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Definition
| area where an organism lives, including the biotic and abiotic factors that affect it |
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| organism that obtains energy by eating animals |
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| network of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem |
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| a group of ecosystems that share similar climates and typical organisms |
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| a group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring |
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| organism that relies on other organisms for its energy and food supply; also called a heterotroph |
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| small free-floating animals that form part of plankton |
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Definition
| organism that feeds on plant and animal remains and other dead matter |
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| symbiotic relationship in which one organism lives on or inside another organism and harms it |
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| process in which chemical energy is used to synthesize organic compounds |
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| organism that obtains food by consuming other living things; also called a consumer |
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| illustration of the relative amounts of energy or matter contained within each trophic level in a given food chain or food web |
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| movement of individuals out of an area |
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| process of converting nitrogen gas into nitrogen compounds that plants can absorb and use |
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| biome with long cold winters and a few months of warm weather; dominated by coniferous evergreens; also called boreal forest |
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| growth pattern in which a population's growth slows and then stops following a period of exponential growth |
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| gas such as carbon dioxide or methane that absorbs energy reflected from Earth's surface and traps it in the form of heat |
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Definition
| term used to refer to trees that produce seed bearing cones and have thin leaves shaped like needles |
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| layer of permanently frozen subsoil found in the tundra |
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| processes such as air and water purification provided by natural systems |
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Definition
| fluctuating rise and fall in numbers of a given species in an ecosystem |
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| ecosystem in which water either covers the soil or is present at or near the surface for at least part of the year |
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Definition
| lower land productivity caused by overarming, overgrazing, seasonal drought, and climate change |
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Definition
| environmental conditions within a small area that differs significantly from the climate of the surrounding area |
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Definition
| variety of habitats, communities, and ecological processes in the biosphere |
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| organism that uses either photosynthesis or chemosynthesis to make energy-rich organic compounds that are later used by other organisms |
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| movement of individuals into an area occupied by an existing population |
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| dense covering formed by the leafy tops of tall rain forest trees |
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Definition
| largest number of individuals of a particular species that a particular environment can support |
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Definition
| harmful material that can enter the biosphere through the land, air, or water |
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| process in which certain gases (carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor) trap sunlight energy in Earth's atmosphere as heat |
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| splitting of ecosystems into pieces |
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| term used to refer to a type of tree that sheds its leaves during a particular season each year |
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| kind of wetland formed where a river meets the ocean |
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| gray-brown haze formed by a mixture of chemicals |
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| sum total of all the different forms of genetic information carried by a particular species, or by all organisms on Earth |
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| day-to-day conditions of the atmosphere, including temperature, precipitation, and other factors |
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| organisms that live attached to or near the bottom of lakes, streams, or oceans |
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| number of different species that make up a particular area |
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| material formed from decaying leaves and other organic matter |
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| total of the variety of organisms in the biosphere; also called biological diversity |
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| resource that cannot be replenished by a natural process within a reasonable amount of time |
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| rain containing nitric and sulfuric acids |
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| destruction of natural areas needed by organisms for their survival |
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| growth pattern in which the individuals in a population reproduce at a constant rate |
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| sunlight region near the surface of water |
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| layer in a rain forest found underneath the canopy formed by shorter trees and vines |
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| average year-to-year conditions of temperature and precipitation in an area over a long period of time |
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| actor that causes population growth to decrease |
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| physical, or nonliving, factor that shapes an ecosystem |
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| any necessity of life, such as water, nutrients, light, food, or space |
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| organism that obtains energy by eating both plants and animals |
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| process used by plants and other autotrophs to capture light energy and use it to power chemical reactions |
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| series of steps in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten |
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| type of succession that occurs in an area that was only partially destroyed by disturbances |
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| photosynthetic algae found near the surface of the ocean |
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| relationship in which two species live close together |
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| scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment |
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| functional role of an organism in an ecosystem |
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| animal that consumes the carcasses of other animals |
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| process by which bacteria convert nitrates into nitrogen gas |
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| an event that disrupts the balance of an ecosystem |
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| interaction in which on organism (the predator) captures and feeds on another organism (the prey) |
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| succession that occurs in an area in which no trace of a previous community is present |
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| symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit from the relationship |
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| chemical substance that an organism needs to sustain life |
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| organism that obtains energy by eating only plants |
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| single species that is not usually abundant in a community yet exerts strong control on the structure of a community |
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| group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area |
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| all the organisms that live in a place, together with their nonliving environment |
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| process in which elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another |
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| process of converting nitrogen gas into nitrogen compounds that plants can absorb and use |
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| organism that is able to capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds; also called a producer |
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| first species to populate an area during succession |
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| interaction in which one animal (the herbivore) feeds on producers (such as plants) |
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| organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter |
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| symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed |
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| each step in a food chain or food web |
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| total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level |
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