Chapter 5 Flashcards
photosynthesis
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.
producer
an organism that produces organic compounds from simple substances such as water and carbon dioxide; an autotroph.
consumer
an organism that derives the organic compounds and energy it needs from the consumption of other organisms; a heterotroph.
decomposer
an organism, especially a soil bacterium, fungus, or invertebrate, that decomposes organic material.
cellular respiration
The main function of cellular respiration is to break down glucose to form energy. What is cellular respiration in simple terms? Cellular respiration can be defined simply as a series of metabolic processes that take place within a cell. Biochemical energy is harvested from organic substances (e.g. glucose) and then stored in energy-carrying biomolecules (e.g. adenosine triphosphate or ATP) for use in the energy-requiring activities of the cell.
food chain
a hierarchical series of organisms each dependent on the next as a source of food.
food web
a system of interlocking and interdependent food chains.
trophic level
each of several hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, comprising organisms that share the same function in the food chain and the same nutritional relationship to the primary sources of energy.
carbon cycle
the series of processes by which carbon compounds are interconverted in the environment, involving the incorporation of carbon dioxide into living tissue by photosynthesis and its return to the atmosphere through respiration, the decay of dead organisms, and the burning of fossil fuels.
nitrogen-fixing bacteria
nitrogen-fixing bacteria, microorganisms capable of transforming atmospheric nitrogen into fixed nitrogen (inorganic compounds usable by plants). More than 90 percent of all nitrogen fixation is effected by these organisms, which thus play an important role in the nitrogen cycle.
nitrogen cycle
the series of processes by which nitrogen and its compounds are interconverted in the environment and in living organisms, including nitrogen fixation and decomposition.
phosphorus cycle
The phosphorous cycle is the biochemical process by which phosphorous travels from its source in rocks through different ecosystems to living organisms. The phosphorous cycle has 5 steps or stages and branches, which can be displayed in diagram.
ecological succession
ecological succession, the process by which the structure of a biological community evolves over time. Two different types of succession—primary and secondary—have been distinguished. Primary succession occurs in essentially lifeless areas—regions in which the soil is incapable of sustaining life as a result of such factors as lava flows, newly formed sand dunes, or rocks left from a retreating glacier. Secondary succession occurs in areas where a community that previously existed has been removed; it is typified by smaller-scale disturbances that do not eliminate all life and nutrients from the environment.
primary succession
primary succession, type of ecological succession (the evolution of a biological community’s ecological structure) in which plants and animals first colonize a barren, lifeless habitat. 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. Primary succession is distinguished from secondary succession, which is the recovery of an existing biological community after a disturbance sets back the community’s ecological structure to an earlier stage.
secondary succession
secondary succession, type of ecological succession (the evolution of a biological community’s ecological structure) in which plants and animals recolonize a habitat after a major disturbance—such as a devastating flood, wildfire, landslide, lava flow, or human activity (e.g., farming or road or building construction)—significantly alters an area but has not rendered it completely lifeless. Secondary succession is distinguished from primary succession, in which a biological community develops where no life had existed previously.
