Term
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Definition
| the sum of all the living and nonliving things in an area and the interactions among them. |
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Term
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| organisms that capture energy and convert it into chemical energy stored in the chemical bonds of glucose and other simple food molecules. |
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Definition
| organisms that obtain their energy by eating other organisms. |
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Definition
| rabbits, cardinals, and white-tailed deer, consumers that eat producers. |
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Definition
| river otters, red-tailed hawks, and great blue herons, eat primary consumers. |
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Definition
| organisms that obtain energy from organic wastes, such as fallen leaves or dead organisms. |
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Definition
| the path of food and energy from producer to consumer to decomposer. |
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Definition
| food chains that interconnect through multiple feeding relationships. |
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Term
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Definition
| each feeding level in an ecosystem. |
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Definition
| consumers such as rabbits and cows, which eat only or mostly plants or plant products. |
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Term
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Definition
| eat only or mostly other consumers. |
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Definition
| eat both plants and animals. |
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Term
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Definition
| show the energy loss between trophic levels in an ecosystem. |
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Term
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Definition
| all living matter in a habitat, trophic level, or ecosystem. |
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Term
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Definition
| representation of an object, system, or process. |
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Term
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Definition
| The continuous transfer of carbon and oxygen between Earth's living organisms and the nonliving parts of the environment. |
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Term
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Definition
| the continuous movement of nitrogen among Earth's organisms, waters, rocks, minerals, and atmosphere. |
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Term
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Definition
| a process in which certain soil bacteria break down nitrogen gas from the atmosphere and covert it into a form that plants can use. |
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Term
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Definition
| bacteria convert nitrogen compounds into nitrogen gas. |
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Term
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Definition
| the continuous circulation of water among Earth's organisms, atmosphere, and surface. |
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Term
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Definition
| the change of a liquid to a gas at the surface of the liquid. |
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Term
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Definition
| the release of water vapor through the stomata, or openings, in a plant's leaves. |
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Term
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Definition
| the process in which a gas changes to a liquid when it loses thermal energy. |
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Definition
| water that falls from the atmosphere to Earth as rain, snow, sleet, or hail. |
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Term
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Definition
| refers to the number of different kinds or organisms living on Earth or in an ecosystem. |
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Term
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Definition
| a part or product of the environment that is used by humans or other organisms. |
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Term
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Definition
| the removal of all the trees in an area of forest. |
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Term
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Definition
| species that plays a critical role in the community structure of an ecosystem. |
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Term
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Definition
| the release of harmful substances or energy into air, soil, or water. |
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Term
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Definition
| an increase in average atmospheric temperatures around the world. |
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Term
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Definition
| rain that has a pH lower that 5.6. |
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Term
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Definition
| occurs when excess nutrients are released into a body of water. |
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Term
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Definition
| chemicals that are designed or used to kill pest animals, such as certain insects and rodents. |
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Definition
| an increase in the amount of a substance, such as pesticide, in the tissue of an organism. |
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Term
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Definition
| the permanent dying out of a species or population. |
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