Unit 6: Earth's Biomes + Ecosystems Vocabulary

photosynthesis

the process by which plants, algae, and some bacteria use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to make food

chlorophyll

a green pigment that captures light energy for photosynthesis

cellular respiration

the process by which cells use oxygen to produce energy from food

ecosystem

a community of organisms and their abiotic, or nonliving, environment

habitat

the place where an organism usually lives

producer

an organism that can make its own food by using energy from its surroundings

decomposer

an organism that gets energy by breaking down the remains of dead organisms or animal wastes and consuming or absorbing the nutrients

consumer

an organism that eats other organisms or organic matter

herbivore

an organism that only eats plants

carnivore

an organism that eats animals

omnivore

an organism that eats both plants and animals

food chain

the pathway of energy transfer through various stages as a result of the feeding patterns of a series of organisms

food web

a diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem

energy

the ability to cause change

matter

anything that has mass and takes up space

energy pyramid

a triangular diagram that shows an ecosystem's loss of energy, which results as energy passes through the ecosystem's food chain; each row in the pyramid represents a trophic (feeding) level in an ecosystem, and the area of a row represents the energy stored in that trophic level

carbon cycle

the movement of carbon from the nonliving environment into living things and back

water cycle

the continuous movement of water, between the atmosphere, the land, the oceans, and living things

nitrogen cycle

the cycling of nitrogen between organisms, soil, water and the atmosphere

law of conservation of mass

the law that states that mass cannot be created or destroyed in ordinary chemical and physical changes

law of conservation of energy

the law that states that energy cannot be created or destroyed but can be changed from one form to another

biome

a large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plant and animal communities

grassland

a region that is dominated by grasses, that has few woody shrubs and trees, that has fertile soils, and that receives moderate amounts of seasonal rainfall

desert

a region characterized by a very dry climate and extreme temperatures

taiga

a region of evergreen, coniferous forest below the arctic and subarctic tundra regions

tundra

a region found at far northern and far southern latitudes characterized by low-lying plants, a lack of trees, and long winters with very low temperatures

coniferous tree

a cone-bearing tree that usually keeps its leaves or needles during all seasons of the year

deciduous forest

a tree that sheds and regrows its leaves in response to seasonal changes

tropical rainforest

region with warm and humid climate; rich and diverse plant and animal life as well as plenty of rainfall

wetland

an area of land that is periodically underwater or whose soil contains a great deal of moisture

estuary

an area where fresh water mixes with salt water from the ocean

carrying capacity

the largest population that an environment can support at any given time

limiting factor

an environmental factor that prevents an organism or population from reaching its full potential of size or activity

immigration

when an individual moves into a population

emigration

when an individual leaves a population

competition

ecological relationship in which two or more organisms depend on the same limited resources

cooperation

an interaction between two or more living things in which they are said to work together

eutrophication

an increase in the amount of nutrients, such as nitrates, in a marine or aquatic ecosystem

succession

the replacement of one type of community by another at a single location over a period of time

pioneer species

a species that colonizes an uninhabited area and that starts a process of succession

biodiversity

the number and variety of organisms in a given area during a specific period of time

primary succession

succession that occurs on surfaces where no soil exists

secondary succession

succession following a disturbance that destroys a community without destroying the soil