Glossary of Ecology - W

W

• warning coloration - a warning signal that prey uses to warn off predators
• water cycle - (a.k.a. hydrologic cycle) the nonstop movement of water on, above, and below Earth's surface. The water changes between liquid, vapor, and ice at different times during the cycle.
• water vapour - the gaseous state of water.
• watershed - the land where water from rain and show melts drains downhil into a body of water (i.e. a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean).
• web of life - also known as the food chain, food network, or trophic social network. It describes the eating relationships between different specied in a certain ecosystem.