IB Biology Topic 4 Definitions

The component of an environment that is not alive

Characteristics that make an individual suited to its environment and way of life

The divergence in function of homologous structures over time

The process of establishing a forest in an area where there was no forest before, or not for a long time.

A different structure found in different organisms for the same function

Something that originates from human activity

Species that obtain their food by producing organic compounds from inorganic compounds

A form of nutrition reliant on chemical/light energy

Reproductive isolation due to populations of the same species behaving differently in a way that prevents interbeeding, such as having different mating calls or rituals

The process by which toxins are passed up the trophic levels of an ecosystem, concentrating within the organisms they are passed to.

The variety of life on Earth

The process by which toxins are passed up the trophic levels of an ecosystem, concentrating within the organisms they are passed to.

The component of an environment that is alive

The removal of CO₂ from the atmosphere.

The extreme change in climate conditions due to changing global conditions/factors

A community which through ecological succession over time has reached a steady state.

The population of different species living together and interacting in a single area

A heterotroph that obtains nutrients by digesting other organisms

A heterotroph that obtains nutrients from detritus via internal digestion

The process of sequential change over time within an ecosystem.

The interaction of a community with its abiotic environment

The dense plant and algal growth due to nitrates that uses up all oxygen and suffocates other life

A change in heritable characteristics of a species over time

A diagram that describes the complex feeding networks within a community

All the genes and their different alleles present in an interbreeding population

Reproductive isolation due to populations of the same species living in different areas. This can be as extreme as different continents to as close as different parts of a tree

It is the increase in Earth's mean temperature

The gradual separation with changes over time building up to form a new species

The process by which gases in the atmosphere absorb and re-emit radiation to keep the Earth's surface warm

It is the process by which atmospheric gases absorb infrared radiation emitted from Earth and re-emit them back down to warm the atmosphere and Earth's surface

They are the atmospheric gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect

A form of nutrition reliant on ingestion of other organic matter.

Species that obtain their food by consuming other organisms

A similar structure found in different organisms for different functions, suggesting a common ancestor from which it originated

Species within an ecosystem which play an integral role, without which the ecosystem would fail to exist.

The dark variation of light insects

An artificial mini-ecosystem

A form of nutrition where nutrients are obtained by Autotrophic or Heterotrophic methods.

The favoritism of an organism's adaptations leading to better and prolonged survival over other organisms

An ecosystem that allows energy to enter and exit

The study of the timing and cyclical patterns of events in the natural world.

An error in meiosis leading to a doubling of chromosomes

A data sampling method that is used to view the relationship between organisms by sampling random square areas and recording the presence or absence of organisms or the number of individuals

When populations of the same species stop interbreeding, a requirement for speciation

A heterotroph that obtains nutrients from dead organisms via external digestion

The artificial selection and mating of organisms such as horses and cows to express desired characteristics

The formation of a new species as a result of evolution

Reproductive isolation due to populations of the same species breeding at different times, and so they do not interbreed at all

An organism's position in the food chain