Studied by 2 people
Abiotic Factor
any nonliving factor in an organism's environment, such as soil, water, temperature, and light ability
Autotroph/Producer
Organism that captures energy from sunlight to produce its own food; provides the foundation of the food supply for other organisms.
Community
Group of interacting populations that live in the same geographic area at the same time.
Biomass
total mass of living matter at each trophic level
Biome
large group of ecosystems that share the same climate and have similar types of communities
Biosphere
The living parts of our planet
Biotic Factor
Any living factor in an organism's environment.
Carnivore
heterotroph that preys on other heterotrophs
Cell Theory
states that all organisms are made of cells, cells are the basic unit of life, and cells come from other cells.
Cellular Respiration
process through which the carbons in organic molecules (sugar) are broken down and released to the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide
Competition
Interaction among organisms that vie for the same resource in an ecosystem
Constants
a factor that remains the same during the experiment while the IV and DV change
Dependent Variable
factor that is measured in a controlled experiment. Also known as the effect.
Decomposer
heterotroph that breaks and absorbs organic material and returns nutrients to the soil, air, and water. Nutrients are recycled and can be used by the organisms at the producer level.
Ecology
scientific study of all the relationships between organisms and their environment
Ecosystem
a biological community and all the nonliving factors that affect it
Energy Flow
from the sun, to autotrophs, to heterotrophs, to decomposers
Food Chain
simplified model that shows a single path for energy flow through an ecosystem
Food Web
model that shows many interconnected food chains and pathways through which energy and matter flow through an ecosystem
Habitat
Physical area in which an organism lives
Herbivore
A heterotroph that eats only autotrophs
Heterotroph/Consumer
organism that CANNOT make its own food. must rely on feeding to obtain energy from other organisms.
Hypothesis
testable explanation of a situation. Must be an if/then statement that makes a prediction
Independent Variable
factor that is changed/tested by the scientist in a controlled experiment. The cause
Multicellular
describes an organism that is made of two or more cells
Nitrogen Fixation
process in which nitrogen gas is captured and converted into a form plants can use.
Nutrient Cycle
Continuous flow of nutrients into and out of stores in the ecosystem; balanced, unless disturbed by human activity
Omnivore
heterotroph that consumes both plants and animals
Organism
anything that has or once had all the characteristics of life
Photosynthesis
process in which carbon dioxide molecules from the atmosphere are transformed into biomass (carbohydrates) for a plant
Population
A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area
Scavenger
A carnivore that feeds on the bodies of dead organisms
Species
group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring
Trophic Level
each step in a food chain or food web
Predation
Process by which one organism hunts and kills another organism for food.
Detritivore
An organism that eats dead plant and animal material
Geosphere
the rocks, sand, silt, soil of the planet Earth
Hydrocarbon
Fossil Fuel Compounds composed of only carbon and hydrogen
atmosphere
the mixture of gases that surround Earth
Biogeochemical Cycle
the circulation of nutrients through the atmosphere, biosphere, geosphere, and hydrosphere, also called nutrient cycle
control group
in an experiment, the group not receiving the independent variable
Experimental groups
in an experiments, the groups receiving varying degrees of the independent variable (e.g. the baggies with compost, the baggie with potting soil)
Hydrosphere
all of Earth's water
removal
Photosynthesis is responsible for _______ of CO2 from the atmosphere
Emissions
combustion of fossil fuels and cellular respiration are both processes that contribute to carbon _______ into the atmosphere
Conservation
The protection of natural resources
Keystone species
A species that influences the survival of many other species in an ecosystem
Mutualism
A relationship between two species in which both species benefit
Commensalism
A relationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected
Parasitism
A relationship between two organisms of different species where one benefits and the other is harmed
Ecological Succession
the gradual and orderly process of change in an ecosystem brought about by the progressive replacement of one community by another until a stable climax is established
primary succession
An ecological succession that begins in an area where no biotic community previously existed
secondary succession
Succession following a disturbance that destroys a community without destroying the soil
climax community
A stable, mature community that undergoes little or no change in species over time
pioneer species
First species to populate an area during primary succession
sapling
a young tree
pyramid of energy
A pyramid that shows the total amount of energy available at each trophic level.
pyramid of numbers
shows the number of organisms at each trophic level
pyramid of biomass
Shows the total amount of living material available at each trophic level/ The area at the bottom corresponds to the producer level. It represents the greatest amount of living material.
resource partitioning
When species divide a niche to avoid competition for resources
fundamental niche
The full potential range of the physical, chemical, and biological factors a species can use if there is no competition from other species.
realized niche
Part of a species fundamental niche that it actually uses, limited by competition.
fundamental vs realized niche
The fundamental niche is where a species CAN live, negating the effects of predation, resource limitation, etc. The realized niche is where the species DOES live, because the factors mentioned above have forced it to retreat from parts of the fundamental niche.
competitive exclusion principle
Ecological rule that states that no two species can occupy the same exact niche in the same habitat at the same time
Herbivory
interaction in which one animal (the herbivore) feeds on producers (such as plants)
Niche
An organism's particular role in an ecosystem, or how it makes its living.
Symbiosis
A close relationship between two species that benefits at least one of the species.
intraspecific competition
competition between members of the same species
interspecific competition
competition between members of different species
primary productivity
rate at which organic matter is created by producers in an ecosystem
exploitation competition
An interaction in which species compete indirectly through their mutual effects on the availability of a shared resource.
