Definition of Endotherms Endotherms are organisms that maintain their bodies at a metabolically favorable temperature by using the heat released by their internal body functions. They don’t rely on ambient heat to regulate their body temperature. The internally generated heat is a result of routine metabolism in the animal. However, under excess …
What is bioremediation? Bioremediation in ecology refers to a type of biotechnology that involves the use of living organisms to remove pollutants, contaminants, and toxins from water, soil, and other environments. Such living organisms used include plants, microbes, bacteria, and fungi and fall under the study of ecology. This biotechnology is mainly …
Osmosis is part of the passive transport system that occurs in living eukaryotic cells and since antiquity; osmosis has been used to preserve foods by dehydrating them with salt or sugar. Therefore, the process of a solvent diffusing through a semi-permeable membrane is referred to as osmosis. It can occur in any …
What are Trophic levels? Trophic levels are positions of an organism in a nutritive series or food chain of an ecosystem in ecology. These levels are simply the position, a group of organisms with similar feeding habits occupies in a food chain. A food chain is a linear hierarchy that transfers food …
The diffused material could be a solid, liquid, or gas. In the same way, the medium in which diffusion takes place could be in one of the three physical states (solid, liquid, or gas). One of the significant features of diffusion is that the movements of molecules must take place along a …
What are Ectotherms? Ectotherms are organisms or animals that regulate their body temperature solely based on the environment. The word ectotherm originates from the Greek word ‘ektos’ meaning outside and ‘thermos’ meaning hot. These organisms’ internal physiological heat sources are of negligible importance in regulating their body temperature. Rather, they depend on …
What Is Eutrophication? Eutrophication is a process in ecology whereby there is a concentration increase of nutrients in an aquatic ecosystem leading to an explosive increase in the growth of algae (algal bloom) and other plant life. During eutrophication, there is an increase in sedimentary material and nutrients like phosphorous and nitrogen. …
What is Bioaccumulation? Bioaccumulation in ecology is the gradual accumulation of substances or chemicals in an organism over time. It happens when the organism absorbs substances or chemicals at a rate that is faster than the rate at which the substance or chemical is eliminated or lost by catabolism and excretion. Pollutants …