Ecology

Ecology

Industry: Biology

Add a new term

Contributors in Ecology

Become a Contributors

Ecology

Caliche

Biology; Ecology

Surface soil particles cemented together by lime (calcium carbonate). Lumps of it can block water, curtail root growth, and cause iron deficiency in nearby plants.

Circum-pacific belt

Biology; Ecology

A zone of volcanoes and volcanic islands circling an edge of the Pacific Basin where one continental plate grinds under another (subduction). See Plate Tectonics.

Carbohydrate catabolism

Biology; Ecology

A three-step breakdown of glucose into energy (ATP) inside the mitochondrion, the cell's power plant: glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation.

Chelate

Biology; Ecology

A ring-shaped compound consisting of metals chemically bonded to organic residues. Metalloproteins, for example, that work in the body with enzymes and iron storage.

Retrogressive succession

Biology; Ecology

When a plant community gradually undergoes simplification, a thinning of variety, and a reduction in mass. Often associated with a deterioration in the environment.

Hybrid

Biology; Ecology

A cross between two genetically diverse parent plants. Agribusiness companies produce and sell hybrids that do not reproduce in order to retain a monopoly on seeds.

Phase change

Biology; Ecology

The transformation of one physical state into another--gas into liquid, solid into gas, etc. Always requires an exchange of energy, whether an increase or decrease.