Ecosystems- Apes unit 1 Review

Vocabulary flashcards based on key concepts from ecosystems and environmental science.

Predator-Prey Relationship

A biological interaction where one organism (the predator) eats another organism (the prey).

Symbiosis

A close and long-term interaction between two species, which can be mutualism, commensalism, or parasitism.

Competition

An interaction in which organisms vie for the same limited resources, which can occur within or between species.

Resource Partitioning

A strategy where different species use the same resource in different ways to reduce competition.

Ecosystem

A community of living organisms and their interactions with their physical environment.

Biome

A large geographical area defined by its climate, vegetation, and animal communities.

Mutualism

A type of symbiotic relationship where both organisms benefit.

Commensalism

A type of symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.

Parasitism

A type of symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits at the expense of the other.

Primary Productivity

The rate at which solar energy is converted into organic compounds via photosynthesis.

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

The total rate of photosynthesis in a given area.

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

The rate of energy storage by photosynthesizers in a given area after subtracting the energy lost to respiration.

10% Rule

The principle that only about 10% of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next in an energy pyramid.

Biogeochemical Cycle

The movement of matter through the biological and physical environment, involving the cycling of elements like carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and water.

Eutrophication

The process by which excess nutrients (often from fertilizers) lead to the overgrowth of algae in aquatic ecosystems.

Trophic Level

Each of the hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, comprising organisms that share the same function in the food chain.

Carbon Sink

A reservoir that absorbs more carbon than it releases, helping to reduce levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Nitrogen Fixation

The process through which atmospheric nitrogen is converted into a form usable by plants, typically ammonia.

Phosphorus Cycle

The movement of phosphorus through the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere.

Hydrologic Cycle

The continuous movement of water within the Earth and atmosphere.

Photosynthesis

The process by which green plants and some organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods with the help of chlorophyll.