apes unit 1.1-1.6 flashcards

An ____ includes all the living and nonliving components in a given area. 

ecosystem

The living portion of an ecosystem is called the ____.

biotic factors

The non living portion of an ecosystem is called the ____.

abiotic factors

____ refers to the variety of life across all levels of biological organization.

biodiversity

An organism’s ____ is its role in an ecosystem, including how it obtains food and interacts with others.

niche

Biomes are primarily determined by climate, specifically ____ and precipitation.

temperature

The biome with the greatest biodiversity and productivity is the ____.

tropical rainforest

____ biomes are dominated by grasses and have few trees due to low rainfall or frequent fires.

grassland

The ____ biome is characterized by permafrost and low-growing vegetation. 

tundra

The ____ biome is found in dry regions and is characterized by succulent plants like cacti.

desert

Aquatic biomes are classified as ____ (saltwater) or freshwater.

marine

The ____ zone of a lake recieves enough sunlight for photosynthesis.

intertidal

____ are areas where freshwater rivers meet the ocean, creating highly productive ecosystems.

estuaries

Coral reefs are threatened by ____ due to increased ocean temperatures.

coral bleaching

Wetlands provide important ecosystem services such as flood control and ____.

water filtration

Energy enters ecosystems primarily through ____.

sunlight

Organisms that make their own food from sunlight or chemicals are called ____.

autotrophs

The amount of energy captured by producers through photosynthesis is called ____.

GPP (Gross primary productivity)

The energy avaliable to consumers after producers use some for respiration is called ____.

NPP (Net primary productivity)

The ____ law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.

first

In a food chain, organisms that eat producers are called ____.

primary consumers (herbivores)

Organisms that feed on primary consumers are known as ____.

secondary consumers

The ____ rule of energy transfer states that about 10% of energy is passed to the next trophic level.

10%

____ obtain energy by breaking down dead organisms and recycling nutrients.

decomposers

The position an organism occupies in a food chain is called its ____.

trophic level

The ____ cycle does not involve the atmosphere because the element rarely exists as a gas.

phosphorus

In the water cycle, the process of water vapor coling and forming clouds is called ____ .

condensation

The conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into usable forms by bacteria is called ____.

nitrogen fixation

In the carbon cycle, plants take in ____ during photosynthesis.

carbon dioxide (CO2)

Excess burning of fossil fuels adds extra ____ to the atmosphere, enhancing climate change.

carbon dioxide (CO2)