| A | B |
|---|
| biosphere | parts of planet where life exists |
| species | can breed and produce fertile offspring |
| Population | group including all the same species |
| community | living things in a defined area |
| ecosystem | living and nonliving thingsl in a defined area |
| biome | ecosystems with the same climate and similar dominant communities |
| autotroph | makes its own food |
| heterotroph | gets food from other organisms |
| photosynthesis | using light energy to make food |
| chemosynthesis | using inorganic chemicals to make carbohydrates |
| herbivore | eats only plants |
| carnivore | eats only animals |
| omnivore | eats plants and animals |
| detritivore | feed on animal remains and dead matter |
| decomposer | breaks down organic matter |
| food chain | steps showing transfer of energy by eating and being eaten |
| food web | all the interconnected food chains in an ecosystem |
| trophic level | each step in a food chain or web |
| energy pyramid | shows energy available at different trophic levels |
| biomass pyramid | shows amount of living tissue at each trophic level |
| numbers pyramid | shows numbers of individuals in each trophic level |
| evaporation | water changes from a liquid to a vapor |
| transpiration | water leaves plants |
| nitrogen fixation | Such bacteria, which live in the soil and on the roots of plants calledlegumes, convert nitrogen gas into ammonia |
| denitrification | other soil bacteria convert nitrates into nitrogen gas |
| primary productivity | the rate at which organic matter is created or produced |
| limiting nutrient | when an ecosystem is limited by a single nutrient that is scarce or cycles very slowly |
| algal bloom | when an aquatic ecosystem recieves a large input of a limiting nutriant |
