APES Chapter 2 and 3

Biosphere

The region of our planet where life resides, the combination of all ecosystems on Earth

Phosphorus cycle

weathering and erosion of rocks or use of fertilizer, runoff to aquatic ecosystem, use in aquatic plants and animals, dissolved, return to ocean floor as sediments to become rocks

carbon cycle

absorbed by autotrophs, converted to energy, consumed by animals, returns to atmosphere through decomposition

Nitrogen cycle

fixation, assimilation, ammonification, nitrification, denitrification

hydrologic cycle

evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, runoff

Producer

An organism that uses the energy of the Sun to produce usable forms of energy (also known as autotroph)

Photosynthesis

The process by which producers use solar energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose

photon

a tiny particle or bundle of electromagnetic radiation

Cellular respiration

The process by which cells unlock the energy of chemical compounds

Aerobic respiration

The process by which cells convert glucose and oxygen into energy, carbon dioxide, and water

Anaerobic respiration

The process by which cells convert glucose into energy in the absence of oxygen

Consumer

An organism that is incapable of photosynthesis and must obtain its energy by consuming other organisms (also known as heterotroph)

Herbivore

A consumer that eats producers (also known as Primary consumer)

Carnivore

A consumer that eats other consumers

Secondary consumer

A carnivore that eats primary consumers

Tertiary consumer

A carnivore that eats secondary consumers

Trophic levels

The successive levels of organisms consuming one another; Most energy/biomass found at producer level and decreases while going up pyramid

Food chain

The sequence of consumption from producers through tertiary consumers

Food web

A complex model of how energy and matter move between trophic levels

Scavenger

An organism that consumes dead animals

Detritivore

An organism that specializes in breaking down dead tissues and waste products into smaller particles

Decomposer

The fungi and bacteria that complete the breakdown process by converting organic matter into small elements and molecules that can be recycled back into the ecosystem.

Gross Primary Productivity

The total amount of solar energy that producers in an ecosystem capture via photosynthesis over a given amount of time

Net Primary Productivity

The energy captured by produces in an ecosystem minus the energy producers respire

Biomass

The total mass of all living matter in a specific area

Standing crop

The amount of biomass present in an ecosystem at a particular time

Ecological efficiency

The proportion of consumed energy that can be passed from one trophic level to another

Energy transfer

10% of food into chemical energy (this is why trophic levels rarely exceed 5 or 6)

Trophic pyramid

A representation of the distribution of biomass, numbers, or energy among trophic levels

Biogeochemical cycle

The movements of matter within and between ecosystems

Hydrologic cycle

The movement of water through the biosphere

Transpiration

The release of water from leaves during photosynthesis

Evapotranspiration

The combined amount of evaporation and transpiration

Runoff

Water that moves across the land surface and into streams and rivers

Carbon Cycle

The movement of carbon around the biosphere

Carbon Cycle

involves incorporation of co2 into living tissue by photosynthesis and its return to the atmosphere through respiration, decay of dead organisms, burning of fossil fuels, etc.

Macronutrients

Key elements that organisms need in relatively large amounts: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur

Limiting nutrient

A nutrient required for the growth of an organism but available in a lower quantity than other nutrients

Nitrogen cycle

The movement of nitrogen around the biosphere (look at map)

Nitrogen fixation

A process by which some organisms can convert nitrogen gas molecules directly into ammonia

Nitrification

The conversion of ammonia into nitrite and then into nitrate

Assimilation

The process by which producers incorporate elements into their tissues

Mineralization

The process by which fungal and bacterial decomposers break down the organic matter found in dead bodies and waste products and convert it into inorganic compounds

Ammonification

The process by which fungal and bacterial decomposers break down the organic nitrogen found in dead bodies and waste products and convert it into inorganic ammonium

Denitrification

The conversion of nitrate in a series of steps into the gases nitrous oxide and, eventually, nitrogen gas, which is emitted into the atmosphere

Leaching

The transportation of dissolved molecules through the soil via groundwater

Phosphorus cycle

The movement of phosphorus around the biosphere

Phosphorus

after ________ is mined/weathered/used as fertilizer, it goes into soil or water -> then, used by producers into the food web

Algal bloom

A rapid increase in the algal population of a waterway

Hypoxic

Low in oxygen

Sulfur cycle

The movement of sulfur around the biosphere

sulfur cycle

mineralization, oxidation to sulfate, reduction of sulfate to sulfide, incorporation of sulfide into organic compounds

Disturbance

An event, caused by physical , chemical, or biological agents, resulting in changes in population size or community composition

Watershed

All land in a given landscape that drains into a particular stream, river, lake, or wetland

Resistance

A measure of how much a disturbance can affect flows of energy and matter in an ecosystem

Resilience

The rate at which an ecosystem returns to its original state after a disturbance

Restoration ecology

The study and implementation of restoring damaged ecosystems

Intermediate disturbance hypothesis

The hypothesis that ecosystems experiencing intermediate levels of disturbance are more diverse than those with high or low disturbance levels

Matter

Anything that occupies space and has mass

Mass

A measurement of the amount of matter an object contains

Atoms

The smallest particle that can contain the chemical properties of an element

Element

A substance composed of atoms that cannot be broken down into smaller, simpler components

Periodic table

A chart of all chemical elements currently known, organized by their properties

Molecule

A particle that contains more than one atom

Compound

A molecule containing more than one element

Atomic number

The number of protons in the nucleus of a particular element

Mass number

A measurement of the total number of protons and neutrons in an element

Isotopes

Atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons

Radioactive decay

The spontaneous release of material from the nucleus of radioactive isotopes

Half-life

The time t takes for one-half of an original radioactive parent atom to decay.

Covalent bond

The bond formed when elements share electrons

Ionic bond

A chemical bond between two ions of opposite charges

Hydrogen bond

A weak chemical bond that forms when hydrogen atoms that are covalently bonded to one atom are attracted to another atom on another molecule

Polar molecule

A molecule in which one side is more positive and the other side is more negative.

Surface tension

A property of water that results from the cohesion of water molecules at the surface of a body of water and that creates a sort of skin on the water's surface.

Capillary action

A property of water that occurs when adhesion of water molecules to a surface is stronger than cohesion between the molecules.

Acid (0)

A substance that contributes hydrogen ions to a solution.

Base (14)

A substance that contributes hydroxide ions to a solution.

pH

The number that indicates the relative strength of acids and bases in a substance.

Chemical reaction

A reaction that occurs when atoms separate from molecules or recombine with other molecules.

Law of conservation of matter

A law of nature stating that matter cannot be created or destroyed; it can only change form.

Inorganic compound

A compound that does not contain the element carbon or contains carbon bound to elements other than carbon.

Organic compound

A compound that contains carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen bonds

Carbohydrate

A compound composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms.

Protein

A critical component of living organisms made up of a long chain of nitrogen-containing organic molecules known as amino acids

Nucleic acid

Organic compounds found in all living cells

DNA

A nucleic acid, the genetic material that contains the code for reproducing the components of the next generation, and which organisms pass on to their offspring

RNA

A nucleic acid that translates the code stored in DNA, which makes possible the synthesis of protein.

Lipid

A smaller organic biological molecule that does not mix with water.

Cell

A highly organized living entity that consists of the four types of macromolecules and other substances in a watery solution, surrounded by a membrane.

Energy

The ability to do work or transfer heat

Electromagnetic Radiation

Radiation consisting of waves of energy associated with electric and magnetic fields resulting from the acceleration of an electric charge

Joule

Amount of energy used when 1-watt light bulb in turned on for 1 second

Power

Rate at which work is done

Potential Energy

energy stored but has not yet been released

Kinetic Energy

The energy of motion

Chemical Energy

Potential energy stored in a chemical bond

Temperature

Measure of kinetic energy in an object

First Law of Thermodynamics

Energy cannot be created or destroyed

Second Law of Thermodynamics

When energy is transformed, the quality of energy remains the same, but its ability to do work diminishes