生态相关
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1084
Word | Definition | Topic |
---|---|---|
agriculture | the use of land for growing crops and raising lifestock | Living things in their environment |
aquaculture | commercial cultivation of fish and shellfish for food | Living things in their environment |
arable | land for growing crops | Living things in their environment |
biodiversity | variety in and between organisms, species and ecosystems | Living things in their environment |
biological pest control | the introduction of natural predators to combat pests in farming | Living things in their environment |
biomass | the total weight of living organisms within a habitat or food chain | Living things in their environment |
biomes | major world communities of plant and animal life | Living things in their environment |
biosphere | the earth's landmasses, oceans and atmosphere, and all the animals, plants, insects, birds and micro-organisms living in them | Living things in their environment |
camouflage | colouring or patterning which makes an organism blend in with their environment | Living things in their environment |
carbohydrate | food belonging to the group consisting of sugars, starch and cellulose. They are vital for energy in humans and will be stored as fats if eaten in excess. In plants, carbohydrates are important for photosynthesis. | Living things in their environment |
carbon | chemical element found in all living things | Living things in their environment |
carbon cycle | the way through which carbon is recycled through the processes of respiration, photsynthesis and decomposition. | Living things in their environment |
carnivore | an animal which feeds only on other animals | Living things in their environment |
carnivores | animals who feed only on other animals | Living things in their environment |
cellulose | a carbohydrate which forms the cell wall in plant cells | Living things in their environment |
community | populations of different organisms living together in a habitat | Living things in their environment |
consumer | organisms that get their energy by eating either green plants or other consumers. Primary consumers feed on plant material and secondary consumers feed primarily on animal material | Living things in their environment |
consumers | organisms that get their energy by eating either green plants or other consumers. Primary consumers feed on plant material and secondary consumers feed primarily on animal material | Living things in their environment |
coral reefs | limestone formations found in tropical waters, made largely from living organisims (stony corals) | Living things in their environment |
crop-rotation | a method used in farming where crops are rotated to different fields each year to maintain the nutrients in the soil | Living things in their environment |
decomposer | an organism which eats dead organisms or animal droppings and breaks them down into simple materials. | Living things in their environment |
decomposers | organisms that feed on and break down dead matter | Living things in their environment |
deforestation | the process of cutting down a large number of trees in a forest and not replacing them | Living things in their environment |
eco-agriculture | another name for organic farming | Living things in their environment |
ecology | the study of living things within their environment | Living things in their environment |
ecosystem | a community of animals, plants and micro-organisms, together with the habitat where they live | Living things in their environment |
ecosystems | communities of animals, plants and micro-organisms, together with the habitats where they live | Living things in their environment |
egestion | gestting rid of undigested material from the body | Living things in their environment |
element | a substance consisting of one kind of atom only | Living things in their environment |
eutrophication | 'hyper-nutrition' resulting from fertiliser pollution of aquatic ecosystems. Results in oxygen depletion and reduced ability to support life | Living things in their environment |
excreted | discharged as waste | Living things in their environment |
excretion | removal of metabolic waste from the body | Living things in their environment |
fats | one of the three main food groups, fats include butter, cheese and oils. Fats are used for energy and insulation | Living things in their environment |
feeding relationship | relationships between organisms which are fed upon and organisms who feed upon them. Feeding relationships can be shown in food chains or food webs. | Living things in their environment |
fertilisers | nutrients applied to crops to speed up growth | Living things in their environment |
food chain | (diagram of) a sequence of feeding relationships between organisms, showing who eats what and the movement of energy through trophic levels | Living things in their environment |
food chains | (diagrams of) sequences of feeding relationships between organisms, showing who eats what and the movement of energy through trophic levels | Living things in their environment |
food web | (diagram of) a network of feeding relationships between organisms in a community | Living things in their environment |
fossilised | hardened into a fossil | Living things in their environment |
global warming | gradual increase in average temperature - the result of the greenhouse effect | Living things in their environment |
greenhouse effect | gradual increase in global temperature, the result of increased emissions of gases such as carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. The cause of global warming | Living things in their environment |
greenhouse gases | the gases responsible for the global warming - carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and CFCs | Living things in their environment |
habitat | a place where plants, animals and micro-organisms live | Living things in their environment |
habitats | places inhabited by communities of living things | Living things in their environment |
herbivore | an animal which feeds only on plants | Living things in their environment |
herbivores | animals who feed only on plants | Living things in their environment |
Horticulture | the growing of garden plants; the cultivation of fruit and vegetables | Living things in their environment |
intensive farming | a type of farming that utilises high levels of input (machinery and the use of chemical fertilizers and sprays) to return maximum yields | Living things in their environment |
monocultures | the cultivation of a single crop within a farm or particular area | Living things in their environment |
niche | particular place or role occupied by an organism within an ecological community | Living things in their environment |
nitrogen | a colourless and odorless gas that makes up around 79% of the atmosphere. Nitrogenous waste leaves the body in the form of urea in urine. | Living things in their environment |
non-biodegradable | cannot be broken down by decomposers | Living things in their environment |
nuclear waste | radioactive waste produced from nuclear power stations, nuclear weapons manufacture or nuclear reactors | Living things in their environment |
omnivore | an animal which feeds on both plants and animals | Living things in their environment |
organisms | living entities - ie animals, plants or micro-organisms | Living things in their environment |
pesticides | chemicals used to kill insects, weeds and micro-organisms that might damage crops | Living things in their environment |
pollution | contamination of the environment, usually by chemicals | Living things in their environment |
populations | members of a single species living in a habitat | Living things in their environment |
predator | animal that hunts, kills and eats other animals for food | Living things in their environment |
predators | animals that hunt, kill and eat other animals for food | Living things in their environment |
prey | organisms that predators kill for food | Living things in their environment |
producer | an organism which can make its own food - ie a green plant | Living things in their environment |
pyramid of biomass | a diagram to illustrate the amount of biological material within a food chain or web | Living things in their environment |
pyramid of numbers | a diagram to illustrate the number of organisms within a food chain or web | Living things in their environment |
respiration | chemical change that takes place inside living cells, which uses glucose and oxygen to produce the energy organisms need to live. Carbon dioxide is a by-product of respiration | Living things in their environment |
scavengers | animals that feed on dead animals or decaying matter | Living things in their environment |
selective breeding | the breeding of plants or animals that have desirable characteristics | Living things in their environment |
sustainable | activity which does not use up or destroy resources or the environment, so that it can continue to be done in the future | Living things in their environment |
symbiosis | a relationship between two different organisms which co-exist and in some cases help each other to survive | Living things in their environment |
toxins | a type of natural poison produced by an organism, often as a form of protection | Living things in their environment |
toxicity | degree of harmfulness | Living things in their environment |
trophic level | feeding levels of a food chain | Living things in their environment |
tropical rainforest | dense tropical equatorial woodland | Living things in their environment |
unsustainability | an activity which uses up resources or damages the environment so that it cannot be continued in the future | Living things in their environment |
Urbanisation | the growth of towns and cities and associated movement of populations into them | Living things in their environment |