Chapter 3 biology Flashcards
Contains the combined portions of the planet in which all life exist
Biosphere
A group of organisms so similar to each other that they can produce fertile offspring
Species
Groups of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area
Populations
Assemblages of diff pop. that live together in a defined area
Communities
A collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place
Ecosystem
A group of ecosystems that have the same climate and similar dominant communities
Biome
Make their own food
Autotrophs and producers
Plants make their own food by using the Suns energy
Photosynthesis
How plants get their energy when they can’t get sunlight
Chemosynthesis
Organisms that rely on other organisms for their energy end food supply
Heterotrophs/consumers
Eat plants
Herbivores
Eat animals
Carnivores
Eat plants and animals
Omnivores
Eat remains of plants and animals
Detritivores
Break down organic matter
Decomposers
Series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten
Food chain
Links all the food chains together
Food web
Each step in a fc or fw
Tropic level
Show relative amounts of energy or matter within each trophic level
Ecological pyramid
Total amount of living tissue with a given trophic level
Biomass
The scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment
Ecology
The process by which matter changes from liquid to gas
Evaporation
Loss of water from a plant through its leaves
Transpiration
The chemical substance that an organism requires to live
Nutrient
Process of converting nitrogen gas into ammonia
Nitrogen fixation
Conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas
Denitrification
Rate at which organic matter is created by producers in an ecosystem
Primary productivity
A single nutrient that either is scarce or cycles very slowly, limiting the growth as organisms and ecosystems
Limited nutrient
An immediate increase in the amount of algae and other produces that result from a large input of limiting nutrient
Algal bloom
