🌿Unit 1: The Web of Life (Biology)

biology

the study of living organisms

ecology

the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms

interdependence

the dependence of two or more people or things on each other

bioethics

the ethics of medical and biological research

biosphere

the regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth

life processes

the basic functions performed by living organisms to maintain their life

energy

the ability to do work

matter

anything that occupies space and has mass

chemical energy

energy stored in the bonds of chemical compounds

food

a form of nourishing substance that is consumed

energy transfer

describes the changes in energy that occur between organisms within an ecosystem

food chain

a linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another

producers

they make their own food which creates energy

second level consumers

eat primary consumers

third level consumers

eat lower-level consumers

herbivore

an organism that mostly feeds on plants

carnivore

an organism that mostly eats meat, or the flesh of animals

omnivore

an organism that regularly consumes a variety of material, including plants, animals, algae, and fungi

consumer

any of the organisms in most trophic levels in a food chain

decomposer

organism that breaks down dead organic material

scavenger

an organism that mostly consumes decaying biomass

food web

all of the food chains in an ecosystem

light energy

a form of energy consisting of particle-like photons with wavelike properties

photosynthesis

the process by which green plants and certain other organisms transform light energy into chemical energy

energy pyramid

a graphical representation of the energy found within the trophic levels of an ecosystem

10% rule

only about 10 percent of energy stored as biomass in a trophic level is passed from one level to the next

ecological footprint

measures how fast we consume resources and generate waste