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APES > Unit 1: Ecosystems > Flashcards

Unit 1: Ecosystems Flashcards

1
Q

Altitude

A

the distance above sea level; aka elevation

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2
Q

aquatic

A

relating to water

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3
Q

biome

A

a group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms

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4
Q

biosphere

A

the part of earth in which life exists, including land, water, and atmosphere

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5
Q

cellular respiration

A

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

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6
Q

chapparal

A

a biome aka scrubland dominated by small shrubs and characterized by mild, rainy winters and long, hot, dry summers

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7
Q

climate

A

the overall average conditions of the atmosphere such as temperature, precipitation, and winds, in an area

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8
Q

coevolution

A

process by which two species change over time in response to changes in each other

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9
Q

commensalism

A

a symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected

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10
Q

community

A

all of the living things of different species interacting in an area

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11
Q

competition

A

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

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12
Q

competitive exclusion

A

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

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13
Q

conservation of energy

A

the principle stating that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but can change form

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14
Q

consumer

A

heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by ingesting other organisms

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15
Q

decomposition

A

the process of breaking down organic matter into its constituent parts

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16
Q

desert

A

biome with very low precipitation, temperatures are very hot during the day and can get cold at night

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17
Q

ecological niche

A

the role an organism plays in its environment and all of the abiotic and biotic interactions it has

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18
Q

ecosystem

A

all the living and nonliving things that interact in an area

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19
Q

energy pyramid

A

a diagram that shows the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another in a food web, always a pyramid shape

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20
Q

estuary

A

the area where a freshwater stream or river merges with the ocean salinity level is intermediate between fresh and marine

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21
Q

gross primary productivity

A

the total amount of solar energy that producers in an ecosystem capture via photosynthesis over a given amount of time

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22
Q

herbivore

A

a heterotroph that only eats producers

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23
Q

heterotroph

A

organisms that cannot make their own food and must obtain nutrients from other organisms

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24
Q

interspecific competition

A

the struggle between organisms of two different species for a shared limited resource

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25
Q

intraspecific competition

A

the struggle between organisms of the same species for a shared limited resource

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26
Q

mutualism

A

a symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit from the relationship

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27
Q

net primary productivity

A

the energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy lost through respiration; the rate of biomass accumulating in the ecosystem

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28
Q

omnivore

A

a heterotroph that eats both producers and consumers

29
Q

parasitism

A

a symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is harmed

30
Q

pelagic

A

refers to the open areas of water in the ocean or very large lakes

31
Q

permafrost

A

ground that is permanently frozen

32
Q

photosynthesis

A

conversion of light energy from the sun into chemical energy, captures atmospheric CO2 and fixes it in autotrophs as glucose

33
Q

phytoplankton

A

microscophic, free-floating, autotrophic organisms that function as producers in aquatic ecosystems

34
Q

population

A

a group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area

35
Q

primary productivity

A

the rate at which energy is converted by photosynthetic and chemosynthetic autotrophs to organic substances

36
Q

producer/autotroph

A

organisms that can make their own food either through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis

37
Q

realized niche

A

the actual range of factors a species uses and survives in when in competition with other species

38
Q

reservoir

A

the large, long-term stores of a substance in an evironment

39
Q

resource partitioning

A

the differentiation of niches that enables similar species to coexist in a community

40
Q

salinity

A

a measure of the amount of dissolved salts in water

41
Q

savanna

A

grassland biome that has more trees and bushes, found in Africa

42
Q

scavenger

A

an organisms that consumes already dead animals, includes vultures and hyenas

43
Q

symbiosis

A

a relationship in which two different organisms live in close association with each other

44
Q

taiga

A

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

45
Q

temperate

A

mild or moderate

46
Q

temperate grasslands

A

biome dominated by open grasses with few trees and bushes, temperatures very with seasons and precipitation is relatively low, deep, nutrient rich soils

47
Q

temperate rainforest

A

biome with moderate temperatures and high precipitation year-round

48
Q

transpiration

A

the loss of water from a plant through its leaves that enters the atmosphere as a gas

49
Q

trophic level

A

a step in a food chain or food web

50
Q

tropical rainforests

A

biome with warm temperatures and high precipitation, very high biodiversity and very nutrient-poor soil, found near the equator

51
Q

tundra

A

an extremely cold biome with little precipitation and permanently frozen ground found at the highest latitudes

52
Q

tubidity

A

a measure of how clear water is

53
Q

zoo plankton

A

microscopic heterotropic organisms that swim/drift near the surface of aquatic environments and are primary consumers

54
Q

10% rule

A

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

55
Q

atmosphere

A

the envelope of gases surrounding the earth or another planet

56
Q

carnivore

A

a consumer that eats only animals

57
Q

carbon sinks/reservoirs

A

anything that absorbs more carbon than it releases. ex: forests, soils, oceans, and the atmosphere

58
Q

coral reef

A

the most diverse marine biome on earth, found in warm, shallow waters beyond the shoreline

59
Q

freshwater wetlands

A

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

60
Q

latitude

A

distance north/south of the equator

61
Q

longitude

A

distance east/west of the prime meridian, measured in degrees

62
Q

mangrove swamps

A

a swamp that occurs along tropical and subtropical coasts, and contains salt-tolerant trees with roots submerged in water

63
Q

temperate deciduous forest

A

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

64
Q

benthic

A

bottom of an aquatic ecosystem; consists of sand and sediment and supports its own community of organisms

65
Q

littoral

A

a shallow sone in a freshwater habitat where light reaches the bottom and nurtures plants

66
Q

llimnetic

A

in a lake, the well-lit, open surface waters farther from shore

67
Q

profundal

A

zone in a freshwater habitat that is below the limits of effective light penetration

68
Q

trophic level

A

each step in a food chain or food web

APES (1 decks)

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