Honors Biology: Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems

These flashcards cover essential terminology and concepts related to matter and energy in ecosystems, emphasizing key definitions and relationships within ecological principles.

Ecology

The study of interactions between organisms and their environment

Biotic factors

Living parts of the environment such as plants

Abiotic factors

Non-living parts of the environment such as temperature

Ecosystem

A community of organisms interacting with each other and their abiotic environment

Habitat

The physical environment where specific plants and animals live

Producer (autotroph)

An organism that captures energy from the sun or inorganic compounds to make food

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants convert sunlight into chemical energy (glucose)

Chemoautotroph

An organism that uses energy from inorganic compounds to make food through chemosynthesis

Consumer

An organism that obtains energy by eating other organisms

Herbivore

An organism that eats plants

Carnivore

An organism that eats other animals

Omnivore

An organism that eats both plants and animals

Decomposer

An organism that breaks down dead organic matter

Energy flow

The one-way movement of energy through an ecosystem from producers to consumers to decomposers

Food chain

A series of steps showing how energy transfers between organisms

Trophic level

Each step in a food chain or food web

Food web

A network of interconnected food chains showing complex feeding relationships

Trophic pyramid

A diagram showing the relative amount of energy or matter at each trophic level

Energy pyramid

Shows how much energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next

Biomass pyramid

Shows the total mass of living matter at each trophic level

Pyramid of numbers

Shows the number of individual organisms at each trophic level

Trophic cascade

Occurs when changes in one trophic level disrupt the entire ecosystem

Biogeochemical cycle

Cycles that move matter through ecosystems and between living and nonliving parts of Earth

Water cycle

The continuous movement of water through evaporation

Carbon cycle

The cycle that moves carbon among the atmosphere

Nitrogen cycle

The process that converts nitrogen into usable forms for living organisms

Phosphorus cycle

The movement of phosphorus through rocks

Niche

The role or function of an organism in its ecosystem

Community interactions

Relationships between organisms that affect survival and reproduction

Competition

When two or more organisms compete for the same resource

Predation

When one organism (predator) hunts and eats another (prey)

Symbiosis

A close and long-term relationship between two species

Mutualism

A symbiotic relationship where both organisms benefit

Commensalism

A symbiotic relationship where one benefits and the other is unaffected

Parasitism

A symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits at the expense of the other

Ecological succession

The process of change in species structure within an ecosystem over time

Primary succession

Succession that begins on bare surfaces without soil

Pioneer species

The first organisms to colonize barren environments

Secondary succession

Succession that occurs after a disturbance but where soil remains

Population

A group of individuals of the same species living in a specific area

Factors affecting population size

Births

Exponential growth

Rapid population increase under ideal conditions

Logistic growth

Population growth that slows as resources become limited

Carrying capacity (K)

The maximum population size an environment can sustainably support

Density-dependent limiting factors

Factors that limit population growth when density is high (e.g.

Density-independent limiting factors

Factors that limit population regardless of density (e.g.