apes bio flashcards

abiotic

A nonliving factor of an ecosystem, such as temperature, sunlight, water, or soil.

biotic

A living component of an ecosystem, including plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, and other organisms.

population

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

community

All the populations of different species living and interacting in the same area.

ecosystem

A community of organisms interacting with one another and with the nonliving components of their environment.

biosphere

The part of Earth where life exists, including all ecosystems and living organisms.

habitat

The physical place or environment where an organism normally lives and obtains the resources it needs.

niche

The way an organism lives in its environment, including the resources it uses and its interactions with other organisms - what it does, basically its job

species

A group of organisms that can naturally interbreed and produce fertile offspring.

biome

A large geographic region characterized by a particular climate and the plants and animals adapted to that climate.

autotroph

An organism that produces its own food from inorganic substances, usually through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.

heterotroph

An organism that obtains energy and nutrients by consuming other organisms or organic matter.

producer

An organism that makes its own food and provides energy to other organisms in an ecosystem.

limiting factor

A biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the size, growth, or distribution of a population.

ecology

The scientific study of interactions between organisms and between organisms and their physical environment.

food chain

A sequence of organisms through which energy and nutrients pass as one organism eats another.

food web

A network of interconnected food chains showing the feeding relationships within an ecosystem.

trophic level

A feeding position in a food chain or food web.

primary consumer

An organism that feeds directly on producers, usually a herbivore.

secondary consumer

An organism that feeds primarily on primary consumers.

tertiary consumers

Organisms that feed primarily on secondary consumers.

herbivore

An organism that obtains energy by eating plants, algae, or other producers.

carnivore

An organism that obtains most of its energy by eating other animals.

omnivore

An organism that obtains energy by eating both plant and animal matter.

scavenger

An organism that feeds on dead animals that it did not kill.

detritivore

An organism that feeds on dead organic matter called detritus.

detritus

Dead organic material, including fallen leaves, dead organisms, and waste.

detritus feeder

An organism that obtains nutrients by feeding on detritus.

decomposer

An organism, such as a fungus or bacterium, that breaks down dead organic matter and absorbs the nutrients.

photosynthesis

The process in which producers use light energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.

respiration

A cellular process that breaks down organic molecules to release usable energy.

aerobic

Describes a process that requires or uses oxygen.

anaerobic

Describes a process that occurs without oxygen.

gross primary productivity (GPP)

The total amount of energy captured by producers through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis in a given area and time.

net primary productivity (NPP)

The energy stored as new plant biomass after producers use some captured energy for cellular respiration - basically whatevers left after respiration

primary productivity

The rate at which producers convert energy into chemical energy stored in organic matter.

energy productivity

The rate at which energy is produced or stored as biological material in an ecosystem.

net energy

The amount of energy remaining for growth, reproduction, and other activities after energy used for metabolism is subtracted.

kilocalorie (kcal)

A unit of energy equal to 1,000 calories, commonly used to measure energy in food.

pyramid of energy flow

A diagram showing the amount of energy available at each trophic level, with less energy available at higher levels.

first law of thermodynamics

Energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be transferred or transformed.

second law of thermodynamics

Every energy transfer or transformation makes some energy less useful, usually releasing it as heat.

law of conservation of energy

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or changed from one form to another.

interspecific competition

Competition for limited resources between individuals of different species.

intraspecific competition

Competition for limited resources between individuals of the same species.

competitive exclusion

The principle that two species cannot occupy the exact same niche indefinitely when competing for the same limited resources.

resource partitioning

The division of resources among competing species so that they use resources in different ways.

predation

An interaction in which one organism captures and consumes another organism.

mutualism

A relationship between two species in which both species benefit.

commensalism

A relationship in which one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.

parasitism

A relationship in which one organism benefits while the host organism is harmed.

host

An organism that provides a parasite with food, shelter, or a place to live.

generalist species

A species that can survive in many different environments and use many different resources.

specialist species

A species that has a narrow niche and depends on specific environmental conditions or resources.

indicator species

A species whose presence, absence, or condition provides information about environmental conditions.

keystone species

A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its ecosystem compared with its abundance.

fundamental niche

The full range of environmental conditions and resources a species could use without limiting factors such as competition or predation.

water cycle

The continuous movement of water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, runoff, and transpiration.

hydrologic cycle

The continuous movement of water between Earth's surface, atmosphere, and underground systems.

precipitation

Water that falls from the atmosphere to Earth's surface as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

infiltration

The process by which water on Earth's surface enters the soil.

runoff

Water from precipitation or melting snow that flows over or through land toward bodies of water.

surface runoff

Water that flows over the surface of land instead of infiltrating into the soil.

surface water

Water found on Earth's surface, including rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, and reservoirs.

groundwater

Water located beneath Earth's surface in the spaces and cracks within soil, sediment, and rock.

water table

The upper surface of the zone of saturation, below which the ground is completely saturated with water.

zones of aeration and saturation

The zone of aeration contains both air and water, while the zone of saturation has its spaces completely filled with water.

leaching

The process in which water carries dissolved substances and nutrients downward through soil.

transpiration

The release of water vapor from plants into the atmosphere, mainly through openings in their leaves.

carbon cycle

The movement of carbon among the atmosphere, living organisms, soil, oceans, and Earth's crust.

carbon sink

A natural or artificial system that absorbs and stores more carbon than it releases.

nitrogen cycle

The movement of nitrogen among the atmosphere, soil, water, and living organisms.

nitrogen fixation

The conversion of atmospheric nitrogen gas into nitrogen compounds that organisms can use, usually converted by bacteria.

ammonification

The process in which decomposers convert organic nitrogen into ammonia or ammonium.

nitrification

The process in which bacteria convert ammonia or ammonium into nitrites and then nitrates.

denitrification

The process in which bacteria convert nitrates into nitrogen gas, returning nitrogen to the atmosphere.

assimilation

The process by which organisms take up and incorporate nutrients such as nitrogen into their cells and tissues.

phosphorus cycle

The movement of phosphorus through rocks, soil, water, and living organisms.

sulfur cycle

The movement of sulfur through the atmosphere, soil, water, rocks, and living organisms.

biogeochemical cycle

The natural movement of elements and compounds between living organisms and the nonliving environment.

law of conservation of matter

Matter cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be rearranged or changed from one form to another.

pioneer species

The first organisms to colonize and establish themselves in an area undergoing ecological succession.

primary succession

Ecological succession that begins in an area where no soil exists, such as bare rock.

secondary succession

Ecological succession that occurs after a disturbance removes organisms but leaves the soil intact.

climax community

A relatively stable community that develops after a long period of ecological succession.

biodiversity

The variety of living organisms in a particular area or on Earth as a whole.

biological diversity

The variety of life, including diversity within species, between species, and among ecosystems.

genetic diversity

The variety of genetic characteristics found within a population or species.

species diversity

The variety of species in an ecosystem, including the number of species and their relative abundance.

species richness

The number of different species present in a particular area or community.

species evenness

A measure of how evenly individuals are distributed among different species in a community.

ecological diversity

The variety of ecosystems, habitats, and ecological processes in a region.

adaptation

An inherited characteristic that helps an organism survive and reproduce in its environment.

evolution

A change in the inherited characteristics of a population over generations.

natural selection

The process in which individuals with advantageous inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce more successfully.

speciation

The evolutionary process through which populations become genetically different enough to form new species.

geographic isolation

The physical separation of populations by geographic barriers, reducing or preventing gene flow.

reproductive isolation

A condition in which populations cannot successfully mate or produce fertile offspring, preventing gene flow.

endangered species

A species whose population has declined to a level where it is at significant risk of extinction.

endemic species

A species that is naturally found only in a specific geographic area and nowhere else.