Unit 1 Notes

Energy

Energy

The capacity to do work or transfer heat.

Kinetic Energy

Energy associated with motion.

Potential Energy

Stored energy that can potentially be used.

High-Quality Energy

Concentrated and easy to use energy, with little waste.

Low-Quality Energy

Energy that is spread out and not as useful, leading to more waste and less efficiency.

First Law of Thermodynamics

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

Second Law of Thermodynamics

Energy changes from high quality to low quality as it transforms from one form to another.

Systems

Interconnected components and processes that work together.

Inputs

Resources or factors that enter a system.

Throughputs

Internal processes that transform or use the inputs.

Outputs

Results or products that the system produces.

Feedback Loops

Mechanisms that influence how a system responds to changes.

Positive Feedback Loop

A change that makes things get even more extreme in the same way.

Negative Feedback Loop

Changes that stabilize a system.

Ecology

The science that explores how living things and their surroundings work together.

Trophic Level

A specific rank in the food chain that describes an organism's role in capturing or consuming energy and nutrients.

Producers

Organisms that use nutrients from their environment through photosynthesis.

Primary Consumers

Herbivores that eat mostly green plants.

Secondary Consumers

Carnivores that eat other animals.

Tertiary Consumers

Animals that eat secondary consumers.

Decomposers

Organisms that break down dead plant and animal material, returning nutrients to the soil, water, and air.

Food Chain

A line that shows how animals and plants eat each other to get energy.

Food Webs

Networks of interconnected food chains that represent the complex interactions of multiple species in an ecosystem.

Biomass

The total weight of all living things in an area or ecosystem.

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

Total energy plants capture from the sun through photosynthesis before they use some of it for their own needs.

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

The energy left over for other organisms after plants have used some for themselves.

Hydrologic Cycle

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

Carbon Cycle

The movement of carbon between living organisms, the atmosphere, and the Earth's crust.

Nitrogen Cycle

The circulation of nitrogen in various forms through nature.

Phosphate Cycle

The movement of phosphorus between living organisms, the atmosphere, and the Earth's crust.

Sulfur Cycle

The circulation of sulfur in various forms through nature.

Interspecific Competition

Different species competing for the same resources.

Predation

One organism hunting and eating another.

Parasitism

One organism benefiting at the expense of another by living on or inside it.

Mutualism

A relationship where both organisms benefit.

Commensalism

A relationship where one organism benefits, and the other is neither helped nor harmed.

Niche Overlap

When different species share similar resource needs.

Predator-Prey Relationships

Involves hunting and consuming another organism (and how the

Terrestrial Biomes

Large regions characterized by certain climates and plant life.

Deserts

Areas with low and scattered annual precipitation.

Grasslands

Areas with grass-dominated vegetation.

Forests

Areas with a high density of trees.

Mountains

High-altitude areas with unique ecosystems.

Aquatic Biomes

Water-based ecosystems, including marine and freshwater zones.

Turbidity

Cloudiness in water that can block photosynthesis.

Plankton

Small, drifting organisms in aquatic systems.

Nekton

Swimming organisms in aquatic systems.

Benthos

Organisms living on the bottom of bodies of water.

Decomposers

Bacteria that break down organic matter.

Marine Aquatic Systems

Saltwater ecosystems, including coastal zones, estuaries, and the open sea.

Freshwater Aquatic Systems

Bodies of freshwater, including surface water, lakes, rivers, and wetlands.