activity 3-4 Flashcards
pyramid of living matter
a pyramid developed on the basis of the mass of dry living matter at each trophic level
thermodynamics
the study of energy transformations described by laws
pyramid of energy
a pyramid developed on the basis of the mass of dry living matter at each trophic level
trophic level
the number of energy transfers an organism is from the original solar energy entering an ecosystem; the feeding level of one or more populations in a food web
1st law of thermodynamics
the law that energy can be converted for one form to another but be neither created nor destroyed
2nd law of thermodynamics
the law that heat can’t be completely converted into a more useful form of energy
death rate
(morality rate) the rate at which death decreases the size of a population
birth rate
(natality) the rate at which reproduction increases the size of a population
immigration
the number of individuals of a species that move into an existing population
emigration
the number of individuals of a species that move out of an existing population
growth rate
the rate at which the size of a population increases as a result of death rate, birthrate, immigration, and emigration
carrying capacity
the maximum population that can be sustained by a given supply of resources
open population
a natural population in which all four factors that affect population size (death rate, birthrate, immigration, and emigration) are functioning
closed population
the opposite of an open population, where organisms can’t leave or come back
