Ecosystem Interactions & Energy Transfer

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts related to ecosystem interactions and energy transfer in biology.

Hydrosphere

The system of water on Earth, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and groundwater.

Atmosphere

The layer of gases surrounding Earth, essential for weather and life.

Geosphere

The solid part of the Earth, including rocks and soil.

Biosphere

The global sum of all ecosystems; where life exists on Earth.

Abiotic factors

Non-living components of an ecosystem, such as sunlight, temperature, and water.

Biotic factors

Living components of an ecosystem, including animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms.

Niche

The role and position a species has in its environment, including all interactions with biotic and abiotic factors.

Carrying capacity

The maximum number of individuals of a species that an environment can support sustainably.

Immigration

The movement of individuals into a population from another location.

Emigration

The movement of individuals out of a population to another location.

Limiting factors

Environmental factors that restrict population growth, such as food supply, predation, and habitat space.

Density-dependent factors

Limits on population growth that depend on the population density, such as competition and disease.

Density-independent factors

Limits on population growth that affect populations regardless of their density, such as natural disasters.

Trophic level

The position an organism occupies in a food chain, represented as levels in a pyramid.

Autotrophs

Organisms that produce their own food, typically through photosynthesis; e.g., plants.

Heterotrophs

Organisms that consume other organisms for energy; e.g., animals.

10% rule

The principle that only about 10% of energy is passed from one trophic level to the next.

Food chain

A linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass.

Food web

A complex network of feeding relationships among various organisms in an ecosystem.

Water cycle

The continuous process by which water evaporates, condenses, and precipitates in the environment.

Carbon cycle

The process through which carbon atoms are cycled between the Earth's ecosystems.