Unit 1 - Introduction to Ecosystems

Ecosystem

Includes all living and nonliving things in an area.

Biome

A large area with similar climate conditions that determine plant and animal species there.

Competition

Organisms fighting over a resource like food or shelter, limiting population size.

Predation

One organism using another for an energy source, such as hunters, parasites, or herbivores.

Mutualism

A relationship that benefits both organisms.

Commensalism

A relationship that benefits one organism without impacting the other.

Herbivores

Organisms that eat plants for energy.

True predators

Organisms that kill and eat prey for energy.

Parasites

Organisms that use a host for energy without killing it, often living inside the host.

Parasitoids

Organisms that lay eggs inside a host, with larvae eating the host for energy.

Symbiosis

A close and long-term interaction between two organisms of different species.

Resource partitioning

Different species using the same resources in different ways.

Temporal partitioning

Using resources at different times, like wolves and coyotes hunting at different times.

Spatial partitioning

Using different areas of a shared habitat.

Morphological partitioning

Using different resources based on evolved body features.

Nutrient availability

Determines which plants can survive in a biome based on soil nutrients.

Shifting biomes

Biomes changing location on Earth due to climate changes.

Salinity

Determines which species can survive in aquatic biomes based on salt levels.

Depth

Influences sunlight penetration for photosynthesis in aquatic biomes.

Flow

Determines which plants and organisms can survive and oxygen levels in water.

Temperature

Warmer water holds less dissolved oxygen, affecting aquatic organisms.

Wetland

Area with soil submerged in water part of the year, supporting specific plant adaptations.

Estuaries

Areas where rivers meet the ocean, with high productivity and diverse species.

Coral Reef

Diverse marine biome with mutualistic relationship between coral and algae.

Intertidal Zones

Coastal areas between high and low tide, requiring adaptations for survival.

Open Ocean

Low productivity but significant in producing oxygen and absorbing CO2.

Carbon Cycle

Movement of carbon-containing molecules between sources and sinks.

Carbon sink

Reservoir storing more carbon than it releases.

Carbon source

Processes adding carbon to the atmosphere.

Photosynthesis

Process by plants and algae to convert CO2 to glucose, a carbon sink.

Cellular Respiration

Process releasing stored energy and CO2 into the atmosphere, a carbon source.

Nitrogen Cycle

Movement of nitrogen-containing molecules between sources and sinks.

Nitrogen fixation

Conversion of N2 gas into biologically available forms like ammonia or nitrate.

Phosphorus Cycle

Movement of phosphorus atoms between sources and sinks, often limiting plant growth.

Eutrophication

Excess nitrogen and phosphorus leading to algae blooms and oxygen depletion in water bodies.

Hydrologic Cycle

Movement of water between sources and sinks, driven by solar energy.

Transpiration

The process by which plants draw groundwater from roots up to their leaves, where water evaporates into the atmosphere through leaf openings called stomata.

Evapotranspiration

The total amount of water that enters the atmosphere from both transpiration and evaporation processes, driven by solar energy.

Runoff and Infiltration

Processes where precipitation either flows over the Earth's surface into bodies of water (runoff) or trickles through soil into groundwater aquifers (infiltration).

Primary Productivity

The rate at which solar energy is converted into organic compounds through photosynthesis, determining the amount of energy available for consumers in an ecosystem.

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

The energy (biomass) remaining for consumers after plants have used some for respiration, representing the actual amount of energy available for higher trophic levels.

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

The total solar energy captured by plants and converted into glucose through photosynthesis, forming the basis for the ecosystem's energy flow.

Ecological Efficiency

The percentage of incoming solar energy captured by plants and converted into biomass, influencing the diversity of animal life supported by an ecosystem.

Trophic Levels

The hierarchical levels in a food chain or food web, including producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers, each representing a different feeding position.

10% Rule

The principle that only about 10% of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next, with the rest being lost as heat, impacting the biomass and energy available at each level.

Food Webs

Diagrams illustrating the flow of matter and energy through interconnected food chains in an ecosystem, showing how organisms interact and the direction of energy transfer.