Term
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Definition
| The biotic community and its abiotic environment functioning as a system. |
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Term
| First Law of Thermodynamics |
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Definition
| Energy is neither created nor destroyed; in an transfer or transformation no gain or loss of total energy occurs. |
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Term
| Second Law of Thermodynamics |
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Definition
| In any energy transfer or transformation, part of the energy assumes a form that cannot be passed on any further. |
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Term
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Definition
| Production by green plants over time. |
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Term
| Gross Primary Production (GPP) |
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Definition
| Energy fixed per unit area by photosynthetic activity of plants before respiration; total energy flow at the secondary level is not gross production, but rather assimilation, because consumers use material already produced with respiratory losses. |
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Term
| Net Primary Production (NPP) |
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Definition
| Energy accumulated in plant biomass. |
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Term
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Definition
| Total amount of biomass per unit area at a given time. |
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Term
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Definition
| In aquatic ecosystems, the depth of the water column at which light intensity reaching plants is just sufficient for the rate of photosynthesis to balance the rate of respiration. |
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Term
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Definition
| Production by consumer organisms over time. |
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Term
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Definition
| An indirect interaction chain where the effects of a top predator are evident at multiple lower trophic levels |
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Term
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Definition
| Percentage of biomass in terms of the number of individuals per area of available living space; compare crude density. |
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