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Chapter 3
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32
Biology
10th Grade
09/20/2009

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Term
Ecology
Definition
Scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their enviormnent
Term
Biosphere
Definition
Contains combined portions of the planet in which all life exists, including land, water, air/atmosphere
Term
Species
Definition
A group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring
Term
Population
Definition
Group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area
Term
Community
Definition
Assemblages of populations that live in the same area
Term
Ecosystem
Definition
Collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place, together with their nonliving enviornment
Term
Biome
Definition
A group of ecosystems that have the same climate and similar dominant communities
Term
Autotroph
Definition
Plants and bacteria that can capture energy from sunlightor chemicals that use energy to produce food
Term
Producer
Definition
Things that make their own food
Term
Photosynthesis
Definition
A process in which autotrophs use energy to make food
Term
Chemosynthesis
Definition
When organisms use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates
Term
Heterotroph
Definition
Organisms that rely on other organisms for their energy and food supply
Term
Consumers
Definition
Organisms that rely on other organisms for their energy and food supply
Term
Herbivore
Definition
Obtain energy by eating only plants
Term
Carnivore
Definition
Organism that eats only animals
Term
Omnivores
Definition
Organisms that eat both plants and animals
Term
Detritivores
Definition
Feed on plants and animal remains and other dead matter, collectively called detritus
Term
Decomposers
Definition
Heterotrophs that break down organic matter
Term
Food Chain
Definition
A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten
Term
Food Web
Definition
When the feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem form a network of complex interactions
Term
Trophic Level
Definition
Each step in a food chain or food web
Term
Ecological Pyramid
Definition
A diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy or matter contained within each trophic level in a food chain or food web
Term
Biomass
Definition
Total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level
Term
Biogeochemical Cycles
Definition
When elements, contain chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another
Term
Evaporation
Definition
The process by which water changes from liquid form to an atmospheric gas
Term
Transpiration
Definition
Water entering the atmosphere by evaporating from the leaves of plants
Term
Nutrient
Definition
All the chemical substances that an organism needs to sustain life
Term
Nitrogen Fixation
Definition
Process by which bacteria convert nitrogen gas into ammonia
Term
Dentrification
Definition
A process by which bacteria convert nitrates into nitrogen gas
Term
Primary Productivity
Definition
Rate at which organic matter is created by producers
Term
Limiting Nutrient
Definition
When an ecosystem is limited by a single nutrient that cycles very slowly or is scarce
Term
Algal Bloom
Definition
When and aquatic ecosytem recieves a large input of a limiting nutrient, the result is often an immediate increase in the amount of algae and other products
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