First Quarter Flashcards
Abiotic
not derived from living organisms.
Aerobic
requires oxygen
anaerobic
does not require oxygen
autotroph
an organism that uses solar or chemical energy to make its own food
Biocapacity
capacity of ecosystems to renew what people demand
Biodiversity
total of the genetically based variety of all organisms in the biosphere
Biogeochemical Cycles
cycle of matter between biotic and abiotic things in the environment
Biomass Pyramid
the representation of total living biomass at different trophic levels in an ecosystem
Biome
a group of ecosystems with similar climates and organisms
Biosphere
all parts of the Earth in which life exists, including land, water, and the atmosphere.
decomposer
an organism that breaks down wastes and dead matter
dependent variable
a variable that changes in response to changes in an independent variable
desert
am extremely dry area with little water and few plants
Easter Island
A small, volcanic island located in the South Pacific Ocean
Ecological Defecit
Ecological Footprint exceeds the regions Biocapacity
Ecological Niche
a habitat and way of life to which a particular organism is adapted.
Ecological Overshoot
when human demand exceeds the regenerative capacity of an ecosystem
Ecology
the study of how living things interact with each other and their environment
Ecosystem
the interaction of a community of ogranims and their abiotic enviroment
Energy Pyramid
a graphical representation of the energy found within the trophic levels of an ecosystem.
Experimental Groups
the group on which the experimental procedure is performed
Externailities
a cost/benefit of a good/service that isnt part of that price
food chain
a series of direct steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating
food web
several interrelated food chains
generalist species
species with a broad ecological niche
herbivore
organism that gets energy by eating only plants
heterotroph
an organism that gets energy from what it eats because it cant make its own food
hypothesis
a testable prediction implied by a theory
Indicator Species
species that serve as early warnings that an ecosystem is being damaged
independent variable
a variable that stands alone and isn’t changed by the other variables you are trying to measure
intrinsic value
value of an organism regardless of its usefulness to people
k-selected species
species that only produce a few offspring but invest a lot of time and energy so they can reach reproductive age
keystone species
species an organism that helps hold the system together
mutualism
a relationship between two species in which both species benefit
nitrogen cycle
the transfer of nitrogen from the atmosphere to the soil, to living organisms and back
numbers pyramid
shows the number of organisms at each trophic level in a given ecosystem
omnivore
organism that eats both plants and animals
parasitism
a relationship between two organisms where one benefits and the other is harmed
phosphate
A form of phosphoric acid, which contains phosphorus
phosphorous cycle
the movement of phosphorus between land and water
photosynthesis
conversion of light energy from the sun into chemical energy
pioneer species
the first species to poulate an area
population
a group of organisms in the same species living in the same area
predation
interaction where one organism kills another for food
primary consumer
an organism that east producers
primary production
amount of light energy converted to chemical energy by autotrophs
producer
An organism that uses the energy of the Sun to produce usable forms of energy.
R-selected species
species that produce large numbers of offspring in a short period
resource partitioning
when species divide an ecological niche to avoid competition for resources
respiration
inhalation and exhalation of air
secondary consumer
an organism that eats primary consumers
specialist species
species that have narrow niches and are more vulnerable
species diversity
number of different species in the biosphere
species evenness
the relative proportion of different species in a given area
species richness
the number of different species in a community
sustainability
the ability to keep in existence or maintain
symbiosis
a relationship in which two different organisms live in close association with each other
Tertiary consumer
an organism that feeds only on secondary consumers
threatened species
a species that could become endangered in the near future
trophic cascade
an ecological phenomenon triggered by the addition or removal of top predators and dramatic changes in the food chain or web
trophic level
a level in a food chian or web
trophic level efficency
the ratio of the biological production on one trophic level to the next lower level
tragedy of the commons
people acting in their own interest use up commonly available resources creating disaster for communities.
utilitarian value
value from a product that helps teh consumer with task
water cycle
the continuous movement of water within the Earth and atmosphere ex: precipitation and evaporation
biotic
relating/resulting from living things
carbon cycle
movment of carbon from nonliving to living things in the enviroment
carnivore
organism that obtains energy by eating animals
commensalism
a reltionship where one organism benefits and the other in unaffected
commons
resources belonging to a whole community
competition
the struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat with limited resources
constant
variable that doent change
control group
group that is not exposed to treatment in an experiment
controlled experiment
an only one variable is manipulated at a time in an experiment
