Bio vocab - ecology Flashcards
the study of how living organisms interact with eachother and their enviorment
Ecology
a physical aspect an enviorment, also known as a non-living factor
Abiotic factor
a living aspect of the enviorment
biotic factor
complex system that consists of all the biotic and abiotic aspects
ecosystem
the role of a species in its ecosystem which includes the way that the species interacts with the abiotic and biotic factors in its enviroment
niche
a location where a specific population of a species leaves
habitat
the idea that two species cannot occupy the same niche in the same place for a long period of time
competitive exclusion principle
a diagram showing a single pathway through which energy and matter flow through an ecosystem
food chain
a diagram that represents multiple pathways through which energy and matter flow through an ecosystem
food web
the feeding positions in a food chain or web
trophic level
the total mass of organisms at a specific trophic level
biomass
an organism that consumes other organisms for energy (herbivore, omnivore, carnivore)
consumer
an organism that creates its own food (photoautotrophs, chemoautotrophs)
producer
an organism that breaks down the remains of producers and consumers and release simple inorganic molecules back into the enviorment (scavenger, detritivore, saprotroph)
decomposer
the passing and recycling of different chemical elements through biotic and abiotic components of the biosphere
biogeochemical cycle
part of biogeochemical cycle that holds water or another element for a short period of time
exchange pool
part of biogeochemical cycle that holds water or another element for a long period of time
reservoir
the continueous movement of water in our biosphere
water cycle
the process where water in its liquid form changes into its gas form
evaporation
water from its solid state directly forms water vapor
sublimation
occurs when plants release water through leaf pores called stomata
transpiration
the process in which water vapor changes into tiny droplets of water
condensation
a stage that may occur after condensation, where the tiny water droplets get large enough, they will fall (rain)
precipitation
precipitation that is absorbed into the ground
ground water
the continueous process by which carbon is exchanged throughout the biosphere
carbon cycle
process by which nitrogen moves through the biosphere
nitrogen cycle
when plants absorb and incorporate nitrogen into organic compounds
assimilation
the process of combining nitrogen with hydrogen to form ammonia
nitrogen fixation
production of nitrate from ammonia
nitrification
