Ecosystems and Biodiversity

Flashcards covering key concepts from ecosystems, biodiversity, and environmental science.

Ecosystem Levels

Five levels of environmental study ranked from smallest to largest: Individual, Population, Community, Ecosystem, Biome.

Biotic Factors

Living components in an ecosystem, such as animals, bacteria, fungi, and plants.

Abiotic Factors

Non-living components in an ecosystem, such as sunlight, temperature, precipitation, moisture, pH, and soil.

Symbiosis

Types of interactions between species including competition, predation, mutualism, and commensalism.

Resource Partitioning

Evolutionary process where species reduce competition by using resources in different ways or at different times.

Biome

A region defined by a shared combination of average temperature and precipitation.

Aquatic Biomes

Ecosystems in water characterized by salinity, depth, flow, and temperature.

Sink and Source in Biogeochemical Cycles

Sink: reservoir that stores more than it releases; Source: reservoir that releases more than it stores.

Primary Productivity

The rate at which solar energy is converted into organic compounds (photosynthesis) over time.

NPP (Net Primary Productivity)

Calculated as NPP = GPP (Gross Primary Productivity) - RL (Respiration Loss).

Trophic Levels

Hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, usually including Producers, Primary Consumers, Secondary Consumers, and Tertiary Consumers.

10% Rule

The principle that approximately 10% of energy at one trophic level is transferred to the next level.

Food Web

A complex network of feeding relationships among species in an ecosystem.

Biodiversity

The variety of Earth’s species, including genetic diversity and ecosystem diversity.

Indicator Species

A species whose presence or absence reflects the health of an ecosystem.

Tragedy of the Commons

A situation where individuals overuse shared resources, leading to resource depletion.

Ecological Range of Tolerance

The range of environmental conditions that an organism can withstand before injury or death.

Carrying Capacity

The maximum number of individuals an ecosystem can support based on available resources.

Urbanization

The increasing population shift from rural to urban areas, impacting resource use and emissions.

Sustainable Agriculture

Practices aimed at conserving soil and water resources while supporting farming.

Aquaculture

The cultivation of aquatic animals in controlled environments, such as fish farming.

Clearcutting

The complete removal of trees from a designated area, affecting soil and ecosystems.