| A | B |
|---|
| Ecology | the scientific study of the interactions between different organisms and organisms and their environment |
| Primary Producer/Autotroph | use energy from the sun to change simple nonliving chemical nutrients into food |
| Consumer/Hetertroph | an organism that must eat other organisms to obtain their energy and nutrients |
| Deomposer/Saprobe | feed on dead bodies of organisms, or their waste products |
| Trophic Level | a feeding level in the flow of food energy and nutrients |
| Ecological Pyramid | the energy chain from primary producers to herbivores to carnivores |
| Nutrient Cycles | models that explain how nutrients are passed through different parts of the biosphere |
| Evaporation | process by which water is removed from lakes and ocean surfaces |
| Precipitation | process by which water returns to the land or sea |
| Runoff | surface water that enters streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans |
| Groundwater | water that has penetrated into the ground |
| Nitrogen Fixation | process of converting atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into ammonium(NH4+) and nitrate(NO3-) |
| Fossil Fuels | the result of the decompostion of organisms buried for millions of years |
| Carbonate Rock | formed at the bottom of the ocean as shells of dead organisms settle to the ocean floor |
| Food Chain | a sequence of organisms related to each other as predator and prey |
| Food Web | show the complex feeding relationships that result from interconnecting food chains |
| Population | a group of organisms of a single species that live in a given area |
| Growth Rate | a change in population size |
| J-shaped Population Graph | shows exponential gowth, with no limiting factors |
| Exponential Growth | rapid growth of a population with no limiting factors |
| Zero Population Growth | means that the size of the population is constant |
| S-shaped Population Graph | shows exponential gowth with limiting factors |
| Carrying Capacity | refers to the largest number of individuals of a population that an ecosystem can support |
| Climate | refers to the temperature range, the average annual precipitation, humidity, and amount of sunlight a region experiences |
| Microclimate | climate conditions that vary over small distances |
| Environment | the combination of biotic and abiotic factors that affect organisms |
| Abiotic Factors | non-living parts of an ecosystem, such as the amount of sunlight |
| Biotic Factors | living parts of an ecosystem, such as predators |
| Optimum Range of Abiotic Factors | organisms are abundant |
| Stress Zone of Abiotic Factors | organisms are infrequent |
| Zone of Intolerance | organisms are absent |
| Ecosystem | all the biotic and abiotic parts of an environment |
| Niche | the full range of abiotic and biotic conditions in which an organism of a population can survive AND the way in which the organisms use those conditions |
| Habitat | the physical areaa in which a species lives |
| Biome | ecosystems identified by their climax community; have a characteristic climate, plants and animals |
| Climax Community | the relatively stable collection of plants and animals that results when an ecosystem reaches a stable state |
| Tundra | annual precipitation < 25cm; nearly treeless; arctic hare |
| Permafrost | frozen ground |
| Taiga | soil thaws completely in summer; coniferous trees; moose |
| Temperate Deciduous Forest | temp. range = -10 C to 25 C; oak & maple trees; white-tailed deer |
| Tropical Rain Forest | annual precipitation > 200cm; broadleaf evergreen trees; monkeys |
| Desert | annual precipitation < 25cm; small plants like cacti; lizards |
| Grassland | temp. range = -10 C to 25 C; many grasses; antelope, wildebeest |
| Open Water | little variation in temperature; phytoplankton; dolphins, whales |
| Fresh Water | moderate temp. range; algae, lichens; insects, fish, reptiles |
| Estuary | extreme temp. range; aquatic plants; crabs, amphibians |
| Rocky Intertidal | exposed to air & sun AND submerged with ocean water; algae; worms, snails, barnacles |
| Global Climate Patterns | caused by wind & ocean currents |
| Enhanced Greenhouse Effect | the increase in greenhouse gases due to human actions |
| Global Warming | a set of predicted conditions resulting from the enhanced greenhouse effect |
| Biological Magnification | explains that toxic substances increase their concentration in organisms as they are passed up the trophic levels |
| Nonbiodegradable | can not be "broken down" |
| Biodegradeable | can be "broken down" |
| Sustainability | results in a harmonic interaction with the biosphere; does not destroy abiotic or biotic components |
| Smog | a pollutant due primarily to automobile exhaust and factory smokestacks; difficult for people with respiratory problems |
| Acid Rain | when acidic gases combine with water vapor |
| Ozone Layer | shields the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation |
| Biodiversity | the genetically-based variety of living organisms in the bioshpere |
| Omnivore | animals that eat both plants and animals |
| Carnivore | animals that eat only meat |
| Herbivore | animals that eat only plants |
| Bioshpere | the area on and around earth where life exists |
| Predator | an organism that captures, kills, and consumes another |
| Prey | the organism that is captured, killed and consumed by another |
