Unit 1: Ecosystems Flashcards
Altitude
the distance above sea level; aka elevation
aquatic
relating to water
biome
a group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms
biosphere
the part of earth in which life exists, including land, water, and atmosphere
cellular respiration
the process that releases energy in the form of ATP by breaking down glucose; carried out by animals and plants; releases carbon into atmosphere in the form of CO2
chapparal
a biome aka scrubland dominated by small shrubs and characterized by mild, rainy winters and long, hot, dry summers
climate
the overall average conditions of the atmosphere such as temperature, precipitation, and winds, in an area
coevolution
process by which two species change over time in response to changes in each other
commensalism
a symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected
community
all of the living things of different species interacting in an area
competition
a common demand by two or more organisms for a limited supply of a resource such as food, water, light, space, mates, or nesting sites
competitive exclusion
an idea that no two species can occupy the same exact niche in the same habitat at the same time, one will ultimately be better adapted to survive
conservation of energy
the principle stating that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but can change form
consumer
heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by ingesting other organisms
decomposition
the process of breaking down organic matter into its constituent parts
desert
biome with very low precipitation, temperatures are very hot during the day and can get cold at night
ecological niche
the role an organism plays in its environment and all of the abiotic and biotic interactions it has
ecosystem
all the living and nonliving things that interact in an area
energy pyramid
a diagram that shows the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another in a food web, always a pyramid shape
estuary
the area where a freshwater stream or river merges with the ocean salinity level is intermediate between fresh and marine
gross primary productivity
the total amount of solar energy that producers in an ecosystem capture via photosynthesis over a given amount of time
herbivore
a heterotroph that only eats producers
heterotroph
organisms that cannot make their own food and must obtain nutrients from other organisms
interspecific competition
the struggle between organisms of two different species for a shared limited resource
intraspecific competition
the struggle between organisms of the same species for a shared limited resource
mutualism
a symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit from the relationship
net primary productivity
the energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy lost through respiration; the rate of biomass accumulating in the ecosystem
omnivore
a heterotroph that eats both producers and consumers
parasitism
a symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is harmed
pelagic
refers to the open areas of water in the ocean or very large lakes
permafrost
ground that is permanently frozen
photosynthesis
conversion of light energy from the sun into chemical energy, captures atmospheric CO2 and fixes it in autotrophs as glucose
phytoplankton
microscophic, free-floating, autotrophic organisms that function as producers in aquatic ecosystems
population
a group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area
primary productivity
the rate at which energy is converted by photosynthetic and chemosynthetic autotrophs to organic substances
producer/autotroph
organisms that can make their own food either through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis
realized niche
the actual range of factors a species uses and survives in when in competition with other species
reservoir
the large, long-term stores of a substance in an evironment
resource partitioning
the differentiation of niches that enables similar species to coexist in a community
salinity
a measure of the amount of dissolved salts in water
savanna
grassland biome that has more trees and bushes, found in Africa
scavenger
an organisms that consumes already dead animals, includes vultures and hyenas
symbiosis
a relationship in which two different organisms live in close association with each other
taiga
viome in which the winters are cold but summers are mild enough to allow the ground to thaw, dominated by evergreen trees aka boreal forest or coniferous forest
temperate
mild or moderate
temperate grasslands
biome dominated by open grasses with few trees and bushes, temperatures very with seasons and precipitation is relatively low, deep, nutrient rich soils
temperate rainforest
biome with moderate temperatures and high precipitation year-round
transpiration
the loss of water from a plant through its leaves that enters the atmosphere as a gas
trophic level
a step in a food chain or food web
tropical rainforests
biome with warm temperatures and high precipitation, very high biodiversity and very nutrient-poor soil, found near the equator
tundra
an extremely cold biome with little precipitation and permanently frozen ground found at the highest latitudes
tubidity
a measure of how clear water is
zoo plankton
microscopic heterotropic organisms that swim/drift near the surface of aquatic environments and are primary consumers
10% rule
only 10% of the total energy produced at each tropic level is available to the next level, the amount of energy passed up to the levels of the food pyramid reduces as you go up
atmosphere
the envelope of gases surrounding the earth or another planet
carnivore
a consumer that eats only animals
carbon sinks/reservoirs
anything that absorbs more carbon than it releases. ex: forests, soils, oceans, and the atmosphere
coral reef
the most diverse marine biome on earth, found in warm, shallow waters beyond the shoreline
freshwater wetlands
aquatic biomes that are submerged or saturated by water for at least part of the year, but still support species of plants that can live in wet soils
latitude
distance north/south of the equator
longitude
distance east/west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees
mangrove swamps
a swamp that occurs along tropical and subtropical coasts, and contains salt-tolerant trees with roots submerged in water
temperate deciduous forest
a forest characterized by trees that shed their leaves in the fall, range of temperatures can be extreme, vegetation changes with the seasons because of the temperature
benthic
bottom of an aquatic ecosystem; consists of sand and sediment and supports its own community of organisms
littoral
a shallow sone in a freshwater habitat where light reaches the bottom and nurtures plants
llimnetic
in a lake, the well-lit, open surface waters farther from shore
profundal
zone in a freshwater habitat that is below the limits of effective light penetration
trophic level
each step in a food chain or food web
