Chapters 3 & 4 Flashcards
biosphere
region of our planet where life resides; combo of all ecosystems
producer
organism thats uses suns energy to produce food
photosynthesis
process by which producers use solar energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose
cellular respiration
process by which cells unlock the energy of chemical compounds
aerobic respiration
process by which cells convert glucose into energy in the absence of oxygen
consumer
obtains energy by consuming other organisms
herbivore
consumer that eats producers
carnivore
consumer that eats other consumers
secondary consumer
a carnivore that eats primary consumers
tertiary consumers
a carnivore that eats secondary consumers
trophic levels
successive levels of organisms consuming one another
food chain
sequence of consumption from producers through tertiary consumers
food web
how energy moves between trophic levels
scavenger
consumes dead animals
detritivore
an organism that specializes in breaking down dead tissues and waste products
decomposers
fungi and bacteria that convert organic matter into small elements and molecules that can be recycled back into the ecosystem
gross primary productivity
the total amount of solar energy that producers in an ecosystem capture via photosynthesis over a given amount of time
net primary productivity
the energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy producers respire
biomass
total mass of all living matter in a specific area
standing crop
the amount of biomass present in an ecosystem at a particular time
ecological efficiency
the proportion of consumed energy that can be passed from one trophic level to another
trophic pyramid
a representation of the distribution of biomass, numbers, or energy among trophic levels
biogeochemical cycle
the movements of matter within and between ecosystems
hydrologic cycle
the movement of water through the biosphere
transpiration
the release of water from leaves during photosynthesis
evapotranspiration
the combined amount of evaporation and transpiration
runoff
water that moves across the land surface and into streams and rivers
carbon cycle
the movement of carbon around the biosphere
macronutrient
one of six key elements that organisms need in relatively large amounts
limiting nutrient
a nutrient required for the growth of an organism but available in a lower quantity than other nutrients
nitrogen cycle
the movement of nitrogen around the biosphere
nitrogen fixation
a process by which some organisms can convert nitrogen gas molecules directly into ammonia
nitrification
the conversion of ammonia into nitrite and them into nitrate
assimilation
the process by which producers incorporate elements into their issues
mineralization
the process by which fungal and bacterial decomposers break down the organic matter found in dead bodies and convert it into inorganic compounds
ammonification
the process by which fungal decomposers break down the organic nitrogen found in dead bodies and convert it into inorganic ammonium
denitrification
the conversion of nitrate in a series of steps into the gases nitrous oxide and eventually nitrogen gas which is emitted into the atmosphere
leaching
the transportation of dissolved molecules through the soil via groundwater
phosphorus cycle
the movement of phosphorus around the biosphere
algal bloom
a rapid increase in the algal population of a waterway
hypoxic
low in oxygen
sulfur cycle
the movement of sulfur around the biosphere
disturbance
an event resulting in changes in population size or community composition
watershed
all land in a given landscape that drains into a particular river or wetland
resistance
a measure of how much a disturbance can affect flows of energy and matter in an ecosystem
resilience
the rate at which an ecosystem returns to its original state after a disturbance
restoration ecology
the study and implementation of restoring damaged ecosystems
intermediate disturbance hypothesis
the hypothesis that ecosystems experiencing intermediate levels of disturbance are more diverse than those with high or low disturbance levels
troposphere
a layer of the atmosphere closest to the surface of earth
stratosphere
the layer of the atmosphere above the troposphere about 16 to 50km above the earth
albedo
the percentage of incoming sunlight reflected from a surface
saturation point
the max amount of water vapor in the air at a given temperature
adiabatic cooling
the cooling effect of reduced pressure on air as it rises higher in the atmosphere and expands
adiabatic heating
the heating effect of increased pressure on air as it sinks toward the surface of earth and decreases in volume
latent heat release
the release of energy when water vapor in the atmosphere condenses into liquid water
atmospheric convection current
global patterns of air movement that are initiated by the unequal heating of earth
hadley cell
a convection current in the atmosphere that cycles between the equator and 30 degrees noth and south
ITCZ
the latitude that receives the most intense sunlight which causes the ascending branches of the two hadley cells to converge
polar cell
a convection current in the atmosphere formed by air that rises at 60 deg noth and 60 deg south and sinks at the poles
ferrell cell
a convection current in the atmosphere that lies between hadley cells and polar cells
coriolis effect
the deflection of an objects path due to the rotation of earth
rain shadow
region with dry conditions found on the leeward side of a mountain range
gyre
a large scale pattern of water circulation that moves clockwise in the north hemisphere and counterclockwise in the south hemisphere
upwelling
the upward movement of ocean water toward the surface as a result of diverging currents
thermohaline currents
an oceanic circulation pattern that drives the mixing of surface water and deep water
el nino
a reversal of wind and water currents in the south pacific
terrestrial biome
a geographic region categorized by a particular combination of average annual temp, precipitation, and plant growths
aquatic biome
an aquatic region characterized by a particular combo of salinity depth and flow
tundra
cold and treeless biome
permafrost
permanently frozen layer of soil
boreal forest
a forest biome made up primarily of coniferous trees that can tolerate cold winters and short growing season
temperate rainforest
a coastal biome typified by moderate temp and high rain
temperate seasonal foret
a biome with warm summers and cold winters with 1m of rain annually
woodland/shrubland
a biome characterized by hot dry summers and rainy winters
temperate grassland/cold desert
a biome characterized by cold, harsh winters, and hot summers
tropical rainforest
a warm and wet biome with little temp variation and high rain
tropical seasonal forest/savanna
biome marked by warm temp and distinct wet and dry seasons
subtropical desert
hot temp, extremely dry, and sparse vegetation
littoral zone
shallow zone of soil and water in lakes and ponds where most algae and plants grow
limnetic zone
zone of open water in lakes and ponds
phytoplankton
floating algae
profundal zone
region of water where sunlight does not reach below the limnetic zone
benthic zone
muddy bottom of a lake
oligotrophic
describes a lake with a low level of productivity
mesotrophic
describes a lake with moderate level of activity
eutrophic
lake with high levels of productivity
freshwater wetlands
an aquatic biome that is submerged or saturated by water for at least part of each year but shallow enough to support vegetation
salt marsh
a marsh containing nonwoody emergent vegetation, found in temperate climates
mangrove swamp
a swamp that occurs along tropical and subtropical coasts and contains salt tolerant trees
intertidal zone
narrow band of coastline between the levels of high tide and low tide
coral reef
most diverse marien biome
on earth, found in warm shallow waters beyond shore
coral bleaching
a phenomenon in which algae inside corals die making corals white
open ocean
deep ocean water
photic zone
upper layer of ocean water in the ocean that receives enough sunlight for photosynthesis
aphotic zone
deeper layer of ocean water that lacks sufficient sunlight
chemosynthesis
process used by some bacteria in the ocean to generate energy with methane and hydrogen sulfide
