APES vocabulary. Ch. 3

abiotic

Nonliving organisms

aerobic respiration

Complex process that occurs in the cells of most living organisms, in which nutrient organic molecules such as glucose (C6H12O6) combine with oxygen (O2) to produce carbon dioxide (CO2), water (H2O), and energy.

anaerobic respiration

Form of cellular respiration in which some decomposers get the energy they need through the breakdown of glucose (or other nutrients) in the absence of oxygen.

autotroph

An organism that can produce its own food using energy from the sun or inorganic substances, such as plants that undergo photosynthesis.

bacteria

Prokaryotic, one–celled organisms. Some transmit diseases. Most act as decomposers and get the nutrients they need by breaking down complex organic compounds in the tissues of living or dead organisms into simpler inorganic nutrient compounds.

biogeochemical cycle

Natural processes that recycle nutrients in various chemical forms from the nonliving environment to living organisms and then back to the nonliving environment. Examples include the carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and hydrologic cycles.

biological community

A group of organisms that live and interact together in a specific area. It includes all the different species of plants, animals, and microorganisms that coexist and depend on each other for survival. The interactions within a biological community can involve competition, predation, symbiosis, and other ecological relationships.

biomass

Organic matter produced by plants and other photosynthetic producers; total dry weight of all living organisms that can be supported at each trophic level in a food chain or web; dry weight of all organic matter in plants and animals in an ecosystem; plant materials and animal wastes used as fuel.

biosphere

Zone of the earth where life is found. It consists of parts of the atmosphere (the troposphere), hydrosphere (mostly surface water and groundwater), and lithosphere (mostly soil and surface rocks and sediments on the bottoms of oceans and other bodies of water) where life is found. Compare atmosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere.

biotic

Living organisms. Compare abiotic

biotic pollution

The effect of invasive species that can reduce or wipe out populations of many native species and trigger ecological disruptions.

calorie

Unit of energy; amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 C° (unit on Celsius temperature scale).

carbon cycle

Cyclic movement of carbon in different chemical forms from the environment to organisms and then back to the environment.

carnivore

Animal that feeds on other animals. Compare herbivore, omnivore.

chemosynthesis

Process in which certain organisms (mostly specialized bacteria) extract inorganic compounds from their environment and convert them into organic nutrient compounds without the presence of sunlight

community

Populations of all species living and interacting in an area at a particular time.

Consumer

Organism that cannot synthesize the organic nutrients it needs and gets its organic nutrients by feeding on the tissues of producers or of other consumers; generally divided into primary consumers (herbivores), secondary consumers (carnivores), tertiary (higher–level) consumers, omnivores, and detritivores (decomposers and detritus feeders). In economics, one who uses economic goods

Decomposer

Organism that digests parts of dead organisms, and cast–off fragments and wastes of living organisms by breaking down the complex organic molecules in those materials into simpler inorganic compounds and then absorbing the soluble nutrients. Producers return most of these chemicals to the soil and water for reuse.

destritvore

Consumer organism that feeds on detritus, parts of dead organisms, and castoff fragments and wastes of living organisms. Examples include earthworms, termites, and crabs.

detritus

Parts of dead organisms and castoff fragments and wastes of living organisms

destritus feeder

An organism that obtains its food by consuming dead organic matter and waste material in an ecosystem.

ecologist

Biological scientist who studies relationships between living organisms and their environment

ecology

Biological science that studies the relationships between living organisms and their environment; study of the structure and functions of nature.

ecosphere

A self-sustaining system of living organisms and their physical environment, where energy flows and materials cycle, creating a balance of life.

ecosystem

One or more communities of different species interacting with one another and with the chemical and physical factors making up their nonliving environment.

eukaryotic cell

Cell that is surrounded by a membrane and has a distinct nucleus.

evaporation

The process in which a liquid turns into a gas due to the absorption of heat energy. It occurs at the surface of the liquid and is influenced by factors such as temperature, surface area, and air movement. It is a key component of the water cycle.

fermantation

Process in which microorganisms, like yeast or bacteria, convert carbohydrates into alcohol or organic acids. It is used in food production (e.g., making bread, beer) and industrial processes (e.g., ethanol production).

food chain

Series of organisms in which each eats or decomposes the preceding one.

food wed

Complex network of many interconnected food chains and feeding relationships.

geosphere

Complex network of many interconnected food chains and feeding relationships.

global warming

The long-term increase in Earth's average surface temperature due to human activities, such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation, leading to climate change and environmental impacts.GPG

GPP

Gross Primary Productivity. It represents the total amount of energy that plants capture through photosynthesis in a given area and time period.

greenhouse gases

Gases in the earth’s lower atmosphere (troposphere) that cause the greenhouse effect. Examples include carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, ozone, methane, water vapor, and nitrous oxide.

gross primary productivity

Rate at which an ecosystem’s producers capture and store a given amount of chemical energy as biomass in a given length of time

herbivore

An animal that primarily consumes plants as its main source of food, known as a herbivore.

heterotroph

Organism that cannot produce its own food and relies on consuming other organisms for energy.

hydrologic cycle

Biogeochemical cycle that collects, purifies, and distributes the earth’s fixed supply of water from the environment to living organisms and then back to the environment.

hydrosphere

Earth’s liquid water (oceans, lakes, other bodies of surface water, and underground water), frozen water (polar ice caps, floating ice caps, and ice in soil, known as permafrost), and water vapor in the atmosphere

infiltration

Downward movement of water through soil.

kilocalorie (kcal)

Unit of energy equal to 1,000 calories.

land degradation

Decrease in the ability of land to support crops, livestock, or wild species in the future as a result of natural or human–induced processes

microorganisms

Organisms such as bacteria that are so small that it takes a microscope to see them

natural greenhouse effect

a natural process that warms the Earth's surface.

net primary productivity (NPP)

Rate at which all the plants in an ecosystem produce net useful chemical energy; equal to the difference between the rate at which the plants in an ecosystem produce useful chemical energy (gross primary productivity) and the rate at which they use some of that energy through cellular respiration

nitrogen cycle

Cyclic movement of nitrogen in different chemical forms from the environment to organisms and then back to the environment.

nitrogen fixation

Conversion of atmospheric nitrogen gas, by lightning, bacteria, and cyanobacteria, into forms useful to plants; it is part of the nitrogen cycle

NPP

the rate at whch producers use photosynthesis to produce and store chemical energy minus the rate at which they use some of this energy through aerobic respiration

nutrient cycle

a system where energy and matter are transferred between living organisms and non-living parts of the environment.

omnivore

Animal that can use both plants and other animals as food sources. Examples include pigs, rats, cockroaches, and humans

organism

Any form of life.

phosphorus cycle

Cyclic movement of phosphorus in different chemical forms from the environment to organisms and then back to the environment.

photosynthesis

Complex process that takes place in cells of green plants. Radiant energy from the sun is used to combine carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) to produce oxygen (O2), carbohydrates (such as glucose, C6H12O6), and other nutrient molecules. C

phytoplankton

Small, drifting plants, mostly algae and bacteria, found in aquatic ecosystems.

population

Group of individual organisms of the same species living in a particular area.

precipitation

Water in the form of rain, sleet, hail, and snow that falls from the atmosphere onto land and bodies of water

primary consumer

Organism that feeds on some or all parts of plants (herbivore) or on other producers.

primary productivity

dollars earned per year/rate at which you make money

principles of sustainability Principles by which nature has sustained itself for billions of years by relying on solar energy, b

Principles by which nature has sustained itself for billions of years by relying on solar energy, biodiversity, and nutrient recycling.

producer

Organism that uses solar energy (green plants) or chemical energy (some bacteria) to manufacture the organic compounds it needs as nutrients from simple inorganic compounds obtained from its environment.

prokaryotic cell

Cell containing no distinct nucleus or organelles

pyramid of energy flow

Diagram representing the flow of energy through each trophic level in a food chain or food web. With each energy transfer, only a small part (typically 10%) of the usable energy entering one trophic level is transferred to the organisms at the next trophic level.

respiration (aerobic)

The process by which cells convert glucose and oxygen into energy, carbon dioxide, and water.

scavenger

Organism that feeds on dead organisms that were killed by other organisms or died naturally. Examples include vultures, flies, and crows. C

secondary consumer

Organism that feeds only on primary consumers.

stratosphere

Second layer of the atmosphere, extending about 17–48 kilometers (11–30 miles) above the earth’s surface. It contains small amounts of gaseous ozone (O3), which filters out about 95% of the incoming harmful ultraviolet radiation emitted by the sun

sulfur cycle

Cyclic movement of sulfur in various chemical forms from the environment to organisms and then back to the environment.

tertiary (higher– level) consumers

Animals that feed on animal–eating animals. They feed at high trophic levels in food chains and webs. Examples include hawks, lions, bass, and sharks

transpiration

Process in which water is absorbed by the root systems of plants, moves up through the plants, passes through pores (stomata) in their leaves or other parts, and evaporates into the atmosphere as water vapor

trophic level

All organisms that are the same number of energy transfers away from the original source of energy (for example, sunlight) that enters an ecosystem. For example, all producers belong to the first trophic level and all herbivores belong to the second trophic level in a food chain or a food web.

troposphere

Innermost layer of the atmosphere. It contains about 75% of the mass of earth’s air and extends about 17 kilometers (11 miles) above sea level

water cycle

the continuous cycle of the transfer of water through an ecosystem, which involves evaporation, transpiration, condensation, and precipitation.