What is stress in the context of plant biomass?
Stress is a condition that reduces production, such as extreme temperatures, shortages of nutrients, water, and light.
What is a disturbance in plant ecosystems?
A disturbance is an event that causes partial or total destruction of plant biomass, such as herbivory, pathogens, wind damage, frost, fire, or trampling.
What is the principle of allocation?
The principle of allocation states that when resources are allotted to one body structure, physiological function, or behavior, they cannot be allotted to another.
What is determinate growth?
Determinate growth is a growth pattern where an individual does not grow any more once it initiates reproduction; typical of birds and mammals.
What is indeterminate growth?
Indeterminate growth is a growth pattern where an individual continues to grow after it initiates reproduction; occurs in many species of plants, invertebrates, fishes, reptiles, and amphibians.
What is a biome?
A biome is one of several categories into which ecosystems can be grouped based on climate and dominant plant growth forms.
What does growth form refer to?
Growth form refers to the physical structure of a plant, such as tree, shrub, succulent, graminoid, forb, or vine.
How does Relyea define a biome?
Relyea defines a biome as a geographic region that contains communities composed of organisms with similar adaptations.
What is convergent evolution?
Convergent evolution is a phenomenon where two species that descended from unrelated ancestors have similar adaptations due to similar selective forces.
What is an ecotone?
An ecotone is a region where two communities or ecosystems overlap.
What does lotic refer to?
Lotic refers to environments characterized by flowing water.
What is a riparian zone?
A riparian zone is terrestrial vegetation alongside rivers and streams influenced by seasonal flooding and elevated water tables.
What is the littoral zone?
The littoral zone is the shallow area around the edge of a lake or pond containing rooted vegetation.
What is the limnetic (pelagic) zone?
The limnetic (pelagic) zone is the open water beyond the littoral zone, where the dominant photosynthetic organisms are floating algae (i.e., phytoplankton).
What is the profundal zone?
The profundal zone is the area in a lake that is too deep to receive sunlight and typically has low concentrations of oxygen.
What is the benthic zone?
The benthic zone is the area with sediments at the bottom of lakes, ponds, and oceans; it is habitat for burrowing organisms.
What is stratification in lakes?
Stratification is the condition of a lake or pond when the warmer, less dense surface water floats on the cooler, denser water below.
What is the epilimnion?
The epilimnion is the surface layer of water in a stratified lake.
What is the thermocline?
The thermocline (or metalimnion) is a middle depth of water in a lake that exhibits a rapid decline in temperature over a relatively short distance in depth.
What is the hypolimnion?
The hypolimnion is the deeper layer of water in a lake.
What is the greenhouse effect?
The greenhouse effect is the process of solar radiation striking Earth, being converted to infrared radiation, and being absorbed and re-emitted by atmospheric gases.
What is albedo?
Albedo is the fraction of solar energy reflected by an object.
What is the solar equator?
The solar equator is the latitude where the sun is directly overhead at noon.
What is the saturation point?
The saturation point is the maximum amount of water vapor that air can hold at a given temperature.
