Hit Parade (Ch5)

Question 1

the production of ammonia or ammonium compounds in the decomposition of organic matter, especially through the action of bacteria

Answer 1

ammonification

Question 2

the process in which plants absorb ammonium (NH3), ammonia ions (NH4+), and nitrate ions (NO3) through their roots

Answer 2

assimilation

Question 3

producers; organisms that can produce their own organic compounds from inorganic compounds. They use energy from the sun or from the oxidation of inorganic substances

Answer 3

autotroph

Question 4

the accumulation of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in various tissues of a living organism

Answer 4

bioaccumulation

Question 5

true extermination of a species. There are no individuals of this species left on the planet

Answer 5

biological extinction

Question 6

the process by which the concentration of toxic substances increases in each successive link in the food chain

Answer 6

biomagnification

Question 7

the part of the earth and its atmosphere where living organisms exist or that is capable of supporting life.

Answer 7

biosphere

Question 8

an animal that only consumes other animals

Answer 8

carnivore

Question 9

an organism, such as a bacterium or protozoan, that obtains its nourishment through the oxidation of inorganic chemical compounds, as opposed to photosynthesis

Answer 9

chemotroph (chemoautotroph)

Question 10

a stable, mature, community in a successive series that has reached equilibrium after having evolved through stages and adapted to its environment

Answer 10

climax community

Question 11

the process of burning

Answer 11

combustion

Question 12

a few individuals exist but the effort needed to locate and harvest them is not worth the expense

Answer 12

commercial or economic extinction

Question 13

formed from populations of different species occupying the same geographic area

Answer 13

community

Question 14

the process that occurs when two different species in a region compete and the better adapted species wins.

Answer 14

competitive exclusion

Question 15

an organism that must obtain food energy from secondary sources, for example, by eating plant or animal matter

Answer 15

consumer

Question 16

bacteria or fungi that absorb nutrients from nonliving organic matter like plant material, the wastes of living organisms, and corpses. They convert these materials into inorganic forms.

Answer 16

decomposer

Question 17

the process by which specialized bacteria (mostly anaerobic bacteria) convert ammonia to NO3, NO2, and N2 and release it back to the atmosphere

Answer 17

denitrification

Question 18

organisms that derive energy from consuming nonliving organic matter, such as dead animals or fallen leaves. Earthworms and many species of fungi are detritivores.

Answer 18

detritivore

Question 19

there are so few individuals of a species that this species can no longer perform its ecological function

Answer 19

ecological extinction

Question 20

transition in species composition of a biological community, often following ecological disturbance of the community; the establishment of a biological community in any area virtually barren of life

Answer 20

ecological succession

Question 21

the condition in which, at ecosystem boundaries, there is greater species diversity and biological density than there is in the heart of ecological communities

Answer 21

edge effect

Question 22

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

Answer 22

energy pyramid

Question 23

to convert or change into a vapor

Answer 23

evaporation

Question 24

change in the genetic composition of a population during successive generations as a result of natural selection acting on the genetic variation among individuals and resulting in the development of new species

Answer 24

evolution

Question 25

the death of an entire species; permanent inactivity

Answer 25

extinction

Question 26

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

Answer 26

food chain

Question 27

a complex of interrelated food chains in an ecological community

Answer 27

food web

Question 28

states that no two species can occupy the same niche at the same time, and that the species that is less fit to live in the environment will either relocate, die out, or occupy a smaller niche

Answer 28

Gause's principle

Question 29

the amount of sugar that the plants produce in photosynthesis, and subtracting from it the amount of energy the plants need for growth, maintenance, repair, and reproduction

Answer 29

Gross Primary Productivity

Question 30

the area or environment where an organism or ecological community normally lives or occurs

Answer 30

habitat

Question 31

when the size of an organism's natural habitat is reduced, or when development occurs that isolates a habitat

Answer 31

habitat fragmentation

Question 32

an organism that cannot synthesize its own food and is dependent on complex organic substances for nutrition

Answer 32

heterotroph

Question 33

species that originate and live, or occur naturally, in an area or environment

Answer 33

indigenous species

Question 34

an introduced, nonnative species

Answer 34

invasive species

Question 35

a species whose very presence contributes to an ecosystem's diversity and whose extinction would consequently lead to the extinction of other forms of life

Answer 35

keystone species

Question 36

states that matter can neither be created nor destroyed

Answer 36

Law of Conservation of Matter

Question 37

a symbiotic relationship in which both species benefti

Answer 37

mutualism

Question 38

the process by which, according to Darwin's theory of evolution, only the organisms best adapted to their environment tend to survive and transmit their genetic characteristics in increasing numbers to succeeding generations, while those less adapted tend to be eliminated

Answer 38

natural selection

Question 39

the amount of energy that plants pass on to the community of herbivores in an ecosystem

Answer 39

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

Question 40

the total sum of a species' use of the biotic and abiotic resources in its environment

Answer 40

niche

Question 41

the process in which soil bacteria convert ammonium (NH4+) to a form that can be used by plants; nitrate, or NO3.

Answer 41

nitrification

Question 42

the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into compounds, such as ammonia, by natural agencies or various industrial processes

Answer 42

nitrogen fixation

Question 43

organisms that consume both producers and primary consumers

Answer 43

omnivores

Question 44

a symbiotic relationship in which one member is helped by the association and the other is harmed

Answer 44

parasitism

Question 45

the process in green plants and certain other organisms by which carbohydrates are synthesized from carbon dioxide and water using light as an energy source. Most forms release oxygen as a byproduct

Answer 45

photosynthesis

Question 46

organisms in the first stages of succession

Answer 46

pioneer species

Question 47

a group of organisms of the same species that live in the same area

Answer 47

population

Question 48

when one species feeds on another

Answer 48

predation

Question 49

this category includes organisms that consume producers (plants and algae)

Answer 49

primary consumers

Question 50

when ecological succession begins in a virtually lifeless area, such as the area behind a moving glacier

Answer 50

primary succession

Question 51

an organism that is capable of converting radiant energy or chemical energy into carbohydrates

Answer 51

producer

Question 52

when a species occupies a smaller niche than it would in the absence of competition

Answer 52

realized niche

Question 53

a place where a large quantity of a resource sits for a long period of time

Answer 53

reservoir

Question 54

the process in which animals (and plants!) breathe and give off carbon dioxide from cellular metabolism

Answer 54

respiration

Question 55

the amount of time a resource spends in a reservoir or an exchange pool

Answer 55

residency time

Question 56

organisms that consume primary consumers

Answer 56

secondary consumers

Question 57

organisms that are capable of breeding with one another and incapable of breeding with other ones

Answer 57

species

Question 58

close, prolonged associations between two or more different organisms of different species that may, but do not necessarily, benefit the members

Answer 58

symbiotic relationships

Question 59

organisms that consume secondary consumers or other of these consumers

Answer 59

tertiary consumers

Question 60

the act or process of transpiring, or releasing water vapor, especially through the stomata of plant tissue or the pores of the skin

Answer 60

transpiration

Question 61

each of the feeding levels in a food chain

Answer 61

trophic level