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Contributors in Ecology
Ecology
French drain
Biology; Ecology
A pipeless drain set in a buried channel of gravel to drain off excess water behind walls. Invented in Concord by Henry French.
r-selection
Biology; Ecology
Rapid growth and occupation through early reproduction, short life spans, low biomass, and lots of offspring. See K-Selection.
Second Law of Thermodynamics
Biology; Ecology
Energy (usually heat) dissipates in any closed system (entropy). This is why trophic levels in a food web narrow as they rise.
eutrophication
Biology; Ecology
A gradual nutrient enrichment that increases organic matter production, as with a lake that absorbs waves of nutrient runoffs.
edge effect
Biology; Ecology
The unique properties in an ecotone (plant variety, animal density, biological diversity), the zone where two communities meet.