Biology Chapter 3: The Bioshpere Flashcards

1450982836	ecology	scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment.	0
1450982837	bioshpere	part of earth in which life exists including land, water, and air or atmoshpere.	1
1450982838	species	group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring.	2
1450982839	populations	group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area.	3
1450982840	communities	different populations that live together in a defined area.	4
1450982841	ecosystem	collection of all organisms that live in a particular place, together with their nonliving environment.	5
1450982842	biome	group of ecosystems that have the same climate and dominant communities.	6
1450982843	autotrophs	producer. Organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds.	7
1450982844	producers	autotrophs. Organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds.	8
1450982845	photosynthesis	process by which plants and other organisms use light energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and high-energy carbohydrates such as sugars and starches.	9
1450982846	chemosynthesis	process by which some organisms use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates.	10
1450982847	heterotroph	Consumer. Organism that obtains energy from the foods it consumes.	11
1450982848	consumers	Heterotroph. Organism that relies on other organisms for its energy and food supply.	12
1450982849	herbivores	organism that obtains its energy by eating only plants.	13
1450982850	carnivores	organism that obtains energy by eating animals.	14
1450982851	omnivores	organism that obtains energy by eating both plants and animals.	15
1450982852	detritivores	organism that feeds on plant and animal remains and other dead matter.	16
1450982853	decomposers	organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter.	17
1450982854	food chain	series of steps in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten.	18
1450982855	food web	network of complex interactions formed by feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem.	19
1450982856	trophic level	step in a food chain or food web.	20
1450982857	ecological pyramid	diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy or matter within each trophic level in a food chain or food web.	21
1450982858	biomass	total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level.	22
1450982859	biogeochemical cycles	process in which elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another.	23
1450982860	evaporation	process by which water changes from a liquid into an atmospheric gas.	24
1450982861	transpiration	loss of water from a plant through its leaves.	25
1450982863	nutrients	chemical substance that an organism requires to live.	26
1450982865	nitrogen fixation	process of converting nitrogen gas into ammonia.	27
1450982866	denitrification	conversion of nitrates into nitrogen.	28
1450982868	primary productivity	rate at which organic matter is created by producers in an ecosystem.	29
1450982870	limiting nutrient	single nutrient that either is scarce or cycles very slowly, limiting the growth of organisms in an ecosystem.	30
1450982871	algal bloom	an immediate increase in the amount of algae and other producers that results from a large input of a limiting nutrient.	31