Terms Chapter 5 Flashcards
Active range
the span of body temperatures at which ectotherms can carry out their every-day activities
Aerobic respiration
The release of energy from glucose or another organic substrate in the presence of oxygen.
Anerobic respiration
The release of energy from glucose or another organic substrate in the absence of oxygen.
Autotroph
Organisms that convert inorganic forms of energy to organic forms of energy.
Basal metabolic rate
the rate at which energy is used by an organism at complete rest
Biomagnification
process by which tissue concentrations of chemicals in organisms at one trophic level exceed tissue concentrations in organisms at the next lower trophic level in a food chain
Biomass
The mass of a species or group of species.
Carnivores
Animals that eat other animals for energy
Decomposers
Organisms that get food energy from dead parts of other organisms.
Detritivores
Organisms that eat detritus
Detritus
Dead or decaying organic matter that is consumed by detritivores
Ecological efficiency
The percentage of energy from one trophic level that is incorporated in the next level; consistent with the second principle of thermodynamics
Ectotherms
Animals that obtain most of their body heat from the environment.
Endotherms
Animals that obtain most of their body heat from internal metabolic processes.
Energy pyramid
A diagram that compares the amount of energy available at each position, or level, in the feeding order.
Food chain
The simplest representation of energy flow in a community
Food web
Interconnected feeding relationships in an ecosystem.
Grazers
Organisms in the second trophic position that eat autotrophs.
Gross Primary Production
The rate at which autotrophs convert inorganic forms of energy to organic forms of energy.
Heterotroph
Organisms that obtain energy-containing molecules by eating other organisms.
Hibernation
A state in which the metabolic rate slows by as much as 99 percent.
K selected
An evolutionary strategy in which organisms allocate a relatively small fraction of their energy budget toward reproduction.
Maintenance Respiration
The use of energy to maintain order in a living system.
Maturation
A growth process in which juveniles increase in size and change in form to the point at which they are capable of reproduction.
Metamorphosis
A dramatic change in body form that occurs as juveniles change to adults.
Mimicry
the superficial resemblance of two or more organisms that are not closely related taxonomically.
Net Primary Production
The difference between gross primary production and maintenance in autotrophs.
Omnivores
Heterotrophs that feed on both plants and animals.
Parenting
Energy allocated toward reproduc- tion in the form of caring for offspring.
Photosynthesis
the use of solar energy to break the bonds between the hydrogen and oxygen atoms in water molecules, and the incorporation of hydrogen atoms and carbon dioxide molecules to form glucose.
Phytoplankton
Single-cell photosynthetic algae that live suspended in bodies of water and drift about.
Primary Consumers
Organisms in the second trophic position that eat autotrophs (also known as grazers).
R Selected
An evolutionary strategy in which organisms allocate a large fraction of their energy budget toward reproduction.
Reproduction
the production of offspring by a sexual or asexual process
Respiration
Biochemical pathways that convert food to energy.
Scavengers
Animals that eat portions of dead animals.
Secondary Consumers
Organisms in the third trophic position that eat organisms in the second trophic position.
Secondary Productivity
The rate at which heterotrophs create new biomass per unit area in a given time period.
Senescence
the condition or process of deterioration with age; growing old
Trophic Position
The position along the food chain or food web at which an organism obtains energy.
Zooplankton
Small multicellular organisms that are among the most important primary consumers in aquatic environments.
