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Chapter 12
Section 3
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| food chain | The steps of transfer of energy from primary producers through consumers. |
| trophic pyramid | The pyramid-like relationship found in the pyramids of biomass, energy, and numbers of organisms in a food chain. |
| nutrient regeneration | The release of nutrients from organic matter by decomposers. |
| net primary production | The amount of organic carbon left over to fuel the food web after accounting for producer’s energetic needs. |
| chemical precipitation | Chemical reactions which convert phosphate into insoluable phosphorus which settle to the sea floor. |
| trophic level | Each of the steps in a food chain. |
| biomass | The total mass of living organisms. |
| productivity | The rate of primary production. |
| standing stock | (standing crop) The total amount, or biomass, of an organism at a given time. |
| food web | All of the interconnecting feeding relationships in a community. |
| detritus | Particles of dead organic matter. |
| gross primary production | The total amount of organic carbon manufactured by primary producers. |
| denitrification | The conversion of fixed nitrogen back to nitrogen gas. |