Chapter 5 Flashcards
define abiotic and what it includes
abiotic is the nonliving components of earth. it includes the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere.
define biotic and what it includes
the living components of earth. it includes water, nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus
biogeochemical cycles
where nutrients such as carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and water all move through the environment incomplete cycles
reservoir
this is used to describe a place where a large quantity of a nutrient sits for a long period of time.
exchange pool
the opposite of reservoir. a site where a nutrient sits for only a short period of time
residency time
the amount of time a nutrient spends in a reservoir or an exchange pool.
law of conservation of matter
it states that matter can neither be created nor destroyed.
precipitation
the process where the water that exists in the atmosphere is in the gaseous state and when it condenses from the gaseous state to form a liquid or solid it becomes dense enough to fall to the earth because of the pull of gravity.
groundwater
when the precipitation falls onto the earth it may travel below ground to become groundwater.
runoff
the precipitation may also travel across the lands surface as runoff and enter a drainage system.
evaporation
water is returned to the atmosphere from both the earths surface and from living organisms in this process (evaporation). animals respire and release water vapor and additional gases to the atmosphere.
transpiration
the process by which moisture is carried through plants from roots to small pores on the underside of leaves, where it changes to vapor and is released to the atmosphere. Transpiration is essentially evaporation of water from plant leaves.
respiration
when animals and plants breath in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide
photosynthesis
when plants take in carbon dioxide, water, and energy from the sun to produce carbohydrates.
combustion
when fossil fuels are burned or combusted and carbon is released into the atmosphere
nitrogen fixation
process in which nitrogen (N2) in the atmosphere is converted into ammonium (NH4+). Atmospheric nitrogen or molecular nitrogen (N2) is relatively inert: it does not easily react with other chemicals to form new compounds.
nitrification
process by which ammonia is converted to nitrites (NO2-) and then nitrates (NO3-). This process naturally occurs in the environment, where it is carried out by specialized bacteria. Ammonia is produced by the breakdown of organic sources of nitrogen.
assimilation
plants absorb ammonium, ammonia ions, and nitrate ions, through their roots. heterotrophs or organisms that receive energy by consuming other organisms then obtain nitrogen when they consume plants proteins and nucleic acids.
ammonification
process by decomposing bacteria convert dead organisms and other waste to ammonia or ammonium ions which can be reused by plants
denitrification
specialized bacteria convert ammonia back to nitrites and nitrates and then into nitrogen gas and nitrous oxide gas. these gases then rise to the atmosphere.
phosphorus cycle
simplest biochemical cycle because phosphorus doesn’t exist in the atmosphere outside of dust particles. phosphorus is necessary for for living organisms because its a major component of nucleic acids and other important biological molecules. this cycle is more local than those of other important biological compounds.
terrestrial cycle
through geologic processes, ocean mixing, and upwelling, these rocks from the seafloor may rise up so that their components once again enter this cycle.
eutrophication
when a body of water receives excess nutrients. the abundance of nutrients can cause an overgrowth of algae and deplete the water of oxygen.
sulfur cycle
sulfer is one of the components that make up proteins and vitamins, so animals and plants both need suffer in their diets.
autotrophs
producers; organisms that can produce their own organic compounds from inorganic compounds
heterotrophs
obtain food energy by consuming other organisms or products created by other organisms.
producers
organisms that are capable of converting radiant energy or chemical energy into carbohydrate. the group of producers that includes plants and algae both of which can carry out photosynthesis.
food chain
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.
food web
a complex of interrelated food chains in an ecological community
net primary productivity
amount of energy that plants pass on to the community of herbivores in an ecosystem.
gross primary productivity
amount of sugar that the plants produce in photosynthesis, and subtracting it from the amount of energy the plants need for growth, maintenance, repair, and reproduction.
primary consumers
the category includes the herbivores which consume only producers
secondary consumers
an organism that consumes a primary consumer
tertiary consumers
an organism that consumes a secondary consumer
detritivores
the organisms in this group derive energy from consuming nonliving organic matter such as dead animals or fallen leaves
decomposers
these are bacteria or fungi that absorb nutrients from nonliving organic matter such as plant mineral the wastes of living organisms and corpses. they convert these materials into inorganic forms.
trophic levels
each of the feeding levels in a food chain
energy pyramid
the structure obtained if we organize the amount of energy contained in producers and consumers in an ecosystem by kilocalories per square meter, from largest to smallest
biomagnification
the process by which the concentration of toxic substances increases in each successive link in the food chain
bioaccumulation
the accumulation of a substance such as toxic chemical in various tissues of a living organism
biomes
ecosystems that are based on land
aquatic life zones
ecosystems in aqueous Environments
ecotones
the transitional area where two ecosystems meet
ecozones/ ecoregion
they are smaller regions within ecosystems that share similar physical features
law of tolerance
describes the degree to which living organisms are capable of tolerating changes in their environment
law of minimum
living organisms will continue to live consuming available materials until the supply of these materials is exhausted
