apes quiz 1 vocab

ammonification

soil bacteria, microbes & decomposers converting waste & dead biomass back into NH₃ and returning it to soil

assimilation

plants & animals taking N in and incorporating it into their body

commensalism

relationship that benefits one organism & doesn’t impact the other (+/O)

competitive exclusion principle

two species cannot occupy the same niche in a habitat or coexist indefinitely

denitrification

conversion of soil N (NO₃) into nitrous oxide (N₂O) gas which returns to atmosphere

ecological footprint

how fast humans consume resources and generate waste compared to how fast nature can absorb our waste and generate resource in return

ecological hierarchy

an arrangement of all organisms and abiotic components present on Earth

ecotone

a border zone where 2 ecological systems meet and integrate

gross primary productivity

The total amount of sun energy (light) that plants capture and convert to energy (glucose) through photosynthesis

trophic levels

the hierarchical levels in an ecosystem that categorizes organisms based on their primary source of food

food web

complex connection between plants, animals, and other organisms that eat, or are eaten by one another

trophic pyramid

flow of energy through a food chain in an ecosystem

algal bloom

rapid overgrowth of algae in a body of water`

eutrophic

when a body of water receives as excess of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) causing uncontrolled algae growth and oxygen depletion

oligotrophic

water body that contains low nutrients and has abundant oxygen

hypoxic

water with low dissolved oxygen that stresses or kills aquatic life

keystone species

organism that holds the system together

positive feedback

loop amplifies a change and pushes the system further from where it started

negative feedback

loop counteracts a change and pulls the system back toward balance

biogeochemical cycle

the natural processes that move elements and compounds (like carbon, water, nitrogen, and phosphorus) between living organisms, the atmosphere, water, soil, and rock through sources, sinks, and reservoirs