Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
24 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
Ecology |
the study of relationships between living organisms and their non-living surroundings (environment) |
|
|
Biosphere |
all of the areas on earth (air, land, water) that are inhabited by and support life |
|
|
Hydrosphere |
all of the water (and solid as well) that exists and moves through the geosphere |
|
|
Atmosphere |
the gaseous part of earth, concentrated mainly within 10km of Earth's surface, but also extending 100's of km higher |
|
|
Lithosphere |
the rigid part of the Earth, consisting of the core and upper mantle |
|
|
Biotic |
living things in the environment |
|
|
Abiotic |
non-living things in the environment |
|
|
Cellular Respiration |
the process in which multicellular organisms break down carbohydrates and other energy-rich products into molecules of ATP |
|
|
Photosynthesis |
the process in which plants use the sun's light energy to chemically convert carbon (inorganic) to carbohydrates (organic) |
|
|
Producers |
organisms that produce their own food from inorganic molecules by using light or chemical energy |
|
|
Consumers |
organisms that can't make their own food and must derive some of its nutrients from organic molecules formed by producers |
|
|
Albedo |
percentage of incoming solar radiation reflected by a surface |
|
|
Chemosynthesis |
the process by which certain fungi and bacteria use the energy from chemical nutrients to chemically convert carbon to carbohydrates in the absence of light |
|
|
Primary Consumers |
organisms that obtain energy by eating plants |
|
|
Secondary Consumers |
organisms that eat primary consumers |
|
|
Tertiary Consumers |
organisms that eat secondary consumers |
|
|
Decomposers |
organisms that obtain energy by consuming dead plant and animal matter or waste |
|
|
Trophic Level |
a feeding level through which energy and matter are transferred |
|
|
Food Chain |
a model that shows the linear pathway through which food is transferred from producers to higher trophic levels |
|
|
Food Web |
a model of food transfer in an ecosystem that shows the connection among food chains |
|
|
Biomass |
The dry mass of living or once living organisms per unit area |
|
|
Pyramid of Numbers |
representation of the relative number of organisms at each trophic level |
|
|
Pyramid of Biomass |
representation of the relative amount of biomass at each trophic level |
|
|
Pyramid of Energy |
Shows the amount of energy that is transferred through each trophic level |
