Key Concepts in Ecosystems and Energy Flow

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary and key concepts related to ecosystems, energy flow, and ecological interactions as discussed in the lecture.

Ecosystem

A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Abiotic Factors

Non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment that affect living organisms.

Biotic Factors

All the living components of an ecosystem.

Producers

Organisms, such as plants and phytoplankton, that produce energy through photosynthesis.

Consumers

Organisms that rely on consuming other organisms for energy.

Decomposers

Organisms, such as bacteria and fungi, that break down dead organic material.

Chemical Cycling

The movement and exchange of organic and inorganic matter back into the production of living matter.

Photosynthesis

The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods with carbon dioxide and water.

Trophic Levels

The hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, comprising producers at the first level and various levels of consumers.

Trophic Efficiency

The percentage of energy that is transferred from one trophic level to the next.

Mineralization

The process of decomposing organic matter to release nutrients in a usable form.

Carbon Cycle

The series of processes by which carbon compounds are interconverted in the environment.

Greenhouse Effect

The warming of Earth's surface due to the trapping of heat by greenhouse gases.

Fossil Fuels

Natural substances formed from the decomposed remains of ancient plants and animals.

Fluxes

Movements of molecules or elements within an ecosystem.

Pools

Reservoirs of a molecule or element within an ecosystem.

Nutrient Cycling

The movement of nutrients through ecosystems and their transformation from organic to inorganic forms.

Biodiversity

The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

Biomass

The total mass of organisms in a given area or volume.

Feedback Loop

A situation where a system's output influences its input, often creating a cycle of reciprocal effects.