Ecology Flashcards
What is a producer?
green plant that produces its own food through photosynthesis
What is a consumer?
organism that cannot produce its own food
What is a herbivore?
consumer that only eats plants
What is a carnivore?
consumer that only eats meat
What is a omnivore?
consumer that eats both plants and meat
What is a parasite?
organism that benefits from its host but also harms it
What is the first trophic level?
Producers
What is the second trophic level?
Primary
What is the third trophic level?
Secondary
What is the fourth trophic level?
Tertiary
What is an invasive species?
Species that are accidentally or purposefully brought into an ecosystem that does not have any natural predators so their populations will grow very quickly and begin to affect the natural species in an ecosystem.
What is competition in nature?
is when two different species are fighting for the same resources such as habitat, food, etc.
What is ecological niche?
is the role that an organism/species plays in its ecosystem. If another organism/species comes into the ecosystem that could play the same role, they will be in competition with one another.
What is the nitrogen cycle?
a repeating cycle of processes during which nitrogen moves through both living and non-living things: the atmosphere, soil, water, plants, animals and bacteria
Process of water cycle?
Evaporation or transpiration > condensed > precipitation
What is nitrogen fixation?
Nitrogen from the atmosphere is converted into a usable form of Nitrogen
What is nitrogen denitrification?
Nitrogen is returned to the atmosphere through bacteria decomposing dead matter
What is the Photosynthesis formula?
Water + Solar energy + Carbon dioxide = Glucose + Oxygen
What is the cellular respiration formula?
Glucose +Oxygen = Water + Carbon dioxide + energy
What is atmosphere?
a dynamic collection of gases that constantly move and change
What is hydrosphere?
all the waters on the earth’s surface, such as lakes and seas, and sometimes including water over the earth’s surface, such as clouds
What is lithosphere?
the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle
