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Module 3: Ecosystems and Sustainability - Key Terms

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Term
Definition
Ecosystem   all the living organisms and all the non-living components in a specific habitat, and their interactions  
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Habitat   the place where an organism lives  
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Population   all the organisms of one species, who live in the same place at the same time, and can breed together  
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Community   all the populations of different species who live in the same place at the same time, and can interact with each other  
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Producer   an autotrophic organism that converts light energy to chemical energy, which is then supplied to consumers  
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Consumer   a living organism that feeds on another living organism  
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Decomposer   an organism that feeds on dead organic matter  
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Trophic Level   the level at which an organism feeds in a food chain  
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Niche   the role that a species plays in an ecosystem  
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Productivity   a measure of the rate at which energy passes through each trophic level in a food chain  
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Primary Productivity   the rate of production of new biomass by producers; the total energy fixed by photosynthesis and used to synthesise organic molecules  
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Net Primary Productivity   gross primary productivity minus the energy lost; the total amount of energy available to primary consumers  
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Succession   a directional change in a community of organisms over time  
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Sere   an intermediate stage found in ecological succession in an ecosystem advancing towards its climax community  
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Conservation   the maintenance of biodiversity, including diversity between species, genetic diversity within species, and maintenance of a variety of habitats and ecosystems; but the area can still be sustainably exploited  
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Preservation   protection of species by leaving their habitat completely untouched  
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Carrying Capacity   the maximum population size that can be maintained over a period of time in a particular habitat  
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Biotic Factors   factors resulting from the living organisms in an ecosystem: food supply, predation and disease  
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Abiotic Factors   factors resulting from the non-living components of an ecosystem: pH, temperature and soil type  
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Gross Primary Productivity   the rate at which plants convert light energy into chemical energy  
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Nitrification   the oxidation of ammonium ions to nitrite ions or nitrate ions by chemoautotrophic bacteria  
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Denitrification   the conversion of nitrate ions back to nitrogen gas  
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Nitrogen Fixation   the conversion of nitrogen gas to organic nitrogen in the soil (e.g. ammonium ions)  
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Limiting Factor   a factor that, when in short supply, limits the rate of a reaction or limits growth  
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Competition   the interaction of organisms when resources are not present in adequate amounts to satisfy the needs of all the organisms who depend on those resources  
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Coppicing   cutting a tree trunk close to the ground to encourage new growth  
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Biodiversity   the variety and variability of life; within species, between species and between ecosystems  
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Created by: GraceAlston
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