Biology Ecosystem Flashcards

Ecosystem

A complex self-regulating system where living organisms interact with each other and their non-living environment.

Biotic Factors

The living components of an ecosystem such as plants and animals and bacteria.

Abiotic Factors

The non-living components of an ecosystem such as water and sunlight and soil and temperature.

Sustainability

The ability of an ecosystem to maintain its structure and function over time without giving out or collapsing.

Biosphere

The global ecological system integrating all living beings and their relationships - the zone of life on Earth.

Atmosphere

The layer of gases surrounding Earth.

Lithosphere

Earth's solid outer layer including the crust and upper mantle.

Hydrosphere

All the water on and above and below Earth's surface such as oceans and lakes and groundwater and ice.

Nutrient Cycle

The continuous movement of nutrients through the biotic and abiotic parts of an ecosystem.

Water Cycle

The continuous movement of water on and above and below the surface of the Earth.

Carbon Cycle

The process in which carbon atoms continually travel from the atmosphere to the Earth and then back into the atmosphere.

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants use sunlight and carbon dioxide and water to produce glucose and oxygen.

Cellular Respiration

The process by which organisms break down glucose and oxygen to release usable chemical energy and carbon dioxide.

Nitrogen Cycle

The series of processes by which nitrogen and its compounds are interconverted in the environment and in living organisms.

Nitrogen Fixation

The process of converting nitrogen gas from the atmosphere into forms that plants can absorb and use like nitrates often done by bacteria or lightning.

Denitrification

The process by which specialized soil bacteria convert nitrates back into nitrogen gas releasing it into the atmosphere.

Nitrates

A soluble nitrogen compound ($NO_3^-$) that plants can easily absorb from the soil to grow.

Eutrophication

A process where nutrient runoff like fertilizers causes excess algae growth in a body of water depleting oxygen and harming aquatic life.

Symbiosis

A close long-term interaction between two different species living together.

Predation

An interaction where one organism (the predator) kills and consumes another organism (the prey).

Competition

The struggle between organisms for the same limited resources such as food or territory or mates in an ecosystem.

Population

A group of individuals of the same species living in the same area at the same time.

Equilibrium

A state of balance in an ecosystem where conditions and population sizes remain relatively stable over time.

Carrying Capacity

The maximum number of individuals of a species that an ecosystem can support sustainably over a long period.

Limiting Factor

Any variable factor (biotic or abiotic) that restricts the growth or abundance or distribution of a population.

Biodiversity

The variety of life found in a particular ecosystem or on Earth as a whole.

Invasive Species

A non-native species introduced to an ecosystem that causes negative ecological or economic or environmental impacts.

Habitat Fragmentation

The breaking up of large continuous habitats into smaller isolated patches often due to human activity.

Overexploitation

The use or extraction of a resource like fish or trees until it is depleted or unsustainable.

Pollution

The introduction of harmful materials or contaminants into the environment.

Climate Change

Long-term shifts in global weather patterns and temperatures primarily driven by human activities like burning fossil fuels.

Bioaccumulation

The gradual buildup of a substance or chemical like a pesticide in the tissues of a single organism over time.

Biomagnification

The increase in concentration of a toxin as it moves up successive levels of a food chain.

Stewardship

The responsible use and protection of the natural environment through conservation and sustainable practices.