Glossary of Ecology - L

L

• La Nina - when the ocean surface cools
• lake - a body of liquid on the surface of the Earth; it is considered a lake when it is not part of an ocean, is inland, and is fed by a river
• Landscape ecology - studies the interactions between discrete elements of a landscape
• learned behavior - a type of action or reflex that you learn
• Lek - type of animal territory in which males of a certain species gather to demonstrate their prowess before or during mating season
• lichen
• limiting factor - any essential resource that is in short supply in an environment
• lithosphere
• logistic curve - an S shaped curve that usually represents population growth.
• Lotka–Volterra equation - an ecological predator-prey model