F&R APES Unit 1+2, 4A: Ch 8(24), 4, 3, 5 Vocab

Biosphere

The region of our planet where life resides, the combination of all ecosystems on Earth.

Producer

An organism that uses the energy of the Sun to produce usable forms of energy. (Also known as "autotroph.")

Autotroph

See "producer."

Photosynthesis

The process by which producers use solar energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose.

Cellular respiration

The process by which cells unlock the energy of chemical compounds.

Aerobic respiration

The process by which cells convert glucose and oxygen into energy, carbon dioxide, and water.

Anaerobic respiration

The process by which cells convert glucose into energy in the absence of oxygen.

Consumer

An organism that is incapable of photosynthesis and must obtain its energy by consuming other organisms. (Also known as "heterotroph.")

Heterotroph

See "consumer."

Herbivore

A consumer that eats producers. (Also known as "primary consumer.")

Primary consumer

See "herbivore."

Carnivore

A consumer that eats other consumers.

Secondary consumer

A carnivore that eats primary consumers.

Tertiary consumer

A carnivore that eats secondary consumers.

Trophic levels

The successive levels of organisms consuming one another.

Food chain

The sequence of consumption from producers through tertiary consumers.

Food web

A complex model of how energy and matter move between trophic levels.

Scavenger

An organism that consumes dead animals.

Detritivore

An organism that specializes in breaking down dead tissues and waste products into smaller particles.

Decomposers

Fungi and bacteria that convert organic matter into small elements and molecules that can be recycled back into the ecosystem.

Gross primary productivity (GPP)

The total amount of solar energy that producers in an ecosystem capture via photosynthesis over a given amount of time.

Net primary productivity (NPP)

The energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy producers respire.

Biomass

The total mass of all living matter in a specific area.

Standing crop

The amount of biomass present in an ecosystem at a particular time.

Ecological efficiency

The proportion of consumed energy that can be passed from one trophic level to another.

Trophic pyramid

A representation of the distribution of biomass, numbers, or energy among trophic levels.

Biogeochemical cycle

The movements of matter within and between ecosystems.

Hydrologic cycle

The movement of water through the biosphere.

Transpiration

The release of water from leaves during photosynthesis.

Evapotranspiration

The combined amount of evaporation and transpiration.

Runoff

Water that moves across the land surface and into streams and rivers.

Carbon cycle

The movement of carbon around the biosphere.

Macronutrient

One of six key elements that organisms need in relatively large amounts: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur.

Limiting nutrient

A nutrient required for the growth of an organism but available in a lower quantity than other nutrients.

Nitrogen cycle

The movement of nitrogen around the biosphere.

Nitrogen fixation

The process that converts nitrogen gas in the atmosphere (N2) into forms of nitrogen that producers can use.

Nitrification

The conversion of ammonia (NH4+) into nitrite (NO2-) and then into nitrate (NO3-).

Assimilation

The process by which producers incorporate elements into their tissues.

Mineralization

The process by which fungal and bacterial decomposers break down the organic matter found in dead bodies and waste products and convert it into inorganic compounds.

Ammonification

The process by which fungal and bacterial decomposers break down the organic nitrogen found in dead bodies and waste products and convert it into inorganic ammonium (NH4+)

Denitrification

The conversion of nitrate (NO3-) in a series of steps into the gases nitrous oxide (N2O) and, eventually, nitrogen gas (N2), which is emitted into the atmosphere.

Leaching

The transportation of dissolved molecules through the soil via groundwater.

Phosphorus cycle

The movement of phosphorus around the biosphere.

Algal bloom

A rapid increase in the algal population of a waterway.

Hypoxic

Low in oxygen.

Dead zone

When oxygen concentration become so low that it kills fish and other aquatic animals.

Sulfur cycle

The movement of sulfur around the biosphere.

Disturbance

An event, caused by physical, chemical, or biological agents, resulting in changes in population size or community composition.

Resistance

A measure of how much a disturbance can affect flows of energy and matter in an ecosystem.

Resilience

The rate at which an ecosystem returns to its original state after a disturbance.

Restoration ecology

The study and implementation of restoring damaged ecosystems.

Watershed

All land in a given landscape that drains into a particular stream, river, lake, or wetland.

Intermediate disturbance hypothesis

The hypothesis that ecosystems experiencing intermediate levels of disturbance are more diverse than those with high or low disturbance levels.

Climate

The average weather that occurs in a given region over a long period of time.

Weather

The short-term conditions of the atmosphere in a local area, which include temperature, humidity, clouds, precipitation, and wind speed.

Troposphere

A layer of the atmosphere closest to the surface of Earth, extending up to approximately 16 km (10 miles).

Stratosphere

The layer of the atmosphere above the troposphere, extending roughly 16 to 50 km (10-31 miles) above the surface of Earth.

Albedo

The percentage of incoming sunlight reflected from a surface.

Saturation point

The maximum amount of water vapor in the air at a given temperature.

Adiabatic cooling

The cooling effect of reduced pressure on air as it rises higher in the atmosphere and expands.

Adiabatic heating

The heating effect of increased pressure on air as it sinks toward the surface of Earth and decreases in volume.

Latent heat release

The release of energy when water vapor in the atmosphere condenses into liquid water.

Atmospheric convection current

Global patterns of air movement that are initiated by the unequal heating of Earth.

Hadley cell

A convection current in the atmosphere that cycles between the equator and 30° N and 30° S.

Intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ)

The latitude that receives the most intense sunlight, which causes the ascending branches of the two Hadley cells to converge.

Polar cell

A convection current in the atmosphere, formed by air that rises at 60° N and 60° S and sinks at the poles, 90° N and 90° S.

Ferrell cell

A convection current in the atmosphere that lies between Hadley cells and polar cells.

Coriolis effect

The deflection of an object's path due to the rotation of Earth.

Rain shadow

A region with dry conditions found on the leeward side of a mountain range as a result of humid winds from the ocean causing precipitation on the windward side.

Gyre

A large-scale pattern of water circulation that moves clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.

Upwelling

The upward movement of ocean water toward the surface as a result of diverging currents.

Thermohaline circulation

An oceanic circulation pattern that drives the mixing of surface water and deep water.

El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)

A reversal of wind and water currents in the South Pacific.

Terrestrial biome

A geographic region categorized by a particular combination of average annual temperature, annual precipitation, and distinctive plant growth forms on land.

Aquatic biome

An aquatic region characterized by a particular combination of salinity, depth, and water flow.

Habitat

An area where a particular species lives in nature.

Tundra

A cold and treeless biome with low-growing vegetation.

Permafrost

An impermeable, permanently frozen layer of soil.

Boreal forest

A forest biome made up primarily of coniferous evergreen trees that can tolerate cold winters and short growing seasons.

Temperate rainforest

A coastal biome typified by moderate temperatures and high precipitation.

Temperate seasonal forest

A biome with warm summers and cold winters with over 1 m (39 inches) of precipitation annually.

Woodland/shrubland

A biome characterized by hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters.

Temperate grassland/cold desert

A biome characterized by cold, harsh winters, and hot, dry summers.

Tropical rainforest

A warm and wet biome found between 20° N and 20° S of the equator, with little seasonal temperature variation and high precipitation.

Tropical seasonal forest/savanna

A biome marked by warm temperatures and distinct wet and dry seasons.

Subtropical desert

A biome prevailing at approximately 30° N and 30° S, with hot temperatures, extremely dry conditions, and sparse vegetation.

Littoral zone

The shallow zone of soil and water in lakes and ponds where most algae and emergent plants grow.

Limnetic zone

A zone of open water in lakes and ponds.

Phytoplankton

Floating algae.

Profundal zone

A region of water where sunlight does not reach, below the limnetic zone in very deep lakes.

Benthic zone

The muddy bottom of a lake, pond, or ocean.

Oligotrophic

Describes a lake with a low level of productivity.

Mesotrophic

Describes a lake with a moderate level of productivity.

Eutrophic

Describes a lake with a high level of productivity.

Freshwater wetland

An aquatic biome that is submerged or saturated by water for at least part of each year, but shallow enough to support emergent vegetation.

Salt marsh

A marsh containing nonwoody emergent vegetation, found along the coast in temperate climates.

Estuary

An area along the coast where the fresh water of rivers mixes with salt water from the ocean.

Mangrove swamp

A swamp that occurs along tropical and subtropical coasts, and contains salt-tolerant trees with roots submerged in water.

Intertidal zone

The narrow band of coastline between the levels of high tide and low tide.

Coral reef

The most diverse marine biome on Earth, found in warm, shallow waters beyond the shoreline.