Glossary of ecology

This glossary of ecology is a list of definitions of terms and concepts in ecology and related fields. For more specific definitions from other glossaries related to ecology, see Glossary of biology, Glossary of evolutionary biology, and Glossary of environmental science.

A
abiotic component:

adaptive behavior:

allee effect:

alpha diversity:

animal behaviour:

animal communication:

animal migration:

applied ecology:

aquatic plant:

area effect:

atmosphere:

autecology:

autopoiesis:

autotroph:

B
bacterivore:

behavioral ecology:

benthos:

beta diversity:

biodegradable:

biodiversity:

biogeochemistry:

biogeochemical cycle:

biogeographic realm:

biogeography:

bio-invader:

biological dispersal:

biological magnification:

biological organization:

biomass:

biomass pyramid:

biome:

biosphere:

biota:

biotic component:

biotic potential:

boreal forest:

C
camouflage:

canopy:

carbon cycle:

carrying capacity:

charismatic megafauna:

chemical ecology:

climate:

climate change:

climax community:

colony:

commensalism:

community:

community ecology:

competition:

competitive exclusion principle:

coniferous forest:

conservation biology:

consumer:

cooperation:

coral reef:

courtship display:

cryosphere:

D
deciduous broadleaf forest: Any forest situated in a temperate zone whose trees shed their leaves during the cold season.

decomposer: Any organism that into simpler compounds.

decomposition: The process by which tissues of dead organisms are broken down by both biotic and abiotic processes into simpler forms of, thereby clearing the limited available space in a.

deep sea community: Any of organisms linked by a shared in the deepest parts of a sea or ocean.

deforestation:

denitrification: The breakdown by anaerobic bacteria of nitrates, mostly in the soil, into their constituent chemical elements: nitrogen and oxygen.

density dependence: The dependence of the growth rate of a of a given species on its.

desert: A landscape that receives less than 10 in of precipitation per year.

desert ecology: The study of the interactions between both and factors that occur in desert, including interactions between plant, animal, and bacterial populations in desert.

desertification: The process by which ecosystems become arid, barren, or desert-like, with a lower and different than they originally supported.

detrital food web: A depicting the energy flow from photoautotrophs through and.

detritivore: A organism which primarily on  – decomposing bits of, such as.

disturbance: A temporary change in environmental conditions that causes a pronounced and longer-lasting change in an. Disturbances can quickly and dramatically alter the physical structure and arrangement of both and elements, and often greatly impact local. They may be products of natural phenomena, such as storms, wildfires, and volcanic eruptions, as well as of man-made phenomena, such as, pollution, and construction projects.

dominance hierarchy: The organization of individual organisms into groups with a social structure.

dominance species: A species which characterizes and dominates an as measured by its or.

E
earth science:

earth system science:

ecology:

ecology of fear:

ecological economics:

ecological extinction:

ecological land classification:

ecological literacy:

ecological niche:

ecological selection:

ecological succession:

ecological threshold:

ecophagy:

ecophysiology:

ecopoiesis:

ecoregion:

ecosynthesis:

ecosystem:

ecosystem ecology:

ecosystem engineer:

ecosystem functional type:

ecosystem modeling:

ecosystem services:

ecotone:

ecotope:

ecotoxicology:

ecozone:

El Niño:

emigration:

endangered species:

energy pyramid:

environment:

environmental degradation:

environmental science:

environmental restoration:

ephemerality:

estuary:

ethology:

eutrophication:

evaporation:

evolutionary ecology:

exotic species:

extinction:

extinction vortex:

extreme environment:

extremophile:

F
fall overturn:

fire ecology:

fixed action pattern:

flagship species:

food chain:

food density:

food web:

forest ecology:

foundation species:

founder effect:

freshwater biology:

functional ecology:

functional extinction:

functional response:

fungus:

G
gallery forest:

gamma diversity:

Gause's law:

genetic bottleneck:

geodiversity:

geographical zone:

global ecology:

global ecophagy:

global warming:

Gloger's rule:

grassland:

greenhouse effect:

ground cover:

guest:

H
habitat:

habitat fragmentation:

halophyte:

halophile:

heath:

heterotroph:

homeostasis:

host:

human ecology:

humus:

hydrologic cycle:

hydrophyte:

hydrosphere:

hydrothermal vent:

hypoxia:

I
illegitimate receiver:

indicator species:

instinctive behavior:

insular biogeography:

intermediate disturbance hypothesis:

interspecific competition:

intertidal zone:

intraspecific competition:

invasive species:

ion exchange:

J
jungle:

K
k-selected species:

kelp:

keystone species:

L
La Niña:

lake:

lake ecosystem:

lake stratification:

landscape ecology:

large marine ecosystems:

lek mating:

lichen:

life form:

limiting factor:

limnology:

lithosphere:

logistic curve:

Lotka–Volterra equation:

M
macroecology:

mangrove wetland:

marine ecosystem:

marine snow:

mark and recapture:

marsh:

mesopredator release hypothesis:

metabolic theory of ecology:

microbial ecology:

micro-climate:

microecology:

migration:

mimicry:

molecular ecology:

monsoon:

mutualism:

N
natural resource:

natural science:

natural selection:

nature:

negative feedback loop:

neutralism:

niche:

niche construction:

niche differentiation:

nitrification:

nitrogen cycle:

nitrogen fixation:

numerical response:

nutrient:

nutrient cycle:

nutrient cycle efficiency:

O
ocean:

old field:

oxygenation:

P
paleoecology:

parasite:

parasitoid:

permafrost:

pheromone:

phosphorus cycle:

phytophysiognomy:

phytoplankton:

pioneer species:

plankton:

plant:

plant community:

plant litter:

plant nutrition:

polar climate:

political ecology:

pollination:

pollinator decline:

population density:

population distribution:

population ecology:

population size:

positive feedback loop:

prairie:

predation:

predator:

prey:

primary production:

producer:

protocooperation:

productivity:

Q
quadrat:

R
rain shadow:

range:

resource:

resource partitioning:

restoration ecology:

riparian forest:

river ecosystem:

root microbiome:

r-selected species:

runoff:

S
saprotrophic nutrition:

savanna:

scramble competition:

secondary succession:

selfish herd:

sessile:

sexecology:

sexual selection:

sign stimulus:

signaler:

social animal:

social behavior:

social parasite:

sociality:

soil:

soil ecology:

soil microbiology:

song system:

source-sink dynamics:

speciation:

species diversity:

species evenness:

species richness:

spring overturn:

steppe:

sulfur cycle:

stream:

survivorship curve:

symbiosis:

symbiont:

synecology:

systems ecology:

T
Taylor's law:

temperate deciduous forest:

temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands:

terrestrial ecology:

terrestrial ecoregion:

territory:

thermal ecology:

threat display:

theoretical ecology:

tree line:

trophic cascade:

trophic level:

tropics:

tropical rain forest:

tundra:

U
umbrella species:

upwelling:

urban ecology:

V
vegetation:

vegetation formation:

vegetation type:

Verhulst equation:

virology:

virus:

W
warning coloration:

water column:

water cycle:

water pollution:

water stagnation:

water vapor:

watershed:

web of life:

weed:

wetland:

wildfire:

wildlife:

wildlife corridor:

woodland:

X
xeric:

xerocole:

xerophyte:

xylophagous:

Y
yellow rain:

Z
zooplankton: