ecological effect
61Interspecific competition — Interspecific competition, in ecology, is a form of competition in which individuals of different species compete for the same resource in an ecosystem (e.g. food or living space). The other form of competition is intraspecific competition, which …
62Patch dynamics — For the use of the term in physics, see Patch dynamics (physics). Patch dynamics is a conceptual approach to ecosystem and habitat analysis that emphasizes dynamics of heterogeneity within a system (i.e. that each area of an ecosystem is made up… …
63evolution — evolutional, adj. evolutionally, adv. /ev euh looh sheuhn/ or, esp. Brit., /ee veuh /, n. 1. any process of formation or growth; development: the evolution of a language; the evolution of the airplane. 2. a product of such development; something… …
64Mutualism (biology) — Hummingbird Hawkmoth drinking from Dianthus. Pollination is a classic example of mutualism. Mutualism is the way two organisms of different species biologically interact in a relationship in which each individual derives a fitness benefit (i.e.,… …
65Trophic level — First trophic level The plants in this image, and the algae and phytoplankton in the lake, are primary producers. They take nutrients from the soil or the water, and manufacture their own food by photosynthesis, using energy from the sun. The… …
66Overpopulation in wild animals — occurs when a population of a wild species exceeds the carrying capacity of its ecological niche. Overpopulation is a function of the number of individuals compared to the relevant resources, such as the water and essential nutrients they need to …
67Ecosystem ecology — Figure 1. A riparian forest in the White Mountains, New Hampshire (USA). Ecosystem ecology is the integrated study of biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems and their interactions within an ecosystem framework. This science examines how… …
68Non-trophic networks — Any action or influence that species have on each other is considered a biological interaction. These interactions between species can be considered in several ways. One such way is to depict interactions in the form of a network, which… …
69Germany — /jerr meuh nee/, n. a republic in central Europe: after World War II divided into four zones, British, French, U.S., and Soviet, and in 1949 into East Germany and West Germany; East and West Germany were reunited in 1990. 84,068,216; 137,852 sq.… …
70Disturbance (ecology) — Damages of storm Kyrill in Wittgenstein, Germany. In ecology, a disturbance is a temporary change in average environmental conditions that causes a pronounced change in an ecosystem. Outside disturbance forces often act quickly and with great… …
