14709248405 | Biosphere | The region of our planet where life resides, the combination of all ecosystems on Earth | 0 | |
14709248406 | Producer | An organism that uses the energy of the Sun to produce usable forms of energy (also known as autotroph) | 1 | |
14709248407 | Photosynthesis | The process by which producers use solar energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose | 2 | |
14709248408 | Cellular respiration | The process by which cells unlock the energy of chemical compounds | 3 | |
14709248409 | Consumer | An organism that is incapable of photosynthesis and must obtain its energy by consuming other organisms (also known as heterotroph) | 4 | |
14709248410 | Herbivore | A consumer that eats producers (also known as Primary consumer) | 5 | |
14709248411 | Carnivore | A consumer that eats other consumers | 6 | |
14709248412 | Secondary consumer | A carnivore that eats primary consumers | 7 | |
14709248413 | Tertiary consumer | A carnivore that eats secondary consumers | 8 | |
14709248414 | Trophic levels | The successive levels of organisms consuming one another | 9 | |
14709248415 | Food web | A complex model of how energy and matter move between trophic levels | 10 | |
14709248416 | Scavenger | An organism that consumes dead animals | 11 | |
14709248417 | Detritivore | An organism that specializes in breaking down dead tissues and waste products into smaller particles | 12 | |
14709248418 | Decomposers | The fungi and bacteria that complete the breakdown process by converting organic matter into small elements and molecules that can be recycled back into the ecosystem. | 13 | |
14709248419 | Gross Primary Productivity | The total amount of solar energy that producers in an ecosystem capture via photosynthesis over a given amount of time | 14 | |
14709248420 | Net Primary Productivity | The energy captured by produces in an ecosystem minus the energy producers respire | 15 | |
14709248421 | Biomass | The total mass of all living matter in a specific area | 16 | |
14709248422 | Standing crop | The amount of biomass present in an ecosystem at a particular time | 17 | |
14709248423 | Ecological efficiency | The proportion of consumed energy that can be passed from one trophic level to another | 18 | |
14709248424 | Trophic pyramid | A representation of the distribution of biomass, numbers, or energy among trophic levels | 19 | |
14709248425 | Biogeochemical cycle | The movements of matter within and between ecosystems | 20 | |
14709248426 | Hydrologic cycle | The movement of water through the biosphere | 21 | |
14709248427 | Transpiration | The release of water from leaves during photosynthesis | 22 | |
14709248428 | Evapotranspiration | The combined amount of evaporation and transpiration | 23 | |
14709248429 | Runoff | Water that moves across the land surface and into streams and rivers | 24 | |
14709248430 | Carbon Cycle | The movement of carbon around the biosphere | 25 | |
14709248431 | Macronutrients | Key elements that organisms need in relatively large amounts: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur | 26 | |
14709248432 | Limiting nutrient | A nutrient required for the growth of an organism but available in a lower quantity than other nutrients | 27 | |
14709248433 | Nitrogen cycle | The movement of nitrogen around the biosphere | 28 | |
14709248434 | Nitrogen fixation | A process by which some organisms can convert nitrogen gas molecules directly into ammonia | 29 | |
14709248435 | Nitrification | The conversion of ammonia into nitrite and then into nitrate | 30 | |
14709248436 | Assimilation | The process by which producers incorporate elements into their tissues | 31 | |
14709248437 | Ammonification | The process by which fungal and bacterial decomposers break down the organic nitrogen found in dead bodies and waste products and convert it into inorganic ammonium | 32 | |
14709248438 | Denitrification | The conversion of nitrate in a series of steps into the gases nitrous oxide and, eventually, nitrogen gas, which is emitted into the atmosphere | 33 | |
14709248439 | Leaching | The transportation of dissolved molecules through the soil via groundwater | 34 | |
14709248440 | Phosphorus cycle | The movement of phosphorus (which rarely changes form) around the biosphere | 35 | |
14709248441 | Hypoxic | Low in oxygen | 36 | |
14709248442 | Sulfur cycle | The movement of sulfur around the biosphere | 37 | |
14709248443 | Disturbance | An event, caused by physical , chemical, or biological agents, resulting in changes in population size or community composition | 38 | |
14709248444 | Watershed | All land in a given landscape that drains into a particular stream, river, lake, or wetland | 39 | |
14709248445 | Resistance | A measure of how much a disturbance can affect flows of energy and matter in an ecosystem | 40 | |
14709248446 | Resilience | The rate at which an ecosystem returns to its original state after a disturbance | 41 | |
14709248447 | Restoration ecology | The study and implementation of restoring damaged ecosystems | 42 | |
14709248448 | Intermediate disturbance hypothesis | The hypothesis that ecosystems experiencing intermediate levels of disturbance are more diverse than those with high or low disturbance levels | 43 | |
14709248449 | range of tolerance | the range of abiotic conditions within which an organism or population can survive and reproduce | 44 | |
14709248450 | ocean acidification | The process by which today's oceans are becoming more acidic as a result of increased carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. Occurs as ocean water absorbs CO2 from the air and forms carbonic acid. This threatens to dissolve coral reefs which would have strong impacts on ocean biodiversity. | 45 | |
14709248451 | chemosynthesis | using inorganic chemicals to make food. Ex. Bacteria around volcanic vents on ocean floor. | 46 |
APES Ch 3 Flashcards
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