Glossary of Ecology - A

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• adaptive behavior - In behavioral ecology, this is any behavior which contributes to an individual's reproductive success and is thus subject to the forces of natural selection.
• Adaptive management - a systematic process for continually improving management policies and practices by learning from the outcomes of operational programs
• adoption - when an organism permanently assumes the role of parent towards a juvenile individual which is not its offspring.
• aerobic metabolism - the process of cellular respiration that occur in the presence of oxygen
• age structure - the distribution of various age groups in a population (typically that of a country or region of the world), which normally forms the shape of a pyramid.
• agroecology - the science of applying ecological concepts and principles to the design, development, and management of agricultural environments
• agroecosystem - an assembly of mutually interacting organisms and their environment in which materials related to crop production are interchanged in a largely cyclical manner
• allee effect - a biology-related concept that is characterized by the relationship between the size of the population and the growth rate of the species.
• altruistic behavior - behavior in which the subject shows less of a concern for their own well being and more for the welfare of others or offspring.
• anaerobic metabolism - the fermentation of organic compounds in which air is not breathed in. Contrary to aerobic respiration which needs oxygen to be carried out.
• Animal behavior - studied in ethology & zoology. the desire to understand animals and their use of communication, emotions, sex, and other behaviors.
• Applied ecology - the practice of employing ecological principles and understanding to solve real world problems (includes agroecology and conservation biology)
• area effect (island biodiversity) - the hypothesis that larger islands can support more species than smaller islands
• atmosphere - earth's atmosphere is composed of gases and water that are retained by earth's gravity and help the earth retain heat and reflect UV radiation.
• autecology - Also known as population ecology. It is a major sub-field of ecology that deals with the dynamics of species populations and how these populations interact with the environment.
• autopoïesis - An organized self contained system whose parts and systems integrate seamlessly in a relationship of form and function.
• autotroph - an organism who makes its own food from inorganic materials.