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| What is meant by "biosphere"? | The part of the Earth in which life exists including land, water, and air or atmosphere. |
| Define "ecology". | It's the scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment. |
| Define "species". | A group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring. |
| Define "populations". | Groups of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area. |
| Define "communities". | Assemblages of different populations that live together in a defined area. |
| 3 tools used by scientists to conduct modern ecological research | observing, experimenting, modeling |
| Define "autotrophs". | organisms that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds; also known as producers |
| Define "producers". | organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce food from inorganic compounds (also called autotrophs). |
| Define "photosynthesis". | It's the process by which plants and some other organisms use light energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and high energy carbohydrates such as sugars and starches. |
| Define "chemosynthesis". | The process by which some organisms, such as certain bacteria, use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates. |
| What are herbivores? | Organisms that obtain energy by eating only plants |
| What are carnivoes? | Organisms that obtain energy by eating animals |
| What are omnivores? | Organisms that obtain energy by eating both plants and animals. |
| What are detritivores? | Organisms that feed on plant and animal remains and other dead matter |
| What are decomposers? | Organisms that break down and obtain energy from dead organic matter |
| What is a food web? | It's a network of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem. |
| What is a trophic level? | Its a step in a food chain or food web (pg. 70). |
| What is an ecological pyramid? | It's a diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy or matter within each trophic level in a food chain or food web. |
| What is meant by "biomass"? | It's the total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level. |
| What are biogeochemical cycles? | It's the process in which elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another. |
| Define evaporation. | The process by which water changes from a liquid into an atmospheric gas |
| What is transpiration. | It's the loss of water from a plant through its leaves. |
| What are nutrients? | They are chemical substances that an organism needs to sustain life. |
| Review the carbon cycle. | See diagram on pg. 77. |
| Define "nitrogen fixation". | the process of convertin nitrogen gas into ammonia |
| What is denitrification? | It's the conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas. |
| Review the phosphorous cycle. | See pg. 79. |
| What is meant by primary productivity in an ecosystem? | It's the rate at which organic matter is created by producers in an ecosystem. |
| What is meant by a "limiting nutrient"? | It's a single nutrient that either is scarce or cycles very slowly; limiting the growth of organisms in an ecosystem. |
| What is an algal bloom? | It's an immediate increae in the amount of algae and other producers that results from a large input of a limiting nutrient. |
