| Term | Definition |
|---|
| ecology | The scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment or surroundings |
| biosphere | Contains the combined portions of the planet in which all of life exists, including land, water, and air, or atmosphere |
| species | A group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring |
| population | Groups of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area |
| community | Assemblages of different populations that live together in a defined area |
| ecosystem | A collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place, together with their nonliving, or physical, environment |
| biome | A group of ecosystems that ahve the same climate and similar dominant communities |
| autotroph | Plants, some algae, and certain bacteria can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use that energy to produce food |
| producer | autotrophs |
| photosynthesis | Autotrophs use light energy to power chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and energy-rich carbs such as sugars and starches |
| chemosynthesis | When organisms use chemical energy to produce carbs |
| heterotroph | Organisms that rely on other organisms for their energy and food supply |
| consumer | heterotroph |
| herbivore | only eat plants |
| carnivore | eat animals |
| onmnivore | eat both plants and animals |
| detritivore | feed on plant and animal remains and other dead matter(detritus) |
| decomposer | break down organic matter |
| food chain | A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten |
| food web | Links all the food chains in an ecosystem together |
| trophic level | Each step in a food chain or food web |
| ecological pyramid | A diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy or matter contained within each trophic level in a food chain or food web |
| biomass | The total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level |
| biogeochemical cycle | Elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another |
| evaporation | The process by which water changes from liwuid form to an atmospheric gas |
| transpiration | Enters the atmosphere by evaporatig from the leaves of plants |
| nutrient | Chemical substance that organisms need to sustain life |
| nitrogen fixation | When bacteria converts nitrogen gas into ammonia |
| denitrification | Bacteria converts nitrates into nitrogen gas |
| primary productivity | The ratge at whcih organic matter is created by producers |
| limiting nutrient | When an ecosystem is limited by a single nutrient that is scarce or cycles very slowly |
| algal bloom | Increased amount of algae and other producers from runoffs |
Combine with other sets
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