Ch 5 Key Terms

Question 1

Photosynthesis

Answer 1

the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water. Photosynthesis in plants generally involves the green pigment chlorophyll and generates oxygen as a byproduct.

Question 2

producer

Answer 2

an organism that produces organic compounds from simple substances such as water and carbon dioxide; an autotroph.

Question 3

consumer

Answer 3

an organism that derives the organic compounds and energy it needs from the consumption of other organisms; a heterotroph.

Question 4

decomposer

Answer 4

an organism, especially a soil bacterium, fungus, or invertebrate, that decomposes organic material.

Question 5

cellular respiration

Answer 5

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

Question 6

food chain

Answer 6

the sequence of transfers of matter and energy in the form of food from organism to organism.

Question 7

food web

Answer 7

represents feeding relationships within a community

Question 8

trophic level

Answer 8

The trophic level of an organism is the position it occupies in a food web.

Question 9

carbon cycle

Answer 9

The carbon cycle describes the process in which carbon atoms continually travel from the atmosphere to the Earth and then back into the atmosphere

Question 10

Nitrogen fixing bacteria

Answer 10

microorganisms capable of transforming atmospheric nitrogen into fixed nitrogen

Question 11

nitrogen cycle

Answer 11

The nitrogen cycle is a repeating cycle of processes during which nitrogen moves through both living and non-living things

Question 12

phosphorus cycle

Answer 12

describes the movement of phosphorus through the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere

Question 13

ecological succession

Answer 13

the process by which the structure of a biological community evolves over time.

Question 14

primary succession

Answer 14

Primary succession, type of ecological succession in which plants and animals first colonize a barren, lifeless habitat.

Question 15

secondary succession

Answer 15

Secondary succession occurs when the severity of disturbance is insufficient to remove all the existing vegetation and soil from a site. Many different kinds of disturbances, such as fire, flooding, windstorms, and human activities (e.g., logging of forests) can initiate secondary succession.

Question 16

pioneer species

Answer 16

Species that arrive first in the newly created environment are called pioneer species, and through their interactions they build a simple initial biological community. This community becomes more complex as new species arrive.

Question 17

climax community

Answer 17

An ecological community in which populations of plants or animals remain stable and exist in balance with each other and their environment.