Exam I Terms

Front 1

any basic, unique form of matter

Back 1

element

Front 2

pathways which move matter essential to living organisms through ecosystems

Back 2

biogeochemical cycles

Front 3

process which converts the energy of the sun into chemical energy

Back 3

photosynthesis

Front 4

the process used to convert molecules into usable energy

Back 4

cellular respiration

Front 5

the dry weight of all material in an ecosystems

Back 5

biomass

Front 6

the rate at which biomass is made in an ecosystem

Back 6

productivity

Front 7

the position of a species in a food chain is it's...

Back 7

trophic level

Front 8

species which feed on only plants

Back 8

herbivores

Front 9

species which occurs only in one community is called

Back 9

endemic

Front 10

a species which comes into a community and significantly changes it is called

Back 10

invasive

Front 11

a group of organisms with similar characteristics that can interbreed and product fertile offspring

Back 11

species

Front 12

organsims which get their energy direclty from the tissues of plants

Back 12

herbivores

Front 13

organisms which return the organic matter of dead organisms to the environment

Back 13

detritivores

Front 14

all members of a particular ecosystem

Back 14

community

Front 15

the vegetation in an ecosystem

Back 15

landscape

Front 16

the crust of the earth

Back 16

lithosphere

Front 17

a transitional area between ecosystems

Back 17

ecotone

Front 18

a terrestrial ecosystem

Back 18

biome

Front 19

broad leafed trees, midlatitudes, precipitation throughout the year

Back 19

temperate deciduous forest

Front 20

very little rainfall, rain often in isolated storm months or years, driest biome

Back 20

desert

Front 21

long, cold winters and short, cool summer. a few species of evergreens dominate a broad area

Back 21

boreal forest

Front 22

mild, wet winters; warm, dry summers, patches of evergreen shrubs, often dense, frequent fires

Back 22

chaparral

Front 23

year round rain and warm temperatures, high biodiversity, different species of trees

Back 23

tropical rain forest

Front 24

extreme to moderate temperature differences between winter and summer, diminished rainfall

Back 24

temperate grassland

Front 25

extremely cool winters with little daylight, dry cool summers, with long days, permafrost

Back 25

tundra

Front 26

warm year round with relatively low rainfall, half year wet and dry seasons, trees

Back 26

temperate rainforest

Front 27

holds the structure of the ecosystems together, often tertiary producers

Back 27

keystone species

Front 28

a species whose numbers are so low that they may not be able to produce a next generation

Back 28

endangered species

Front 29

species that colonize bare ground in the process of primary succession

Back 29

pioneer species

Front 30

an evironment's maximum population size

Back 30

carrying capacity

Front 31

an economist whose description of a "struggle for existence" in human populations greatly influenced Darwin's theory of evolution

Back 31

Thomas Malthus

Front 32

biologist who independently developed a theory similar to Darwin's

Back 32

Algred Russell Wallace

Front 33

all material in the universe that has mass and occupies space

Back 33

matter

Front 34

an intangible phenomenon tha tcan change the position, physical composition, or temperature, of matter

Back 34

energy

Front 35

organisms which make their own food from energy in the environment

Back 35

autotrophs

Front 36

the process which accomplishes this using the energy of the sun

Back 36

photosynthesis

Front 37

the specific environment in which an organism lives

Back 37

habitat

Front 38

an organism's use of resource and it's functional role in a community

Back 38

niche

Front 39

major regional complex of similar communities

Back 39

biome