Studied by 21 peopleEcology
The study of interactions between living things & their surroundings
Organism
An individual living thing
Population
A group of the same species living in an area
Community
A group of different species living in an area
Ecosystem
The living & nonliving things in a given area
Biome
A global community of organisms based on climate
Biotic
Living things
Abiotic
Nonliving things
Biodiversity
The variety of living things in an ecosystem
Keystone Species
A species with a very large effect on its ecosystem
Producer (autotroph)
Gets its energy by making its own food
Consumer (heterotroph)
Gets its energy by eating other living things
Herbivores
Organisms that only eat plants
Carnivores
Organisms that only eat meat
Omnivores
Organisms that eat both plants & animals
Detritivores
Organisms that eat dead matter
Decomposers
Detritivores that break down organic matter into nutrients that are recycled back into the environment
Specialist
Organisms with a specific diet
Generalist
Organisms with a varying diet
Trophic Levels
The levels in a food chain
Energy Pyramid
Shows the distribution of energy among trophic levels
90%
Between trophic levels, _____ of the energy is lost into the atmosphere as heat
Biomass Pyramid
Measures the total dry mass of organisms in a given area
Pyramid of Numbers
Measures the number of individual organisms by trophic level
Evaporation
A
Condensation
B
Precipitation
C
Transpiration
D
Respiration
E
Runoff
F
Ground water
G
Nitrogen Fixation
A
Ammonification
B
Nitrification
C
Assimilation
D
Denitrification
E
Decomposers
A
Phosphate in Soil
B
Leaching
C
Sedimentation
D
Phosphate in Solution
E
Geologic Uplifting
F
Nitrogen Fixation
The process turning nitrogen (N2) into ammonia (NH3)
Ammonification
The process turning waste & decay into ammonia (NH3)
Nitrification
The process changing ammonia (NH3) into nitrates (NO3)
Assimilation
The absorption of nitrates (NO3) by plants & animals
Denitrification
The process changing nitrates (NO3) into nitrogen (N2)
Leaching
The process of phosphorus leaving the soil into a body of water
Sedimentation
The process of forming new rocks with phosphorus
Geologic Uplifting
The process of bringing phosphate up from rocks in a body of water to hills
Weathering of phosphate from rocks
G
Note
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