Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
BioCh3Vocab
Chapta twee
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| abiotic factor | physical, or nonlivng, factor that shapes an ecosystem |
| autotroph | organism that is able to capture energy from sunlight or chemicals to produce its own food from inorganic compounds, also called a producer |
| biogeochemical cycle | process in which elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another |
| biomass | total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level |
| biome | a group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms |
| biosphere | part of the earth in which life exists including land, water and air or atmosphere |
| biotic factor | any living part of the environment with which an organism might interact |
| carnivore | organism that obtains energy by eating animals |
| chemosynthesis | process in which chemical energy is used to produce carbohydrates |
| community | assemblage of different populations that live together in a defined area |
| consumer | organism that relies on other organisms for its energy and food supply; also called a heterotroph |
| decomposer | organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter |
| denitrification | process by which bacteria converts nitrates into nitrogen gas |
| detritivore | organism that feeds on plant and animal remains and other dead matter |
| ecological pyramid | illlustration of the relative amounts of energy or matter contained within each trophic level in a given food chain or food web |
| ecology | scientific study of interactions among organisms and their environment |
| ecosystem | alll the organisms that live in a place, together with their nonliving environment |
| food chain | series of steps in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten |
| food web | network of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem |
| herbivore | organism that obtains energy by eating only plants |
| heterotroph | organism that obtains energy by eating other living things, also called a consumer |
| limiting nutrient | single essential nutrient that limits productivity in an ecosystem |
| nitrogen fixation | process of converting nitrogen gas into nitrogen compounds that plants dan absorb and use |
| nutrient | chemical substance that an organism needs to sustain life |
| omnivore | organism the obtains energy by eating both plants and animals |
| photosynthesis | process used by plants and other aoutotrophs to capture light energy and use it to power chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and energy rich compunds such as sugars and starches |
| phytoplankton | photosynthetic algae found near the surface of the ocean |
| population | group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area |
| primary producer | first producer of energy- ric compounds that are later used by other organisms |
| scavenger | animal that consumes the carcasses of other animals |
| species | a group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring |
| trophic level | each step in a food chain or food web |
| zooplankton | small free-floating animals that form part of plankton |
Created by:
88031851
Popular Biology sets