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Unit 1 environmental
vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ecosystem | a community of living organisms interacting with their physical environment. |
| Biotic factors | Living components of an ecosystem (plants, animals, bacteria, fungi) |
| Abiotic factors | Non-living physical and chemical components (sunlight, temperature, water, soil, air) |
| habitat | The natural environment where an organism lives |
| Niche | An organism's role and position within its environment, including all interactions |
| Biodiversity | The variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem |
| Species richness | The number of different species in an ecosystem |
| Species evenness | The relative abundance of each species in an ecosystem |
| Producer (Autotroph) | Organisms that make their own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis |
| Consumer (Heterotroph) | Organisms that obtain energy by eating other organisms |
| Primary consumer | Herbivores that eat producers |
| Secondary consumer | Carnivores that eat primary consumers |
| Tertiary consumer | Carnivores that eat secondary consumers |
| Decomposer | Organisms that break down dead organic matter (bacteria, fungi) |
| Detritivore | Organisms that feed on dead organic matter (earthworms, millipedes) |
| Trophic level | Position in a food chain or energy pyramid |
| Food chain | Linear sequence of organisms through which energy flows |
| Food web | Complex network of interconnected food chains |
| Biomass | Total mass of living organisms in a given area |
| Energy pyramid | Diagram showing energy transfer between trophic levels |
| 10% rule | Only about 10% of energy transfers from one trophic level to the next |
| Biogeochemical cycle | Movement of chemical elements through biotic and abiotic components |
| Nitrogen fixation | Conversion of atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia by bacteria |
| Nitrification | Conversion of ammonia to nitrites and nitrates |
| Denitrification | Conversion of nitrates back to atmospheric nitrogen |
| Eutrophication | the process in which a body of water becomes overly enriched with nutrients |
| Carbon sink | Reservoir that absorbs and stores carbon (forests, oceans) |
| Carbon source | Process that releases carbon into the atmosphere |
| Transpiration | Water vapor release from plant leaves |
| Evapotranspiration | Combined water loss through evaporation and transpiration |
| Photosynthesis | Process converting light energy, CO2, and water into glucose and oxygen |
| Cellular respiration | Process breaking down glucose to release energy, producing CO2 |
| Primary succession | Ecological succession in an area with no previous soil or life |
| Secondary succession | Ecological succession in an area previously inhabited |
| Pioneer species | First organisms to colonize barren environments |
| Climax community | Stable, mature ecological community |
| Disturbance | Event that disrupts an ecosystem (fire, flood, hurricane) |
| Population | - All individuals of a species in a specific area |
| Community | All populations of different species in a specific area |
| Carrying capacity | Maximum population size an environment can sustain |
| Limiting factor | Resource that restricts population growth |
| Keystone species | Species that has disproportionate impact on ecosystem structure |
| Competition | Organisms vie for the same limited resources |
| Predation | One organism kills and eats another |
| Symbiosis | Close relationship between two species |
| Mutualism | Both species benefit from the relationship |
| Commensalism | One species benefits, the other is unaffected |
| Parasitism | One species benefits at the expense of the other |
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