Term | Definition |
carrying capacity | |
cellular respiration | the oxidation of organic compounds that occurs within cells, producing energy for cellular processes. it allows the cell to produce energy and "breath" |
chemical equations | a representation of a chemical reaction using symbols of elements to show the amount of a certain substance ex: H2O |
climax community | a community in which populations of plants or animals remain stable and exist in balance with each other and their environment |
commensalism | a relationships between two organisms where one organism benefits from the other without affecting it. |
consumer | organisms on an ecological food chain that get energy by consuming other organisms. |
cyclic growth | Cyclic population growth occurs when there is a low amount of population, food is very high, so the population explodes |
decomposer | organisms that break down dead and decaying things, by doing this, they carry out the natural process of decomposition. |
density dependant factors | any factor limiting the size of a population which effect is dependent on the number of organisms in the population. |
, density-independent factors | Any factor limiting the size of a population which effect is not dependent on the number of organisms in the population. |
ecological succession | the process in which the structure of a biological community evolves over time |
energy flow | the flow of energy through a biological food chain. |
exponential growth | When the resources are unlimited in the habitat, the population of an organism living in the habitat grows in an exponential or geometric fashion |
logistic growth | when the growth rate decreases as the population reaches carrying capacity. |
mutualism | two organisms benifits of each others relationship |
parasitism | when one organism benifits of the other (taking nutrients) |
photosynthesis | carbon dioxide, water, and certain inorganic salts are converted into carbohydrates 6CO2 + 6H2O ------> C6H12O6 + 6O2 |
pioneer species | species which are the first to colonize in damaged ecosystems |
population | are a group of individuals belonging to the same species that live in the same region at the same time. |
producer | organisms that produce their own food and nutrients. |
products | anything produced by organelles in a cell. |
pyramid of energy | a graphical representation designed to show the biomass or bio productivity at each trophic level in a given ecosystem. |
reactants | A substance taking part in a chemical reaction. |
steady state | is stable over time, but no energy or work is required to maintain that condition. |
symbiosis | is when two organisms are in a symbiotic relationship because they can't survive without each other. |