Ecological systems

atmosphere

the gases that surround earth’s system

hydrosphere

water supply on earth in all forms

geosphere

the rocks and minerals that form the earth’s crust

biosphere

the parts on earth where living things survive, from deep oceans to highest peaks

list levels of ecological organization from most specific to broadest

Individual organism, population, community, ecosystem, biome, biosphere

what is the broadest category of organization for organisms

biosphere

what is the most specific category of organization for organisms

individual organism

individual organism

one specific animal from a species

population

a group of individual organisms of the same species in a given area (ex: Sonoran pronghorn population)

community

includes all of the living organisms in a given area (ex:sonoran desert organisms)

ecosystem

includes all of the living things and nonliving organisms in a given area (Sonoran desert living and non living things including rocks, soil, and terrain)

biome

regions characterized by similar plant communities and climate conditions (ex: desert)

What do all living things in ecosystems need to survive, grow, and reproduce

the input of matter and energy (matter=food, energy= sun and sustenance)

where does energy for ecosystems typically come from

the sun/solar energy

energy

the ability to do work

how does energy flow through ecosystems

as organisms exchange matter (primary consumer eating plant, secondary eating primary)

matter

makes up every living and non living thing

atom

smallest unit of matter

element

a substance made of only one kind of atom

what elements are essential to life

carbon (C), hydrogen (H), Nitrogen (N), oxygen (O), phosphorus (P), sulfur (S)

molecule

when forces between two or more atoms connect

chemical bond

the forces that hold atoms together for from molecules

compound

two or more different elements bonded together (carbon dioxide, water, glucose)

what happens during chemical reactions

atoms in one or more substances are rearranged into new substances with different chemical properties (ex.photosynthesis and cellular respiration)

how are organisms categorized

by the way in which they get their energy

producers

organisms that make their own food

consumers

organisms that get their energy from eating other organisms

decomposers

organisms that break down decaying organic matter

what are producers also known as and what does it mean

autotrophs, use photosynthesis to transform energy/photosynthetic

chemosynthesis

a process some producers use to obtain energy from an inorganic (no carbon) substance different than light, many of these organisms live near deep-sea vents

what are consumers also known as and how are they classified

heterotrophs, classified by what they consume

herbivores

eat producers (plants)

carnivores

eat other consumers

omnivores

eat both producers and consumers

detritivores

eat dead matter

what species are most decomposers and what do they do

bacteria, archaea and fungi that put organic matter back into the ecosystem