Dictionary of environmental terms. Basic concepts of ecology Ecological terms and concepts event for children
Ecology(from the Greek “oikos” - dwelling, “logos” - science) - the science of the patterns of relationships between organisms, species, communities and their habitat.
External environment - all conditions of living and inanimate nature under which an organism exists and which directly or indirectly affect the condition, development and reproduction of both individual organisms and populations.
Environmental factors(from Latin “factor” - cause, condition) - individual elements of the environment that interact with the body.
Abiotic factors(from the Greek “a” - negation, “bios” - life) - elements of inanimate nature: climatic (temperature, humidity, light), soil, orographic (relief).
Biotic factors - living organisms interacting and influencing each other.
Anthropogenic factor(from the Greek "anthropos" - man) - the direct impact of a person on organisms or the impact through a change in their environment.
The optimal factor is the most favorable intensity of the environmental factor for the body (light, temperature, air, humidity, soil, etc.).
Limiting factor - environmental factor that goes beyond the limits of the body’s endurance (beyond the permissible maximum or minimum): moisture, light, temperature, food, etc.
Endurance limit - a boundary beyond which the existence of an organism is impossible (ice desert, hot spring, upper atmosphere). For all organisms and for each species there are boundaries for each environmental factor separately.
Ecological plasticity- the degree of endurance of organisms or their communities (biocenoses) to the influence of environmental factors.
Climatic factors - abiotic environmental factors associated with the supply of solar energy, wind direction, humidity and temperature ratio.
Photoperiodism(from the Greek “photos” - light) - the need of organisms for a periodic change of a certain length of day and night.
Seasonal rhythm - the reaction of organisms to changing seasons, regulated by photoperiodism (with the onset of a short autumn day, leaves fall from the trees, animals prepare for overwintering; with the onset of a long spring day, plant regeneration begins and the vital activity of animals is restored).
The biological clock - the reaction of organisms to alternating periods of light and darkness of a certain duration during the day (rest and activity in animals, daily rhythms of movement of flowers and leaves in plants, rhythmicity of cell division, the process of photosynthesis, etc.).
Hibernation - adaptation of animals to endure the winter season (winter sleep).
Anabiosis(from the Greek “anabiosis” - revival) is a temporary state of the body in which life processes are slowed down to a minimum and all visible signs of life are absent (observed in cold-blooded animals in winter and during the hot period of summer).
Winter peace - an adaptive property of a perennial plant, which is characterized by the cessation of visible growth and vital activity, the death of above-ground shoots in herbaceous life forms and the fall of leaves in tree and shrub forms.
Frost resistance - the ability of organisms to withstand low negative temperatures.
ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS
Ecological system - a community of living organisms and their habitats, constituting a single whole based on food connections and methods of obtaining energy.
Biogeocenosis(from the Greek "bios" - life, "geo" - earth, "ce-nos" - general) - a stable self-regulating ecological system in which organic components are inextricably linked with inorganic ones.
Biocenosis - a community of plants and animals inhabiting the same territory, mutually connected in the food chain and influencing each other.
Population(from the French "population" - population) - a collection of individuals of the same species, occupying a certain area, freely interbreeding with each other, having a common origin, genetic basis and, to one degree or another, isolated from other populations of a given species.
Agrocenosis(from the Greek “agros” - field, “cenosis” - general) - a biocenosis artificially created by man. It is not able to exist for a long time without human intervention, does not have self-regulation and at the same time is characterized by high productivity (yield) of one or several species (varieties) of plants or animal breeds.
Producers(from the Latin "producentis" - producing) - green plants, producers of organic matter.
Consumers(from the Latin “consumo” - consume, consume) - herbivores and carnivores, consumers of organic matter.
Decomposers(from Latin “reducere” - reduction, simplification of structure) - microorganisms, fungi that destroy organic residues
Power circuits- chains of interconnected species that successively extract organic matter and energy from the original food substance; each previous link is food for the next.
Nutritional level - one link in the food chain, represented by producers, consumers or decomposers.
Power supply - complex relationships in an ecological system in which different components consume different objects and themselves serve as food for different members of the ecosystem.
Ecological pyramid rule - a pattern according to which the amount of plant matter that serves as the basis of the food chain is approximately 10 times greater than the mass of herbivorous animals, and each subsequent food level also has a mass 10 times less.
Self-regulation in biogeocenosis- the ability to restore internal balance after any natural or anthropogenic influence.
Population fluctuations - a successive increase or decrease in the number of individuals in a population, which occurs due to changes in the season, fluctuations in climatic conditions, food harvests, and natural disasters. Due to regular repetition, population fluctuations are also called life waves or population waves.
Population regulation - organization of measures to regulate the number of individuals through their extermination or breeding.
Endangered population - a population in which the number of species has decreased to an accepted minimum.
Commercial population - population, the extraction of individuals of which is economically justified and does not lead to the erosion of its resources.
Population overpopulation - a temporary state of a population in which the number of individuals exceeds the value corresponding to the conditions of normal existence. Most often associated with a change in biogeocenosis.
Life density - the number of individuals per unit area or volume of a tone or other environment.
Self-regulation of numbers - limiting the effect of an ecological system, reducing the number of individuals to the average norm.
Change of biogeocenoses - the successive natural development of an ecological system, in which some biocenoses are replaced by others under the influence of natural environmental factors: swamps are formed in place of forests, and meadows are formed in place of swamps. A change in biogeocenoses can also be caused by natural disasters (fire, flood, windfall, mass reproduction of pests) or human influence (deforestation, drainage or irrigation of land, earthworks).
Restoration of biocenosis - It is more natural to develop a sustainable ecological system capable of self-healing, which takes place in several stages over decades (after cutting down or a fire, a spruce forest is restored in more than 100 years) -
Artificial restoration of biocenosis - a set of measures to ensure the resumption of the previous biocenosis by sowing seeds, planting tree seedlings, and returning disappeared animals.
Phytocenosis(from the Greek “phyton” - plant, “cenosis” - general) plant community, historically formed as a result of a combination of interacting plants in a homogeneous area of territory. It is characterized by a certain species composition, life forms, layering (aboveground and underground), abundance (frequency of occurrence of species), placement, aspect (appearance), vitality, seasonal changes, development (change of communities).
Basic concepts and terms
1. Ecology is a science that studies the patterns of relationships of organisms with each other and with the environment, the structure and functioning of supraorganismal biological systems.
2. Environmental factors- these are individual elements of the environment that interact with organisms, to which living things react with adaptive reactions.
3. Ecological niche- this is the totality of all environmental factors within which the existence of a species in nature is possible.
4. Biological optimum- this is a combination of factor intensity that corresponds to the best indicators for the vital functions of the body.
5. Tolerance- the ability of organisms to tolerate deviations of environmental factors from their optimal values.
6. Environmental valence- This the degree of adaptability of a species to changes in environmental conditions.
7. Eurybiont is an organism capable of existing under wide changes in environmental factors.
8. Stenobiont- an organism capable of living only in conditions of stable constancy of any factor or groups of interacting environmental factors.
9. Limiting factor- this is an environmental factor that has gone beyond the limits of the endurance of a given species and makes it difficult for it to exist in these conditions, despite the optimal combination of other factors.
10. Photoperiodism- this is the reaction of organisms to the change of day and night, manifested in fluctuations in the intensity of physiological processes.
11. Anabiosis is a temporary state of the body in which life processes are slowed down to a minimum and all visible signs of life are absent.
12. Phenology is the science of seasonal natural phenomena and seasonal aspects of the life of individual species of organisms.
13. Biorhythms- these are periodically repeated fluctuations in the intensity and nature of biological processes and phenomena, making it possible to adapt to changes in the environment.
14. Biocenosis, or community- is an interconnected set of populations of plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms inhabiting a homogeneous area of land or body of water.
15. Biotope- this is a space relatively homogeneous in terms of abiotic environmental factors, occupied by one biocenosis.
16. Ecosystem is an evolutionarily established, spatially limited self-sustaining and self-regulating biological system, consisting of organisms and an abiotic environment, united by metabolism and energy.
17. Climatope- this is a combination of physical and chemical characteristics of the environment (gas composition, humidity, temperature, etc.) that are essential for the organisms and their communities inhabiting this environment.
18. Edaphotope, or edatope- this is a set of habitat conditions for organisms and their communities created by the soil.
19. Station - this is a part of a species’ habitat, characterized by special environmental conditions and usually used for feeding, reproduction, and surviving unfavorable conditions.
20. Producers - these are autotrophic organisms that produce organic substances from inorganic ones; are the primary link in the food chains of ecosystems.
21. Consumers- These are heterotrophic organisms that consume ready-made organic substances created by autotrophic organisms.
22. Decomposers - These are heterotrophic organisms that transform organic residues into inorganic substances in the course of their life.
23. Edifiers- these are types of organisms, mainly plants, that play a leading role in organizing the structure and functioning of the ecosystem.
24. Detritus- these are small organic particles, the remains of decomposed animals, plants and fungi along with the microorganisms they contain; play an important role in the cycle of substances in the ecosystem.
25. Tiering- this is the division of a terrestrial ecosystem into its constituent structural and functional layers.
26. Ecological pyramids is a graphical representation of the relationship between the main functional groups of organisms in an ecosystem, expressed in units of mass, number of individuals or amount of energy.
27. Biomass- this is the amount of living matter of certain organisms expressed in units of mass or energy per unit area or volume of the ecosystem.
28. Productivity or production is the increase in living matter produced by a population or community per unit of time per unit area or volume.
29. Eutrophication is the accumulation of nutrients in aquatic ecosystems under the influence of anthropogenic or natural factors.
30. succession- this is a consistent change of ecosystems that successively arise on a certain area of the earth's surface under the influence of external and internal processes.
31. Climax - this is the final, relatively stable state of successive ecosystems, largely corresponding to the environmental conditions of the area.
32. Agrocenosis, or agrobiocenosis is a community of plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms created to produce agricultural products, maintained and regulated by humans.
33. Biome is a collection of different groups of organisms and their habitats in a certain landscape-geographical zone.
34. Biogeochemical cycle, or biogeochemical cycles- this is a constant exchange of substances and energy between various components of the biosphere, caused by the vital activity of organisms and having a closed character.
35. Plankton - this is a collection of organisms that live in the water column and are unable to actively resist the flow.
36. Benthos is a collection of organisms that live at the bottom of reservoirs, in its soil and on the ground.
37. Noosphere - this is the highest stage of development of the biosphere, associated with the emergence and formation of civilized humanity in it.
38. Monitoring is a comprehensive system of observation, assessment and forecast of changes in the state of the biosphere or its individual elements arising under the influence of anthropogenic influences.
39. Bioindicators- these are organisms whose presence, quantity or characteristics, the development of which serve as indicators of natural processes, conditions or anthropogenic changes in the environment.
40. Cadastre is a systematized collection of data, including a qualitative and quantitative inventory of biological objects or phenomena with their environmental and social assessment.
To environmental conditions, as well as any new traits they developed in the process (for example, a cactus spine is a leaf that has adapted to an arid climate by reducing its surface area to reduce evaporation).
Biome. One of the largest ecosystems that form the overall ecosystem. Each of them is characterized by a climatic community and a special climate in a given region.
Renewable Energy. Natural energy sources such as wind and water.
Deforestation. Massive deforestation for fuel or timber, as well as to clear land for new arable land or cities.
Genetic Engineering. Changing the genetic code to create organisms useful to humans. Genes carry information about the basic properties of the organism.
Natural selection. The theory of evolution put forward by Charles Darwin. She argues that within each species, those organisms that were able to better adapt to environmental conditions than others have a greater chance of surviving and reproducing. Therefore, changes that allow them to adapt to new conditions are passed on to subsequent generations, which ensures the evolutionary development of the species as a whole.
Pollution. The entry of foreign substances into the soil and natural cycles, as well as the presence of artificial chemicals or excessive concentration of natural minerals in the soil, causing great harm to it.
Protective coloration (mimicry). The use of special colors by plants or animals, allowing them to either be less noticeable against the background of the environment, or to disguise themselves as other plants or animals.
Intensive farming. Using the latest techniques to maximize yields, such as using chemical fertilizers, insecticides and other chemicals, and growing the same crops in the same fields every year. These methods greatly damage soils and alter natural cycles.
Irrigation. Irrigation of land, mainly through canals. With ill-conceived irrigation methods, the content in the top layer of soil may increase, and the land will become infertile.
Sources. All types of green plants that produce food from primary substances through the process of photosynthesis. They are the basis for all food chains.
Disappearance. The extinction of animal and plant species and, as a consequence, their complete disappearance from the face of the Earth.
Acid rain. Rain and snow contain toxic chemicals that fall into the air due to pollution from industrial and automobile gases. Such rains kill many animals and plants, especially trees and algae, and also cause serious damage to buildings and human health.
Climate. The set of weather conditions (wind, humidity) characteristic of a given region.
Climate Community. A community of species that remains essentially unchanged until major climatic or environmental change occurs in the area (see also Succession).
Integrated heat and power plants. Highly efficient power plants being built in cities. They use hot water generated during electricity production to heat nearby houses, schools, etc.
Marginal (border) lands. Land suitable only for grazing and not suitable for agriculture.
Desert Advance. The process by which virgin soils (usually used as pasture by local people) are rendered infertile due to over-exploitation and over-intensive agricultural practices, or as a result of climate change.
Necrophages. Organisms that feed on dead organisms and break them down into mineral compounds. Niche, ecological. The place that a given organism occupies in its ecosystem. It includes the features of its nutrition and interaction with other organisms.
Ozone layer. A layer in the atmosphere containing ozone gas, which blocks the sun's very harmful ultraviolet radiation. However, some industrial gases gradually destroy it.
Organic matter. Substances that are or have been part of the body. Contain carbon.
Greenhouse effect. Occurs when reflected heat from the sun is trapped by gases from the atmosphere and heats it. Human activity, the result of which is an increase in the release of gases into the atmosphere (mainly carbon dioxide), threatens a general increase in temperature on Earth.
A series of living organisms in which each previous species serves as food for the next. in this case, it is transmitted from one level (see Trophic levels) to another. All food chains in a single ecosystem are combined into a single food web.
Consumers. Organisms that feed on other organisms.
Continuity. A sequence of natural changes in a given habitat in which one community replaces another until a new climatic community is formed.
Crop rotation. A farming principle in which different, specially selected crops are grown in a new field each year, in a cycle of four to five years. This helps control crop yields and avoid soil depletion.
Community. The collection of plants and animals in a given habitat.
Habitat. A defined area in which a community of plants and animals lives.
Territory. The area that one or more organisms occupy and defend from the invasion of rivals (most often organisms of the same species).
Trophic levels. Different links in a food chain corresponding to organisms that obtain food and energy from the same sources.
Photosynthesis. The process by which plants use solar energy to produce food (carbohydrates) from water and carbon dioxide.
Chlorofluorocarbons. Chlorine-based compounds used in aerosols, refrigerator freezers and in the production of polystyrene, which scientists believe are the main cause of ozone depletion.
Evolution. A long process of change in living organisms, lasting millions of years.
Environmentally friendly technologies. The use of methods that do not conflict with natural cycles and do not disturb the ecological balance in a given region (there are environmentally friendly technologies in forestry, agriculture, etc.).
Organic farming. Farming methods that take into account natural cycles - for example, using only organic fertilizers (manure), natural pest control, and crop rotation.
Environmentally friendly technologies. Equipment, mechanisms and methods that are available to those who need them (for example, hand tools instead of tractors where it is not possible to get machine oil and spare parts).
Ecosystem. A self-sufficient system consisting of a community of plants and animals in their surrounding habitat, which are inextricably linked by metabolism and energy.
Soil erosion. The process of destruction and death of fertile topsoil - mainly due to rain and wind, but also due to intensive farming, deforestation and insufficient artificial irrigation. Lands become barren as a result of erosion.
Abiotic factors – effects on the body of components of inanimate nature.
Autotrophs – organisms that use carbon dioxide as a carbon source, that is, organisms capable of creating organic substances from inorganic substances - carbon dioxide, water, mineral salts (plants and some bacteria). These include phototrophs And chemotrophs.
Agroecosystems (agricultural ecosystems, agrocenoses) – artificial ecosystems, arising as a result of human agricultural activity (arable lands, hayfields, pastures).
Morphological adaptations – changes in the structure of organisms. For example, leaf modification in desert plants.
Physiological adaptations – changes in the physiology of organisms. For example, the camel's ability to provide moisture to the body by oxidizing fat reserves.
Ethological adaptations – changes in the behavior of organisms. For example, seasonal migrations of mammals and birds, hibernation in winter.
Adaptation – adaptation to the environment developed in organisms during the process of evolution.
Allelopathy(antibiosis) is a special case of amensalism, in which waste products of one organism are released into the external environment, poisoning it and making it unsuitable for the life of another. Common in plants, fungi, and bacteria.
Allergens – factors that can cause allergies. Allergens can be pathogenic and non-pathogenic microbes, house dust, animal hair, pollen, medications, gasoline, chloramine, meat, vegetables, fruits, berries, etc.
Allergy – perverted sensitivity or reactivity of the body to a particular substance, the so-called allergen.
Amensalism – relationships in which one organism influences another and suppresses its vital activity, while it itself does not experience any negative influences from the suppressed one. For example, spruce and lower tier plants.
Anabiosis – complete temporary stop of life. In a state of suspended animation, organisms become resistant to various influences (rotifers, tardigrades, small nematodes, plant seeds and spores, bacterial and fungal spores). Anabiosis is a rather rare phenomenon and is an extreme state of rest in living nature; the state of suspended animation is possible only with almost complete dehydration of organisms. Cm. Hypobiosis And Cryptobiosis.
Obligate anaerobes – organisms that are unable to live in an oxygen environment (some bacteria).
Anaerobes facultative– organisms that can live both in the presence of oxygen and without it (some bacteria and fungi).
Anemophilia – a method of pollinating plants by wind. Anemophilous plants include all gymnosperms and about 10% of angiosperms (beech, birch, walnut, hemp, casuarina, goosefoot, sedge, cereals, etc.).
Anemochory – dispersal by air currents. Anemochory is characteristic of spores, seeds and fruits of plants, protozoan cysts, small insects, spiders, etc.
Antibiosis – cm. Allelopathy.
Anthropogenesis – the origin of man, his formation as a species.
Anthropogenic factors – the impact of human activity on the body.
Anthropogenic cycle (metabolism) of substances – the cycle (metabolism) of substances, the driving force of which is human activity. Due to the openness of the anthropogenic cycle, it is often called exchange.
Anthroposphere – the sphere of the Earth where humanity lives and where it temporarily penetrates (with the help of satellites, etc.). The concept of “anthroposphere” is used to characterize the spatial position of humanity and its economic activities.
Anthropocentrism – a type of social consciousness based on ideas about “human exceptionalism” and the opposition of man to nature.
Upwelling – the rise of cold waters from the depths of the ocean, when winds move water from a steep continental slope, and in return, enriched water rises from the depths biogenic elements.
Area – the space in which population or view generally occurs throughout its life.
Atmosphere – the continuous air envelope of the Earth, consisting of a mixture of gases, water vapor and dust particles.
Outwelling – brought nutrients from land into coastal water bodies, which are ecotones between freshwater and marine ecosystems(estuaries, estuaries, river mouths, coastal bays, etc.).
Autecology(ecology of individuals, factorial ecology) – a branch of ecology that studies the relationship of individuals (organisms) with the environment.
Acidophilus – plants that live in soils with pH<6,7.
Aerobes – organisms that can live only in an oxygen environment (animals, plants, some bacteria and fungi).
Basiphila – plants living on soils with pH>7.0.
Bental – the bottom of the ocean or sea as a habitat for bottom organisms – benthos.
Benthos – organisms living on the bottom and in the soil (attached algae and higher plants, crustaceans, mollusks, starfish, etc.). Highlight phytobenthos And zoobenthos.
Nutrient – non-living bodies formed as a result of the vital activity of living organisms (some sedimentary rocks: limestone, chalk, etc., as well as oil, gas, coal, atmospheric oxygen, etc.).
Nutrients – chemical elements that are included
into living organisms and at the same time perform biological functions.
Biogeochemical cycle (biogeochemical cycles) – Part biological cycle, composed of exchange cycles of water, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur and others biogenic elements.
Biogeocenosis – a homogeneous area of the earth's surface with a certain composition of living things (biocenosis) and inert (biotope) components combined by metabolism and energy into a single natural complex.
Bioindicators – living organisms, by the presence, condition and behavior of which one can judge changes in the environment.
Bioindication – detection and determination of biologically and environmentally significant anthropogenic loads based on the response of living organisms and their communities to them.
Bioinert substance – bioinert bodies, which are the result of the joint activity of living organisms and geological processes (soils, silts, weathering crust, etc.).
Biological products (productivity) – growth biomass in an ecosystem created per unit of time. It is divided into primary And secondary products.
Biological rhythms – periodically repeating changes in the intensity and nature of biological processes and phenomena. For example, rhythmicity in cell division, DNA and RNA synthesis, hormone secretion, daily movement of leaves and petals towards the Sun, autumn leaf fall, seasonal lignification of wintering shoots, seasonal migrations of birds and mammals, etc.
Biological clock of the body– endogenous biological rhythms, giving the body the opportunity to navigate in time and prepare in advance for upcoming environmental changes.
Biological (biotic) cycle– circulation of substances, the driving force of which is the activity of living organisms. The main source of energy in the cycle is solar radiation, which generates photosynthesis.
Biome – a set of different groups of organisms and their habitats in a certain landscape-geographical zone (for example, in the tundra, taiga, steppe, etc.).
Biomass – mass of organisms of a certain group (producers, consumers, decomposers) or the community as a whole.
Biosphere – the shell of the Earth, the composition, structure and properties of which are, to one degree or another, determined by the present or past activities of living organisms.
Biosphere reserves – components of the series state natural reserves, used for background monitoring of biosphere processes.
Biota – a historically established collection of living organisms united by a common area of distribution. For example, tundra biota, soil biota, etc.
Biotic factors – influence on the body of other living organisms.
Biotope – a certain territory with its characteristic abiotic environmental factors habitat (climate, soil).
Biotrophs – heterotrophic organisms that use other living organisms as food. These include zoophagi And phytophages.
Biocenosis – totality populations different species, living in a certain territory.
Gross primary production – general biomass, created by plants during photosynthesis. Part of it is spent on maintaining the life of plants - spending on respiration (40–70%). The remainder is called net primary production.
Demographic "explosion" – a sharp increase in population, as a result of a decrease in mortality against a background of high birth rates. Its causes are associated with changes in socio-economic or general environmental living conditions (including the level of healthcare).
Biological species – a set of individuals with hereditary similarity of morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics, capable of crossing with the formation of fertile offspring, adapted to certain living conditions and occupying a certain area in nature (area).
Species structure of biocenosis – number of species forming a given biocenosis, and the ratio of their number or mass.
Species diversity of biocenosis – number of species in a given community. There is α-diversity - the diversity of species in a given habitat, and β-diversity - the sum of all species of all habitats in a given area.
Vicarious (replacing) species – similar in ecology, but not related species, capable of occupying the same ecological niches.
Violents(siloviki) - species that suppress all competitors (for example, trees forming indigenous forests).
Renewable natural resources which are constantly restored as they are used (fauna, vegetation, soil).
Age structure (age composition) of the population – ratio in populations individuals of different age groups.
"Second Nature" – changes natural environment, artificially caused by people and characterized by a lack of self-maintenance, that is, gradually collapsing without the supporting influence of man (arable lands, forest plantations, artificial reservoirs, etc.).
Secondary products– biomass, consumers.
"Minor" species - few and rare in biocenosis kinds.
Survival – absolute number of individuals (or percentage of the original number of individuals) preserved in populations for a certain period of time.
Altitudinal zone – a natural change in the natural environment with an ascent into the mountains from their base to the peaks.
Halophiles – animals of saline soils. Halophytes – plants of saline soils.
Heliophytes obligate (light-loving plants) – plants living in good light conditions.
Heliophytes facultative (shade-tolerant plants) – plants that can live both in conditions of good lighting and in shaded conditions.
Helophytes – variety hydrophytes – plants that live in swamps and marshy meadows.
Hemicryptophytes – plants whose renewal buds are located at the level of the soil surface, or in its most superficial layer, often covered with litter (most perennial grasses).
Genetic structure of the population – ratio in populations various genotypes and alleles.
Gene pool – the totality of genes of all individuals populations.
Geobionts – animals that permanently live in the soil, the entire development cycle of which takes place in the soil environment.
Geoxenes – animals that sometimes visit soil for temporary shelter or refuge.
Geological cycle – cycle of substances, the driving force of which is exogenous And endogenous geological processes.
Geophiles – animals, part of the development cycle of which (usually one of the phases) necessarily takes place in the soil.
Geophytes – a type of cryptophyte.
Heterothermic organisms – group homeothermic organisms in which periods of maintaining a constantly high body temperature are replaced by periods of its decrease when hibernating during an unfavorable period of the year (gophers, marmots, hedgehogs, bats, etc.).
Heterotrophs – organisms that use organic compounds as a source of carbon, that is, organisms that feed on ready-made organic matter (animals, fungi and most bacteria).
Hygrophiles – moisture-loving organisms.
Hygrophytes – plants of wet habitats that do not tolerate water deficiency. These include, in particular, aquatic plants - hydrophytes And hydatophytes.
Hydatophytes – aquatic plants, entirely or mostly submerged in water (for example, pondweed, water lily).
Hydrosphere – discontinuous water layer of the Earth, located between atmosphere And lithosphere and includes everything: oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, as well as groundwater, ice, snow of polar and high-mountain regions.
Hydrophytes – aquatic plants attached to the ground and submerged in water only with their lower parts (for example, reeds).
Guilds – groups of species in a community that have similar functions and niches of the same size, that is, whose roles in the community are the same or comparable (for example, tropical forest vines are represented by many plant species).
Hypobiosis ( forced peace) – inhibition of activity, or torpor, occurs under the direct pressure of unfavorable conditions (lack of heat, water, oxygen, etc.) and stops almost immediately after these conditions return to normal (certain species of arthropods, for example springtails, a number of flies , ground beetles, etc.). Cm. Anabiosis And Cryptobiosis.
Global modeling – forecasting the future of the whole world based on mathematical models and computer technology.
Homeostasis – dynamic balance of processes occurring in an organism, population, biocenosis, ecosystem.
Homeothermic organisms – organisms capable of maintaining internal body temperature at a relatively constant level regardless of environmental temperature (birds and mammals).
Horizontal zoning – a natural change in the natural environment in the direction from the equator to the poles.
State nature reserves – territories and water areas that are completely withdrawn from normal economic use in order to preserve the natural complex in its natural state.
State standard (GOST) – a regulatory and technical document that establishes a set of norms, rules, and requirements that must be followed.
Humus – main part of organic matter soil, completely lost the features of the anatomical structure.
Soil degradation – deterioration in quality soil as a result of the decline fertility.
Demecology(population ecology, population ecology) is a branch of ecology that studies the relationship of a population or species with the environment.
Dendrological parks and botanical gardens – collections of trees, shrubs and herbs created by man for the purpose of preserving biodiversity and enriching the flora, as well as for scientific, educational, cultural and educational purposes.
Detritus – small particles of organism remains and their secretions.
Detrital food chains (decomposition chains)– food chains, starting with dead plant remains, carcasses and animal excrement. For example, detritus → detritivores → predators → microphages → predators → macrophages.
Detritivores – organisms that feed on detritus. See Saprotrophs.
Jute – mass mortality of livestock as a result of icy conditions, depriving animals of food.
Dominant species – species predominant in biocenosis by number.
Medium capacity – quantitative characteristics of the set of conditions limiting population growth.
Tight Control – direct, direct impact on nature, grossly disrupting natural processes with the help of technical means, a radical transformation of the very mechanisms and systems of nature. For example, plowing land, building dams on rivers.
Living matter – living organisms that inhabit the Earth.
Life form of an organism – morphological type of adaptation of a plant or animal to certain living conditions and a certain way of life.
Pollution – bringing into environment or the emergence in it of new (usually not typical for it) harmful chemical, physical, biological, information agents. Pollution can occur due to natural causes (natural) or due to human activities (anthropogenic pollution).
polluter – any natural or man-made agent that enters or occurs in the environment in quantities beyond the natural background. A pollutant is also an object that serves as a source of environmental pollution. The English word "pollutant" is also used.
Pollutant – chemical substance that causes pollution.
Wildlife sanctuaries – territories created for a certain period of time (in some cases permanently) to preserve or restore natural complexes or their components and maintain ecological balance. In nature reserves, the population densities of one or more species of animals or plants, as well as natural landscapes, water bodies, etc. are preserved and restored.
Fungible natural resources- Natural resources, that can be replaced by others now or in the foreseeable future (all minerals, energy resources).
Tolerance zone – range of quantitative values environmental factor between the upper and lower endurance limits.
Zoobenthos – animal component of benthos (crustaceans, mollusks, starfish, etc.). Zooplankton – animal component of plankton (unicellular animals, crustaceans, jellyfish, etc.).
Zoophagi – heterotrophic organisms that use living animals as food. Cm. Biotrophs.
Zoocenosis – animal component biocenosis.
Infestation – the penetration of settling individuals into territories not yet occupied by the species, their settlement and the formation of new populations.
Exhaustible natural resources- Natural resources, the quantity of which is limited both absolutely and relatively (minerals, soils, biological resources). They are divided into non-renewable And renewable natural resources.
Natural resource inventories – This is a set of economic, environmental, organizational and technical indicators that characterize the quantity and quality of a natural resource, as well as the composition and categories of natural resource users of this resource.
Cannibalism – a special case of predation, when killing and eating one’s own kind occurs.
Carcinogens – factors that can cause malignant and benign neoplasms (ultraviolet, X-ray and gamma rays, benzopyrene, some viruses, etc.).
Environmental quality – a set of indicators characterizing the state environment, the degree to which a person’s living environment corresponds to his needs.
Tenancy – cm. Sinoikia.
Acid rain - rain or snow, acidified to pH< 5,6 из-за растворения в атмосферной влаге антропогенных выбросов (диоксид серы, оксиды азота, хлороводород и пр.).
Climax Community – a community in balance with its environment.
Climate – multi-year regime weather.
The colony – a group settlement of sedentary animals, both long-term existing and emerging only for the breeding season (loons, bees, ants, etc.).
Command and control – management of natural resources, based on the establishment of norms, standards, rules for environmental management and corresponding planned targets for enterprises for environmental protection and penalties from reprimand to imprisonment or removal from work and payment of fines to enterprises and its management.
Commensalism – relationships in which one of the partners benefits from cohabitation, and the other is indifferent to the presence of the first. Cm. Trophobiosis And Sinoikia.
Convergence – external similarity that arises among representatives of different unrelated groups and species as a result of a similar lifestyle.
Competition – relationships in which organisms compete with each other for the same environmental resources when the latter are scarce. Competition happens indirect (passive)– consumption of environmental resources needed by both species, and direct (active)– suppression of one type by another; intraspecific– competition between individuals of the same species, and interspecific- competition between individuals of different species.
Consortium – structural unit biocenosis, uniting autotrophic and heterotrophic organisms on the basis of spatial (topical) and nutritional (trophic) connections around the central member (nucleus). For example, a single tree or group of trees (edificator plant) and associated organisms.
Constructive Impact – human activity aimed at restoring the natural environment disturbed as a result of human economic activity or natural processes. For example, landscape reclamation, restoration of the number of rare species of animals and plants, etc.
Consumers(macroconsumers, phagotrophs) – heterotrophic organisms that consume organic matter producers or other consumers (animals, heterotrophic plants, some microorganisms). Consumers are of the first order (herbivorous animals), second order (primary predators that feed on herbivores), third order (secondary predators that feed on carnivores), etc.
Environmental monitoring – checking the compliance of indicators environmental quality(water, atmospheric air, soil, etc.) established standards and requirements (maximum concentration limit, VAT, maximum permissible limit, maximum permissible limit, etc.).
Coprophagous – organisms that feed on excrement, mainly mammals. Cm. Saprotrophs.
Indirect (mediated) impact – changes in nature as a result of chain reactions or secondary phenomena associated with human economic activity.
Cosmopolitans – species of plants and animals, representatives of which are found in most of the inhabited areas of the Earth (for example, housefly, gray rat).
Inert substance – non-living bodies formed as a result of processes not related to the activity of living organisms (rocks of igneous and metamorphic origin, some sedimentary rocks).
Coevolution of society and nature – joint, interconnected evolution of society and nature.
Edge effect – increase in species diversity in transition zones between communities (ecotones).
"Red Tides" – massive development of pyrophytic algae associated with excessive discharge of organic substances into the ocean. They were recorded off the coast of Florida, India, Australia, Japan, the Black Sea, etc.
Survival curves – curves reflecting how, as people age, the number of individuals of the same age decreases in populations.
Cryophiles – organisms living in low temperature conditions.
Cryptobiosis ( physiological rest) – a state of decreased vital activity as a result of partial inhibition of metabolism, is associated with a complex of physiological changes in the body that occur in advance, before the onset of unfavorable seasonal changes (plant seeds, cysts and spores of various microorganisms, fungi, algae, hibernation of mammals, deep dormancy of plants). Cm. Anabiosis And Hypobiosis.
Cryptophytes – plants whose renewal buds are hidden in the soil (geophytes) or underwater (hydrophytes)(bulbous, tuberous and rhizomatous plants).
Cycle of substances – repeated participation of substances in processes occurring in atmosphere, hydrosphere And lithosphere, including in those layers that are part of the Earth's biosphere.
Xenobiotics – pollutants environment from any class of chemical compounds that do not occur naturally ecosystems.
Xerophiles – dry-loving organisms.
Xerophytes – plants of dry habitats that can tolerate overheating and dehydration. These include succulents And sclerophytes.
K-strategists (K-species, K-populations) – populations of slowly reproducing but more competitive individuals (humans, trees, etc.)
Limitation of natural resource use – the fee for above-limit use of natural resources and environmental pollution is several times higher than the fee for use and pollution within the limits established by the enterprise.
Limiting factor– environmental factor, the quantitative value of which is beyond endurance limits kind.
Limnic zone – water column to a depth where only 1% of sunlight penetrates and is attenuated photosynthesis.
Littoral zone – the thickness of water where sunlight reaches the bottom.
Lithosphere – the outer solid shell of the Earth, including the crust and the upper solid layer of the mantle.
Lithophytes (petrophytes) – plants that settle on stones, rocks or in their cracks.
Maximum life expectancy (MLS) – This life expectancy, to which only a small proportion of individuals can survive under real environmental conditions.
Low waste technology – a production method that ensures the most efficient use of raw materials and energy, with a minimum of waste and energy loss.
Material incentives for environmental activities – ensuring the benefits of environmental protection activities for nature users.
Mesotrophs – plants that require moderate amounts of ash elements.
Mesophiles – organisms that live in both wet and dry habitats.
Mesophytes – plants of moderately humid habitats;
an intermediate group between hydrophytes and xerophytes.
Habitat – is the territory or water area occupied by population (species), with a complex of inherent environmental factors.
Microbocenosis – microbial component biocenosis.
Mixotrophs – organisms that can both synthesize organic substances from inorganic ones and feed on ready-made organic compounds (insectivorous plants, representatives of the euglena algae division, some bacteria, etc.). Cm. Autotrophs And Heterotrophs.
Mineralization – conversion of organic residues into inorganic substances.
Mosaic – horizontal structure biocenosis.
Environmental monitoring (ecological monitoring) – a system for monitoring, assessing and forecasting the state of the natural environment around humans. Monitoring happens background (basic)– monitoring of natural phenomena and processes occurring in a natural environment, without anthropogenic influence (carried out on the basis of biosphere reserves); impact– monitoring anthropogenic impacts in particularly hazardous areas, global– monitoring the development of global biosphere processes and phenomena (for example, the state of the ozone layer, climate change), regional– monitoring natural and anthropogenic processes and phenomena within a certain region (for example, the state of Lake Baikal), local– monitoring within a small area (for example, monitoring the air condition in the city).
Mutagens – factors that can cause mutations (ultraviolet, x-rays and gamma rays, high or low temperature, benzopyrene, nitrous acid, some viruses, etc.).
Mutualism(obligate symbiosis) - mutually beneficial cohabitation, when either one of the partners or both cannot exist without a cohabitant. For example, herbivorous ungulates and cellulose-degrading bacteria.
Soft control – mainly indirect, indirect impact on nature using natural mechanisms of self-regulation, that is, the ability of natural systems to restore their properties after anthropogenic intervention. For example, agroforestry.
Freeloading – cm. Trophobiosis.
National parks – relatively large natural territories and water areas, where the fulfillment of three main goals is ensured: environmental (maintaining ecological balance and preserving natural ecosystems), recreational (regulated tourism and recreation of people) and scientific (development and implementation of methods for preserving the natural complex in conditions of mass admission of visitors). There are economic use zones in national parks.
Non-renewable natural resources– exhaustible natural resources, which are absolutely not restored (coal, oil and most other minerals) or are restored much more slowly than their use (peat bogs, many sedimentary rocks).
Irreplaceable natural resources- Natural resources, that cannot be replaced by other natural resources (atmospheric air, water, genetic fund of living organisms).
Inexhaustible natural resources- Natural resources, the number of which is not limited, but not absolutely, but relative to our needs and periods of existence (waters of the World Ocean, fresh water, atmospheric air, wind energy, solar radiation, energy of sea tides).
Neuston – organisms that live near the surface of water.
Neutralism – cohabitation of two species in the same territory, which has neither positive nor negative consequences for them. For example, squirrels and moose.
Neutrophils – plants living on soils with pH = 6.7–7.0.
Necrophages – heterotrophic organisms that use animal corpses as food.
Necrophages(carrion eaters) - organisms that feed on animal corpses. Cm. Saprotrophs.
Nekton – animals actively moving in water (fish, amphibians, cephalopods, turtles, cetaceans, etc.).
Unintended Impact is unconscious when a person does not anticipate the consequences of his activities.
Irrational environmental management – human economic activity leading to depletion (and even extinction) natural resources, environmental pollution, disruption of the ecological balance of natural systems, that is, to environmental crisis or disaster.
Nitrophils – plants that prefer nitrogen-rich soils.
Noosphere – sphere of reason, highest stage of development biosphere, when intelligent human activity becomes the main determining factor in its development.
Standardization of environmental quality – establishing a system of quantitative and qualitative indicators (standards) of the state environment(for air, water, soil, etc.), which provide favorable conditions for human life and the sustainable functioning of natural, ecosystems
Species abundance – the number or mass of individuals of a given species per unit area or volume of space occupied by it.
"The ozone hole" – significant space in ozonosphere planets with noticeably reduced (up to 50% or more) ozone content.
Ozonosphere – layer atmosphere with the highest ozone concentration at an altitude of 20–25 (22–24) km.
Natural environment – the natural habitat and activity of humans and other living organisms, including the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere and near-Earth space. Within the natural environment there are natural resources And natural conditions.
Oligotrophs – plants that are content with a small amount of ash elements.
Optimum (optimum zone, zone of normal life) – such quantity environmental factor, at which the intensity of vital activity of organisms is maximum.
Osmotrophs – heterotrophic organisms that absorb organic substances from solutions through cell membranes (fungi, most bacteria).
Specially protected natural areas (SPNA) – territories or water areas within which their economic use is prohibited and their natural state is maintained in order to maintain ecological balance, as well as for scientific, educational, cultural and aesthetic purposes.
Nature protection (natural environment) – a system of international, state and public activities aimed at the rational use, reproduction and protection of natural resources and improvement of the state of the natural environment in the interests of meeting the material and cultural needs of both existing and future generations of people. In other words, a system of measures to optimize the relationship between human society and nature.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) – type of activity to identify, analyze and take into account direct, indirect and other consequences of impact on environment planned economic and other activities in order to make a decision on the possibility or impossibility of its implementation.
Risk assessment – scientific analysis of the occurrence of risk (the possibility of a dangerous situation) in order to identify the danger, determine the degree of danger in specific conditions. Characterizes the probability of a negative event (accident, release, epidemic, etc.).
Monuments nature – unique, non-reproducible natural objects that have scientific, environmental, cultural and aesthetic value (caves, ancient trees, rocks, waterfalls, etc.). On the territory where they are located, any activity that violates their safety is prohibited.
Panmixia – free crossing between individuals of the same species.
Greenhouse (greenhouse, hothouse) effect – heating the lower layers atmosphere, due to the ability of the atmosphere to transmit short-wave solar radiation, but retain long-wave thermal radiation from the earth's surface. The greenhouse effect is facilitated by the entry of anthropogenic impurities into the atmosphere (carbon dioxide, dust, methane, freons, etc.).
Parcel – structural part in horizontal division biocenosis, differing from other parts in the composition and properties of the components. For example, areas of broad-leaved trees in a coniferous forest.
Grazing food chains (grazing chains)– food chains, starting with living photosynthetic organisms. For example, phytoplankton → zooplankton → fish microphages → macrophage fish → ichthyophagous birds.
Patients – species that can survive in unfavorable conditions (“shade-loving”, “salt-loving”, etc.).
Pedosphere(soil cover) – the shell of the Earth formed by the soil cover; upper (daytime) part of the lithosphere on the land.
Pelagial – water column in the ocean or sea as a habitat for pelagic organisms – plankton And nekton.
Primary production– biomass, created per unit of time producers. It is divided into gross And clean products.
Rifles – shallow sections of rivers with fast currents (the bottom is without silt, predominantly attached forms are found periphyton And benthos).
Periphyton – organisms attached to the leaves and stems of aquatic plants or other protrusions above the bottom of a reservoir.
Pessimum (pessimum zone, depression zone) – such quantity environmental factor, in which the vital activity of organisms is inhibited.
Biomass pyramid – graphical representation of the relationship between producers And consumers of different orders, expressed in units of biomass. Shows the change in biomass at each next trophic level: For terrestrial ecosystems, the biomass pyramid narrows upward; for the ocean ecosystem, it is inverted.
Pyramid of numbers (Elton numbers)– graphical representation of the relationship between producers And consumers different orders, expressed in units of the number of individuals. Reflects a decrease in the number of organisms from producers to consumers.
Pyramid of energy (products) – graphical representation of the relationship between producers And consumers of different orders, expressed in units of energy contained in the mass of living matter. It is universal in nature and reflects a decrease in the amount of energy contained in products created at each subsequent trophic level.
food web – complex interweaving in the community food chains.
Food chain (trophic chain, food chain) – a sequence of organisms that transfers the energy contained in food from its original source.
Plankton – organisms that mainly move passively due to the current (unicellular algae, unicellular animals, crustaceans, jellyfish, etc.). Highlight phytoplankton And zooplankton.
Payment for environmental management – payment for the use of almost all natural resources, for environmental pollution, the placement of production waste in it and for other types of impact.
Plyos – deep-water sections of rivers with a slow flow (at the bottom there is a soft silty substrate and burrowing animals).
Soil fertility – ability soils satisfy the plants’ need for nutrients and water, provide their root systems with sufficient heat and air for normal activity and crop production.
Density – number of individuals or biomass populations, per unit area or volume.
Human behavior – a complex set of motor acts aimed at satisfying the needs of the body.
Weather – the continuously changing state of the atmosphere at the earth's surface, up to approximately a height of 20 km (the boundary of the troposphere).
Poikilothermic organisms – organisms with unstable internal body temperature, varying depending on the temperature of the external environment (microorganisms, plants, invertebrates and lower vertebrates).
Sexual structure (sexual composition) of the population – ratio in populations male and female individuals.
Population – a collection of individuals of the same species capable of self-reproduction, which exists for a long time in a certain part range relatively isolated from other aggregates of the same kind.
Threshold (minimum effective) concentration – the minimum concentration of a chemical substance that causes minor but significant changes in the body or in environment.
Potential natural resources –Natural resources, which are currently not used by humans at all or are used to an insufficient extent (energy from the Sun, sea tides, wind, etc.).
Human needs – a source of activity, a state expressing a person’s dependence on the conditions of existence.
The soil – This is the surface horizon of the earth's crust, forming a layer of small thickness, formed as a result of the interaction of soil-forming factors: climate, organisms, soil-forming rocks, terrain, age of the country (time), human economic activity.
Upper endurance limit – maximum amount environmental factor,
Lower endurance limit – minimal amount environmental factor, in which the life of organisms is still possible.
Maximum permissible anthropogenic (ecological) load on the environment (maximum permissible harmful impact - MPE) - the maximum intensity of anthropogenic impact on the environment that does not lead to a violation of the stability of ecological systems (or, in other words, to the ecosystems beyond the ecological capacity).
Maximum permissible concentration (quantity) (MPC) – the amount of a pollutant in the environment (soil, air, water, food), which, with permanent or temporary exposure to a person, does not affect his health and does not cause adverse effects in his offspring. MPCs are calculated per unit volume (for air, water), mass (for soil, food products) or surface (for workers’ skin).
Maximum permissible harmful exposure (MPE)– see Maximum permissible anthropogenic (ecological) load on the environment.
Maximum permissible emission (MPE) or discharge (MPD) – the maximum amount of pollutants that a given specific enterprise is allowed to emit into the atmosphere or discharge into a body of water per unit of time, without causing them to exceed the maximum permissible concentrations of pollutants and adverse environmental consequences.
Maximum permissible level (MAL) – this is the maximum level of exposure to radiation, noise, vibration, magnetic fields and other harmful physical influences, which does not pose a danger to human health, the condition of animals, plants, or their genetic fund. MPL is the same as MPC, but for physical impacts.
Intentional impact is conscious when a person expects certain results from his activities.
Natural resource potential – Part natural resources, which can be involved in economic activity given the technical and socio-economic capabilities of society with the condition of preserving the living environment of mankind. In a narrower economic sense, it is the totality of natural resources available with given technologies and socio-economic relations.
Natural parks – territories of particular ecological and aesthetic value, with a relatively mild security regime and used primarily for organized recreation of the population. Their structure is simpler than national natural parks.
Natural resources – elements of nature (objects and phenomena) necessary for man to support his life and involved in material production (atmospheric air, water, soil, solar radiation, minerals, climate, vegetation, fauna, etc.). They are divided unreal And potential, replaceable And irreplaceable, exhaustible And inexhaustible natural resources.
Natural conditions – elements of nature (objects and phenomena) that influence human life and activity, but are not involved in material production (some gases of the atmosphere, species of animals and plants, etc.). As science and technology develop, natural conditions become natural resources.
Nature management – use of natural resources to meet the material and cultural needs of society. Environmental management (as a science) is a field of knowledge that develops the principles of rational (reasonable) environmental management. Nature management can be rational and irrational.
Lifespan – the duration of an individual's existence. Distinguish physiological, maximum And average life expectancy.
Producers – autotrophic organisms capable of producing organic substances from inorganic ones using photosynthesis or chemosynthesis(plants and autotrophic bacteria).
Spatial structure of the biocenosis – distribution of organisms of different species in space (vertically and horizontally).
Spatial and ethological structure of the population – nature of distribution of individuals populations within range.
Protocooperation(facultative symbiosis) is a mutually beneficial, but not obligatory coexistence of organisms, from which all participants benefit. For example, hermit crabs and sea anemones.
Profundal zone – the bottom and thickness of water where sunlight does not penetrate.
Direct (immediate) impact – change in nature as a result of the direct impact of human economic activity on natural objects and phenomena.
Psammophytes – sand plants.
Destructive (destructive) impact – human activity leading to the loss of the natural environment of its beneficial qualities to humans. For example, clearing rain forests for pastures or plantations, as a result of which the biogeochemical cycle of substances is disrupted, and the soil loses its fertility in 2-3 years.
Rational environmental management – human economic activity that ensures economical use natural resources And natural conditions, their protection and reproduction, taking into account not only the present, but also the future interests of society.
Real natural resources- Natural resources, which are currently used by humans in production activities.
Decomposers(microconsumers, destructors, saprotrophs, osmotrophs) - heterotrophic organisms that feed on organic residues and decompose them into minerals (saprotrophic bacteria and fungi).
Recycling – reuse of material resources, saving raw materials and energy, and reducing waste generation.
Fertility (birth rate) – number of new individuals appearing in populations per unit of time as a result of reproduction. .
r-strategists (r-species, r-populations) – populations of rapidly reproducing but less competitive individuals (bacteria, aphids, annual plants, etc.).
Saprotrophs – heterotrophic organisms that use organic matter from dead bodies or excretions (excrement) of animals as food. These include saprotrophic bacteria, fungi, plants (saprophytes), animals (saprophages). Among them there are detritivores(feed on detritus) necrophages(feed on animal corpses) coprophagous(feed on excrement), etc.
Saprophages – saprotrophic animals. Cm. Saprotrophs.
Saprophytes – saprotrophic plants. Cm. Saprotrophs.
Sinoikia (lodging) – a form of commensalism in which one species uses the body or habitation of another species as a shelter or home. For example, sea anemones and tropical fish.
Sinusia – structural part in vertical division biocenosis, limited in space (or time). For example, in a pine forest one can distinguish pine synusia, lingonberry synusia, green moss synusia, etc.
Synecology(ecology of communities, population ecology) – a branch of ecology that studies communities of organisms (biocenoses, ecosystems).
System of standards in the field of nature conservation (SSOP) – complex of interconnected standards, aimed at the conservation, restoration and rational use of natural resources.
Sclerophytes – xerophytic plants with rigid shoots, due to which, in case of water deficiency, they do not exhibit an external pattern of wilting (for example, feather grass, saxaul). Cm. Xerophytes.
Population growth rate – change population size per unit of time. It depends on the indicators fertility, mortality and migration (movement - immigration and eviction - emigration).
Mortality rate (death rate) – number of individuals killed in populations per unit of time (from predators, diseases, old age and other reasons).
Smog– a toxic mixture of smoke, fog and dust. There are two types of smog: London and Los Angeles.
Habitat – it is a part of nature that surrounds living organisms and has a certain effect on them.
Average life expectancy (ALS) – this is the arithmetic mean life expectancy all individuals of the population.
Stabilizing effect – human activity aimed at slowing down the destruction (destruction) of the natural environment as a result of both human economic activity and natural processes. For example, soil protection measures aimed at reducing soil erosion.
Herd - longer than a flock, or a permanent association of animals, in which, as a rule, all the vital functions of the species are performed: protection from enemies, obtaining food, migration, reproduction, raising young animals, etc. (deer, zebras, etc.).
Standards (standards, regulations) – concentrations (contents) permitted by law pollutants in objects environment or magnitude of impact.
Station – habitat of any species (population) land animals.
Pack – a temporary association of animals that facilitates the performance of any function: protection from enemies, obtaining food, migration (wolves, herring, etc.).
Stenobionts – ecologically low-tolerant species with a narrow zone of tolerance (ecological valence).
Degree of dominance – the ratio of the number of individuals of a given species to the total number of all individuals of the group under consideration.
Population structure – ratio in populations groups of individuals by sex, age, size, genotype, distribution of individuals over the territory, etc. (gender, age, size, genetic, spatial-ethological, etc.).
Succulents – xerophytic plants with succulent, fleshy leaves (for example, aloe) or stems (for example, cacti), in which water-storing tissue is developed. Cm. Xerophytes.
Successional series – a successive series of communities replacing each other in succession.
Succession – sequential shift biocenoses (ecosystems), expressed in changes in species composition and community structure. There are successions natural– occurring under the influence of natural causes not related to human activity, and anthropogenic– caused by human activity; autogenous(self-generating) - arising due to internal reasons (changes in the environment under the influence of the community) and allogeneic(generated from the outside) – caused by external reasons (for example, climate change); primary– developing on a substrate not occupied by living organisms (on rocks, cliffs, loose sand, in new bodies of water, etc.), and secondary– developing in place of already existing biocenoses after their disturbance (as a result of cutting down, fire, plowing, volcanic eruption, etc.).
Sciophytes(shade-loving plants) – plants that do not tolerate direct sunlight.
Teratogens – factors that can cause deformities (ultraviolet, x-rays and gamma rays, benzopyrene, some viruses, etc.).
Thermophiles – organisms living in high temperature conditions.
Therophytes – annual plants that do not have renewal buds; They reproduce only by seeds.
Technogenesis – a set of geochemical processes caused by human production and economic activities.
Technosphere – part of the biosphere (over time, apparently, the whole biosphere), transformed by human technical activity. The concept of “technosphere” is used when they want to emphasize the material side of the human-nature relationship, as well as the fact that at the present stage the economic activity of people is not so reasonable as to talk about noosphere.
Toxicants – chemical substances that have the property toxicity.
Toxicity – toxicity, that is, the ability to have a harmful or even fatal effect on a living organism.
Topical connections – connections between species when one species changes the living conditions of another species. For example, under a coniferous forest, as a rule, there is no grass cover.
"Third Nature" - an artificial world created by man and which has no material and energy analogy in natural nature (cities, indoor space, asphalt, concrete, synthetics, etc.).
Trophic connections – connections between species, when one species feeds on another: living individuals, dead remains, waste products.
Trophic level – link place in the food chain.
Trophobiosis (freeloading) – a form of commensalism in which one species consumes the food scraps of another species. For example, the relationship between large predators and scavengers.
Ubiquists– species of plants and animals with a wide ecological valency, capable of existing in a variety of environmental conditions, have extensive habitats (for example, common reed, wolf).
Managing natural systems – activities, the implementation of which makes it possible to change natural phenomena and processes (strengthen or limit them) in the direction desired by humans. Managing natural systems can be soft And hard.
Natural resources management(environmental protection management and rationalization of the use of natural resources) - ensuring standards and requirements limiting the harmful effects of production processes and products on the environment, and the rational use of natural resources, their restoration and reproduction. Environmental management can be command and administrative And economic.
Urbanization – This is a historical process of increasing the role of cities in the life of society, associated with the concentration and intensification of non-agricultural functions, the spread of an urban lifestyle, and the formation of specific socio-spatial forms of settlement.
Urban systems (urban systems) – artificial systems (ecosystems), arising as a result of urban development and representing a concentration of population, residential buildings, industrial, household, cultural facilities, etc.
Living conditions – a complex of environmental factors under the influence of which all the basic life processes of organisms are carried out, including normal development and reproduction.
Factory connections – connections between species, when one species uses excretory products, dead remains, or even living individuals of another species for its structures. For example, when building nests, birds use tree branches, grass, down and feathers of other birds.
Phagotrophs(holozoans) – heterotrophic organisms that swallow solid pieces of food (animals).
Health factors– a set of factors that are not the direct cause of a particular disease (risk factors) and factors that are the direct cause of the disease.
Risk factors - factors that are not the direct cause of a particular disease, but increase the likelihood of its occurrence.
Phanerophytes – plants whose renewal buds are located high above the ground (above 30 cm) (trees and shrubs).
PAR – photosynthetic activity of solar radiation.
Fauna – a set of animal species living in a certain territory.
Physiological life expectancy (PLS) – This life expectancy, which an individual of a given species could have had if it had not been influenced by limiting factors throughout its life.
Physiological rhythms –endogenous biological rhythms, supporting the continuous functioning of organisms (heartbeat, breathing, functioning of the endocrine glands, etc.).
Financing of environmental activities – provision of funds for environmental protection measures.
Phytobenthos – plant component of benthos (attached algae and higher plants).
Phytoplankton – herbal component plankton(unicellular algae).
Phytophagous – heterotrophic organisms that use living plants as food. Cm. Biotrophs.
Phytocenosis – herbal component biocenosis.
Flora – a set of plant species living in a certain area.
Phoric connections – connections between species when one species participates in the distribution of another species. For example, the transfer of seeds, spores, and pollen by animals.
Photoperiodism – the reaction of organisms to the length of daylight hours. For example, leaf fall, bird flights.
Photosynthesis(photoautotrophy) - the synthesis of organic compounds from inorganic ones due to light energy.
Phototrophs – autotrophic organisms that use light energy for biosynthesis (plants, cyanobacteria). Cm. Autotrophs.
Freons (chlorofluorocarbons or FHU) – highly volatile, chemically inert substances near the earth's surface, widely used in production and everyday life as refrigerants (refrigerators, air conditioners, refrigerators), foaming agents and sprayers (aerosol packaging). Freons, rising into the upper layers of the atmosphere, undergo photochemical decomposition with the formation of chlorine oxide, which intensively destroys ozone.
Chamephytes – plants whose renewal buds are located near the soil surface or low (no higher than 20-30 cm) may end up under snow in winter (semi-shrubs and small shrubs).
Chemosynthesis(chemoautotrophy) is the process of synthesis of organic compounds from inorganic ones (CO 2, etc.) due to the chemical energy of the oxidation of inorganic substances (sulfur, hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide, iron, ammonia, nitrite, etc.).
Chemotrophs – autotrophic organisms that use the energy of chemical reactions of oxidation of inorganic compounds for biosynthesis (chemotrophic bacteria: hydrogen, nitrifying, iron bacteria, sulfur bacteria, etc.). See. Autotrophs.
Predation – a relationship in which one of the participants (the predator) kills the other (the prey) and uses him as food. For example, wolves and hares.
Flowering waters – massive development of phytoplankton, causing a change in water color from green and yellow-brown to red. It is caused by a significant intake of nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, etc.) into water bodies.
Circadian (circadian) rhythms – repeating changes in the intensity and nature of biological processes and phenomena with a period of 20 to 28 hours.
Circanian (periannual) rhythms – repeated changes in the intensity and nature of biological processes and phenomena with a period of 10 to 13 months.
Frequency of occurrence – the percentage of the number of samples or survey sites where the species occurs to the total number of samples or survey sites.
Number – number of individuals in populations.
Net primary production– biomass, which is not spent on maintaining the life of plants and is subsequently used consumers And decomposers, or accumulates in the ecosystem.
Environmental emergency – cm. Ecological crisis.
Eurybionts – ecologically hardy species with a wide zone of tolerance (ecological valence).
Eutrophication(eutrophication) – an increase in the biological productivity of water bodies as a result of the accumulation of nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, etc.) under the influence of natural and anthropogenic factors. A negative consequence of eutrophication is the deterioration of the physical and chemical conditions of the habitat of fish and other aquatic organisms due to the massive development of phytoplankton, the decomposition of dead organisms and the toxicity of their decay products. Cm. Blooming waters, Red tides.
Eutrophic – plants that require large amounts of ash elements.
Euphotic zone – the entire illuminated water column. It includes littoral And limnic zone.
Edifiers(builders) – species that determine the microenvironment (microclimate) of the total biocenosis(usually these are plants).
Exogenous (external) rhythms– biological rhythms, arising as a reaction to periodic changes in the environment (change of day and night, seasons, solar activity).
Exogenous processes (processes of external dynamics) – geological processes occurring under the influence of external energy of the Sun. Exogenous processes include the geological activity of the atmosphere, hydrosphere (rivers, temporary streams, groundwater, seas and oceans, lakes and swamps, ice), as well as living organisms and humans.
Environmental Safety – a set of actions, states and processes that do not directly or indirectly lead to vital damage (or threats of such damage) caused to the natural environment, individuals and humanity.
Ecological valence (plasticity, tolerance, stability) – the degree of adaptability of the species to changes in environmental conditions; its ability to tolerate quantitative fluctuations in the action of an environmental factor to one degree or another.
Ecological disaster (ecological disaster) – environmental distress, characterized by profound irreversible changes in the environment and a significant deterioration in public health.
Ecological niche – the totality of all environmental factors within which the existence of a species in nature is possible.
Ecological pyramid – graphical representation of the relationship between producers And consumers different orders, expressed in units of biomass (biomass pyramid), number of individuals (pyramid of numbers) or energy contained in the mass of living matter (energy pyramid).
Ecological survival strategy – set of properties populations, aimed at increasing the likelihood of survival and leaving offspring. Cm. r-strategists And K-strategists.
Ecological structure of biocenosis – ratio in biocenosis organisms of different ecological groups.
Environmental assessment – assessment of the level of possible negative impacts of planned economic and other activities on the environment, natural resources and human health.
Ecological rhythms– endogenous biological rhythms, that arose as an adaptation of living organisms to periodic changes in the environment (daily, annual, tidal, lunar, etc.).
Environmental factors – These are individual elements of the environment that affect organisms.
Environmental equivalents – species that occupy similar niches in different geographic areas (for example, large kangaroos in Australia, bison in North America, zebras and antelopes in Africa, etc.).
Environmental audit – independent, comprehensive, documented assessment of compliance by a business entity and other activities with requirements, including standards and regulatory documents, in the field environmental protection, international requirements standards and preparing recommendations for improving such activities.
Environmental control – activities of government bodies, enterprises and citizens to comply with environmental standards and regulations. There are state, industrial and public environmental control. Cm. Environmental monitoring.
Ecological crisis (ecological emergency) – environmental distress, characterized by persistent negative changes in the environment and posing a threat to human health.
Environmental passport of the enterprise – a regulatory and technical document that includes data on the enterprise’s use of resources (natural, secondary, etc.) and determining the impact of its production on environment. Includes a set of data and indicators in accordance with GOST 17.0.0.04–90.
Environmental risk – the likelihood of an event occurring that has adverse consequences for the natural environment and is caused by the negative impact of economic and other activities, natural and man-made emergencies.
Environmental disaster – cm. Ecological catastrophy.
Ecological well-being of the ecosystem – state ecosystems, which is characterized by normal reproduction of its main links.
Environmental law – a set of environmental and legal norms (rules of behavior) regulating public (ecological) relations in the sphere of interaction between society and nature with the aim of protecting the environment, preventing harmful environmental consequences, improving the health and improving the quality of the natural environment around humans.
Ecology – the science of the relationships of living organisms with each other and with their environment. The term “ecology” was first introduced by the German biologist E. Haeckel (1866). By ecology he understood “the sum of knowledge related to the economy of nature.”
Human ecology – chapter ecology, studying the patterns of interaction between humans and the human community with surrounding natural, social, environmental, hygienic and other factors.
Environmental economics – a branch of economics that studies mainly issues of economic (in some cases, non-economic) assessment of natural resources and damage from environmental pollution.
Economic management – management of natural resources, based on economic incentives, when, with the help of various levers (prices, payments, tax breaks and penalties), the state makes it more financially advantageous for enterprises, that is, more profitable, to comply with environmental legislation than to violate it.
Ecosystem(ecological system) - a system of living organisms living together and the conditions of their existence, connected by the flow of energy and the circulation of substances.
Ecotones – transition zones between communities.
Ecocentrism – a type of social consciousness based on an understanding of the need for co-evolution of man and the biosphere.
Explerents(filling) - species that can quickly appear where indigenous communities are disturbed - in clearings and burnt areas (aspens), on shallows, etc.
Emergence – the presence of special, qualitatively new properties in a system that are not inherent in the sum of the properties of its individual elements. For example, you cannot predict the properties of water based on the properties of oxygen and hydrogen.
Endemics – species of plants and animals that have small, limited habitats (often found on islands of oceanic origin, in mountainous areas and isolated bodies of water).
Endogenous (internal) rhythms– biological rhythms, generated by the body itself (rhythmicity of DNA, RNA and protein synthesis, cell division, heartbeat, breathing, etc.).
Endogenous processes (processes of internal dynamics) – geological processes occurring under the influence of the internal energy of the Earth: the energy of radioactive decay, chemical reactions of the formation of minerals, crystallization of rocks, etc. Endogenous processes include: tectonic movements, earthquakes, magmatism, metamorphism.
Epiphytes – plants living on other plants (on branches, tree trunks), without connection with the soil.
Ethology – the science of the behavior of organisms.
Estivation(from lat. " aestes" - summer) – summer hibernation of small mammals (mouse-like rodents, some ground squirrels, insectivorous little foxes, etc.) in deserts.
Ephemeroids – perennial herbaceous plants, which, like ephemera, characterized by a very short growing season.
Ephemera – annual herbaceous plants that complete a full development cycle in a very short and usually wet period.
Group effect – optimization of physiological processes leading to increased viability of individuals when living together.
Tiering – vertical structure biocenosis.
Glossary of environmental terms
Abiotic factors– all components of inanimate nature (light, temperature, humidity, etc.), as well as the composition of the water, air and soil environments.
Anthropogenic factor– human activity leading to changes in the habitat of living organisms.
Atmosphere – gaseous shell of the Earth.
Biology - a science that studies the living world of the Earth and examines the patterns of structure and functioning of living things.
Bionics – a scientific direction in biology and cybernetics that studies the structure and vital activity of organisms with the aim of using established patterns in the construction of technical systems similar in characteristics to living organisms and their parts.
Biological factors– interactions between different individuals in populations, between populations in natural communities.
Biosphere – the largest (global) ecosystem of the Earth, a geological shell inhabited by living organisms. It covers the Earth's surface, the upper part of the lithosphere, the entire hydrosphere and the lower part of the atmosphere - the troposphere.
Vegetative – relating to plants or organs concerned with nutrition and growth.
Volcano - fire-breathing mountains. As a result of the eruption of underwater volcanoes, new islands can form and tsunami waves can occur.
Volcanologists - scientists who study volcanoes and predict their awakening.
Hydrosphere - the shell of the Earth formed by oceans, seas, lakes, and rivers.
Rocks (or stones)– consist of two or more minerals. They can be igneous (granite, tuff, basalt), sedimentary (limestone, coal), etc.
Caterpillar - a worm-like larva of lepidoptera that develops from an egg.
Trees - tall plants with one hard, woody, bark-covered trunk, branches growing at a considerable distance from the ground.
Spruce forest – coniferous forest, which is dark, cool, and humid; the vegetation is represented by spruce trees, low-growing shrubs, and shade-tolerant grasses. Animals adapted to the changing seasons - squirrels, chipmunks, deer, hares, wild boars, moose.
Live birth - a method of reproduction of offspring in which the embryo develops from an egg, receiving nutrition from the mother’s body, and is born in a more or less formed form (as a baby free from egg membranes).
Animals – a group of living beings, usually capable of active movement; not forming, but consuming finished organic matter.
Law of Ecological Correlation– in an ecosystem, all species included in it are functionally consistent with each other, and the destruction of one species or their group always ultimately leads to the disappearance of interconnected other species of living things. When a species is completely exterminated or becomes extinct, it never disappears alone, but always together with interconnected forms.
Reserve - a space specially protected by law or customs, completely excluded from any economic activity in order to preserve natural complexes intact and protect living species.
Human health– an objective state and a subjective feeling of complete physical, mental and social comfort.
Earth - one of the planets revolving in orbit around the Sun. These planets form the solar system. The earth is a huge ball. It consists of three parts: crust, mantle and core.
Zoocenosis - a set of interconnected and interdependent species of animals that have developed in any space.
Variability – the existence of organisms in various forms and variants within a species; the ability of organisms to respond to environmental factors with morphophysiological changes; characterization of the degree of change in organisms of any group during evolution.
Caviar - a collection of eggs laid into the water by fish, amphibians and other animals.
Ecological disaster– a complete and irreversible disruption in nature.
Environmental quality – compliance of natural conditions with the needs of living organisms. An indicator of environmental quality can include both natural factors (temperature, amount of light, etc.) and anthropogenic ones (pollution, disturbance factor, etc.)
Climate – an annually repeating weather pattern characteristic of a given area.
Cocoon - a protective formation that protects eggs or embryos (in earthworms, spiders, etc.), or pupae of many insects.
Root - a plant organ that holds the plant in the soil, absorbing water and minerals dissolved in it.
Red Book – list and description of rare and endangered animals, plants and fungi.
Ecological crisis– a temporary tense state of relationship between man and nature.
Doll – the phase of insect development following the larva.
Bushes – perennial plants that do not have a main trunk; Several stems covered with bark grow from the root, the branches are located close to the ground.
Landscape – a natural system homogeneous in terms of development conditions.
Forest - a natural complex, which is dominated by trees of one or many species, growing close to each other and forming a more or less closed forest stand. Usually there are several tiers in the forest. Depending on their composition, forests are classified as coniferous, deciduous, tropical, etc.
Deciduous forest – a natural complex represented by deciduous plants, located in four tiers: 1 – large trees – oak, linden, ash; 2 – low-growing trees – rowan, aspen, alder; 3 – shrubs – hazel, euonymus, rosehip, honeysuckle; 4 – herbs – sorrel, fern, strawberry. Animals adapted to seasonal environmental changes - wild boars, moose, hares, birds, insects.
tropical forest – a natural complex, which is characterized by: a lot of heat (26° C) and moisture, a variety of plant species that grow, bloom and bear fruit all year round; variety of animals active throughout the year.
Temperate forests– natural complexes characterized by seasonal fluctuations in temperature and precipitation. Represented by broad-leaved and mixed forests.
Forest park - an extensive natural forest, usually not far from or within a large populated area, adapted for public recreation.
Forest-steppe – a natural zone of temperate and subtropical zones with alternating steppe and forest areas.
Forest-tundra - a natural zone of the northern hemisphere, transitional between forest and tundra - a complex complex of woodlands, tundras, swamps and meadows.
Sheet – a plant organ whose function is photosynthesis, respiration, and evaporation of moisture.
Lithosphere - the outer hard shell of the earth, covering its firmament to depths of 50 - 200 km and consisting of two layers: the upper - sedimentary rocks and the lower - basalt.
Larva – the actively feeding phase of development of some invertebrates, amphibians, and fish that follows the egg.
Minerals – homogeneous compounds found in nature in their pure form. They differ in color, hardness, shine, transparency, composition, and structure.
Model – a system of objects or signs that reproduces some essential properties of the original system. The model is used as a proxy for the system being studied. The model simplifies the structure of the original and distracts from the unimportant. It serves as a generalized reflection of the phenomenon. Models can represent material objects or be mathematical, informational (visual-figurative, logical-symbolic).
Metabolism – sequential consumption, transformation, use, accumulation and loss of substances and energy in living organisms in the process of life.
Adaptive coloring- a group of adaptations to environmental conditions, expressed in the appearance in animals, in the course of natural selection, of shape and color, making them either invisible or especially noticeable against the background of the environment.
Organ – a part of an organism that performs a specific function or group of functions.
Organism - a living being, a carrier of life, characterized by all its properties: metabolism, the ability to move, grow, reproduce, and adapt to changes in the external environment.
food chain – a sequence of groups of organisms, each of which (food link) serves as food for the next one; a link in the food chain constitutes the level of the ecological pyramid.
Planet - a huge ball of solid rock or gases orbiting a star.
Weather – the state of the lower layer of the atmosphere in a certain area and at a certain time.
Minerals– rocks and minerals used by humans in the national economy.
Need - the need for something necessary to maintain the vital functions of the body, this is an internal stimulator of activity.
The soil - the top fertile layer of the earth. Soil composition: clay, sand, humus (humus).
Signs of living organisms– movement, nutrition, excretion, respiration, growth, development, reproduction, death.
Nature – 1) in a broad sense – everything that exists, the whole world in the diversity of its forms; 2) in a narrow sense – the object of study of the science of natural science.
Desert – territory in which there is no continuous vegetation; a lot of heat (35 O C), little moisture, certain plant species. Animals store water in the form of fat, many are nocturnal, and some hibernate for a long time.
Plants – autotrophic living organisms (capable of producing organic matter from inorganic).
Symbiosis – joint mutually beneficial, often obligatory coexistence of two or more species.
System - a set of elements that are in relationships and connections with each other and form a certain integrity, unity. The concept of a system is organically connected with the concept of integrity, subsystem, connection, structure.
Mixed forest – a natural complex represented by deciduous and coniferous trees.
solar system– The Sun and all other space objects, for example, the planets that revolve around it: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.
Sun - a giant star that emits light and heat. Its diameter is 140,000 km, the temperature in the center is 16,000,000 O C, surface temperature – 5500 O C, the time it takes for sunlight to reach the Earth is 8 minutes 20 seconds.
Pinery – a coniferous forest, in which it is dry and there is a lot of light, the vegetation is mainly pine trees, single bushes, grasses, mosses. Animals adapted to the changing seasons - squirrels, chipmunks, deer, hares, wild boars, moose.
Hibernation – a period of sharp decrease in metabolic rate, allowing an animal or plant to survive unfavorable living conditions.
Habitat – all bodies and phenomena (natural and anthropogenic) with which the organism is in direct or indirect relationships. The environment includes all environmental factors.
Stage (stage) of development- a certain stage, period, stage in the development of something that has clearly distinguishable qualitative features.
Stem - vegetative organ of a plant. Its functions are mechanical, conductive, and sometimes storage.
Steppe – a treeless type of vegetation, which is characterized by: little precipitation, mainly in spring and summer, frequent droughts, sharp changes in temperature between seasons, cold winters; various herbs. Diversity of herbivores.
Succulents - perennial plants with succulent leaves or stems that easily tolerate high air temperatures, but cannot withstand dehydration.
Taiga – type of vegetation with a predominance of coniferous forests; there is little precipitation, mainly falling in summer; large difference in winter and summer temperatures; evergreen forests, represented by coniferous trees, various mosses and lichens. Animals are adapted to harsh conditions.
Tornado - a huge whirlwind of destructive force.
Herbs – a life form of plants that has soft, juicy, herbaceous stems.
Tundra - a type of vegetation characterized by treelessness, a strong development of mosses and lichens, in places perennial grasses, low bushes and shrubs; little precipitation, cold winter, short summer; the lower layers of the earth are permafrost; low-growing dwarf plants, mosses, lichens, mushrooms. Poor fauna, many migratory birds, many stinging insects in summer.
Turgor – elasticity of tissues and organs due to the pressure of cell contents on their elastic walls.
Hurricanes - storms during which the winds blow along a giant circle. In its center there is a windless area - the “eye” of the hurricane.
Environmental (habitat) conditions– a set of environmental factors: from cosmic factors – the impact of the Universe on the Solar System – to the direct impact of the environment on an individual (community).
Ecosystem sustainability– its ability to maintain its structure and functional characteristics when exposed to external factors.
Fauna – the existing set of all species of animals living in a given territory or water area.
Phytocenosis - a more or less stable natural grouping (community) of plant species in a relatively homogeneous area.
Flora – an established set of plant species living in a certain territory or as part of a specific plant community.
Function - specific activity of the body and its organs.
Coniferous forest – the natural complex, represented by coniferous plants, does not have a second tier – low-growing trees.
Chitin - exoskeleton of arthropods.
Predator - an animal or plant that catches and eats other animals that serve as food.
Development cycle - the totality of all phases of the individual development of an organism, as a result of which it becomes capable of giving rise to a new generation.
Feasibility– compliance of a process, phenomenon, structure of an organ or organism with the prevailing environmental conditions for better adaptation to them.
Integrity of nature– the internal unity of an object (organism, community, biosphere) as a system, which determines its essence and the possibility of normal functioning.
Human - an intelligent natural being, distinguished from other living organisms by the strong development of the brain, the ability to think, use speech as a means of communication, the vertical position of the body and movement on two legs, and the structure of the hand as an organ of labor.
Cuttings – separation from a plant of a part of its stem, root or leaf and the engraftment of this fragment with the subsequent restoration of the missing organs of the entire plant.
Cutting – a fragment of a plant, most often a part of a stem, used for cuttings.
Flower – a plant organ whose function is reproduction.
Ecological niche– the totality of all factors in the environment within which the existence of a species in nature (community, ecosystem) is possible.
Environmental monitoring– an information system whose main tasks are observation, assessment and forecast of the state of the natural environment under the influence of anthropogenic influence in order to warn about emerging critical situations that are harmful and dangerous to human health and the well-being of other living beings.
Environmental factor– any environmental condition that affects the state and properties of an organism, population, or natural community.
Ecology - a science that studies the relationships of organisms with the environment and with each other.
Human ecology– a science that studies the general laws of the relationship between the biosphere and human society, the influence of the natural environment on humans.
Ecological trail– a specially equipped and carefully studied path in places where the surrounding wildlife allows guides to convey knowledge about natural phenomena and objects, to create the prerequisites for the development of environmental thinking and environmentally appropriate behavior in nature.
Ecosystem - a single natural or natural-anthropogenic complex formed by living organisms and their habitat, in which all components are connected by metabolism. Important properties of an ecosystem are its stability and ability to self-regulate.
Oviparity - a method of reproduction by animals of offspring, in which the embryo develops in an egg under the protection of egg membranes outside the mother’s body.