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Ch3 biology fc
chapter 3 biology vocabulary
| Answer | Question |
|---|---|
| scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment | ecology |
| organism->population->community->ecosystem->biosphere | levels of organization |
| group of ecosystems that have the same climate and dominant communities | biome |
| group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring | species |
| organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds; also called a producer | autotroph/producer |
| process by which plants and some other organisms use light energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and high-energy carbohydrates such as sugars and starches | photosynthesis* |
| process by which some organisms, such as certain bacteria, use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates | chemosynthesis |
| organism that obtains energy from the foods it consumes; also called a consumer | heterotroph/consumer |
| organism that obtains energy by eating only plants | herbivore |
| organism that obtains energy by eating animals | carnivore |
| organism that obtains energy by eating both plants and animals | omnivore |
| organism that feeds on plant and animal remains and other dead matter | detritivore |
| organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter | decomposer |
| series of steps in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten | food chain |
| network of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem | food web |
| process that releases energy by breaking down glucose and other food molecules in the presence of oxygen | cellular respiration |
| step in a food chain or food web | trophic level |
| diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy or matter within each trophic level in a food chain or food web | ecological pyramid |
| 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 | biogeochemical cycle |
| single nutrient that either is scarce or cycles very slowly, limiting the growth of organisms in an ecosystem | limiting nutrient |
| an immediate increase in the amount of algae and other producers that results from a large input of a limiting nutrient | algal bloom |