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vocab 3 4 5 6
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| biosphere | part of earth in which life exists including land, water, and air or atmosphere |
| biome | a group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms |
| autotroph | organism that is able to capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds (primary producer) |
| detritivore | organism that feeds on plant and animal remains and other dead matter |
| primary producer | first producer of energy-rich compounds that are later used by other organisms |
| carnivore | organism that obtains energy by eating animals |
| heterotroph | organism that obtains food by consuming other living things (consumer) |
| chemosynthesis | process in which chemical energy is used to produce carbohydrates |
| decomposer | organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter |
| biomass | total amount of living tissue |
| phytoplankton | photosynthetic algae found near the surface of the ocean |
| ecological pyramid | illustration of the relative amounts of energy or matter contained within each trophic level in a given food chain or food web |
| trophic level | each step in a food chain or food web |
| food web | network of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem |
| zooplankton | small free floating animals that form part of plankton |
| biogeochemical cycle | 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 |
| nitrogen fixation | process of converting nitrogen gas into nitrogen compounds that plants can absorb and use |
| denitrification | process by which bacteria converts nitrates into nitrogen gas |
| limiting nutrient | single essential nutrient that limits productivity in an ecosystem |
| microclimate | environmental conditions within a small area that differs significantly from the climate of the surrounding area |
| greenhouse effect | process in which certain gases trap sunlight energy in Earth's atmosphere as heat |
| habitat | area where an organism lives, including the biotic and abiotic factors |
| niche | full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions |
| resource | any necessity of life, such as water, nutrients, light, food, or space |
| competitive exclusion pinciple | principle that states no two species can occupy the same niche in the same habitat at the same time |
| predation | interaction in which one organism captures and feeds on another organism |
| herbivory | interaction in which one animal feeds on the producer |
| keystone species | single species that isnt usually abundant in a community yet exerts strong control on the structure of a community |
| symbiosis | relationship in which two species live close together |
| mutualism | symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit from the relationship |
| parasitism | symbiotic relationship in which one organism lives on or in another organism and harms it |
| commensalism | symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other isnt helped or harmed |
| ecological succession | series of gradual changes that occur in a community following a disturbance |
| primary succession | succession that occurs in an area in which no trace of a previous community is present |
| pioneer species | first species to populate an area during succession |
| secondary succession | type of succession that occurs in an area that was only partially destroyed by disturbances |
| logistic growth | growh pattern in which a populations growth slows down and then stops following a period of exponentional growth |
| exponential growth | growth pattern in which the individuals in a population reproduce at a constant rate |
| density dependent limiting factor | limiting factor that depends on population density |
| density independent limiting factor | limiting factor that affects all populations in similar ways, regardless of the population density |
| demography | scientific study of human populations |
Created by:
Sharion Davis
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