The Ecology Book

GLOSSARY

Consumer A species that eats

other organisms to obtain its

required nutrients; this term can

apply to any organism that is not

at the very bottom of the food chain

Deciduous Describes trees that

shed their leaves in the fall.

Decomposers Organisms,

primarily bacteria and fungi, that

break down dead organisms and

waste matter to obtain energy.

Deforestation The cutting down

of a large area of trees, carried out

for a range of purposes, including

farming, industry, and construction.

Detritivores Organisms that feed

on waste matter.

Diatom Any of a large group of

microscopic algae that often play

an important role in stabilizing an

ecosystem and facilitating the

existence of a range of life forms.

Diversity A measure of the variety

of species within a biological

community or ecosystem.

DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid. A

large molecule in the shape of a

double helix that carries genetic

information in a chromosome.

Ecology The scientific study of

the relationships between living

organisms and their environment.

Ecosystem A community of

organisms in a given environment

that interact with and affect

one another.

Ecosystem services The benefits

humans receive from an ecosystem;

a term highlighting the importance

of the environment to humanity.

Endangered Describes a species

whose population is so small that

it is at risk of dying out completely.

Epidemiology The study of

how diseases spread through

populations, and the impact this

has on the wider ecosystem.

Ethology The scientific study

of the evolution of animal behavior

as an adaptive trait, with a

particular focus on observing

animals in their natural habitat.

Evolution The process by which

species change over time as traits

are passed down over generations.

Extinction The permanent dying

out of an entire species.

Extirpation Extinction of a

species on a local level—when

a species dies out within a specific

geographic area but still exists

elsewhere on the planet.

Feedback loop The effect that one

part of an ecosystem has on the

rest, and how this change feeds

back into the system as a whole.

Fertilizers Substances, which

can be either natural or chemical,

that are added to soil to increase

its nutrient content and help plants

grow more successfully.

Fieldwork Studies undertaken

in the wild, rather than under

controlled laboratory conditions.

Food chain A series of predators

and prey, in which each organism

is dependent on the preceding

lifeform for food.

Food web A collection of food

chains within an ecosystem and

the connections between them,

illustrating how communities

interact on a wider scale to survive.

Fossil The remains of a prehistoric

organism, preserved and solidified

in sedimentary rock or amber.

Fossil fuel Nonrenewable fuels

formed over millions of years from

plant and animal remains.

Fracking A process by which oil

or gas can be extracted from the

ground. Fracking involves drilling

down and injecting liquid into

the rock at a high pressure in

order to force the oil and gas to

the surface.

Fungi A group of organisms,

including mushrooms, that produce

spores and feed on organic matter.

Unlike plants, fungi do not utilize

sunlight for growth.

Gene The most basic unit of

heredity; part of a DNA molecule

that transmits characteristics from

a parent to its offspring.

Genome The complete set of an

organism’s genes.

Geology The scientific study

of Earth’s physical formation and

structure. Geologists examine our

planet’s history and the ongoing

processes that are acting upon it.

Global warming A gradual

increase in the temperature of

Earth’s atmosphere caused by the

accumulation of greenhouse gases.

GMO Genetically Modified

Organism—any life form that has

been artificially and chemically

altered by engineering techniques

that modify its DNA.

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