Unit 6 Bio Key Terms

10% Rule

During the transfer of energy from one trophic level to the neck in an ecosystem, only about 10% of the energy is stored as biomass and passed on, while the remaining 90% is lost primarily as heat or through metabolic processes

Abiotic factor

A nonliving, physical or chemical element of an environment, such as light, temperature, water, and soil, pH, that influences the survival and growth of living organisms within an ecosystem

Autotroph

An organism that produces its own complex organic compounds and food from simple or an organic substance, typically using light energy through photosynthesis or chemical energy through chemosynthesis

Biotic factor

Any living component of an ecosystem, such as plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria, that shapes its environment and influences the survival of other organism

Calvin cycle

The set of light independent chemical reactions in the stroma of the chloroplast that uses the energy from ATP and NADPH to convert carbon dioxide into the three carbon sugar G3P

Carbon fixation

The process by which inorganic carbon dioxide is converted into organic compounds, such as glucose, by living organisms, stirring the first step of the Calvin cycle

Chemical potential energy

The energy sorted than the chemical bonds of a substance that can be released or absorbed during a chemical reaction

Chlorophyll

The primary green pigment found within the chloroplast of plants and algae that absorbed, radiant energy, specifically blue, and red wavelengths to initiate the process of photosynthesis

Chloroplast

Specialized organelles found in plants cells that conduct photosynthesis by capturing radiant energy and using it to drive the synthesis of organic compounds from carbon dioxide and water

Commensalism

A type of symbiotic relationship in which one species benefits from the interaction while the other species is neither helped nor harmed

Competition

An interaction between organisms or species in which both are harmed as the simultaneously vie for the same limited resources

Dark reaction

Also known as the Calvin cycle, are the light independent stage of photosynthesis occur occurring in the stroma of the chloroplast were the energy from ATP and NADPH is used to fix carbon dioxide into glucose

Energy pyramid

A graphical representation that shows the flow of energy through different trophic levels in an ecosystem, illustrating how the amount of available energy decreases significantly as it moved from producers up to top level consumers

Food chain/food web

A linear sequence of organisms through which energy and nutrients are transported as one organism each other, starting with a primary producer and ending with an Apex predator

G3P

Three carbon sugar molecule produced during the Calvin cycle that serves as an immediate starting point for the synthesis of glucose and other essential organic nutrients

Glucose

A simple sugar and essential carbohydrate that serves as the primary source of chemical reaction for the cells of most living organisms

Granum/grana

A column like structure of thylakoid discs within the chloroplast that functions to maximize the surface area for capturing radiant energy during the light independent reactions of photosynthesis

Heterotroph

An organism that cannot produce its own food through photosynthesis and must instead of obtain its energy and nutrients by consuming other plants or animals

Light reaction

The initial stage of photosynthesis were radiant energy is captured by pigments in the thylakoid membranes and converted into chemical energy in the form of ATP and NADPH, while releasing oxygen as a byproduct

Keystone species

An organism that has a disproportionally large effect on its natural environment, relative to its abundance, playing a critical role and maintaining the structure and biodiversity of an entire ecosystem

Mutualism

A symbiotic relationship were two different species interact in a way that provides a clear survival or reproductive benefit to both participants

NAP+/NADPH

A coenzyme that acts as a low energy electron carrier which upon accepting electrons and hydrogen ion during light Independent reactions becomes the high energy molecule used to power sugar production in the carbon cycle.

Photosynthesis

The biological process by which green plants, algae, and some bacteria convert radiant light energy into chemical energy by transforming water and carbon dioxide into glucose and releasing oxygen as a byproduct

Photosystem

A functional structural unit of protein complexes and pigment molecules, primarily chlorophyll embedded in the thylakoid membrane that absorbs light energy to power, the transfer of electrons and photosynthesis

Pigment

A specialized organic molecule that absorbed specific wavelength of light while reflecting others, thereby providing color to organisms and capturing reading energy for biological processes like photosynthesis

Radiant energy

The energy carried by electromagnetic waves, including light, x-rays, and radio waves that travel through space or matter without requiring a physical medium for transport

Mutualism

Two different species interact in a way that provides a clear survival or reproductive benefits to both participants

Parasitism

Symbiotic relationship in which one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it harm while obtaining its nutrients as the hosts expense

Predation

One organism kills and eats another organism to obtain energy and nutrients for survival

RuBP

A five carbon sugar molecule that acts as a primary acceptor of carbon dioxide during the Kelvin cycle, combining with CO2 to begin the process of sugar synthesis

Rubisco

The essential enzyme responsible for fixing inorganic carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into organic molecules during the first step of the Calvin cycle

Stroma

The colorless enzyme, rich fluid surrounding the thylakoids within a chloroplast with the light independent reactions occur to produce glucose

Thylakoid

A membrane bound compartment inside a chloroplast with the light dependent reactions of photosynthesis take place

symbiosis

Long-term biological interaction between two different species that live together, whether the relationship benefits, both, just one, or harms one of the participants

Tropic cascade

An ecological phenomenon, where the addition or removal of a top predator triggers, a chain reaction of indirect effects that ripple down through the lower levels of the food web, significantly altering the entire ecosystem

Tropic levels

The stages in a food chain that describe an organisms position based on how it obtained energy, starting from self sustaining producers at the bottom to top level predators at the peak