Chapter 3: What Are They and How Do They Work?

Cells

Smallest unit in both structure and function

Cell Theory

All living things are composed of cells

Eukaryotic Cell

A type of cell that is surrounded by a membrane, nucleus, and other parts

Prokaryotic Cell

A type of cell surrounded by a membrane, but no distinct internal parts or nucleus

Species

Individuals that can mate and produce offspring

Ecology

Study of how organisms interact with their abiotic and biotic environments

Population

Group of individuals that have the same species that all live in the same place

Genetic Diversity

Reason why people are different from one another

Habitat

Where individuals live

Community or Biological Community

Population of different species living in a particular place and potentially interacting

Ecosystem

Where communities of different species interact with each other

Biosphere

Large regions with distinct climates and certain species adapted to them

Atmosphere

Thin layer of gases that surrounds the earths surface

Troposphere

Lower part of the atmosphere, contains nitrogen, weather, and greenhouse gases

Greenhouse Gases

They trap heat and are in the troposphere

Stratosphere

Second layer of the atmosphere that has the ozone layer

Geosphere

Consists of the core, the mantle, and the crust

Biomes

Large regions with distinct climates and certain species adapt to them

Hydrosphere

All of the water on or near the earths surface

Aquatic life zones

Biomes in water can be freshwater or marine

Abiotic

Nonliving components

Biotic

Living components

Range of Tolerance

The range of conditions that populations can survive in, individuals may have different ranges than the population

Limiting Factors

Abiotic components that reduce population growth

Abiotic Limiting Factors

Temperature, sunlight, nutrient availability, precipitation, etc

Trophic Level

The feeding level of organisms in an ecosystem

Producers/Autotrophs

Organisms that make their own food

Photosynthesis

Chemical process that converts energy from the sun into food for plants

Chemosynthesis

Chemical process that a few producers use to convert compounds from their environment into nutrients, without sunlight

Primary Consumers (Herbivores)

Herbivores, eat producers

Secondary Consumers (Carnivores)

Carnivores, eat herbivores

Third or Higher-Level Consumers

Carnivores, eat other carnivores

Omnivores

Eat both plants and animals

Decomposers

Consumers that release nutrients from the dead bodies of plants and animals and return them to the soil

Aerobic Respiration

The release of a relatively large amount of energy in cells by the breakdown of food substances in the presence of oxygen

Anaerobic Respiration or Fermentation

The release of a relatively large amount of energy in cells by the breakdown of food substances in the presence of oxygen

Food Chain

A sequence of organisms that serve as energy for the next

Food Web

Interconnected food chains

Biomass

Weight of organic matter in an organism

Ecological Efficiency

Percentage of usable chemical energy that is transferred from one level to the next

Gross primary productivity (GPP)

Rate at which an ecosystems producers convert solar energy to chemical energy

Net primary productivity (NPP)

Rate at which producers produce and store chemical energy minus the right that they use for life process

Biogeochemical Cycles

Nutrient cycles

Hydrologic Cycle or Water Cycle

Collects, purifies, and distributes the earths fixed supply of water

Transpiration

water evaporates from the surface of plants

Nitrogen Cycle

Repeating the cycle of processes during which nitrogen moves through both living and non-living things

Nitrogen Fixation

Specialized bacteria in soil and algae in water combine nitrogen gas with hydrogen to make ammonia

Denitrification

Converting nitrate to nitrogen gas

Acid Deposition (acid rain)

Rain that has been made acidic by certain pollutants in the air

Phosphorus Cycle

Cycling of phosphorus through the earth's crust, living organisms, and water

Sulfur Cycle

Cycling of sulfur

Eukaryotic Cell

A type of cell that is surrounded by a membrane, nucleus, and other parts.

Prokaryotic Cell

A type of cell surrounded by a membrane, but no distinct internal parts or nucleus.

Genetic Diversity

Reason why people are different from one another

Community or Biological Community

Population of different species living in a particular place and potentially interacting

Ecosystem

Where communities of different species interact with each other.

Biosphere

Large regions with distinct climates and certain species adapted to them.

Troposphere

Lower part of the atmosphere, contains nitrogen, weather, and greenhouse gases

Greenhouse Gases

They trap heat and are in the troposphere.

Stratosphere

Second layer of the atmosphere that has the ozone layer

Geosphere

Consists of the core, the mantle, and the crust

Biomes

Large regions with distinct climates and certain species adapt to them

Hydrosphere

All of the water on or near the earth’s surface

Aquatic life zones

Biomes in water can be freshwater or marine

Abiotic

Nonliving components

Biotic

Living components

Trophic Level

The feeding level of organisms in an ecosystem

Producers/Autotrophs

Organisms that make their own food

Photosynthesis

Chemical process that converts energy from the sun into food for plants

Chemosynthesis

Chemical process that a few producers use to convert compounds from their environment into nutrients, without sunlight.

Primary Consumers (Herbivores)

Herbivores, eat producers.

Secondary Consumers (Carnivores)

Carnivores, eat herbivores

Third or Higher-Level Consumers

Carnivores, eat other carnivores

Omnivores

Eat both plants and animals

Decomposers

Consumers that release nutrients from the dead bodies of plants and animals and return them to the soil.

Aerobic Respiration

The release of a relatively large amount of energy in cells by the breakdown of food substances in the presence of oxygen

Anaerobic Respiration or Fermentation

The release of a relatively large amount of energy in cells by the breakdown of food substances in the presence of oxygen

Food Chain

A sequence of organisms that serve as energy for the next

Food Web

Interconnected food chains

Biomass

Weight of organic matter in an organism

Ecological Efficiency

Percentage of usable chemical energy that is transferred from one level to the next

Gross primary productivity (GPP)

Rate at which an ecosystem’s producers convert solar energy to chemical energy

Net primary productivity (NPP)

Rate at which producers produce and store chemical energy minus the right that they use for life process.

Hydrologic Cycle or Water Cycle

Collects, purifies, and distributes the earth’s fixed supply of water.

Transpiration

water evaporates from the surface of plants

Nitrogen Cycle

Repeating the cycle of processes during which nitrogen moves through both living and non-living things

Nitrogen Fixation

Specialized bacteria in soil and algae in water combine nitrogen gas with hydrogen to make ammonia

Denitrification

Converting nitrate to nitrogen gas

Carbon Cycle

How carbon circulates through the biosphere. It is based on CO2 gas and involves photosynthesis, respiration, fossil fuels, etc.

Phosphorus Cycle

Cycling of phosphorus through the earth's crust, living organisms, and water.

Sulfur Cycle

How sulfur circulates through the biosphere. It involves SO4 2- salts in deep ocean sediments, rock, H2S from bogs, swamps, etc., SO2 from volcanoes, and H2SO4 from the atmosphere to land.