Vocab for unit 4

Methanogenic bacteria

Archaebacteria that metabolize nutrients without needing oxygen, and produce methane as a byproduct (instead of CO2).

Methane

A powerful greenhouse gas.

Peat

An organic substance made up of partially decomposed plant material found in wetlands such as swamps and bogs.

Fossil Fuels

Deposits of coal, oil and natural gas, made from partially decomposed organic materials being compressed and fossilized over millions of years.

Ecosystem

The organisms of a particular habitat together with the physical environment in which they live.

Species

A group of individuals of common ancestry that closely resemble each other and are normally capable of interbreeding to produce fertile offspring.

Population

A group of organisms of the same species that live in the same area at the same time.

Community

A group of populations of organisms living and interacting within a habitat.

Abiotic factors

Aspect of the environment that is not living - for example, humidity, temperature, salinity, wind, soil particles.

Biotic factors

The biological influences and factors on organisms in an ecosystem.

Ecology

The study of the relationships between living organisms and their environment.

Autotrophs

Organism able to make its own food from simple inorganic materials and an energy source.

Heterotrophs

An organism that feeds on organic molecules.

Consumers

An organism that feeds on another organism.

Detritivores

An organism that feeds on dead organic matter through ingestion.

Saprotrophs

An organism that feeds on dead organic matter through absorption.

Decomposers

An organism that feeds on dead plant and animal matter so that it can be recycled.

Mesocosm

A small-scale, self-sustaining natural system that can be used to study part of an ecosystem under controlled conditions.

Symbiotic relationship

‘Living together’ - includes commensalism, mutualism and parasitism.

Food Chain

A sequence of organisms in a habitat, beginning with a producer, in which each obtains nutrients by eating the organism preceding it.

Producer

An autotrophic organism.

Consumer (in food terminology)

An organism that feeds on another organism.

Trophic Level

A group of organisms that obtain their food from the same part of a food web.

Primary Consumer

An organism that feeds on a primary producer.

Food Web

A series of interconnected food chains.

Energy pyramids

A diagram that shows the total energy content at different trophic levels in an ecosystem.

Greenhouse Effect

Natural phenomenon which traps the sun's warmth in a planet's lower atmosphere.

Shortwave radiation

Solar energy (light) from the sun.

Longwave radiation

Infrared energy (heat) from the sun.

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

Chemicals found in aerosol bottles that damage the ozone layer in the atmosphere.

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)

Chemicals that replaced CFCs' role in society, that actually is a greenhouse gas.

Global warming

Rise in the average global temperature.

Climate change

Change in the earth’s weather patterns and climate as a result of global warming.

Coral Bleaching

A process whereby the coral colonies lose their color due to the loss of pigments by microscopic algae.

Coral Polyps

Tiny, soft-bodied organisms related to sea anemones and jellyfish, which form coral reefs.

Ocean Acidification

Significant changes to the chemistry of the ocean when CO2 is absorbed and reacts with seawater.

Arctic Ecosystem

Includes the tundra, permafrost and the sea ice surrounding the North Pole.

Detritus

Organic matter produced by the decomposition of organisms.

Precautionary Principle

An approach to a problem that takes preventative measures, even without sufficient data proving harm.