Results for “ecology”

ecology

Study of the interactions occurring between organisms and their environments; also used to refer directly to such relationships.

Used in 18 profiles

ecological niche

The specific position or function that an organism fills in an ecosystem.

Used in 77 profiles

adaptive radiation

Speciation of a taxonomic group into several forms, each specialised to fill a previously vacant ecological niche, as exemplified by Rift Lake cichlids, for example.

Used in 60 profiles

biocenose

A group of organisms forming a self-sufficient ecological community in a particular habitat.

convergent evolution

Independant acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated, monophyletic, lineages as a result of inhabiting similar environments or ecological niches.

Used in 3 profiles

copepod

Any member of the subclass Copepoda, a group of small marine and freshwater crustaceans of which the planktonic species are important to global ecology, forming the main constituent of oceanic zooplankton. Some species are parasites of fishes.

Used in 6 profiles

decomposition

Natural, ecological process in which organic material is broken down into simpler substances which may then be used by other organisms. Typically biotic and carried out by microbes, worms, and other organisms but can also be abiotic and occur via chemical or physical processes such as oxidation or hydrolysis.

Used in 204 profiles

ecophenotype

A phenotype resulting from environmental or ecological conditions rather than genetic inheritance.

invasive

Most commonly used in reference to a native or non-native species with the tendency to spread widely that does or is likely to cause environmental, economic and/or ecological harm, though may also be applied to widespread, usually non-native, species that do not exert such adverse effects.

Used in 13 profiles

natural selection

Term introduced by Charles Darwin referring to the nonrandom mechanism of evolution by which certain biological traits become either more or less common in a population due to differential, environmentally-influenced reproduction. Better-adapted individuals tend to produce more offspring, thus the population evolves, and this process can result in populations that gradually become specialised to inhabit particular ecological niches and can eventually result in the emergence of new species.

niche

The position or role occupied by an organism within an ecological community.

Used in 39 profiles

phosphates

Any salt or ester of phosphoric acid. The presence or addition of excessive phosphates in aquatic ecosystems can have significant ecological effects such as eutrophication, and they are one of the primary contributors to algal growth in aquaria if allowed to accumulate. Conversely, they may be actively added to heavily-planted set-ups in the form of liquid or other supplements in order to encourage plant growth.