ESS - Unit 1 (copy)

biotic factors

living things

abiotic factors

non-living things

atmosphere

a mixture of gas (contains oxygen and carbon dioxide) that surrounds earth, protects us from UV

biosphere

the region of the Earth where life can be found, including the soil, water, and air

hydrosphere

the total amount of water on a planet

lithosphere

the solid crust or the hard top layer of the earth. It is made up of rocks and minerals

precipitation

any liquid or frozen water that forms in the atmosphere and falls back to the earth

interception

the process of interrupting the movement of water in the chain of transportation events leading to streams

infiltration

the process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil

percolation

the movement of water through soil

channel flow

the movement of water within the river channel

evaporation

the process that changes liquid water to gaseous water

transpiration

when plants take up liquid water from soil and release water vapor into the air from their leaves

photosynthesisthe

the process by which plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to create oxygen and energy in the form of sugar

carbon cycle

nature’s way of recycling carbon atmos

water cycle

a simple circular cycle of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation

nitrogen cycle

nitrogen moves through both living and non-living things

condensation

the process by which water vapor in the air is changed into liquid water

autotrophs

producers in food chains

heterotrophs

consumers in food chains

apex predator

any predator that has no enemies, usually on top of the food chain

open system

a system which both materials and energy are exchanged across the boundaries

closed system

a system which energy is exchanged across the boundaries but matter is not

thermodynamics

science of motion in heat

respiration

the action of breathing

entropy

how much energy is not available to work

trophic levels

the position of an organism in the food chain

non-biodegradable

those that cannot be decomposed or dissolved by natural agents