*Sustaining Ecosystems Theory Flashcards
Define ecosystem
An ecosystem is a unit that includes all the biotic and abiotic parts in an area.
Define flora
Flora refers to the naturally occurring plant life of a region.
Define fauna
Fauna refers to the naturally occurring animal life is a region.
Define producer
A producer is an organism that uses solar energy to produce food.
Define consumer
A consumer is an organism that gets its energy by eating other organisms - producers or other consumers.
Define scavenger
A scavenger is an organism that consumes dead organisms to break down the organic materials into smaller particles.
Define decomposer
A decomposer is an organism that gets its energy from the small particles left by scavengers by breaking down the dead material.
Define herbivore
Define carnivore
Define omnivore
Define adaptations
Define nutrient cycling
Define litter
Define biomass
Define soil
Define groundwater
Define evapotranspiration
Define precipitation
Define energy flows
Define photosynthesis
Define habitat
Define biomes
Define temperate forest
Define polar region
Define desert
Define tropical rainforest
Define grassland
Define coral reef
Define continental shelf
Define climate graph
Define stratification
Define canopy
Define under-canopy
Define shrub layer
Define herb layer
Define ground layer
Define emergent
Define buttress roots
Define lianas
Define epiphytes
Define drip-tips
Define tropics
Define microclimate
Define humus
Define latosol
Define leaching
Define soil horizon
Define topography
Define vegetation
Define aridity