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MCAS Vocabulary Ecology

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Question
Answer
ecology   study of interactions between organisms and their environment  
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ecosystem   all the organisms in a particular location, including their non-living environment  
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species   two organisms that are so similar they can interbreed in nature and produce fertile offspring  
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population   members of a species in a defined area  
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biosphere   part of Earth that living organisms inhabit  
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community   populations of different organisms living in a defined area  
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autotroph   organism that makes its own food using sunlight or chemicals; producer  
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producer   organism that makes its own food using sunlight or chemicals; autotroph  
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photosynthesis   using sunlight and carbon dioxide to make food (carbohydrates)  
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chemosynthesis   using inorganic chemicals to make food (carbohydrates)  
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heterotroph   organism that relies on other organisms for food; consumer  
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consumer   organism that relies on other organisms for food; heterotroph  
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herbivore   consumer that eats plants  
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carnivore   consumer that eats animals or meat  
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omnivore   consumer that eats both plants and animals  
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decomposer   organism that breaks down and absorbs nutrients from dead organisms  
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detritivore   organism that feeds on animal and plant remains that it did not capture; scavenger  
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food chain   series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten  
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food web   network of all the food chains in an ecosystem  
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trophic level   step in a food chain, food web, or ecological pyramid  
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energy pyramid   diagram that shows the energy available to each trophic level in an ecosystem; 10% is passed on to upper levels, the rest is lost as heat  
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biogeochemical cycle   process in which nutrients are recycled through the biosphere, ex. carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous  
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evaporation   process by which liquid water turns into a gas (water vapor) when heated  
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transpiration   evaporation of water from plant leaves  
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nutrient   chemical that an organism needs to live  
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nitrogen fixation   process in which bacteria convert nitrogen gas into nitrogen compounds plants can use to make proteins  
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denitrification   conversion of nitrates in the soil by bacteria into nitrogen gas  
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greenhouse effect   heat reatined by the the gases of the Earth's atmosphere to maintain the Earth's temperature range  
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biotic factor   living factors or organisms that affect an ecosystem  
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abiotic factor   non-living factor that affects an ecosystem  
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habitat where an organism lives    
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resource   anything that an organism needs to live, ex. food, water, space  
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predation   interaction in which one organism hunts, captures, and feeds on another organism  
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symbiosis   relationship in which two species live closely together  
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mutualism   symbiotic relationship in which both organisms benefit  
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commensalism   symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other organism is not affected  
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parasitism   symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other organism is harmed  
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population density   number of individuals per unit area  
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immigration   individuals joining a population  
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emigration   individuals leaving a population  
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carrying capacity   largest number of individuals of a population that the environment can support  
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invasive (non-native) species   plants and animals that have migrated to areas where they did not originate; often displace native species by outcompeting them for resources  
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biodiversity   the variety of all living things in the biosphere  
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cellular respiration   process that breaks down food to make ATP and releases carbon dioxide as waste  
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