Ecology terminology

Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere levels. Ecology overlaps with the closely related sciences of biogeography, evolutionary biology, genetics, ethology, and natural history.

thumb|250px|A deer and two fawns feeding on foliage thumb|250px|A sawfly larva feeding on a leaf thumb|250px|Tracks made by terrestrial gastropods with their radulas, scraping [[green algae from a surface inside a greenhouse]]

frame|right|Simplified schematic of an island's flora all its plant species, highlighted in boxes Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. The corresponding term for animals is fauna, and for fungi, it is funga. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora as in the terms gut flora or skin flora for purposes of specificity.

frame|right|Simplified schematic of an island's fauna – all its animal species, highlighted in boxes

thumb|Amazon rainforest biotope

thumb|Both the orange-breasted sunbird (Anthobaphes violacea) and the [[Kniphofia uvaria plant it feeds on are found exclusively in South Africa.]] thumb|Bicolored frog (Clinotarsus curtipes) is endemic to the [[Western Ghats of India.]] thumb|Montezuma Well in the [[Verde Valley of Arizona contains at least five endemic species found exclusively in the sinkhole.]]

thumb|right|Tillandsia bourgaei growing on an oak tree in Mexico

species introduced either deliberately or accidentally through human activity

REDIRECT Benthic zone#Benthos

process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time

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surrounding of an organism or population

geographical area in which a taxon can be found

thumb|Horse [[feces and straw are forms of detritus, and are used as manure.]]

term in biogeography for a species relationship to a geography; opposite of introduced species

collection or association of plant species within a designated geographical unit

thumb|Reed beds are a common form of lakeside ecotone. The beds tend to accumulate organic matter which is then colonised by trees, forcing the reeds further into the lake. An ecotone is a transitional area between two plant communities, where these meet and integrate. Examples include areas between grassland and forest, estuary and lagoon, and freshwater and sea water. An ecotone may be narrow or wide, and it may be local (the zone between a field and forest) or regional (the transition between forest and grassland ecosystems). An ecotone may appear on the ground as a gradual blending of the

thumb|Caddisfly (order Trichoptera), a [[macroinvertebrate used as an indicator of water quality.]] A bioindicator is any species (an indicator species) or group of species whose function, population, or status can reveal the qualitative status of the environment. The most common indicator species are animals. For example, copepods and other small water crustaceans that are present in many water bodies can be monitored for changes (biochemical, physiological, or behavioural) that may indicate a problem within their ecosystem. Bioindicators can tell us about the cumulative effects of different

species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its abundance

ecological region at the lowest level of a body of water such as an ocean or a lake, including the sediment surface and some sub-surface layers

thumb|Nepenthes misoolensis|Nepenthes misoolensis growing as a lithophyte in [[Raja Ampat, New Guinea]]

dead plant material that has fallen to the ground

total mass of living organisms in a given area (all species or selected species)

study of political, economic and social factors about environmental issues

first species to colonize or inhabite damaged ecosystems

gradual variation of the characteristics of a species along its territory

capacity of an ecosystem to respond to a perturbation or disturbance by resisting damage and recovering quickly

thumb|upright=1.2|Rock dove|Pigeons intermingle with tourists in [[Venice]]

state of animals well outside their normal range

A xerophile (from Ancient Greek ξηρός (xerós), meaning "dry", and φίλος (phílos), meaning "loving") is an extremophilic organism that can grow and reproduce in conditions with a low availability of water, also known as water activity.

process by which a non-native organism or species spreads into the wild and its reproduction is sufficient to maintain its population

movement of people who prefer to eat foods which are grown or farmed relatively close to the places of sale and preparation

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thumb |upright=1.2 |A digestive tubule cell of the sea slug Elysia clarki, packed with chloroplasts taken from green algae. C = [[chloroplast, N = cell nucleus. Electron micrograph: scale bar is 3 μm.]]

the area in which an animal lives and moves on a periodic basis

ecogeographical rule in evolutionary biology stating that members of a species get smaller or bigger depending on the resources available in the environment

ecological quantity

changes in population or community structures that occur at the boundary of two or more habitats

change in environmental conditions that causes a pronounced change in an ecosystem

any animal that creates, significantly modifies, maintains or destroys a habitat

ecology

thumb|upright=1.35 |right| Sea spray containing [[marine microorganisms can be swept high into the atmosphere and may travel the globe before falling back to earth.]]

thumb|upright=1.3|De Molen (windmill) and the nuclear power plant cooling tower in Doel, Belgium (DSCF3859) Radioecology is the branch of ecology concerning the presence of radioactivity in Earth's ecosystems. Investigations in radioecology include field sampling, experimental field and laboratory procedures, and the development of environmentally predictive simulation models in an attempt to understand the migration methods of radioactive material throughout the environment.

thumb|Viola lutea subsp. calaminaria, also known as the zinc violet, grows in soils high in zinc.

plant species that is first to colonize disturbed lands

study of human adaptation to social and physical environments

flow of energy through a food chain, and is the focus of study in ecological energetics

process in biology by which a species spreads to new areas

capacity of social, economic and ecosystems to cope with a hazardous event or trend or disturbance

Ecophysiology (from Greek , oikos, "house(hold)"; , physis, "nature, origin"; and , -logia), environmental physiology or physiological ecology is a biological discipline that studies the response of an organism's physiology to environmental conditions. It is closely related to comparative physiology and evolutionary physiology. Ernst Haeckel's coinage bionomy is sometimes employed as a synonym.

thumb|One scheme of potential North American bioregions based on watersheds. Bioregionalism is a philosophy that suggests that political, cultural, and economic systems are more sustainable and just if they are organized around naturally defined areas called bioregions (similar to ecoregions). Bioregions are defined through physical and environmental features, including watershed boundaries and soil and terrain characteristics. Bioregionalism stresses that the determination of a bioregion is also a cultural phenomenon, and emphasizes local populations, knowledge, and solutions.

thumb|Primary drainage basins in Canada A bioregion is a geographical area defined not by administrative boundaries, but by distinct characteristics such as plant and animal species, ecological systems, soils and landforms, human settlements, and topographic features such as drainage basins (also referred to as "watersheds"). A bioregion can be on land or at sea. The idea of bioregions was adopted and popularized in the mid-1970s by a school of philosophy called bioregionalism, which includes the concept that human culture can influence bioregional definitions due to its effect on non-cultural

group of sympatric species with similar ecological function

phenomenon in which species sometimes prefer low-quality habitats

thumb|right|200px|A slug ([[Lehmannia nyctelia) feeding on a mushroom]] Fungivory or mycophagy is the process of organisms consuming fungi. Many different organisms have been recorded to gain their energy from consuming fungi, including birds, mammals, insects, plants, amoebas, gastropods, nematodes, bacteria and other fungi. Some of these, which only eat fungi, are called fungivores whereas others eat fungi as only part of their diet, being omnivores.

gradual growth and change of an ecosystem on new substrate

thumb|A quadrat used to measure the percentage cover of certain species A quadrat is a frame used in ecology, geography, and biology to isolate a standard unit of area for study of the distribution of an item over a large area. Quadrats typically occupy an area of 0.25 m2 and are traditionally square, but modern quadrats can be rectangular, circular, or irregular. A quadrat is suitable for sampling or observing plants, slow-moving animals, and some aquatic organisms.

diversity of species at a local scale

ratio of regional to local species diversity in ecology

substance or object in the environment required by an organism for normal growth, maintenance, and reproduction