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Definition
| the production of ammonia or ammonia compounds in the decomposition of organic matter, especially through the action of bacteria |
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Definition
| the process in which plants absorb ammonium (NH3), ammonia ions (NH4+), and nitrate ions (NO3) through their roots |
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| producers; organisms that can produce their own organic compounds from inorganic compounds. they use energy from the sun or from the oxidation of inorganic substances |
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Definition
| the accumulation of a substance, such as a toxic chemical, in various tissues of living organisms |
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| the process by which the concentration of toxic substances increases in each successive link in the food chain |
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Definition
| the part of the earth and its atmosphere where living organisms exist or that is capable of supporting life |
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Definition
| an animal that only consumes other animals |
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Term
| chemotroph (chemoautotroph) |
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Definition
| an organism, such as a bacterium or protozoan, that obtains its nourishment through the oxidation of inorganic chemical compounds, as opposed to photosynthesis |
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Definition
| a stable, mature community in a successive series that has reached equilibrium after having evolved through stages and adapted to its environment |
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| formed from populations of different species occupying the same geographic space |
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| the process that occurs when two different species in a region compete and the better adapted species wins |
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Definition
| an organism that must obtain food energy from secondary sources, for example by eating plant or animal matter |
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Definition
| bacteria of fungi that absorb nutrients from nonliving organic matter like plant material, the wastes of living organisms, and corpses. they convert these materials into inorganic forms |
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Definition
| the process by which specialized bacteria (mostly anaerobic bacteria) convert ammonia to NO3, NO2, and N2 and release it back to the atmosphere |
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Definition
| organism that derives energy from consuming nonliving organic matter, such as dead animals or fallen leaves. Earthworms and many species of fungi are detrivores |
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Term
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Definition
| transition in species composition of abiological community, often following ecological disturbance of the community; the establishment of a biological community in any area virtually barren of life |
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Definition
| the condition in which, at ecosystem boundaries, there is greater species diversity and biological density than there is in the heart of ecological communities |
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Definition
| the structure obtained if we organize the amount of energy contained in producers and consumers in an ecosystem by kilocalories per square meter, from largest to smallest |
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Term
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Definition
| to convert or change into vapor |
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Definition
| change in genetic composition of a population during successive generations as a result of natural selection acting on the genetic variation among individuals and resulting in the development of new species |
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Definition
| the death of an entire species; permanent inactivity |
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Definition
| a succession of organisms in an ecological community that constitutes a continuation of food energy from one organism to another as each consumes a lower number and, in turn, is preyed upon by a higher member |
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Definition
| a complex of interrelated food chains in an ecological community |
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Term
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Definition
| states that no two species can occupy the same niche at the same time, and that the species that is less fit to live in the environment will either relocate, die out, or occupy a smaller niche |
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Term
| gross primary productivity |
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Definition
| the amount of sugar that the plants produce in photosynthesis, and subtracting from it the amount of energy the plant needs for growth, maintenance, repair and reproduction |
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Term
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Definition
| the area or environment where an organisms or ecological community normally lives or occurs |
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Definition
| when the size of an organism's natural habitat is reduced, or when development occurs that isolates a habitat |
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Definition
| an organism that cannot synthesize its own food and is dependent on complex organic substances for nutrition |
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Definition
| species that originate and live, or occur naturally, in an area or environment |
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Definition
| an introduced, nonnative species |
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Definition
| a species whose very presence contributes to an ecosystem's diversity and whose extinction would consequently lead to the extinction of other forms of life |
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| la of conservation of matter |
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Definition
| states that matter can neither be creates nor destroyed |
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Definition
| a symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit |
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Definition
| the process by which, according to Darwin's theory of evolution, only the organisms best adapted to their environment tend to survive and transmit their genetic characteristics in increasing numbers to succeeding generations, while those less adapted tend to be eliminated |
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Term
| net primary productivity (NPP) |
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Definition
| the amount of energy that plants pass on to the community of herbivores in an ecosystem |
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Term
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Definition
| the total sum of a species' use of the biotic and abiotic resources in its environment |
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Definition
| the process in which soil bacteria convert ammonium (NH4-) to a form that can be used by plants; nitrate or NO3- |
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Definition
| the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into compounds, such as ammonia, by natural agencies or various industrial processes |
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Definition
| organisms that consume both producers and primary consumers |
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Definition
| a symbiotic relationship in which one member is helped by the association and the other is harmed |
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Definition
| the process in green plants and certain other organisms by which carbohydrates are synthesized from carbon dioxide and water using light as an energy source. most forms of photosynthesis release oxygen as a byproduct |
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Definition
| organisms in the first stage of succession |
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Definition
| a group of organisms of the same species that live in the same area |
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Definition
| when one species feeds on another |
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Definition
| the category includes organisms that consumes producers (plants and algae) |
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Definition
| when ecological succession begins in a virtually lifeless area, such as the area behind a moving glacier |
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Definition
| an organism that is capable of converting radiant energy or chemical energy into carbohydrates |
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Definition
| an organism that is capable of converting radiant energy or chemical energy into carbohydrates |
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Definition
| when a species occupies a smaller niche than it would in the absence of competition |
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Definition
| a place where a large quantity of a resource sits for a long period of time |
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Definition
| the process in which animals and plants breathe and give off carbon dioxide from cellular metabolism |
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Definition
| the amount of time a resource spends in a reservoir or an exchange pool |
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Definition
| organisms that consume primary consumers |
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Definition
| organisms that are capable of breeding with one another and incapable of breeding with other species |
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Definition
| close, prolonges associations between two or more different organisms of different species that may, but do not necessarily, benefit the members |
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| organisms that consume secondary consumers or other tertiary consumers |
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Definition
| the act or process of transpiring, or releasing water vapor, especially through the stomata of plant tissue or the pores of the skin |
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| each of the feeding levels in a food chain |
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