Unit 1

Ecosystem

The interaction of living and non-living things in a specific portion of the world’s environment.

Habitat

The specific environmental condition a certain species needs to survive.

Symbiosis

A close living relationship between species that is not necessarily mutualism.

Mutualism

A type of symbiosis where both species benefit from the interaction.

Biome

An area that shares an average annual temperature and average precipitation.

Law of Conservation of Matter

Matter is neither created nor destroyed, only changes forms.

Reservoirs

Things that temporarily store matter.

Sources

Processes that move matter around between reservoirs.

Sinks

Reservoirs that store more matter than they give off.

Carbon Cycle

The cycle in which carbon is exchanged between reservoirs, influencing global climate.

Photosynthesis

The process that removes carbon from the atmosphere and stores it in plant life.

Nitrogen Cycle

The movement of nitrogen between reservoirs, with key processes including nitrogen fixation.

Nitrogen Fixation

The conversion of biologically unavailable nitrogen gas (N2) into a biologically available form.

Phosphorus Cycle

The cycle involving phosphorus, which does not have a gas phase and moves slowly, primarily through rocks and sediments.

Weathering

The breakdown of rocks into smaller pieces, releasing phosphate ions.

Infiltration

The process of precipitation or surface water seeping into the soil and recharging groundwater reservoirs.

Transpiration

Water evaporating from the leaves' stomata and entering the atmosphere.

Primary Productivity

The rate at which plants in an area convert sunlight into glucose or plant tissue.

Gross Primary Production (GPP)

The total amount of energy that plants produce through photosynthesis.

Net Primary Production (NPP)

The amount of energy that plants can store after using energy for cellular respiration, calculated as NPP = GPP - Respiration Loss.

Trophic Pyramid

A model showing how energy flows through different levels in a food chain.

Second Law of Thermodynamics

The principle stating that some energy is lost as heat each time energy is transferred.

10% Rule

The principle that only 10% of energy is transferred to the next trophic level in an ecosystem.