| A | B |
|---|
| Ecology | how organisms interact with one another and with their nonliving environment |
| Abiotic | nonliving:sunlight, temp. moisture, vital nutrients |
| Organism | any form of life, fundamental unit of ecology |
| Species | groups or organisms that resemble one another in appearance, chemistry, behavior and genetic make-up |
| Population | a group of interacting individuals of the same species living in a certain area |
| genetic diversity | allows species survival:slightly different genetic make-up, not all of the same species look alike |
| habitat | the place where a population normally lives |
| community | all the populations of different species that live and interact in a particular area |
| ecosystem | a community where populations of different species interact with one another and with their nonliving environment of matter and energy |
| 3 factors sustaining life on Earth | flow of energy, cycling of nutrients, gravity |
| Electromagnetic radiation | process by which Energy reaches Earth, 34 % reflected back by clouds |
| Nuclear Fusion | Hydrogen fused to form Helium on sun releases energy |
| range of tolerance | variations in its physical and chemical environment, may vary within a population b/c of genetic make-up, health, age |
| limiting factor | too much or too little of an abiotic factor can prevent growth of a population ex. precipitation, soil nutrients, nutrient availability, sunlight, temp |
| Photosynthesis | 6 CO2 + 6 H2O + solar energy = C6H12O6 + 6O2 |
| primary consumer | herbivores, eat producers (zooplankton, rabbits) |
| producers | autotrophs - self-feeders, make own food from compounds and energy, phytoplankton, chemosynthetic organisms |
| Secondary consumers | carnivores feed on herbivores (foxes, fish) |
| Omnivores | feed on both plants and animals (pigs, foxes, rats, bears, humans) |
| Decomposers | specialized organisms that recycle nutrients, digest living or dead organisms into simpler inorganic compounds, i.e. maggots |
| Detritivores | insects and other scavengers that feed on wastes or dead bodies of other organisms, eat parts of dead organisms, i.e. crabs |
| Scavengers | feed on dead organisms, i.e. vultures |
| aerobic respiration | uses oxygen to convert organic nutrients back into carbon dioxide and water |
| anaerobic respiration | breaking down glucose with the absence oxygen, end products are methane gas, ethyl alcohol, acetic acid, and hydrogen sulfide, i.e. apple cider |
