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17 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Photosynthesis |
The process by which plants, algae, and some bacteria use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to produce carbohydrates and oxygen. |
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Producer |
An organism that can make organic molecules from inorganic molecules; a photosynthetic or chemosynthetic autotroph that serves as the basic food source in an ecosystem. |
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Consumer |
An organism that eats other organisms or organic matter instead of producing its own nutrients or obtaining nutrients form inorganic sources. |
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Decomposer |
An organism that feeds by breaking down organic matter from dead organisms; examples include bacteria and fungi. |
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Cellular Respiration |
The process by which cells produce energy from carbohydrates; atmospheric oxygen combines with glucose to form water and carbon dioxide. |
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Food Chain |
The pathway of energy transfer through various stages as a result of the feeding patterns of a series of organisms. |
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Food Web |
A diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem. |
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Trophic Level |
One of the steps in a food chain or food pyramid; examples include producers and primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers. |
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Carbon Cycle |
The movement of carbon from the nonliving environment into living things and back. |
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Nitrogen-fixing Bacteria |
Bacteria that convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia. |
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Nitrogen Cycle |
The process in which nitrogen circulates among the air, soil, water, plants, and animals in an ecosystem. |
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Phosphorus Cycle |
The cyclic movement of phosphorus in different chemical forms from the environment to organisms and then back to the environment. |
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Ecological Succession |
A gradual process of change and replacement in a community. |
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Primary Succession |
Succession that begins in an area that previously did not support life. |
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Secondary Succession |
The process by which one community replaces another community that has been partially or totally destroyed. |
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Pioneer Species |
A species that colonizes an uninhabited area and that starts an ecological cycle in which many other species become established. |
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Climax Community |
A final, stable community in equilibrium with the environment. |
