5.1 Energy and Matter Transfer

Vocabulary flashcards covering the fundamental concepts of ecosystem ecology, bioaccumulation, trophic levels, and energy laws based on BIO 182 lecture notes.

Ecosystem Ecology

The study of how living things (biotic factors) and nonliving things (abiotic factors) interact in the environment.

DDT

A pesticide dumped into the ocean near the Channel Islands that caused thin eggshells and population decline in bald eagles.

Bioaccumulation

The process by which toxins build up at higher trophic levels in a food chain.

Individual

The level of ecology representing one single organism, such as one fox.

Population

A group of the same species living in one area, such as all foxes in a forest.

Community

All populations of different species living in one area, including foxes, rabbits, and plants.

Ecosystem

The combination of a community and its nonliving environment, such as a forest including water, soil, and organisms.

Abiotic Factors

Nonliving parts of the environment, such as temperature, water, sunlight, and environmental toxins.

Biotic Factors

Living organisms or interactions between organisms, such as predators, parasites, and competition.

Carbon

The "backbone of life" found in carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and DNA, capable of forming $4$ bonds.

Major Elements in the Human Body

Carbon, Oxygen, Hydrogen, and Nitrogen, which together make up about $94\%$ of body mass.

Autotrophs

Organisms like plants and algae that make their own food using carbon dioxide through photosynthesis.

Heterotrophs

Organisms that must eat other organisms for energy, such as humans, foxes, and eagles.

Trophic Level

A specific feeding level in a food chain.

1st Trophic Level

The level occupied by autotrophs, such as plants.

2nd Trophic Level

The level occupied by herbivores.

3rd Trophic Level

The level occupied by primary predators.

4th Trophic Level

The level occupied by secondary predators.

Decomposers

Organisms that break down dead material and waste to recycle nutrients back into the environment.

10% Rule

The principle stating that only about $10\%$ of energy moves from one trophic level to the next.

First Law of Thermodynamics

The law stating that energy cannot be created or destroyed.

Second Law of Thermodynamics

The law stating that every energy transfer loses some energy as heat (entropy).

Entropy

The energy lost as heat during transfers within an ecosystem.

Nitrogen

An essential element plants need to grow; its availability in soil directly affects the population of herbivores and predators.