bio 20 energy transfer chapter 1

Biosphere

The closed system around the entire earth that contains life, including land (lithosphere), water (hydrosphere), and air (atmosphere).

Ecosystem

A community of biota interacting with the abiotic world, including both living and non-living components.

Dynamic Equilibrium

Any system that can adjust to changes to maintain its steady state.

Niche

An organism’s complete role in the ecosystem, including where it lives, the food it eats, and its interactions with other populations.

Homeostasis

A balance between biotic and abiotic components in an ecosystem.

Biodiversity

The number of different species in an ecosystem; higher biodiversity indicates a more stable ecosystem.

Species

A group of organisms that can naturally interbreed to produce fertile offspring.

Population

All organisms of the same species in the same area at the same time.

Community

All the different populations in the same area at the same time.

Abiotic

Non-living components of an ecosystem.

Biotic

Living components of an ecosystem.

Biological levels of organization

The hierarchy of biological structures: cell, tissue, organ, organ system, organism, population, community, ecosystem, biome, biosphere.

Cellular Respiration

The process by which cells convert glucose and oxygen into energy (ATP), carbon dioxide, and water. The formula is C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2O

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants, convert light energy, usually from the sun, into chemical energy in the form of glucose. The formula is 6CO2 + 6H2O + light energy → C6H12O6 + 6O2.

Detritus

Organic matter that is decomposing, including dead plants and animals, which is a source of nutrients for organisms in an ecosystem.

Indicator Species

a species thatis sensitive to small changes that provide insights into the health of an ecosystem, often used to assess environmental conditions

Dynamic Equilibrium

Any system that can adjust to changes to maintain its steady state.

Closed system

A system where matter is not exchanged with its surroundings

Chemosynthesis

The process in which carbohydrates(glucose) are manufactured from carbon dioxide and water using chemicals as the energy source rather than sunlight.

Producer

An organism that can make its own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis, primarily plants (autotrophs) that convert sunlight or chemical energy into organic compounds.

Consumers

Organisms that obtain energy by eating other organisms; they rely on producers or other consumers for food.

Primary Consumers

Herbivores that feed on plants or algae.

Secondary Consumers

Organisms that eat primary consumers, typically carnivores or omnivores that rely on herbivores for energy.

Tertiary Consumers

Organisms that eat secondary consumers.

Quaternary consumers

Organisms that eat tertiary consumers, often at the top of the food chain.

Decomposers

Organisms that break down detritus, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.

Food chain

A linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another.

Food web

A complex network of interconnected food chains, illustrating how energy and nutrients flow through an ecosystem.

First law of thermodynamics

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.

Second law of thermodynamics

Any time energy conversion takes place energy becomes more diffuse and less useful for doing work. example heat

Biomagnification

The process by which the concentration of toxic substances increases in organisms at each successive level of the food chain.

DDT

A synthetic pesticide that was widely used in agriculture and is known for its role in biomagnification, affecting wildlife and human health.