C2 · 50 words
Theoretical ecology in Spanish
Populations, niches, food webs and stability — the words in which ecosystems are studied.
Practise this list
From these 50 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.
More about this list
El techo poblacional del medio is the carrying capacity of the habitat, and el medio is where Spanish keeps four English words in one. It is the environment, which is what it means here — el medio ambiente, un medio acuático. It is the means by which something is done: un medio de pago, por medio de. It is the middle: en medio de la calle. And in the plural, los medios are the press. English hears nothing joining environment, means, middle and media; Spanish hears one word going about its work.
The words
View
Phrase (46)
la ecología teóricathe study of ecosystems done with small models rather than fieldworkPhraseC2
La ecología teórica trabaja con modelos sencillos.Theoretical ecology works with simple models.
la población biológicaall the individuals of one kind on one stretch of groundPhraseC2
La población biológica se define por su ámbito y su especie.A biological population is defined by its range and its species.
la tasa intrínseca de crecimientohow fast a population would grow with nothing in the wayPhraseC2
La tasa intrínseca de crecimiento supone recursos ilimitados.The intrinsic rate of growth assumes unlimited resources.
el techo poblacional del mediohow many individuals that ground can hold, which is not a fixed numberPhraseC2
El techo poblacional del medio no es un número fijo.The carrying capacity of the habitat is not a fixed number.
el crecimiento logísticothe growth that slows as it comes near what the ground can holdPhraseC2
El crecimiento logístico se frena al acercarse al límite.Logistic growth slows as it approaches the limit.
la tabla de vida de la poblaciónthe counting of who survives, one age class at a timePhraseC2
La tabla de vida de la población separa cada clase de edad.The life table of the population separates each age class.
la estrategia de historia vitalhow a creature spends itself between growing and breedingPhraseC2
La estrategia de historia vital reparte esfuerzo entre crecer y reproducirse.The life history strategy splits effort between growing and breeding.
el esfuerzo reproductivowhat breeding costs, which is paid in survivalPhraseC2
El esfuerzo reproductivo se paga con supervivencia.Reproductive effort is paid for in survival.
la fuente y el sumidero poblacionalthe good patches that send them out, and the bad ones that keep takingPhraseC2
La fuente y el sumidero poblacional explican por qué un sitio malo sigue ocupado.Source and sink explain why a bad place stays occupied.
la dispersión de individuosthe travelling of individuals that joins those patches upPhraseC2
La dispersión de individuos conecta las manchas.The dispersal of individuals connects the patches.
el corredor ecológicothe strip of ground kept so that the travelling stays possiblePhraseC2
El corredor ecológico permite el intercambio.The ecological corridor allows the exchange.
la fragmentación del hábitatthe cutting of one stretch of ground into pieces, which hurts more than shrinking itPhraseC2
La fragmentación del hábitat daña más que la pérdida de superficie.Habitat fragmentation harms more than the loss of area.
el efecto de bordewhat changes in a patch once it has more outside than insidePhraseC2
El efecto de borde cambia el microclima del interior.The edge effect changes the microclimate inside.
el nicho fundamentaleverything a species could live in, if nobody were in the wayPhraseC2
El nicho fundamental es lo que la especie podría ocupar.The fundamental niche is what the species could occupy.
el nicho realizadothe part of that it is actually left, once the others are in the wayPhraseC2
El nicho realizado es lo que le dejan ocupar.The realised niche is what it is left to occupy.
la exclusión competitivathe rule that two kinds cannot live the same life in one placePhraseC2
La exclusión competitiva impide dos especies idénticas.Competitive exclusion rules out two identical species.
la partición de recursosthe sharing out of what there is, which lets them live togetherPhraseC2
La partición de recursos permite convivir.Resource partitioning lets them live together.
el desplazamiento de caracteresthe pushing apart of two kinds, but only where they overlapPhraseC2
El desplazamiento de caracteres separa a dos especies donde coinciden.Character displacement separates two species where they meet.
la relación depredador-presathe pairing of eater and eaten, and the cycles that come out of itPhraseC2
La relación depredador-presa produce ciclos desfasados.The predator-prey relationship produces cycles out of step.
la respuesta funcionalhow much one eater takes as prey get commoner, until it can take no morePhraseC2
La respuesta funcional se satura al haber mucha presa.The functional response saturates when prey are plentiful.
la cascada tróficaa change at the top that runs down three levels of the eating orderPhraseC2
La cascada trófica atraviesa tres niveles.The trophic cascade runs through three levels.
la especie clavethe kind that holds up more of the system than its numbers suggestPhraseC2
La especie clave sostiene más de lo que su número sugiere.The keystone species holds up more than its numbers suggest.
el nivel tróficoa level of the eating order, which loses nine tenths of the energyPhraseC2
El nivel trófico pierde el noventa por ciento de la energía.The trophic level loses ninety per cent of the energy.
la red tróficathe whole tangle of who eats whom, which is not a linePhraseC2
La red trófica no es una cadena.The food web is not a chain.
el productor primariothe kind at the bottom that makes the food everything else lives onPhraseC2
El productor primario sostiene todo lo demás.The primary producer holds up everything else.
el ciclo de nutrientesthe going round of nutrients, which closes; the energy does notPhraseC2
El ciclo de nutrientes es cerrado, el de energía no.The nutrient cycle is closed, the energy one is not.
la producción primaria netawhat the plants made, minus what they used breathingPhraseC2
La producción primaria neta descuenta la respiración.Net primary production subtracts respiration.
la sucesión ecológicathe turnover of one kind replacing another in a place over timePhraseC2
La sucesión ecológica cambia de especies con el tiempo.Ecological succession changes species over time.
la especie pionerathe kind that arrives first and leaves soonPhraseC2
La especie pionera llega primero y se va pronto.The pioneer species arrives first and leaves soon.
la comunidad clímaxwhat used to be called the end of that, and is no longer a fixed ideaPhraseC2
La comunidad clímax ya no es un concepto rígido.The climax community is no longer a rigid concept.
el régimen de perturbacioneshow often and how hard a place is knocked about, which keeps it variedPhraseC2
El régimen de perturbaciones mantiene la diversidad.The disturbance regime maintains the diversity.
la hipótesis de la perturbación intermediathe guess that most kinds live where the knocking is neither rare nor constantPhraseC2
La hipótesis de la perturbación intermedia predice el máximo en el medio.The intermediate disturbance hypothesis predicts the maximum in the middle.
la riqueza de especieshow many kinds there are, counted flatPhraseC2
La riqueza de especies cuenta, la equitatividad pesa.Species richness counts, evenness weighs.
el índice de diversidadthe one number that puts how many and how evenly togetherPhraseC2
El índice de diversidad resume ambas cosas en un número.The diversity index sums both up in one number.
la relación especies-áreahow the number of kinds grows with the ground, which is slowlyPhraseC2
La relación especies-área crece despacio con la superficie.The species-area relationship grows slowly with area.
la biogeografía de islasthe weighing of arrivals against extinctions on a patch cut offPhraseC2
La biogeografía de islas equilibra llegada y extinción.Island biogeography balances arrival against extinction.
el gradiente latitudinal de diversidadthe rise in the number of kinds towards the equator, which has no single causePhraseC2
El gradiente latitudinal de diversidad no tiene una sola explicación.The latitudinal diversity gradient has no single explanation.
la resiliencia ecológicahow quickly a system comes back, which is all the word means herePhraseC2
La resiliencia ecológica mide lo rápido que se vuelve.Ecological resilience measures how quickly it comes back.
la resistencia del ecosistemahow much a system takes without moving in the first placePhraseC2
La resistencia del ecosistema mide cuánto aguanta sin cambiar.Ecosystem resistance measures how much it takes without changing.
el estado alternativo establethe second resting place a system can settle into and stayPhraseC2
El estado alternativo estable no se deshace solo.The alternative stable state does not undo itself.
la histéresis ecológicathe fact that getting back costs more than leaving didPhraseC2
La histéresis ecológica exige más para volver que para irse.Ecological hysteresis needs more to come back than to leave.
el servicio ecosistémicowhat a system does for people, which rarely has a pricePhraseC2
El servicio ecosistémico rara vez tiene precio.The ecosystem service rarely has a price.
la especie exótica establecidathe kind from elsewhere that has settled, usually without its enemiesPhraseC2
La especie exótica establecida suele llegar sin sus enemigos.The established exotic species usually arrives without its enemies.
la deuda de extinciónthe extinctions already owed, which fall due decades laterPhraseC2
La deuda de extinción se paga décadas después.The extinction debt is paid decades later.
el desajuste fenológicothe clock of one creature drifting away from the clock of its foodPhraseC2
El desajuste fenológico separa a la cría de su alimento.The phenological mismatch separates the young from their food.
la restauración ecológicathe putting back of a system, which never reaches the starting pointPhraseC2
La restauración ecológica no recupera el punto de partida.Ecological restoration does not recover the starting point.
Noun (f) (3)
Grammar for these: Masculine or feminine · The plural
la denso-dependenciathe crowding that makes dying commoner as numbers riseNoun (f)C2
La denso-dependencia hace que la mortalidad suba con el número.Density dependence makes mortality rise with numbers.
la metapoblaciónmany small populations living in patches, joined by travellersNoun (f)C2
La metapoblación vive en fragmentos conectados.The metapopulation lives in connected fragments.
la equitatividadhow evenly the individuals are spread among those kindsNoun (f)C2
La equitatividad distingue diez especies iguales de una dominante.Evenness tells ten equal species from one dominant.
Noun (m) (1)
Grammar for these: Masculine or feminine · The plural
el descomponedorthe kind that takes the dead apart and gives the nutrients backNoun (m)C2
El descomponedor devuelve los nutrientes al suelo.The decomposer returns the nutrients to the soil.
Missing a word? Look it up in the dictionary
This list belongs to Nature and natural sciences — 31 lists and 1 550 words that can also be practised as a whole.