APES Unit 2

Question 1

10% rule

Answer 1

between one trophic level to the next only 10% of the energy is passed on to the next

Question 2

Abiotic

Answer 2

non-living

Question 3

ammonia

Answer 3

NH3

Question 4

Biogeochemical cycle

Answer 4

involves external transfers of elements among different components of a forest system

Question 5

Biome

Answer 5

a geographic region that is characterized by a certain type of climate, plant growth, or any other distinguishing characteristic

Question 6

biotic

Answer 6

living

Question 7

cellular respiration

Answer 7

the process by which organisms combine oxygen with foodstuff molecules, diverting chemical energy in these substances into life-sustaining activities and discarding, as waste products, carbon dioxide and water

Question 8

commensalism

Answer 8

a relationship in which one benefits and the other is unaffected

Question 9

community

Answer 9

a level of population complexity that incorporates all of the populations of organisms within a given area

Question 10

competition

Answer 10

two or more individual organisms of a single species attempting to use the same scarce resources in the same ecosystem

Question 11

decomposition

Answer 11

organic material breaks down which returns organic carbon to the soil

Question 12

ecology

Answer 12

the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings

Question 13

ecosystem

Answer 13

a particular location on Earth with interacting biotic and abiotic components

Question 14

food chain

Answer 14

a succession of organisms in an ecological community that constitutes a continuation of food energy from one organism to another as each consumes a lower member and, in turn, is preyed upon by a higher member

Question 15

food web

Answer 15

consists of all the food chains in a single ecosystem

Question 16

GPP

Answer 16

Gross Primary Productivity is a measure of the rate at which an ecosystem incorporates carbon from the atmosphere into biomass in a given length of time

Question 17

groundwater

Answer 17

the water that fills all pore spaces in the sediments and rocks below the water table

Question 18

hydrologic cycle

Answer 18

the process in which water passes from vapor in the atmosphere through precipitation and ultimately back into the atmosphere as a result of evaporation and transpiration

Question 19

Laws of Thermodynamics

Answer 19

energy is neither created nor destroyed, but may be converted from one form to another

Question 20

mutualism

Answer 20

symbiotic relationship in which both species involved benefit from the relationship

Question 21

NPP

Answer 21

Net Primary Production; the amount of energy that is actually stored in the plant after respiration processes

Question 22

parasitism

Answer 22

when a species lives on or in another and causes it harm

Question 23

nitrogen fixation

Answer 23

the process by which certain bacteria convert nitrogen gas to ammonia

Question 24

nutrient

Answer 24

a chemical compound contained in foods that help the body function and grow

Question 25

photosynthesis

Answer 25

the process by which producers use solar energy to convert carbon dioxide and water in glucose

Question 26

population

Answer 26

the individuals that belong to the same species and live in a given area at a given time

Question 27

primary productivity

Answer 27

the rate at which energy is converted by photosynthetic and chemosynthetic autotrophs to organic substances

Question 28

producers

Answer 28

an organism that uses the energy of the sun to produce usable forms of energy

Question 29

reservoir

Answer 29

the water body created by damming a river or stream

Question 30

resource partitioning

Answer 30

occurs when species competing for similar scarce resources evolve specialized traits that allow them to share resources by using parts of them, using them at different times, or using them in different ways

Question 31

salinity

Answer 31

a measure of dissolved salts in sea water

Question 32

sink

Answer 32

one that receives more than it provides

Question 33

source

Answer 33

a reservoir that contributes more of a material than it receives

Question 34

symbiosis

Answer 34

a relationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected

Question 35

trophic level

Question 36

trophic level

Answer 36

different levels of animals eating one another

Question 37

turbidity

Answer 37

muddiness created by stirring up sediment or having foreign particles suspended

Question 38

uptake