Unit 1 Vocab Flashcards
Environment
surroundings and conditions of the natural world where an organism resides
environmental science
objective unbiased knowledge of the environment and interactions
environmentalism
social movement to protect the natural world
sustainability
living on Earth in a way that allows us to use its resources without depriving future generations
ecosystem
the living and nonliving interactions in an environment
abiotic
nonliving factors
biotic
living factors
anthropogenic
environmental pollutants originating from human activity
biophilia
innate human instinct to connect with nature and life
ecological footprint
measured impact of human activity and the toll it takes on the environment
community ecology
subfield of ecology where biodiversity, community structure, and distribution of species is studied and their interactions with abiotic factors
symbiotic relationships
long term relationships between 2 species
competition
shared use of a limited resource between diff or same species
competitive exclusion principle
2 species competing for the same resources cannot coexist
resource partitioning
diff species compete for similar resources and evolve their traits to make that possible, by change in time, space, or physical changes
predation
when one species feeds on another through herbivory or predator-prey relationships
parasitoid
an insect whose larvae live as parasites that kill their hosts
parasitism
one organisms benefits while the other is harmed
herbivory
when an organisms feeds on plants
mutualism
when both organisms benefit
commensalism
when one species benefits and the other is unaffected
habitat
natural home/environment of an organism
permafrost
frozen top subsoil
biome
large earth region characterized by similar climate, plants, and animals
climatogram
graph that shows changes in climate conditions by time, precipitation, and temperature
land biome characteristics
temp, precip, plant/animal communities
water biome characteristics
light availability, depth, temp, currents/tides, available nutrients, DO2
littoral zone
shallow zone in a freshwater habitat where light reaches the bottom which increases biodiversity
limnetic zone
zone of open water in freshwater where lots of oxygen is produced from the large numbers of phytoplankton
phytoplankton
plankton that consist of small plants that photosynthesize on the surface of water
profundal zone
region of freshwater where sunlight does not reach, but is important for nutrient storage in decomposition
benthic zone
bottom of freshwater ecosystems, consists of sand and sediments
oligotrophic
a deep part of a lake with low plant nutrients and a lot of oxygen
mesotrophic
lake with a nutrient amount between oligotrophic and eutrophic
eutrophic
lake with lower amounts of algae, but plant overgrowth with low levels of oxygen
coral bleaching
when water temp increases, corals release algae, which turns them white
photic zone
top layer nearest to the surface that gets the most sunlight
aphotic zone
zone of a body of water that does not receive sunlight
chemosynthesis
conversion of a carbon compound into organic matter using energy w/o sunlight
transpiration
evaporation of water from plants through leaves, stems, and flowers
evapotranspiration
evaporation of water from plants or soil
runoff
flow of water on the ground from floodwater, rain, and more
macronutrient
a chemical element required in large amounts for plants to grow and develop (ex. carbs, fat, protein)
limiting nutrient
an important nutrient needed for organism growth that is low in quantity
nitrogen fixation
when bacteria or lightning converts nitrogen gas into ammonia and ammonium or nitrates
nitrification
when ammonium is converted to nitrite and then nitrate by bacteria
assimilation
when producers use ammonium or nitrates
mineralization
the decomposition of the chemical compounds in organic matter, and the compounds are released in an inorganic form for plants
ammonification
when fungal and bacterial decomposers excrete ammonium by breaking down nitrogen compounds
denitrification
when denitrifying bacteria converts nitrate into nitrous oxide and then nitrogen gas back into the atmosphere
leaching
when a solute becomes extracted from the soil, usually from rainwater
algal bloom
rapid increase in algae in a body of water
hypoxic
low or depleted oxygen in a body of water usually from algae overgrowth
dead zone
areas of water where organisms cannot survive because of the lack of oxygen usually from pollution
watershed
drainage basin area of land where flowing water goes to a single point, usually the mouth of a river or another body of water
biomass
how the energy in an ecosystem is measured in plants and animals
standing crop
the amount of biomass that is present in an ecosystem at a particular time that is above ground plant growth
ecological efficiency
the proportion of consumed energy that can be passed from one trophic level to another
trophic pyramid
the representation of the distribution of biomass among trophic levels
photosynthesis
when plants turn solar energy, water, and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen
cellular respiration
when organisms turn energy and oxygen into water and carbon dioxide
aerobic respiration
cellular respiration when oxygen is present
anaerobic respiration
when sugar is broken down without the presence of oxygen
consumer
a heterotroph that obtains energy by consuming other organisms
heterotroph
an organism that cannot create its own food
herbivore
an organism that only consumes producers
primary consumer
herbivores that eat plants
carnivore
consumers that eat other consumers
secondary consumer
carnivores and omnivores that obtain their energy by eating primary consumers
tertiary consumer
carnivores and omnivores that eat secondary consumers
trophic levels
hierarchial levels in an ecosystem that represent energy present in an ecosystem and how organisms consume their energy
food chain
the sequence of consumption from producers through tertiary consumers
food web
made of several food chains that shows the complexity of nature
scavenger
a carnivore that consumes dead animals
detritivore
an organism that breaks down dead tissues and waste products into smaller pieces
decomposer
fungi or bacteria that recycles nutrients from dead tissues and wastes and puts it back into an ecosystem
biosphere
sum of all ecosystems and biomes on earth
producer
organisms that make their own energy from the sun
autotroph
an organism that forms organic substances from inorganic substances
primary productivity
the rate at which solar energy is converted into organic compounds through photosynthesis in a certain amount of time or the amount of plant matter in a certain area
1st law of thermodynamics
aka the law of conservation of energy that states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, it changes forms… also the total amount of energy available in the universe is constant
2nd law of thermodynamics
energy flows irreversibly and becomes less useful and cannot be recycled or reused.. when energy is transferred, most is lost as heat… entropy is the measure of disorder in a system and it always increases
