Chapter 10

Front 1

Biogeochemical Cycle

Back 1

Natural processes that recycle nutrients in various chemical forms from the "non-living" environment, to living organisms, and back to the "non-living" environment

Front 2

Gaseous Cycle

Back 2

Cycle where the atmosphere is the primary reservoir for storage

Front 3

Sedimentary Cycle

Back 3

Cycle involves movement of materials from the land to the sea and back again

Front 4

Hydrologic Cycle

Back 4

Movement of water between air, seas, lakes, rivers, land, soils, glaciers and living organisms

Front 5

Photosynthesis

Back 5

Process in which chlorophyll containing cells in green plants convert incident light into chemical energy and synthesize organic compoinds from inorganic compounds

Front 6

Evaporation

Back 6

Liquid Water-->Water Vapor; from wet surfaces; Energy absorption process

Front 7

Transpiration

Back 7

Transfer of moisture from plant tissues to Atmosphere

Front 8

Precipitation

Back 8

Movement of water from the atmosphere to the Earth's surface

Front 9

Infiltration

Back 9

Portion of the precipitation which percolates into the ground making up the subsurface water and deeper aquifers

Front 10

Initial Abstraction

Back 10

Portion of the precipitation which is temporarily accumulated (parking lots, puddles)

Front 11

Runoff

Back 11

Portion of the precipitation in Excess of that which the ground can absorb or is temporarily accumulated

Front 12

Ammonification

Back 12

Process which breaks Nitrogen compounds down into ammonia

Front 13

Nitrification

Back 13

Process in which NH3 (ammonia) is converted into nitrites (NO2-) and then nitrates (NO3-)

Front 14

Denitrification

Back 14

Anaerobic process which converts nitrates into gaseous forms of Nitrogen utilizing bacteria

Front 15

Ecosystem

Back 15

Totality of interactions amoung organisms and the Environment in the area of consideration. A BIOLOGICAL COMMUNITY

Front 16

Autotroph

Back 16

Organisms that manufacture the organic compounds they need as nutrients from simple inorganic compounds

Front 17

Heterotrophs

Back 17

"Other-feeders"

Front 18

Primary Consumer

Back 18

Animals that feed directly on plants as the first stage in a food pyramid or chain

Front 19

Secondary Consumer

Back 19

Animals that feed on other primary consumers as the second stage in a food pyramid

Front 20

Tertiary Consumers

Back 20

Animals that feed on animal-eating-animals as the thrid and further stage in a food pyramid or chain

Front 21

Herbivore

Back 21

An animal that feed upon plants

Front 22

Carnivore

Back 22

A flesh-eating animal

Front 23

Omnivore

Back 23

Feeds on both plants and animals

Front 24

Trophic Level

Back 24

Each time that energy passes from a plant to an animal, or from an animal to an animal, its motion through the ecosystem is temporarily stopped. Each of these temporary stopping points is called a "Trophic Level"

Front 25

Food Chain

Back 25

Sequential predation in which organisms feed opon one another, with organisms at one level providing food for organisms at the next level. Energy is thus transferred through the ecosystem. One-way flow.

Front 26

Food web

Back 26

Complex networks or "interrelated" food chains or feeding relationships

Front 27

Biomass

Back 27

Organic matter in the environment

Front 28

Food Pyramid

Back 28

Another conceptualiztion of energy transfer through the ecosystem from large numbers of "lower" forms of life through succeedingly smaller numbers of "higher" forms, as the organisms at one level are eaten by the organisms at a higher level.