Studied by 8 people
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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.
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