Unit 2 Flashcards
Aerobic respiration
Respiration with oxygen
Anaerobic respiration
respiration without oxygen
Heterotroph
consumer
Autotroph
producer
Scavenger
consumes dead animals
Detritivore
breaks down dead tissues & waste products
Net primary production (NPP)
GPP-respiration
Gross primary production (GPP)
total amount of solar energy captured by producers via photosynthesis
Biomass
total mass of all living matter in a specific area
Standing crop
amount of biomass present in an ecosystem
Transpiration
release of water from leaves during photosynthesis
Evapotranspiration
evaporation + transpiration
Carbon cycle
photosynthesis, respiration, exchange, sedimentation, burial, extraction, & combustion
Nitrogen fixation
converts N2 in the atmosphere into forms that producers can use (NH4+ or NO3-)
Nitrification
ammonium (NH4+) –> nitrite (NO2-) –> nitrate (NO3-)
Mineralization
Decomposers break down dead bodies & waste products into inorganic compounds
Ammonification
Decomposers break down organic nitrogen in dead bodies & waste and convert to ammonium (NH4+)
Denitrification
nitrate (NO3-) –> nitrous oxide (N2O) –> nitrogen gas (N2)
Hypoxic
low in oxygen
Watershed
all land in a given landscape drains into a certain river/stream/lake/wetland
Climate
average weather
Weather
short-term conditions
Order of atmosphere
troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere
Ozone
In stratosphere
Unequal heating
sun angles, variation in surface area, & albedo
Adiabatic cooling
cooling effect of reduced pressure on air as it rises & expands