| Term | Definition |
|---|
| population | groups of individuals that belong to the same species and live together |
| community | different populations that live in a defined area |
| ecosystem | all organisms in an area, including the non-living parts of their environment |
| biome | a geographical region containing several ecosystems with the same climate and communities |
| biosphere | the combined portions of the planet in which all life exists. |
| sun | the main source of energy for life on Earth |
| energy | only travels in one direction in an ecosystem |
| 10% | How much of the energy within any level of a food chain is available to the next level. |
| autotrophs | producers or "self feeders" |
| heterotrophs | consumers or "other feeders" |
| matter | is recycled within an ecosystem |
| nutrients | are passed between organisms and the environment through the biogeochemical cycle |
| herbivores | type of organisms obtain energy by eating only plants |
| carnivores | type of organisms that eat other animals |
| omnivore | eats both animal and plant. |
| food chain | made up of a series of steps in which organism transfer energy by eating and being eaten. |
| food web | network of food chains in an ecosystems |
| carbon dioxide and water | photosynthesis' products |
| ominivores and carnivores | Which type of heterotrophs eat other animals? |
| detrivores | What are organisms tha feed on plant and animal remains and other dead matter called? |
| decomposers | What type of heterotrophs would bacteria and fungi be classied as? |
| food chain | What is the one-way flow of energy in an ecosystem called? |
| trophic level | What is each step in a food chain or food web called? |
| energy pyramid | What pyramid represents the amount of energy or matter that exists in each level of a food web. |
| biomass | What is the total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level called? |
| biogeochemical cycles | molecules are passed around again and again within the biosphere. |
| water cycle | the process by which water changes from liquid form to an atmospheric gas |
| nutrient | a chemical substance that an organism requires to live. |
| nitrogen fixation | conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia |
| denitrification | conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas |
| primary productivity | the rate at which organic matter is created by producers or consumers |
| limiting nutrient | a nutrient that is scarce or cycles slowly through an ecosystem. |
| ecology | branch of biology dealing with interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment |
| community | simplest grouping of more than one kind of organism in the biosphere |
| ecosystem | lowest level of environmental complexity that includes living and nonliving factors is the |
| chemosynthetic bacteria | organisms does NOT require sunlight to live |
| web | All the interconnected feeding relationships in an ecosystem make up a food |
| biogeochemical cycling | ensures that nutrients will be circulated throughout the biosphere. |
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