Biology glossary

concept originated by Norman Myers to describe a geographical region with a large number of endemic species and a large percentage of degraded habitat

study of energy flowing through living systems

microbial community that is held together by a gummy-textured matrix

cycling of mineral nutrients through ecosystems and through the nonliving world

study of the geographic distribution of living things and the abiotic factors that affect their distribution

process by which inorganic carbon is fixed by photosynthetic species that then die and fall to the sea floor where they cannot be reached by saprobes and their carbon dioxide consumption cannot be returned to the atmosphere

large molecule necessary for life that is built from smaller organic molecules.

conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia exclusively carried out by prokaryotes

the study of living organisms and their interactions with one another and their environments

generation and emission of light by an organism, as in dinoflagellates

increasing concentrations of persistent, toxic substances in organisms at each trophic level, from the primary producers to the apex consumers

individual protein that is uniquely produced in a diseased state

total weight, at the time of measurement, of living or previously living organisms in a unit area within a trophic level

ecological community of plants, animals, and other organisms that is adapted to a characteristic set of environmental conditions

use of microbial metabolism to remove pollutants