definition

Question 1

atmosphere

Answer 1

the layer of gases surrounding Earth

Question 2

lithosphere

Answer 2

Earth’s solid outer layer

Question 3

hydrosphere

Answer 3

all of Earth’s water in solid, liquid, and gas form

Question 4

biosphere

Answer 4

the zone around Earth where life can exist

Question 5

ecosystem

Answer 5

all living organisms and their physical-chemical environment

Question 6

biotic factors

Answer 6

living things, their remains, and features, such as nests, associated with their activities

Question 7

abiotic factors

Answer 7

the non-living physical and chemical components of an ecosystem

Question 8

sustainable ecosystem

Answer 8

an ecosystem that is maintained through natural process

Question 9

sustainability

Answer 9

the ability to maintain an ecological balance

Question 10

radiant energy

Answer 10

energy that travels through a empty space

Question 11

light energy

Answer 11

visible form of radiant energy

Question 12

thermal energy

Answer 12

the form of energy transferred during heating or cooling

Question 13

photosynthesis

Answer 13

the process in which the Sun’s energy is converted into chemical energy

Question 14

producer

Answer 14

an organism that makes its own energy-rich food compounds using the Sun’s energy

Question 15

consumer

Answer 15

an organism that obtains its energy from consuming other organisms

Question 15

cellular respiration

Answer 15

the process by which sugar and oxygen are to converted into carbon dioxide and water, to provide energy for the cell

Question 16

ecological niche

Answer 16

the function a species serves in its ecosystem, including what it eats, what eats it, and how it behaves

Question 17

food chain

Answer 17

a sequence of organisms, each feeding on the next, showing how energy is transferred from one organism to another

Question 18

food web

Answer 18

a representation of the feeding relationships within a community

Question 19

ecological pyramid

Answer 19

a representation of energy, numbers, or biomass relationship in ecosystems

Question 20

biomass

Answer 20

the mass of living organisms in a given area

Question 21

biogeochemical cycle

Answer 21

the movement of matter through the biotic and abiotic environment

Question 22

water cycle

Answer 22

the series of processes that cycle water through the environment

Question 23

carbon cycle

Answer 23

the biogeochemical cycle in which carbon is cycled through the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere

Question 24

nitrogen cycle

Answer 24

the series of processes in which nitrogen compounds are moved through the biotic and abiotic environment

Question 25

limiting factor

Answer 25

any factor that restricts the size of a popultion

Question 26

tolerance range

Answer 26

the abiotic conditions within a species can survive

Question 27

carrying capacity

Answer 27

the maximum population size of a particular species that a given ecosystem can sustain