Environmental Science: Toward a Sustainable Future 10th ed. Richard Wright
Terms : Hide Images
| 510214666 | biota | the sum total of all living organisms | |
| 510214667 | biotic community | all the living organisms that live in a particular area | |
| 510214668 | biotic structure | the organization of living organisms in an ecosystem into groups such as producers, consumers, detritus feeders, and decomposers. | |
| 510214669 | biomes | a group of ecosystems that are related by having a similar type of vegetation governed by similar climatic conditions | |
| 510214670 | biosphere | the overall ecosystem of Earth | |
| 510214671 | biomass | mass of biological material | |
| 510214672 | biomass pyramid | the structure that is obtained when the respective biomasses of producers, herbivores, and carnivores, in an ecosystem are compared | |
| 510214673 | abiotic | pertaining to factors or things that are separate and independent from living things; nonliving | |
| 510214674 | associations | a unique combination of plants on a given site | |
| 510214675 | autotrophs | any organism that can synthesize all its organic substance from inorganic nutrients, using light or certain inorganic chemicals as a source of energy. | |
| 510214676 | chlorophyll | the green pigment in plants responsible for absorbing the light energy required for photosynthesis. | |
| 510214677 | chemosynthesis | process whereby some microorganisms utilize the chemical energy contained in certain reduced inorganic chemicals to produce organic material | |
| 510214678 | consumers | in an ecosystem, those organisms that derive their energy from feeding on other organisms or their products | |
| 510214679 | carnivores | an animal that feeds more or less exclusively on other animals | |
| 510214680 | climate | a general description of the average temperature and rainfall conditions of a region over the course of a year | |
| 510214681 | species | all the organisms of a single kind | |
| 510214682 | population | a group within a single species whose individuals can and do freely interbreed | |
| 510214683 | ecosystem | a grouping of plants, animals, and other organisms interacting with each other and with their environment in such a way as to perpetuate the grouping more or less indefinitely | |
| 510214684 | ecotone | a transitional region between two adjacent ecosystems that contains some of the species and characteristics of each one and also certain species of its own | |
| 510214685 | ecology | the study of any and all aspects of how organisms interact with each other and with their environment | |
| 510214686 | ecological niche | (ecology) the status of an organism within its environment and community (affecting its survival as a species) | |
| 510214687 | landscape | a group of interacting ecosystems occupying adjacent geographical areas | |
| 510214688 | trophic structure | the major feeding relationships between organisms within ecosystems, organized into trophic levels | |
| 510214689 | trophic level | feeding level with respect to the primary source of energy | |
| 510214690 | photosynthesis | the chemical process carried on by green plants through which light energy is used to produce glucose from carbon dioxide and water | |
| 510214691 | organic | relating or belonging to the class of chemical compounds having a carbon basis | |
| 510214692 | inorganic | relating or belonging to the class of compounds not having a carbon basis | |
| 510214693 | heterotrophs | any organism that consumes organic matter as a source of energy | |
| 510214694 | herbivore | an organism such as a rabbit or deer that feeds primarily on green plants or plant products | |
| 510214695 | omnivore | an animal that feeds on both plant material and other animals | |
| 510214696 | detritus feeders | organisms such as termites, fungi, and bacteria that obtain their nutrients and energy mainly by feeding on dead organic matter | |
| 510214697 | detritus | the dead organic matter, such as fallen leaves, twigs, and other plant and animal wastes, that exists in any ecosystem | |
| 510214698 | decomposers | organisms whose feeding action results in decay or rotting of organic material | |
| 510214699 | primary consumers | an organism, such as a rabbit or deer, that feeds more or less exclusively on green plants or their products, such as seeds and nuts | |
| 510214700 | secondary consumers | an organism such as a fox or coyote that feeds more or less exclusively on other animals that feed on plants | |
| 510214701 | predator | an animal that feeds on another living organism, either plant or animal | |
| 510214702 | prey | animal hunted or caught for food | |
| 510214703 | parasites | organisms that attach themselves to another organism, the host, and feed on it over a period of time without killing it immediately, but usually doing harm to it | |
| 510214704 | pathogens | an organism, usually a microbe, that is capable of causing diease | |
| 510214705 | host | an animal or plant that nourishes and supports a parasite | |
| 510214706 | food chain | the transfer of energy and material through a series of organisms as each one is fed upon by the next | |
| 510214707 | food web | the combination of all the feeding relationships that exist in an ecosystem | |
| 510214708 | mutualism | the relation between two different species of organisms that both derive a benefit | |
| 510214709 | symbiosis | the intimate living together or association of two kinds of organisms | |
| 510214710 | habitat | the specific environment in which an organism lives | |
| 510214711 | resources | biotic and abiotic factors that are consumed by organisms | |
| 510214712 | optimum | the condition or amount of any factor or combination of factors that will produce the best results | |
| 510214713 | range of tolerance | the range of conditions within which an organism can survive and reproduce | |
| 510214714 | limits of tolerance | extremes of any factor that an organism or population can tolerate and still survive and reproduce | |
| 510214715 | zones of stress | regions where a species finds conditions tolerable, but suboptimal. Species survives under stress | |
| 510214716 | limiting factor | a factor primarily responsible for determining the growth or reproduction of an organism or a population | |
| 510214717 | law of limiting factors | Also known as Liebig's Law of Minimums. An ecosystem can be limited by the absence or minimum amount of any one vital factor. | |
| 510214718 | microclimate | the actual conditions experienced by an organism in its particular location | |
| 510214719 | Paleolithic | The period of the Stone Age associated with the evolution of humans. It predates the Neolithic period. | |
| 510214720 | Neolithic Revolution | The development of agriculture begun by human societies around 12,000 years ago, leading to more permanent settlement and population increases | |
| 510214721 | Industrial Revolution | During the 19th century, the development of manufacturing processes using fossil fuels and based on applications of scientific knowledge | |
| 510214722 | human system | the entire system that humans have created for their own support, conditioning of agriculture, industry, transportation, communications networks, etc. | |
| 510214723 | Environmental Revolution | In the view of some, a coming change in the adaptation of humans to the rising deterioration of the environment. The ER should bring about sustainable interactions wit the environment. |
