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APES Vocab
Ecosystem Ecology
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| aerobic respiration | the process by which cells convert glucose and oxygen into energy, carbon dioxide, and water |
| algal bloom | a rapid increase in the algal population of a waterway |
| ammonification | the process by which fungal and bacterial decomposers break down the organic nitrogen found in dead bodies and waste products and convert it into inorganic ammonium (NH4+) |
| anaerobic respiration | the process by which cells convert glucose into energy in the absence of oxygen |
| assimilation | the process by which producers incorporate elements into their tissues |
| autotroph | an organism that uses the energy of the Sun to produce usable forms of energy; also known as a producer |
| biogeochemical cycle | the movements of matter within and between ecosystems |
| biomass | the total mass of all living matter in a specific area |
| biosphere | the region of our planet where life resides, the combination of all ecosystems on Earth |
| carbon cycle | the movement of carbon around the biosphere |
| carnivore | a consumer that eats other consumers |
| cellular respiration | the process by which cells unlock the energy of chemical compounds |
| consumer | an organism that is incapable of photosynthesis and must obtain its energy by consuming other organisms; also known as an heterotroph |
| decomposer | fungi or bacteria that converts organic matter into small elements and molecules that can be recycled back into the ecosystem |
| denitrification | the conversion of nitrate in a series of steps into the gases nitrous oxide and, eventually, nitrogen gas, which is emitted into the atmosphere |
| detritivore | an animal that obtains nutrients by consuming detritus (decomposing plant and animal parts as well as feces) |
| disturbance | an event, caused by physical, chemical, or biological agents, resulting in changes in population size or community composition |
| ecological efficiency | the proportion of consumed energy that can be passed from one tropic level to another |
| evapotranspiration | the combined amount of evaporation and transpiration |
| food chain | the sequence of consumption from producers through tertiary consumers |
| food web | a complex model of how energy and matter move between trophic levels |
| gross primary productivity (GPP) | the total amount of solar energy that producers in an ecosystem capture via photosynthesis over a given amount of time |
| herbivore | a consumer that eats producers; also known as a primary consumer |
| heterotroph | an organism that is incapable of photosynthesis and must obtain its energy by consuming other organisms; also known as a consumer |
| hydrologic cycle | the movement of water through the biosphere |
| hypoxic | low in oxygen |
| intermediate disturbance hypothesis | the hypothesis that ecosystems experiencing intermediate levels of disturbance are more diverse than those with high or low disturbance levels |
| leaching | the transportation of dissolved molecules through the soil via groundwater |
| limiting nutrient | a nutrient required for the growth of an organism but available in a lower quantity than other nutrients |
| macronutrient | one of six key elements that organisms need in relatively large amounts: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur |
| mineralization | the process by which fungal and bacterial decomposers break down the organic matter found in dead bodies and waste products and convert it into inorganic compounds |
| net primary productivity (NPP) | the energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy producers respire |
| nitrification | the conversion of ammonia into nitrite and then into nitrate |
| nitrogen cycle | the movement of nitrogen around the biosphere |
| nitrogen fixation | a process by which some organisms can convert nitrogen gas molecules directly into ammonia |
| phosphorus cycle | the movement of phosphorous around the biosphere |
| photosynthesis | the process by which producers use solar energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose |
| primary consumer | a consumer that eats producers; also known as an herbivore |
| producer | an organism that uses the energy of the Sun to produce usable forms of energy; also known as an autotroph |
| resilience | the rate at which an ecosystem returns to its original state after a disturbance |
| resistance | a measure of how much a disturbance can affect flows of energy and matter in an ecosystem |
| restoration ecology | the study and implementation of restoring damaged ecosystems |
| runoff | water that moves across the land surface and into streams and rivers |
| scavenger | an organism that consumes dead animals |
| secondary consumer | a carnivore that eats primary consumers |
| standing crop | the amount of biomass present in an ecosystem at a particular time |
| sulfur cycle | the movement of sulfur around the biosphere |
| tertiary consumer | a carnivore that eats secondary consumers |
| transpiration | the release of water from leaves during photosynthesis |
| trophic levels | the successive levels of organisms consuming one another |
| trophic pyramid | a representation of the distribution of biomass, numbers, or energy among trophic levels |
| watershed | all land in a given landscape that drains into a particular stream, river, lake, or wetland |
Created by:
mmcgra1236
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