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Biology Chapter 3
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| the scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment or surroundings | ecology |
| 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;communities: groups of different populations that live together in a defined area | levels of organization |
| a group of ecosystems that have the same climate and dominant communities | biome |
| a group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring | species |
| an organism that makes its own food | autotroph/producer |
| when plants use the sunlight to make their own food | photosynthesis |
| when organisms use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates | chemosynthesis |
| organisms that rely on other organisms for their energy and food supply | heterotroph/consumer |
| plant eaters | herbivore |
| animal eaters | carnivore |
| plant and animal eaters | omnivore |
| eat plant and animals remains and other dead matter | detritivore |
| breaks down organic matter | decomposer |
| a series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten | food chain |
| when feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem form a network of complex interactions | food web |
| when cells get energy from food molecules | cellular respiration |
| each step in a food chain or food web | trophic level |
| shows the feeding relationship of groups of organisms and the flow of energy through the different trophic levels in a given ecosystem | ecological pyramid |
| when elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one biosphere to another through these cycles | biogeochemical cycle |
| when an ecosystem is limited by a single nutrient that is scarce or cycles slowly | limiting nutrient |
| when an aquatic ecosystem receives a large input of a limiting nutrient the result is often an immediate increase in the amount of algae and other producers | algal bloom |