Terms : Hide Images
| 10732547418 | Ecology | the study of the interactions of living organisms with one another and with their physical environment | 0 | |
| 10732547419 | organism | an individual living thing ex. black bat | 1 | |
| 10732547420 | population | all of the individuals of a species that live in the same area ex. the black bats | 2 | |
| 10732547421 | community | a group of different species that live together in one area ex. black bats, worms, moss, etc. | 3 | |
| 10732547422 | habitat | place where an organism usually lives ex. cave | 4 | |
| 10732547423 | ecosystem | the different species plus the environment; biotic factors and abiotic factors ex. soil in that cave, light entering the cave, temperature in cave, humidity in cave, etc. | 5 | |
| 10732547424 | biome | major regional or global community of organisms characterized by the climate conditions and the plant communities that thrive there | 6 | |
| 10732547425 | biotic factors | organisms in a habitat | 7 | |
| 10732547426 | abiotic factors | physical aspects of the habitat | 8 | |
| 10732547427 | biodiversity | the assortment or variety of living things in an ecosystem | 9 | |
| 10732547428 | biodiversity is threatened by | pollution global warming habitat destruction | 10 | |
| 10732547429 | keystone species | a species that has an unusually large effect on its ecosystem ex. sea otters | 11 | |
| 10732547430 | producers provide | energy for other organisms in an ecosystem | 12 | |
| 10732547431 | producer | organism that obtains energy from nonliving resources; organism that makes its own food | 13 | |
| 10732547432 | autotroph | another word for producer; self feeder | 14 | |
| 10732547433 | consumer | organism that gets its energy by eating other living or once living resources | 15 | |
| 10732547434 | heterotroph | another word for consumer; different feeder | 16 | |
| 10732547435 | producers are | basis for ecosystems energy most rely on sunlight almost all obtain energy from sunlight photosynthesis | 17 | |
| 10732547436 | herbivores | organisms that eat only plants ex. rabbits | 18 | |
| 10732547437 | carnivores | organisms that eat only animals ex. snake | 19 | |
| 10732547438 | omnivores | organisms that eat both plants and animals ex. chicken, humans | 20 | |
| 10732547439 | detritivores | organisms that eat dead, organic matter ex. millipede | 21 | |
| 10732547440 | decomposers | organisms that break down organic matter into simpler compounds ex. fungi and bacteria | 22 | |
| 10732547441 | food chain | sequence that links species by their feeding relationships |  | 23 |
| 10732547442 | trophic levels | levels of nourishment in a food chain ex. producer>herbivore>carnivore |  | 24 |
| 10732547443 | producers level | level 1 on the trophic levels | 25 | |
| 10732547444 | primary consumers level | level 2 on the trophic levels herbivores and omnivores | 26 | |
| 10732547445 | secondary consumers level | level 3 on the trophic levels carnivores and omnivores | 27 | |
| 10732547446 | tertiary consumers level | level 4 on the trophic levels carnivores that eat carnivores and some omnivores | 28 | |
| 10732547447 | food web | model that shows the complex network of feeding relationships and the flow of energy within and sometimes beyond an ecosystem | 29 | |
| 10732547448 | pyramid models | an energy pyramid shows the distribution of energy among trophic levels | 30 | |
| 10732547449 | 10% rule | at each trophic level, the energy stored is about 10% of that stores by the level below | 31 | |
| 10732547450 | biomass | measure of the total dry mass of organisms in a given area incorporated into the body of a consumer | 32 | |
| 10732547451 | energy pyramids | the longer a food chain, the more energy lost diagram that compares energy used by producers, primary consumers, and other trophic levels |  | 33 |
| 10732547452 | ecological niche | how an organism lives in its habitat -includes all of the physical, chemical, and biological factors that a species needs to survive, stay healthy and reproduce | 34 | |
| 10732547453 | competition | when 2 organisms fight for the same limited resource | 35 | |
| 10732547454 | predation | process by which one organism captures and feeds upon another organism | 36 | |
| 10732547455 | symbiosis | close long term relationship between two or more species that can be beneficial or harmful -mutualism -commensalism -parasitism | 37 | |
| 10732547456 | mutalism | both benefit ex.ants and acacia tree | 38 | |
| 10732547457 | commensalism | one benefits, the other is neither harmed nor helped ex.whale and barnacle | 39 | |
| 10732547458 | parasitism | one benefits, the other is harmed ex.dog and flea | 40 | |
| 10732547459 | predation and competition | -promote biodiversity -biologically diverse ecosystems are more stable than ecosystems with fewer species | 41 | |
| 10732547460 | competitive exclusion | when 2 species compete for the same resource, the one that is better adapted will occupy the niche while the other is either pushed into a less favorable niche or goes extinct ex.trees | 42 | |
| 10732547461 | biogeochemical cycle | movement of a particular chemical through the biological and geological, or living and nonliving, parts of an ecosystem; changes of state may occur | 43 | |
| 10732547462 | hydrologic cycle | the water cycle | 44 | |
| 10732547463 | precipitation | water that falls to the earth | 45 | |
| 10732547464 | groundwater | water that seeps into the ground or becomes part of larger bodies of water on the surface | 46 | |
| 10732547465 | evaporation | water going into the atmosphere as water vapor | 47 | |
| 10732547466 | transpiration | type of evaporation evaporation off the surface of leaves | 48 | |
| 10732547467 | condensation | water vapor to water | 49 | |
| 10732547468 | elements essential for life | carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur | 50 | |
| 10732547469 | carbon cycle | carbon is the key to the structure of all organisms on our planet, essential for making carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and nucleic acid |  | 51 |
| 10732547470 | abiotic portion of the cycle | -carbon dioxide gas released in the atmosphere -bicarbonate dissolved in water -fossil fuel burning -soil | 52 | |
| 10732547471 | biotic portion of the cycle | -cellular respiration produces carbon dioxide as a waste product -photosynthesis uses the carbon in the carbon dioxide to make sugar -carbohydrates stored in the plant are then used by the plant in cellular respiration or by a consumer when the plant is eaten -decomposition also releases carbon -fossil fuel formation -methane gas also returns carbon to the atmosphere from decomposition processes | 53 | |
| 10732547472 | carbon sink or reservoirs | area that stores carbon over a long period of time | 54 | |
| 10732547473 | human disruption of the carbon cycle | cars, factories, and power plants burn fossil fuels and add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere | 55 | |
| 10732547474 | natural disruption of the carbon cycle | -forests lock carbon away, but naturally occurring forest fires release that carbon -volcanic eruptions release carbon dioxide and nitrogen gases that overload normal cycles | 56 | |
| 10732547475 | nitrogen cycle | -78% of atmosphere is nitrogen gas -organisms use nitrogen in the form of ions not in the form of N2 -mostly takes place underground with the actions of bacteria; enters the food web through plants -organisms need nitrogen to form important biomolecules. however, most nitrogen is in a form most organisms are unable to use readily | 57 | |
| 10732547476 | nitrogen fixation/assimilation | conversion of nitrogen gas (N2) into ammonia (NH3), generally by soil | 58 | |
| 10732547477 | bacteria | the plants and animals that have assimilated nitrogen into their bodies that then die and are broken down, return the nitrogen to the soil | 59 | |
| 10732547478 | decomposition | break down of organisms and return the nitrogen to the soil so plants can take it up again | 60 | |
| 10732547479 | ammonification | produced by bacteria during decomposition or decay processes | 61 | |
| 10732547480 | nitrification | converting ammonia into nitrates | 62 | |
| 10732547481 | denitrification | converting nitrates into nitrogen gas | 63 | |
| 10732547482 | human disruption of the nitrogen cycle | -poor farming practices -planting too many legume crops that carry nitrogen fixing bacteria on their root nodules | 64 | |
| 10732547483 | natural disruptions of the nitrogen cycle | volcanic eruptions that release carbon dioxide and nitrogen gases that overload normal cycle | 65 | |
| 10732547484 | population density | -number of individuals that live in a defined area -important measure of the health of a species in an area -fluctuations indicate that changes need to be made to keep the population healthy | 66 | |
| 10732547485 | population dispersion | the way in which individuals of a population are spread in an area | 67 | |
| 10732547486 | clumped population dispersion | individuals live close together in groups; facilitates mating, protection, and access to food and other resources |  | 68 |
| 10732547487 | uniform population dispersion | individuals live specific distances from each other; results from territoriality and competition |  | 69 |
| 10732547488 | random population dispersion | individuals are spread randomly |  | 70 |
| 10732547489 | population growth patterns | population size changes, increasing, decreasing, or staying fairly constant | 71 | |
| 10732547490 | factors affecting population size | immigration - individuals coming into a population births - individuals being born into a population emigration - individuals going out of a population deaths - individuals being removed from the population through death | 72 | |
| 10732547491 | exponential growth | J-curve; occurs when a population size increases dramatically over a period of time -may occur when a species is introduced into an uninhabited area -typical of bacteria and small animals | 73 | |
| 10732547492 | logistic growth | s-curve; occurs when a population begins with slow growth, followed by a period of rapid growth, before leveling off at a stable size | 74 | |
| 10732547493 | carrying capacity | maximum number of individuals of a particular species that the environment can normally and consistently support | 75 | |
| 10732547494 | population crash | dramatic decline in the size of a population over a short period of time | 76 | |
| 10732547495 | limiting factor | the characteristic or resource that has the greatest effect in limiting the size of a population ex. competition, predation, parasitism, disease, unusual weather, natural disasters, human activities | 77 | |
| 10732547496 | succession | sequence of biotic changes in a community | 78 | |
| 10732547497 | primary succession | establishment and development of an ecosystem in an area that was previously uninhabited |  | 79 |
| 10732547498 | pioneer species | typically lichens and some mosses; first organisms that live in an uninhabited area on bare rock | 80 | |
| 10732547499 | secondary succession | re-establishment of a damaged ecosystem in an area where the soil is exposed |  | 81 |
| 10732547500 | nonrenewable resources | a resource that is used faster than it can be reformed ex. oil, coal, natural gas | 82 | |
| 10732547501 | renewable resources | a resource that can be replace at the same rate it is used ex. wind, solar, water | 83 | |
| 10732547502 | ecological footprint | the amount of land necessary to produce and maintain enough food and water, shelter, energy and waste for the population. the larger the footprint, the more negative the impact is on the ecosystem | 84 | |
| 10732547503 | footprint size depends on | amount and efficiency of resource use amount and toxicity of waste produced | 85 | |
| 10732547504 | pollution | any undesirable factor, or pollutant, that is added to the air, water, or soil; especially synthetic chemicals and materials added to the earth that cannot be integrated into normal ecosystem functions | 86 | |
| 10732547505 | smog and ozone | fossil fuels produce the most common pollutants in our air | 87 | |
| 10732547506 | acid rain | precipitation produced when pollutants in the water cycle cause rain pH to drop below normal levels -pollutants released from factories, cars, power plants, etc. -pH of 5.6 or lower affects organisms in lakes and streams by decreasing pH of the water -causes a decline in growth rates of organisms likes trees, and leaves trees vulnerable to disease and harsh weather -destroys rock by increasing weathering | 88 | |
| 10732547507 | air pollution | -earth's atmosphere has naturally occurring cycles of high and low levels of carbon dioxide -high levels of CO2 correspond with high atmospheric temperatures; low levels with lower temperature | 89 | |
| 10732547508 | greenhouse effect | occurs when carbon dioxide, water, and methane molecules trap energy in the Earth's atmosphere, which allows for a stable temperature so life can exist | 90 | |
| 10732547509 | greenhouse gases | CO2, H2O, CH4 - absorb heat energy in the atmosphere | 91 | |
| 10732547510 | water pollution | affects ecosystems eutrophication | 92 | |
| 10732547511 | eutrophication | process resulting from pollution of water from runoff, especially from fertilizers, that causes algae blooms, fish kills, and finally the filling of the body of water with debris and sediment | 93 | |
| 10732547512 | indicator species/bioindicators | typically the first organisms in an ecosystem to be affected by pollution | 94 | |
| 10732547513 | biomagnification | -causes accumulation of toxins in an individuals' bodies in the food chain -process in which pollutants move up the food chain as predators eat prey, accumulating in higher concentration in the bodies of predators, with the most serious effect in the bodies of the top predators | 95 | |
| 10732547514 | threats to biodiversity | -loss of habitat and pollution affect animal and plant populations -loss of biodiversity can reduce an ecosystem's stability and make it more difficult for the ecosystem to handle future change -biodiversity is highest in rainforests in the world, which are being deforested | 96 | |
| 10732547515 | habitat destruction | loss of habitat eliminates species | 97 | |
| 10732547516 | habitat fragmentation | when a barrier prevents an organism from accessing its entire home range | 98 | |
| 10732547517 | introduced species | any organism that was brought to an ecosystem as the result of human actions -threaten the stability of ecosystems; are better competitors or are predators of native species -cause tremendous damage to the environment ex. fire ants, kudzu, zebra mussels, purple loosestrife, burmese pythons | 99 | |
| 10732547518 | sustainable development | practice in which natural resources are used and managed in a way that meets current needs without hurting future generations | 100 | |
| 10732547519 | conservation practices | -laws that protect endangered or threatened species also protect their habitat and other organisms around them -control how fast our population grows by controlling birth rates -develop technology to produce more food and produce less waste -change our practices and take action to protect and maintain ecosystems -reduce or eliminate the pressures we place on the planet's biogeochemical processes | 101 |
