retained for a longer duration, if the gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low...
  
  , hydrosphere
  Hydrosphere
  A hydrosphere in physical geography describes the combined mass of water found on, under, and over the surface of a planet....
  
  , lithosphere
  Lithosphere
  The lithosphere is the rigid outermost shell of a rocky planet. On Earth, it comprises the crust and the portion of the upper mantle that behaves elastically on time scales of thousands of years or greater.- Earth's lithosphere :...
  
  , and biosphere
  Biosphere
  The biosphere is the global sum of all ecosystems. It can also be called the zone of life on Earth, a closed and self-regulating system...
  
  .
• Biogeography
  Biogeography
  Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species , organisms, and ecosystems in space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities vary in a highly regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, isolation and habitat area...
  
  - the study of the geographic distributions of species
• bioinvader - non-native species
• biomass
  Biomass (ecology)
  Biomass, in ecology, is the mass of living biological organisms in a given area or ecosystem at a given time. Biomass can refer to species biomass, which is the mass of one or more species, or to community biomass, which is the mass of all species in the community. It can include microorganisms,...
  
  - the sum of all living
  Life
  Life is a characteristic that distinguishes objects that have signaling and self-sustaining processes from those that do not, either because such functions have ceased , or else because they lack such functions and are classified as inanimate...
  
   living organism
  Organism
  In biology, an organism is any contiguous living system . In at least some form, all organisms are capable of response to stimuli, reproduction, growth and development, and maintenance of homoeostasis as a stable whole.An organism may either be unicellular or, as in the case of humans, comprise...
  
  s in an area.
• biomass pyramid - also called a ecological pyramid
  Ecological pyramid
  thumb|300px|right|An ecological pyramid.An ecological pyramid is a graphical representation designed to show the biomass or biomass productivity at each trophic level in a given ecosystem....
  
  , it is a graph that illustrates the productivity in a trophic level
  Trophic level
  The trophic level of an organism is the position it occupies in a food chain. The word trophic derives from the Greek τροφή referring to food or feeding. A food chain represents a succession of organisms that eat another organism and are, in turn, eaten themselves. The number of steps an organism...
  
  
• biome
  Biome
  Biomes are climatically and geographically defined as similar climatic conditions on the Earth, such as communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms, and are often referred to as ecosystems. Some parts of the earth have more or less the same kind of abiotic and biotic factors spread over a...
  
  - The total complex of biotic communities occupying and characterizing a particular area or zone
• biosphere
  Biosphere
  The biosphere is the global sum of all ecosystems. It can also be called the zone of life on Earth, a closed and self-regulating system...
  
  - the sphere of life; all living matter of the planet occupied by life
• biogeographic realm - is the largest scale of the Earth's surface based on the distribution patterns of plants and animals.
• biogeography
  Biogeography
  Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species , organisms, and ecosystems in space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities vary in a highly regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, isolation and habitat area...
  
  - the study of the distribution of organisms, past and present, and of diverse processes that underlie their distribution patterns
• biological magnification - the increase in concentration of a substance
• biota
  Biota (ecology)
  Biota are the total collection of organisms of a geographic region or a time period, from local geographic scales and instantaneous temporal scales all the way up to whole-planet and whole-timescale spatiotemporal scales. The biota of the Earth lives in the biosphere.-See...
  
  - the total collection of organisms of a geographic region or a time period.
• biotic potential
  Biotic potential
  Biotic potential is the maximum reproductive capacity of a population if resources are unlimited. Full expression of the biotic potential of an organism is restricted by environmental resistance, any condition that inhibits the increase in number of the population. It is generally only reached...
  
  - under ideal conditions, the maximum rate of increase of a population in a given area
• boreal forest - forest areas of the northern North Temperate Zone, mostly made of coniferous trees, also known as taiga
  Taiga
  Taiga , also known as the boreal forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests.Taiga is the world's largest terrestrial biome. In North America it covers most of inland Canada and Alaska as well as parts of the extreme northern continental United States and is known as the Northwoods...
  
  .

C

• community structure
  Community structure
  In the study of complex networks, a network is said to have community structure if the nodes of the network can be easily grouped into sets of nodes such that each set of nodes is densely connected internally...
  
  - a series of close knit groups that share common characteristics, they form a spider web pattern because of the natural divisions in the structure of the community
• camouflage
  Camouflage
  Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
  
  - used to deceive or disguise from surroundings
• carbon cycle
  Carbon cycle
  The carbon cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, pedosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere of the Earth...
  
  - is the biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, pedosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere of the Earth.
• carrying capacity
  Carrying capacity
  The carrying capacity of a biological species in an environment is the maximum population size of the species that the environment can sustain indefinitely, given the food, habitat, water and other necessities available in the environment...
  
  - the maximum number of individuals an environment's resources can support, including the food and water available for the environment
• Charismatic megafauna
  Charismatic megafauna
  Charismatic megafauna are large animal species with widespread popular appeal that environmental activists use to achieve conservation goals well beyond just those species...
  
  - a species of large animal species with widespread popular appeal that environmental activists use to achieve conservation goals well beyond just those species. Examples include the Giant Panda
  Giant Panda
  The giant panda, or panda is a bear native to central-western and south western China. It is easily recognized by its large, distinctive black patches around the eyes, over the ears, and across its round body. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the panda's diet is 99% bamboo...
  
  , the Bengal Tiger
  Bengal Tiger
  The Bengal tiger is a tiger subspecies native to the Indian subcontinent that in 2010 has been classified as endangered by IUCN...
  
  , and the Blue Whale
  Blue Whale
  The blue whale is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales . At in length and or more in weight, it is the largest known animal to have ever existed....
  
  . See also: Flagship species
• Chemical ecology
  Chemical ecology
  Chemical ecology is the study of the chemicals involved in the interactions of living organisms. It focuses on the production of and response to signaling molecules and toxins. Chemical ecology is of particular importance among ants and other social insects – including bees, wasps, and termites –...
  
  - which deals with the ecological role of biological chemicals used in a wide range of areas including defense against predators and attraction of mates
• climate
  Climate
  Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
  
  - The long term average weather pattern in a particular place.
• climate change
  Climate change
  Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
  
  - change in weather conditions such as cloud cover wind speed, temperature , rainfall or humidity in a specific region.
• cohert - an individual in a population that is of the same species
• climax community
  Climax community
  In ecology, a climax community, or climatic climax community, is a biological community of plants and animals which, through the process of ecological succession — the development of vegetation in an area over time — has reached a steady state. This equilibrium occurs because the climax community...
  
  - a biological community of plants and animals that has reached a constant state occurring when the species is best adapted to average conditions in that area
• climax-pattern model - a community is adapted to many environmental factors that vary in their influence over a region
• conservation biology
  Conservation biology
  Conservation biology is the scientific study of the nature and status of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction...
  
  - scientific study of the earths biodiversity and aimed at protecting habitats and species from extinction.
• conservation ecology
  Conservation biology
  Conservation biology is the scientific study of the nature and status of Earth's biodiversity with the aim of protecting species, their habitats, and ecosystems from excessive rates of extinction...
  
  - which studies how to reduce the risk of species extinction
• commensalism
  Commensalism
  In ecology, commensalism is a class of relationship between two organisms where one organism benefits but the other is neutral...
  
  - A symbiotic relationship between two organisms of different species in which one attains some benefits while the other is unaffected
• communication display - a pattern of behavior that is a social signal, sending others a message through different displays of movement, and voice
• communication signal - instinctive and learned behaviors by which animals send and receive to each other in information laden cues, encoded in stimuli.
• community
  Community
  The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
  
  - a group of various organisms living in the same environment
  Environment (biophysical)
  The biophysical environment is the combined modeling of the physical environment and the biological life forms within the environment, and includes all variables, parameters as well as conditions and modes inside the Earth's biosphere. The biophysical environment can be divided into two categories:...
  
  
• community assembly theory - explains how environmentally similar sites have different species or similar species because of the resources they need or "niche requirements"
• Community ecology (or synecology) - studies the interactions between species within an ecological community
• consumer
  Consumer
  Consumer is a broad label for any individuals or households that use goods generated within the economy. The concept of a consumer occurs in different contexts, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary.-Economics and marketing:...
  
  - an organism, usually an animal, that feeds on plants or other animals.
• competition
  Competition
  Competition is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever two and only two strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment. For...
  
  - when organisms from the same or different species compete against each other for food, better living conditions, better reproductive success, or any limited resource where the most fit or most adapted individual comes out on top and thus survives and reproduces
• competitive exclusion principle
  Competitive exclusion principle
  In ecology, the competitive exclusion principle, sometimes referred to as Gause's law of competitive exclusion or just Gause's law, is a proposition which states that two species competing for the same resources cannot coexist if other ecological factors are constant...
  
  - states that two species can not both exist if they are competing for exactly the same resource. Therefore there is always one with a small advantage that will cause the other species in most cases to become extinct.
• composite signal - a signal used in order to communicate which has information within more than a single cue.
• coniferous forest - is a land biome, or large section of land
• cooperation
  Cooperation
  Cooperation or co-operation is the process of working or acting together. In its simplest form it involves things working in harmony, side by side, while in its more complicated forms, it can involve something as complex as the inner workings of a human being or even the social patterns of a...
  
  - is the process of working or acting together, intentionally or not. It encompasses working in harmony, side by side, while also involving something as complex as the inner workings of a human being or even the social patterns of a nation.
• courtship display - Ritual social behavior between possible mates

D

• deciduous broadleaf forest - a forest in a more mild climate with dry seasons, where the tree's foliage changes with the varying seasons.
• Decomposition
  Decomposition
  Decomposition is the process by which organic material is broken down into simpler forms of matter. The process is essential for recycling the finite matter that occupies physical space in the biome. Bodies of living organisms begin to decompose shortly after death...
  
  - process by which tissues of dead organisms break down to more simplistic forms of mater and organic matterial, freeing up the limited space in the biome
  Biome
  Biomes are climatically and geographically defined as similar climatic conditions on the Earth, such as communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms, and are often referred to as ecosystems. Some parts of the earth have more or less the same kind of abiotic and biotic factors spread over a...
  
  
• density-dependent control - any factors that affect individuals of a population and that vary with population density.
• Desert ecology
  Desert ecology
  In ecology, desert ecology is the sum of the interactions between both biotic and abiotic processes in arid regions, and it includes the interactions of plant, animal, and bacterial populations in a desert habitat, ecosystem, and community. Some of the abiotic factors also include latitude and...
  
  - The sum of the interactions between both biotic
  Biotic component
  Biotic components are the living things that shape an ecosystem. A biotic factor is any living component that affects another organism, including animals that consume the organism in question, and the living food that the organism consumes. Each biotic factor needs energy to do work and food for...
  
   and abiotic factors of the desert biomes. including the interactions of plant, animal, and bacterial populations in a desert community
  Community
  The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
  
  .

• desert
  Desert
  A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
  
  - a landscape that receives less than 10 inches of rain per year
• desertification
  Desertification
  Desertification is the degradation of land in drylands. Caused by a variety of factors, such as climate change and human activities, desertification is one of the most significant global environmental problems.-Definitions:...
  
  - a process by which areas become desertlike wastelands with low biodiversity
• Demographics
  Demographics
  Demographics are the most recent statistical characteristics of a population. These types of data are used widely in sociology , public policy, and marketing. Commonly examined demographics include gender, race, age, disabilities, mobility, home ownership, employment status, and even location...
  
  - the characteristics of human populations for purposes of social studies.
• demographic transition model - a model, which represents a shift from high to low birth rates and death rates as part of the economic development of a country
• denitrification
  Denitrification
  Denitrification is a microbially facilitated process of nitrate reduction that may ultimately produce molecular nitrogen through a series of intermediate gaseous nitrogen oxide products....
  
  - The breakdown of nitrates by anaerobic bacteria into other forms. Generally soil.
• density independent factor - A factor that affects the size of a population regardless of the population density.
• detrital food web - a food web depicting energy flow from photoautotrophs through detrivores and decomposers
• detritivore
  Detritivore
  Detritivores, also known as detritophages or detritus feeders or detritus eaters or saprophages, are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus . By doing so, they contribute to decomposition and the nutrient cycles...
  
  - heterotrophs which consume decomposing bits of organic matter, such as leaf litter.
• decomposer
  Decomposer
  Decomposers are organisms that break down dead or decaying organisms, and in doing so carry out the natural process of decomposition. Like herbivores and predators, decomposers are heterotrophic, meaning that they use organic substrates to get their energy, carbon and nutrients for growth and...
  
  - organisms that breakdown substances into simpler substances
• distance effect (island biogeography)
  Island biogeography
  Island biogeography is a field within biogeography that attempts to establish and explain the factors that affect the species richness of natural communities. The theory was developed to explain species richness of actual islands...
  
  - the uniques assemblage of life form and species on an island
• dry woodland - a type of biome that forms when rainfall is averaging around 40 to 100 centimeters, and also has many tall trees
• dominance hierarchy
  Dominance hierarchy
  A dominance hierarchy is the organization of individuals in a group that occurs when competition for resources leads to aggression...
  
  - organization of individuals into groups with a social structure.
• Dominance species
  Dominance (ecology)
  Ecological dominance is the degree to which a species is more numerous than its competitors in an ecological community, or makes up more of the biomass...
  
  - a species which characterizes and predominates an ecological community as measured by primary productivity or biomass
  Biomass
  Biomass, as a renewable energy source, is biological material from living, or recently living organisms. As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly, or converted into other energy products such as biofuel....
  
  .
• doubling time
  Doubling time
  The doubling time is the period of time required for a quantity to double in size or value. It is applied to population growth, inflation, resource extraction, consumption of goods, compound interest, the volume of malignant tumours, and many other things which tend to grow over time...
  
  - the amount of time it a population takes to double its size.

E

• ecology
  Ecology
  Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
  
  - The study of interactions between organisms and their environment
• ecological literacy
  Ecological literacy
  Ecological literacy is the ability to understand the natural systems that make life on earth possible. To be ecoliterate means understanding the principles of organization of ecological communities and using those principles for creating sustainable human communities. The term was coined by...
  
  - is the ability to understand the natural systems that make life on earth possible
• ecological selection
  Ecological selection
  Ecological selection refers to natural selection minus sexual selection, i.e. strictly ecological processes that operate on a species' inherited traits without reference to mating or secondary sex characteristics...
  
  - ecological processes that operate on a species' inherited traits without reference to mating or secondary sex characteristic.
• Ecological succession
  Ecological succession
  Ecological succession, is the phenomenon or process by which a community progressively transforms itself until a stable community is formed. It is a fundamental concept in ecology, and refers to more or less predictable and orderly changes in the composition or structure of an ecological community...
  
  - a focus on the understanding that directs vegetation change
• ecophagy
  Ecophagy
  Ecophagy is a term coined by Robert Freitas that means the literal consuming of an ecosystem. It derives from the Greek "οικος" or Late Latin "oeco-", which refers to a "house" or "household", and Greek φᾰγεῖν phagein "to eat"...
  
  - the consuming of an ecosystem
• Ecophysiology
  Ecophysiology
  Ecophysiology or environmental physiology is a biological discipline which studies the adaptation of organism's physiology to environmental conditions...
  
  - which studies the interaction of physiological traits with the abiotic environment
• ecopoiesis
  Ecopoiesis
  Ecopoiesis is a neologism created by Robert Haynes. The word was formed from the Greek, οικος, house, and ποιησις, production. Ecopoiesis refers to the origin of an ecosystem. In the context of space exploration, Haynes describes ecopoiesis as the "fabrication of a sustainable ecosystem on a...
  
  - fabrication of a sustainable ecosystem on a currently lifeless, sterile planet
• ecoregion
  Ecoregion
  An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
  
  - a region defined by its geography
  Geography
  Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
  
   and ecology
  Ecology
  Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
  
  
• ecosynthesis
  Ecosynthesis
  Ecosynthesis is a term used to describe the use of introduced species to fill niches in a disrupted environment, with the aim of increasing the speed of ecological restoration. This decreases the amount of physical damage done in a disrupted landscape....
  
  - is a term used to describe the use of introduced species to fill niches in a disrupted environment, with the aim of increasing the speed of ecological restoration.
• ecosystem
  Ecosystem
  An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
  
  - the total of interacting organisms (biocoenosis
  Biocoenosis
  A biocoenosis , coined by Karl Möbius in 1877, describes the interacting organisms living together in a habitat . This term is rarely used in English, as this concept has not been popularized in Anglophone countries...
  
  ) and non-living things (biotope
  Biotope
  Biotope is an area of uniform environmental conditions providing a living place for a specific assemblage of plants and animals. Biotope is almost synonymous with the term habitat, but while the subject of a habitat is a species or a population, the subject of a biotope is a biological community.It...
  
  ) in a specific environment
• Ecosystem ecology
  Ecosystem ecology
  Ecosystem ecology is the integrated study of biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems and their interactions within an ecosystem framework. This science examines how ecosystems work and relates this to their components such as chemicals, bedrock, soil, plants, and animals.Ecosystem ecology...
  
  - which studies how flows of energy and matter interact with biotic elements of ecosystem
  Ecosystem
  An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
  
  s
• Ecosystem function
• ecosystem modeling - The use of math, computer programs and models to foreshadow unanticipated problems of the ecosystem
• Ecosystem services
  Ecosystem services
  Humankind benefits from a multitude of resources and processes that are supplied by natural ecosystems. Collectively, these benefits are known as ecosystem services and include products like clean drinking water and processes such as the decomposition of wastes...
  
  - resources and processes that are supplied in a natural ecosystem that benefits organisms.
• ecotone
  Ecotone
  An ecotone is a transition area between two biomes but different patches of the landscape, such as forest and grassland. It may be narrow or wide, and it may be local or regional...
  
  - a transition area between two adjacent but different landscape patches
• ecotoxicology
  Ecotoxicology
  Ecotoxicology is the study of the effects of toxic chemicals on biological organisms, especially at the population, community, ecosystem level. Ecotoxicology is a multidisciplinary field, which integrates toxicology and ecology....
  
  - looks at the ecological role of toxic chemicals (often pollutant
  Pollutant
  A pollutant is a waste material that pollutes air, water or soil, and is the cause of pollution.Three factors determine the severity of a pollutant: its chemical nature, its concentration and its persistence. Some pollutants are biodegradable and therefore will not persist in the environment in the...
  
  s, but also naturally occurring compounds)
• el Nino - short period of change in the Pacific Ocean's climate around Equator.
• ecozone
  Ecozone
  An ecozone is the broadest biogeographic division of the Earth's land surface, based on distributional patterns of terrestrial organisms.Ecozones delineate large areas of the Earth's surface within which organisms have been evolving in relative isolation over long periods of time, separated from...
  
  - an area that has characteristics of natural origin such as climate, terrain, vegetation, etc. It is also the largest division of the Earth's surface filled with living organisms.
• endangered species
  Endangered species
  An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
  
  - a species
  Species
  In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
  
   that contains numbers so low that it risks becoming extinct
• energy pyramid - Shows the flow of energy through a pyramid
• environmental restoration
  Environmental restoration
  Environmental restoration is a term common in the citizens’ environmental movement. Environmental restoration is closely allied with ecological restoration or environmental remediation...
  
  - repairing damages to an area caused by humans, natural disasters or industry.
• ethology
  Ethology
  Ethology is the scientific study of animal behavior, and a sub-topic of zoology....
  
  - the study of animal behavior as behavioral ecology, a branch of zoology
  Zoology
  Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
  
  .
• eutrophication
  Eutrophication
  Eutrophication or more precisely hypertrophication, is the movement of a body of water′s trophic status in the direction of increasing plant biomass, by the addition of artificial or natural substances, such as nitrates and phosphates, through fertilizers or sewage, to an aquatic system...
  
  - an increase in chemical nutrients in the ecosystem
  Ecosystem
  An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
  
  . It may occur on land or in water
  Water
  Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
  
  . This increase of chemicals usually causes an increase or decrease of plant growth.
• evaporation
  Evaporation
  Evaporation is a type of vaporization of a liquid that occurs only on the surface of a liquid. The other type of vaporization is boiling, which, instead, occurs on the entire mass of the liquid....
  
  - is the slow vaporization of water from either the soil or surface water.
• evolutionary ecology
  Evolutionary ecology
  Evolutionary ecology lies at the intersection of ecology and evolutionary biology. It approaches the study of ecology in a way that explicitly considers the evolutionary histories of species and the interactions between them. Conversely, it can be seen as an approach to the study of evolution that...
  
  - (or ecoevolution) the evolutionary changes in the context of the populations and communities in which the organisms exist
• exotic species - introduced species not native or endemic to a habitat
  Habitat
  * Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
  
  
• extinction
  Extinction
  In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
  
  - when organisms completely die off and there are no more of that organism left.
• exponential growth
  Exponential growth
  Exponential growth occurs when the growth rate of a mathematical function is proportional to the function's current value...
  
  - is the growth of a population that is consistent
• emigration
  Emigration
  Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...
  
  - leaving ones native region to go to another
• estuary
  Estuary
  An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
  
  - a body of water on the coast attached to the ocean and rivers or streams that often give it a black color as a result of silt and sediment.

F

• fall overturn - the mixing (or "turning over") of water
  Water
  Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
  
   that takes place in autumn
  Autumn
  Autumn is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter usually in September or March when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier....
  
   that reoxygenates the water.
• feedback
  Feedback
  Feedback describes the situation when output from an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or occurrences of the same Feedback describes the situation when output from (or information about the result of) an event or phenomenon in the past will influence an occurrence or...
  
  
• fire ecology
  Fire ecology
  Fire ecology is concerned with the processes linking the natural incidence of fire in an ecosystem and the ecological effects of this fire. Many ecosystems, such as the North American prairie and chaparral ecosystems, and the South African savanna, have evolved with fire as a natural and necessary...
  
  - which looks at the role of fire in the environment of plants and animals and its effect on ecological communities
• fixed action pattern
  Fixed action pattern
  In ethology, a fixed action pattern , or modal action pattern, is an instinctive behavioral sequence that is indivisible and runs to completion...
  
  - is a behavior that is independent when changes in the environment occur
• flagship species
  Flagship species
  The concept of flagship species is a surrogate species concept with its genesis in the field of conservation biology. The flagship species concept holds that by raising the profile of a particular species, it can successfully leverage more support for biodiversity conservation at large in a...
  
  - is a species chosen to represent an environmental cause, such as an ecosystem in need of conservation.
• food chain
  Food chain
  A food web depicts feeding connections in an ecological community. Ecologists can broadly lump all life forms into one of two categories called trophic levels: 1) the autotrophs, and 2) the heterotrophs...
  
  - a group of organisms interrelated by the fact that each member of the group feeds upon on the one below it.
• food web
  Food web
  A food web depicts feeding connections in an ecological community. Ecologists can broadly lump all life forms into one of two categories called trophic levels: 1) the autotrophs, and 2) the heterotrophs...
  
  - a set of interconnected food chains by which energy and materials circulate within an ecosystem
• forest ecology
  Forest ecology
  Forest ecology is the scientific study of the interrelated patterns, processes, flora, fauna and ecosystems in forests. The management of forests is known as forestry, silviculture, and forest management...
  
  
• foundation species
  Foundation species
  In ecology, a foundation species is a dominant primary producer in an ecosystem both in terms of abundance and influence. Examples include kelp in kelp forests and corals in coral reefs.-Similar concepts:...
  
  - is a species of dominant primary producer in an ecosystem both in terms of abundance and influence.
• founder effect
  Founder effect
  In population genetics, the founder effect is the loss of genetic variation that occurs when a new population is established by a very small number of individuals from a larger population. It was first fully outlined by Ernst Mayr in 1942, using existing theoretical work by those such as Sewall...
  
  - the accumulation of random genetic changes in an isolated population
• functional ecology
  Functional ecology
  Functional ecology is the branch of ecology that focuses on the roles, or functions, that species play in the community or ecosystem in which they occur. In this approach, physiological, anatomical, and life history characteristics of the species are emphasized...
  
  - the study of the roles, or functions, that certain species (or groups thereof) play in an ecosystem

G

• Genetic bottleneck - is an evolutionary event in which a significant percentage of a population or species is killed or otherwise prevented from reproducing.
• geographic dispersal - when an organism moves into another region to join another community.
• Global ecology - examines ecological phenomena at the largest possible scale, addressing macroecological
  Macroecology
  Macroecology is the subfield of ecology that deals with the study of relationships between organisms and their environment at large spatial scales to characterise and explain statistical patterns of abundance, distribution and diversity...
  
   questions
• global ecophagy - is a term coined by Robert Freitas that means, literally, the consuming of an ecosystem.
• global warming
  Global warming
  Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
  
  - the warming of the Earth's average temperature of near-surface air and oceans
• grassland
  Grassland
  Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
  
  - and where grass or grasslike vegetation grows as the dominant form of plant life
• greenhouse effect
  Greenhouse effect
  The greenhouse effect is a process by which thermal radiation from a planetary surface is absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse gases, and is re-radiated in all directions. Since part of this re-radiation is back towards the surface, energy is transferred to the surface and the lower atmosphere...
  
  - warming that results when solar radiation is trapped by the atmosphere, which is caused by gases that allow sunshine to pass through but absorb heat that is radiated back from the warmed surface of the earth

H

• habitat
  Habitat (ecology)
  A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
  
  - Specific ecological or environmental areas that are inhabited by specific plants and animal species.
• habitat connectivity - Allowing for the conservation or maintenance of continuous or connected habitats, so as to preserve movements and exchanges associated with the habitat.
• habitat corridors
  Wildlife corridor
  A wildlife corridor or green corridor is an area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities . This allows an exchange of individuals between populations, which may help prevent the negative effects of inbreeding and reduced genetic diversity that often occur within...
  
  - a strip of land that helps with the movement of a species between disconnected areas of their natural habitat
  Habitat
  * Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
  
  .
• habitat fragmentation
  Habitat fragmentation
  Habitat fragmentation as the name implies, describes the emergence of discontinuities in an organism's preferred environment , causing population fragmentation...
  
  - a process of environmental
  Natural environment
  The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
  
   change that describes the discontinuations, or fragmenting, of a species' natural habitat.
• homeostasis
  Homeostasis
  Homeostasis is the property of a system that regulates its internal environment and tends to maintain a stable, constant condition of properties like temperature or pH...
  
  - the property of a system that regulates the internal environment and maintains a constant and stable condition. ex: endothermic
  Endothermic
  In thermodynamics, the word endothermic describes a process or reaction in which the system absorbs energy from the surroundings in the form of heat. Its etymology stems from the prefix endo- and the Greek word thermasi,...
  
   animals maintain a constant body temperature.
• host
  Host (biology)
  In biology, a host is an organism that harbors a parasite, or a mutual or commensal symbiont, typically providing nourishment and shelter. In botany, a host plant is one that supplies food resources and substrate for certain insects or other fauna...
  
  - an organism that has another organism on on in itself
• human ecology
  Human ecology
  Human ecology is the subdiscipline of ecology that focuses on humans. More broadly, it is an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary study of the relationship between humans and their natural, social, and built environments. The term 'human ecology' first appeared in a sociological study in 1921...
  
  - a field of study that deals with relationships between humans and their societies; their natural, social, and created environments.
• hydrologic cycle - the cycle or process of evaporation
  Evaporation
  Evaporation is a type of vaporization of a liquid that occurs only on the surface of a liquid. The other type of vaporization is boiling, which, instead, occurs on the entire mass of the liquid....
  
   and condensation
  Condensation
  Condensation is the change of the physical state of matter from gaseous phase into liquid phase, and is the reverse of vaporization. When the transition happens from the gaseous phase into the solid phase directly, the change is called deposition....
  
   of water, and it's distribution across the earth driven by solar energy
• hydrosphere
  Hydrosphere
  A hydrosphere in physical geography describes the combined mass of water found on, under, and over the surface of a planet....
  
  - the water vapor in the Earth's atmosphere
• hydrothermal vent
  Hydrothermal vent
  A hydrothermal vent is a fissure in a planet's surface from which geothermally heated water issues. Hydrothermal vents are commonly found near volcanically active places, areas where tectonic plates are moving apart, ocean basins, and hotspots. Hydrothermal vents exist because the earth is both...
  
  - an underwater steaming fissure that has unique ecosystems.

I

• ion exchange
  Ion exchange
  Ion exchange is an exchange of ions between two electrolytes or between an electrolyte solution and a complex. In most cases the term is used to denote the processes of purification, separation, and decontamination of aqueous and other ion-containing solutions with solid polymeric or mineralic 'ion...
  
  - A reversible chemical reaction when ions with the same charge can be switched. This can be used in purification of a substance.
• illegitimate receiver - when one species detects another species scent and kills it in defense.
• illegitimate signaler - a predatory species will mimic signals to lure in their prey
• immigration
  Immigration
  Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
  
  - The one-way inward movement of individuals or into another population or population area.
• imprinting
  Imprinting (psychology)
  Imprinting is the term used in psychology and ethology to describe any kind of phase-sensitive learning that is rapid and apparently independent of the consequences of behavior...
  
  - a time-dependent form of learning triggered by exposure to sign stimuli
• indicator species
  Indicator species
  An indicator species is any biological species that defines a trait or characteristic of the environment. For example, a species may delineate an ecoregion or indicate an environmental condition such as a disease outbreak, pollution, species competition or climate change...
  
  - is any biological species that defines a trait or characteristic of the environment
  Environment (biophysical)
  The biophysical environment is the combined modeling of the physical environment and the biological life forms within the environment, and includes all variables, parameters as well as conditions and modes inside the Earth's biosphere. The biophysical environment can be divided into two categories:...
  
  . The presence and/or abundance of organisms of these species are typically used to indicate the health and an ecosystem
  Ecosystem
  An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
  
  
• instinctive behavior - occurs when an animal has a particular internal state while it is in the presence of an external stimulation called a releaser
• Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis
  Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis
  The Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis states that local species diversity is maximized when ecological disturbance is neither too rare nor too frequent. At low levels of disturbance, more competitive organisms will push subordinate species to extinction and dominate the ecosystem...
  
  - a theory that tries to predict how a species diversity will change with changing levels of disturbance
• interspecific competition
  Interspecific competition
  Interspecific competition, in ecology, is a form of competition in which individuals of different species compete for the same resource in an ecosystem...
  
  - this occurs when different species try to use the same resources in an environment
• Intertidal zone
  Intertidal zone
  The intertidal zone is the area that is above water at low tide and under water at high tide . This area can include many different types of habitats, with many types of animals like starfish, sea urchins, and some species of coral...
  
  - Area exposed to the air during low tide.
• invasive species
  Invasive species
  "Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
  
  - a non-native
  Indigenous (ecology)
  In biogeography, a species is defined as native to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention. Every natural organism has its own natural range of distribution in which it is regarded as native...
  
   species
  Species
  In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
  
   whose introduction to an area is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health

J

• jungle
  Jungle
  A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...
  
  - A large, undeveloped, humid forest that is home to many wild plants and animals.

K

• K-selected species - the species that is a group of strong competitors in a crowded environment and have fewer but stronger offspring.
• keystone species
  Keystone species
  A keystone species is a species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance. Such species play a critical role in maintaining the structure of an ecological community, affecting many other organisms in an ecosystem and helping to determine the types and...
  
  - keystone species is a species that has a disproportionate effect on its environment relative to its abundance. Such species affect many other organisms in an ecosystem and help to determine the types and numbers of various others species in a community.

L

• La Nina
  La Niña
  La Niña is a coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon that is the counterpart of El Niño as part of the broader El Niño-Southern Oscillation climate pattern. During a period of La Niña, the sea surface temperature across the equatorial Eastern Central Pacific Ocean will be lower than normal by 3–5 °C...
  
  - when the ocean surface cools
• lake
  Lake
  A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
  
  - a body of liquid on the surface of the Earth; it is considered a lake when it is not part of an ocean, is inland, and is fed by a river
• Landscape ecology
  Landscape ecology
  Landscape ecology is the science of studying and improving relationships between urban development and ecological processes in the environment and particular ecosystems...
  
  - studies the interactions between discrete elements of a landscape
  Landscape
  Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
  
  
• learned behavior
  Behavior
  Behavior or behaviour refers to the actions and mannerisms made by organisms, systems, or artificial entities in conjunction with its environment, which includes the other systems or organisms around as well as the physical environment...
  
  - a type of action or reflex
  Reflex
  A reflex action, also known as a reflex, is an involuntary and nearly instantaneous movement in response to a stimulus. A true reflex is a behavior which is mediated via the reflex arc; this does not apply to casual uses of the term 'reflex'.-See also:...
  
   that you learn
• Lek - type of animal territory in which males of a certain species gather to demonstrate their prowess before or during mating season
• lichen
  Lichen
  Lichens are composite organisms consisting of a symbiotic organism composed of a fungus with a photosynthetic partner , usually either a green alga or cyanobacterium...
  
  
• limiting factor
  Limiting factor
  A limiting factor or limiting resource is a factor that controls a process, such as organism growth or species population, size, or distribution. The availability of food, predation pressure, or availability of shelter are examples of factors that could be limiting for an organism...
  
  - any essential resource that is in short supply in an environment
• lithosphere
  Lithosphere
  The lithosphere is the rigid outermost shell of a rocky planet. On Earth, it comprises the crust and the portion of the upper mantle that behaves elastically on time scales of thousands of years or greater.- Earth's lithosphere :...
  
  
• logistic curve - an S shaped curve that usually represents population growth.
• Lotka–Volterra equation - Describes an ecological predator- prey model

M

• macroecology
  Macroecology
  Macroecology is the subfield of ecology that deals with the study of relationships between organisms and their environment at large spatial scales to characterise and explain statistical patterns of abundance, distribution and diversity...
  
  - the study of large scale ecological phenomena
• mangrove wetland - mangroves are most often defined as trees or shubs found in sub tropic climates. where plants "assemblage or mangal" and provide habitat for many marine organisms
• marine ecology - and aquatic ecology, where the dominant environmental milieu is water
• marine snow
  Marine snow
  In the deep ocean, marine snow is a continuous shower of mostly organic detritus falling from the upper layers of the water column. It is a significant means of exporting energy from the light-rich photic zone to the aphotic zone below. The term was first coined by the explorer William Beebe as he...
  
  - tiny particles, including dead organic matter from the upper layers of the ocean, sinking deep into the ocean
• mark and recapture
  Mark and recapture
  Mark and recapture is a method commonly used in ecology to estimate population size. This method is most valuable when a researcher fails to detect all individuals present within a population of interest every time that researcher visits the study area...
  
  - used to estimate populations and find survival rates, movement and growth.
• mesopredator release hypothesis
  Mesopredator release hypothesis
  The mesopredator release hypothesis is a relatively new hypothesis from 1988 which describes the phenomenon of trophic cascade in certain terrestrial communities. It states that as top predators decline in an ecosystem, an increase in the populations of mesopredators occurs...
  
  - hypothesis that states as top predators dwindle in an ecosystem an increase in the populations of mesopredators occur
• metabolic theory of ecology
  Metabolic theory of ecology
  The metabolic theory of ecology is an extension of Kleiber's law and posits that the metabolic rate of organisms is the fundamental biological rate that governs most observed patterns in ecology....
  
  - theory that explains the relationship between an organism's body mass and metabolic rate
• microbial ecology
  Microbial ecology
  Microbial ecology is the ecology of microorganisms: their relationship with one another and with their environment. It concerns the three major domains of life — Eukaryota, Archaea, and Bacteria — as well as viruses....
  
  - the ecology of micro-organisms
• micro-climate - an area influenced by either natural or manmade features that change the climatic conditions from the normal regional climate
  Climate
  Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...
  
  
• microecology
  Microecology
  Microecology means microbial ecology or ecology of a microhabitat. Human gut microecology is the study of microbial ecology of the human gut....
  
  - the study of small scale ecological phenomena
• migration - the movement of organisms from one place to another
• mimicry - imitative behavior. animal species resembling one another.
• molecular assembler
  Molecular assembler
  A molecular assembler, as defined by K. Eric Drexler, is a "proposed device able to guide chemical reactions by positioning reactive molecules with atomic precision". Some biological molecules such as ribosomes fit this definition. This is because they receive instructions from messenger RNA and...
  
  
• molecular ecology
  Molecular ecology
  Molecular ecology is a field of evolutionary biology that is concerned with applying molecular population genetics, molecular phylogenetics, and more recently genomics to traditional ecological questions...
  
  - a field of evolutionary biology concerned with applying molecular population genetics
  Population genetics
  Population genetics is the study of allele frequency distribution and change under the influence of the four main evolutionary processes: natural selection, genetic drift, mutation and gene flow. It also takes into account the factors of recombination, population subdivision and population...
  
  , molecular phylogenetics, and genomics
  Genomics
  Genomics is a discipline in genetics concerning the study of the genomes of organisms. The field includes intensive efforts to determine the entire DNA sequence of organisms and fine-scale genetic mapping efforts. The field also includes studies of intragenomic phenomena such as heterosis,...
  
   to traditional ecological questions. Essentially the same as ecological genetics
  Ecological genetics
  Ecological genetics is the study of genetics in natural populations.This contrasts with classical genetics, which works mostly on crosses between laboratory strains, and DNA sequence analysis, which studies genes at the molecular level....
  
  
• molecular engineering
  Molecular engineering
  Molecular engineering is any means of manufacturing molecules. It may be used to create, on an extremely small scale, most typically one at a time, new molecules which may not exist in nature, or be stable beyond a very narrow range of conditions....
  
  - any means of creating molecules through the use of technology
• monsoon
  Monsoon
  Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
  
  - air circulation patterns that influence the continents north or south of warm oceans
• mutualism - A biological interaction between individuals of two different species, where each individual derives a fitness benefit. It includes relationships which are mutualistic, parasitic or commensal.

N

• natural selection
  Natural selection
  Natural selection is the nonrandom process by which biologic traits become either more or less common in a population as a function of differential reproduction of their bearers. It is a key mechanism of evolution....
  
  - happens over a long period of time and is defined as a certain trait and how species with this trait can or can not survive, and how it effects the reproduction of this good or bad trait. Therefore if a species carries a bad trait that lowers its survival rate its reproductive rate will lower as well.
• natural resource
  Natural resource
  Natural resources occur naturally within environments that exist relatively undisturbed by mankind, in a natural form. A natural resource is often characterized by amounts of biodiversity and geodiversity existent in various ecosystems....
  
  - naturally forming substances that are considered valuable in their natural or unrefined form
• negative feedback loop - feedback that reduces the output of a system. ex. when the temperature rises in a room, it turns off the thermostat so that the temperature remains stable
• neutralism - belief that changes in evolution are caused by random mutation rather than by natural selection.
• niche
  Ecological niche
  In ecology, a niche is a term describing the relational position of a species or population in its ecosystem to each other; e.g. a dolphin could potentially be in another ecological niche from one that travels in a different pod if the members of these pods utilize significantly different food...
  
  - a position or function of an organism in a community of related organisms.
• nitrification
  Nitrification
  Nitrification is the biological oxidation of ammonia with oxygen into nitrite followed by the oxidation of these nitrites into nitrates. Degradation of ammonia to nitrite is usually the rate limiting step of nitrification. Nitrification is an important step in the nitrogen cycle in soil...
  
  - the oxidation of ammonia
  Ammonia
  Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or...
  
   with oxygen into nitrite
  Nitrite
  The nitrite ion has the chemical formula NO2−. The anion is symmetric with equal N-O bond lengths and a O-N-O bond angle of ca. 120°. On protonation the unstable weak acid nitrous acid is produced. Nitrite can be oxidised or reduced, with product somewhat dependent on the oxidizing/reducing agent...
  
  
• nitrogen cycle
  Nitrogen cycle
  The nitrogen cycle is the process by which nitrogen is converted between its various chemical forms. This transformation can be carried out by both biological and non-biological processes. Important processes in the nitrogen cycle include fixation, mineralization, nitrification, and denitrification...
  
  - this is a continuous cycle by which nitrogen from the atmosphere and compounded nitrogen keeps getting exhanged through the soil into substances that can be taken up and used by green plants, what is left returns to the air as a result of denitrification.
• nitrogen fixation
  Nitrogen fixation
  Nitrogen fixation is the natural process, either biological or abiotic, by which nitrogen in the atmosphere is converted into ammonia . This process is essential for life because fixed nitrogen is required to biosynthesize the basic building blocks of life, e.g., nucleotides for DNA and RNA and...
  
  - conversion of nitrogen
  Nitrogen
  Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
  
   into nitrogen compounds (ex. nitrate
  Nitrate
  The nitrate ion is a polyatomic ion with the molecular formula NO and a molecular mass of 62.0049 g/mol. It is the conjugate base of nitric acid, consisting of one central nitrogen atom surrounded by three identically-bonded oxygen atoms in a trigonal planar arrangement. The nitrate ion carries a...
  
   and nitrite
  Nitrite
  The nitrite ion has the chemical formula NO2−. The anion is symmetric with equal N-O bond lengths and a O-N-O bond angle of ca. 120°. On protonation the unstable weak acid nitrous acid is produced. Nitrite can be oxidised or reduced, with product somewhat dependent on the oxidizing/reducing agent...
  
  ) that is carried out naturally by certain bacteria
  Bacteria
  Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
  
   and algae
  Algae
  Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
  
  .
• nutrient
  Nutrient
  A nutrient is a chemical that an organism needs to live and grow or a substance used in an organism's metabolism which must be taken in from its environment. They are used to build and repair tissues, regulate body processes and are converted to and used as energy...
  
  - provides nourishment and promotes growth.

P

• paleoecology
  Paleoecology
  Paleoecology uses data from fossils and subfossils to reconstruct the ecosystems of the past. It involves the study of fossil organisms and their associated remains, including their life cycle, living interactions, natural environment, and manner of death and burial to reconstruct the...
  
  - a science which seeks to understand the relationships between species in fossil
  Fossil
  Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
  
   assemblages
• parasite - an organism which survives with another through a symbiotic relationship with another organism—its host—which it does not usually kill directly but does negatively effect.
• parasitoid
  Parasitoid
  A parasitoid is an organism that spends a significant portion of its life history attached to or within a single host organism in a relationship that is in essence parasitic; unlike a true parasite, however, it ultimately sterilises or kills, and sometimes consumes, the host...
  
  - An organism that is a parasite for most of its life and will usually kill its host
• permafrost
  Permafrost
  In geology, permafrost, cryotic soil or permafrost soil is soil at or below the freezing point of water for two or more years. Ice is not always present, as may be in the case of nonporous bedrock, but it frequently occurs and it may be in amounts exceeding the potential hydraulic saturation of...
  
  - permanently frozen layer of terrain found beneath the arctic tundra
  Tundra
  In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
  
  
• per capita
  Per capita
  Per capita is a Latin prepositional phrase: per and capita . The phrase thus means "by heads" or "for each head", i.e. per individual or per person...
  
  - a measurement indicating "per unit of population"
• pheromone
  Pheromone
  A pheromone is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting outside the body of the secreting individual to impact the behavior of the receiving individual...
  
  - a chemical which is typically given off into the environment as a signal which causes a natural behavioral response in members of the same species
  Species
  In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
  
  
• phosphorus cycle
  Phosphorus cycle
  The phosphorus cycle is the biogeochemical cycle that describes the movement of phosphorus through the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. Unlike many other biogeochemical cycles, the atmosphere does not play a significant role in the movement of phosphorus, because phosphorus and...
  
  - the biogeochemical cycle
  Biogeochemical cycle
  In ecology and Earth science, a biogeochemical cycle or substance turnover or cycling of substances is a pathway by which a chemical element or molecule moves through both biotic and abiotic compartments of Earth. A cycle is a series of change which comes back to the starting point and which can...
  
   that describes the movement of phosphorus through the environment
• pioneer species
  Pioneer species
  Pioneer species are species which colonize previously uncolonized land, usually leading to ecological succession. They are the first organisms to start the chain of events leading to a livable biosphere or ecosystem...
  
  - species that first inhabit an environment which was previously unoccupied
• pollination
  Pollination
  Pollination is the process by which pollen is transferred in plants, thereby enabling fertilisation and sexual reproduction. Pollen grains transport the male gametes to where the female gamete are contained within the carpel; in gymnosperms the pollen is directly applied to the ovule itself...
  
  - a type of fertilization and reproduction where the transpoatation of pollen grains from plants to ovure- bearing organs. This takes place by either wind, water, or animal assistance
• pollinator decline
  Pollinator decline
  The term pollinator decline refers to the reduction in abundance of pollinators in many ecosystems worldwide during the end of the twentieth century....
  
  -
• population density
  Population density
  Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
  
  - the number of individuals of a species living per unit of an area.

• political ecology
  Political ecology
  Political ecology is the study of the relationships between political, economic and social factors with environmental issues and changes. Political ecology differs from apolitical ecological studies by politicizing environmental issues and phenomena....
  
  - still under development, this term describes how political and economic power effects ecology, and how ecology can also shape the political economy, by understanding and analyzing environmental influences on social activity.
• population ecology
  Population ecology
  Population ecology is a sub-field of ecology that deals with the dynamics of species populations and how these populations interact with the environment. It is the study of how the population sizes of species living together in groups change over time and space....
  
  (or autecology) - deals with the dynamics of populations within species, and the interactions of these populations with environmental factors
• population pyramid
  Population pyramid
  A population pyramid, also called an age structure diagram, is a graphical illustration that shows the distribution of various age groups in a population , which forms the shape of a pyramid when the population is growing...
  
  - a graphic illustration which shows the age structure in a population
  Population
  A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
  
   (typically that of a country or region of the world), which normally forms the shape of a pyramid
  Pyramid
  A pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...
  
  .
• population size
  Population size
  In population genetics and population ecology, population size is the number of individual organisms in a population.The effective population size is defined as "the number of breeding individuals in an idealized population that would show the same amount of dispersion of allele frequencies under...
  
  - a statistic (n) which describes the number of individuals of a species in a particular geographic range.
• predation
  Predation
  In ecology, predation describes a biological interaction where a predator feeds on its prey . Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation always results in the death of its prey and the eventual absorption of the prey's tissue through consumption...
  
  - the interaction among population
  Population
  A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
  
  s when one organism consumes another one.
• predator - an organism that lives by killing and consuming another living organism.
• prey - living organisms that predators feed on
• primary producer - an autotroph that obtains energy directly from the nonliving environment through photosynthesis
  Photosynthesis
  Photosynthesis is a chemical process that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight. Photosynthesis occurs in plants, algae, and many species of bacteria, but not in archaea. Photosynthetic organisms are called photoautotrophs, since they can...
  
   or less commonly through chemosynthesis
  Chemosynthesis
  In biochemistry, chemosynthesis is the biological conversion of one or more carbon molecules and nutrients into organic matter using the oxidation of inorganic molecules or methane as a source of energy, rather than sunlight, as in photosynthesis...
  
  
• primary production
  Primary production
  400px|thumb|Global oceanic and terrestrial photoautotroph abundance, from September [[1997]] to August 2000. As an estimate of autotroph biomass, it is only a rough indicator of primary production potential, and not an actual estimate of it...
  
  - production of organic compounds from carbon through photosynthesis. This effects all life on Earth either directly or indirectly
• protocooperation
  Protocooperation
  Protocooperation is where two species interact with each other beneficially; they have no need to interact with each other they interact purely for the gain that they receive from doing this. It is not at all necessary for protocooperation to occur; growth and survival is possible in the absence of...
  
  - two species
  Species
  In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
  
   interact with each other beneficially
• population distribution - means the pattern of where people and animals live. Throughout the world distribution is uneven for example places which contain small amounts of people are considered sparsely populated whereas places which are densely populated contain many people.

Q

• quadrat
  Quadrat
  A quadrat is a square used in ecology and geography to isolate a sample, usually about 1m2 or 0.25m2. The quadrat is suitable for sampling plants, slow-moving animals , and some aquatic organisms.When an ecologist wants to know how many organisms there are in a particular habitat, it would not be...
  
  - 1. A piece of type metal used for filling spaces. 2. A quad

R

• rain shadow
  Rain shadow
  A rain shadow is a dry area on the lee side of a mountainous area. The mountains block the passage of rain-producing weather systems, casting a "shadow" of dryness behind them. As shown by the diagram to the right, the warm moist air is "pulled" by the prevailing winds over a mountain...
  
  - A dry area of land that is leeward of a mountain range that results in arid or semiarid conditions
• reproductive base - includes all members of a population
  Population
  A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
  
   that are of reproductive and pre-reproductive ages.
• resource partitioning - when two or more species share, and compete for a resource in different ways in order for both species to coexist
• Restoration ecology
  Restoration ecology
  -Definition:Restoration ecology is the scientific study and practice of renewing and restoring degraded, damaged, or destroyed ecosystems and habitats in the environment by active human intervention and action, within a short time frame...
  
  - attempts to understand the ecological basis needed to restore impaired or damaged ecosystems
• R-selected species - A species selected for its superiority in variable or unpredictable environments
• run-off - the flow of water
  Water
  Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
  
   over land from rain
  Rain
  Rain is liquid precipitation, as opposed to non-liquid kinds of precipitation such as snow, hail and sleet. Rain requires the presence of a thick layer of the atmosphere to have temperatures above the melting point of water near and above the Earth's surface...
  
  , melting snow, or other sources

S

• savanna
  Savanna
  A savanna, or savannah, is a grassland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses.Some...
  
  - A flat grassland with scattered trees in tropical or subtropical regions
• secondary succession
  Secondary succession
  Secondary succession is one of the two types of ecological succession of plant life. As opposed to the first, primary succession, secondary succession is a process started by an event that reduces an already established ecosystem Secondary succession is one of the two types of ecological...
  
  - succession that occurs after the original population has been destroyed or disturbed, as with a forest fire
• selfish behavior - occurs when an individual, despite the impact it may have on the rest of the population
  Population
  A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
  
  , increases its own chances of reproducing
• selfish herd - describes how individuals in a group can act together without planned direction
• sexual selection
  Sexual selection
  Sexual selection, a concept introduced by Charles Darwin in his 1859 book On the Origin of Species, is a significant element of his theory of natural selection...
  
  - a trait that makes an individual more likely to find a mate than others. A microevolutionary process.
• sign stimulus - Fixed action patterns such as mating dances.
• signal receiver - The individual who is responding to the communication signals sent by the signaler.
• signaler - a way to capture attention from a species
• social parasite - A group or individual that latches on to another group or individual to benefit itself. This type of process affects the original pattern of the group its feeding off.
• social behavior
  Social behavior
  In physics, physiology and sociology, social behavior is behavior directed towards society, or taking place between, members of the same species. Behavior such as predation which involves members of different species is not social...
  
  - behavior of an individual towards society and members of the same species as a whole.
• soil
  Soil
  Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
  
  - the naturally occurring, unconsolidated or loose covering on the Earth's surface
• soil ecology
  Soil ecology
  Soil ecology is the study of the interactions among soil organisms, and between biotic and abiotic aspects of the soil environment. It is particularly concerned with the cycling of nutrients, formation and stabilization of the pore structure, the spread and vitality of pathogens, and the...
  
  - the ecology of the pedosphere
  Pedosphere
  The pedosphere is the outermost layer of the Earth that is composed of soil and subject to soil formation processes. It exists at the interface of the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere. The sum total of all the organisms, soils, water and air is termed as the "pedosphere"...
  
  
• song system
  Song system
  A song system, also known as a song control system , is a series of discrete brain nuclei involved in the production and learning of song in songbirds...
  
  - a series of discrete brain nuclei used to produce and learn certain songs of songbirds.
• source-sink dynamics
  Source-sink dynamics
  Source-sink dynamics is a theoretical model used by ecologists to describe how variation in habitat quality may affect the population growth or decline of organisms....
  
  - a theoretical model used by ecologists to describe how variation in habitat
  Habitat
  * Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
  
   quality may affect the population
  Population
  A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
  
   growth or decline of organisms
• southern pine forests - a forest consisting of a pine species that thrives in the sandy, dry, and nutrient-poor soil on the coastal plains of the south Atlantic and Gulf states.
• speciation
  Speciation
  Speciation is the evolutionary process by which new biological species arise. The biologist Orator F. Cook seems to have been the first to coin the term 'speciation' for the splitting of lineages or 'cladogenesis,' as opposed to 'anagenesis' or 'phyletic evolution' occurring within lineages...
  
  - the evolutionary process where new biological species
  Species
  In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
  
   come about
• spring overturn - the mixing of lake waters through the melting of ice cover, the warming of surface waters, convection currents, and wind action occurring in spring
  Spring (season)
  Spring is one of the four temperate seasons, the transition period between winter and summer. Spring and "springtime" refer to the season, and broadly to ideas of rebirth, renewal and regrowth. The specific definition of the exact timing of "spring" varies according to local climate, cultures and...
  
  
• sulfur cycle
  Sulfur cycle
  The sulfur cycle are the collection of processes by which sulfur moves to and from minerals and living systems. Such biogeochemical cycles are important in geology because they affect many minerals...
  
  -
• stream
  Stream
  A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...
  
  - a flowing-water ecosystem that starts out as freshwater springs or seeps
• survivorship curve
  Survivorship curve
  A survivorship curve is a graph showing the number or proportion of individuals surviving at each age for a given species or group...
  
  - a graph showing the number or proportion of individuals surviving at each age for a given species
• symbiosis
  Symbiosis
  Symbiosis is close and often long-term interaction between different biological species. In 1877 Bennett used the word symbiosis to describe the mutualistic relationship in lichens...
  
  - a non-predator prey interaction between individuals of different species.
• synecology
• system
  System
  System is a set of interacting or interdependent components forming an integrated whole....
  
  
• symbiosis
  Symbiosis
  Symbiosis is close and often long-term interaction between different biological species. In 1877 Bennett used the word symbiosis to describe the mutualistic relationship in lichens...
  
  - is a relationship between two or more individuals in a species mainly concerning food. (For example: if the species is competing for the same food, trying to avoid getting eaten or is attempted to eat the other.) There are five different types of symbolic relations which describes who benefits from the relation.

T

• tactile display - when a signlar touches the receiver in ritualized ways
• terrestrial ecology
• terrestrial ecoregion
• territory
  Territory (animal)
  In ethology the term territory refers to any sociographical area that an animal of a particular species consistently defends against conspecifics...
  
  - an area that one or more individuals defend against competition.
• threat display
  Threat display
  Threat display is a type of display behaviour aiming at intimidation of a potential enemy. It may be directed at a rival of the same species , or at a potential threat from a different species....
  
  - a signal used by any certain species in order to show that the user intends to attack
• Theoretical ecology
  Theoretical ecology
  Theoretical ecology is the scientific discipline devoted to the study of ecological systems using theoretical methods such as simple conceptual models, mathematical models, computational simulations, and advanced data analysis...
  
  - the development of ecological theory, usually with mathematical, statistical and/or computer modeling tools
• total fertility rate
  Total Fertility Rate
  The total fertility rate of a population is the average number of children that would be born to a woman over her lifetime if she were to experience the exact current age-specific fertility rates through her lifetime, and she...
  
  - the average number of children that a mother bears in a population during their years of reproduction.
• trophic cascade
  Trophic cascade
  Trophic cascades occur when predators in a food web suppress the abundance of their prey, thereby releasing the next lower trophic level from predation...
  
  
• trophic level
  Trophic level
  The trophic level of an organism is the position it occupies in a food chain. The word trophic derives from the Greek τροφή referring to food or feeding. A food chain represents a succession of organisms that eat another organism and are, in turn, eaten themselves. The number of steps an organism...
  
  - describes the way an organism is on the food chain—what it eats, and what eats it
• tropical rain forest - a biome characterized by regular, heavy rainfall, with a humidity of 80 plus percent, and biodiversity
  Biodiversity
  Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
  
  
• tundra
  Tundra
  In physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
  
  - a permanently frozen, treeless expanse between the icecap and treeline of Arctic
  Arctic
  The Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
  
   regions

U

• umbrella species
  Umbrella species
  Umbrella species are species selected for making conservation related decisions, typically because protecting these species indirectly protects the many other species that make up the ecological community of its habitat. Species conservation can be subjective because it is hard to determine the...
  
  - species
  Species
  In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
  
   which are selected for making conservation
  Wildlife conservation
  Wildlife conservation is the preservation, protection, or restoration of wildlife and their environment, especially in relation to endangered and vulnerable species. All living non-domesticated animals, even if bred, hatched or born in captivity, are considered wild animals. Wildlife represents all...
  
   related decisions, typically because protecting these species indirectly protects the many other species that make up the ecological community
  Community
  The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
  
   of its habitat
  Habitat
  * Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
  
  .
• ultra Plankton - a large breed of sea plankton found in marine environments.
• upwelling
  Upwelling
  Upwelling is an oceanographic phenomenon that involves wind-driven motion of dense, cooler, and usually nutrient-rich water towards the ocean surface, replacing the warmer, usually nutrient-depleted surface water. The increased availability in upwelling regions results in high levels of primary...
  
  - when the flow of water is in an upward direction created by atmospheric winds that blow over the ocean's surface away from the coastline and cause deeper, colder, water to rise to the top.
• Urban ecology
  Urban ecology
  Urban ecology is a subfield of ecology which deals with the interaction between organisms in an urban or urbanized community, and their interaction with that community. Urban ecologists study the trees, rivers, wildlife and open spaces found in cities to understand the extent of those resources and...
  
  - the study of ecosystems in urban areas

V

• Verhulst equation
• virology
  Virology
  Virology is the study of viruses and virus-like agents: their structure, classification and evolution, their ways to infect and exploit cells for virus reproduction, the diseases they cause, the techniques to isolate and culture them, and their use in research and therapy...
  
  
• virus
  Virus
  A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
  
  - an infectious agent (that cannot be seen even under the most powerful optical microscope) that is capable of growing and reproducing outside of a host cell. Viruses can infect all forms of cellular life.

W

• warning coloration
  Aposematism
  Aposematism , perhaps most commonly known in the context of warning colouration, describes a family of antipredator adaptations where a warning signal is associated with the unprofitability of a prey item to potential predators...
  
  - a warning signal that prey uses to warn off predators
• water cycle
  Water cycle
  The water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle or H2O cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth. Water can change states among liquid, vapor, and solid at various places in the water cycle...
  
  - (a.k.a. hydrologic cycle) the nonstop movement of water on, above, and below Earth's surface. The water changes between liquid, vapor, and ice at different times during the cycle.
• water vapour - the gaseous state of water.
• watershed
  Drainage basin
  A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
  
  - the land where water from rain and show melts drains downhil into a body of water (i.e. a river
  River
  A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
  
  , lake
  Lake
  A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
  
  , reservoir
  Reservoir
  A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
  
  , estuary
  Estuary
  An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
  
  , wetland
  Wetland
  A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
  
  , sea
  Sea
  A sea generally refers to a large body of salt water, but the term is used in other contexts as well. Most commonly, it means a large expanse of saline water connected with an ocean, and is commonly used as a synonym for ocean...
  
  , or ocean
  Ocean
  An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
  
  ).
• web of life - also known as the food chain, food network, or trophic social network. It descriped the eating relationships between different specied in a certain ecosystem.

Y

• Yellow rain
  Yellow rain
  Yellow rain was a political incident in which the United States Secretary of State Alexander Haig accused the Soviet Union of supplying T-2 mycotoxin to the Communist states in Vietnam and Laos for use in counterinsurgency warfare....
  
  - A powdery, poisonous, yellow substance reported as dropping from the air in southeast Asia and found to be the excrement of wild honeybees contaminated by a fungal toxin

Z

• zero population growth
  Zero population growth
  Zero population growth, sometimes abbreviated ZPG , is a condition of demographic balance where the number of people in a specified population neither grows nor declines, considered as a social aim....
  
  - The population of a given area neither increases or decreases over a period of time.

See also

• Biology
  Biology
  Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
  
  
• Botany
  Botany
  Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
  
  
• Zoology
  Zoology
  Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
  
  
• History of ecology
  History of ecology
  Ecology is generally spoken of as a new science, having only become prominent in the second half of the 20th century. More precisely, there is agreement that ecology emerged as a distinct discipline at the turn of the 20th century, and that it gained public prominence in the 1960s, due to...