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28 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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biomass |
the total mass of organisms in a given area; e.g., 7 kg plants/square meter |
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producers |
perform photosynthesis to 'produce' their own food |
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consumers |
eat other organisms to obtain food energy |
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decomposers |
obtain food energy by breaking down dead organisms or wastes |
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biodegradation |
to break down dead organisms into simpler chemicals |
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trophic level |
feeding level in a food chain/web |
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carnivores |
animals which feed on animals |
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omnivore |
animals which feed on both plants and animals |
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herbivores |
animals which feed on plants |
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detrivores |
decomposers and some insects, worms, etc. that eat dead organisms |
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food chain |
model showing the flow of chemical P.E. through trophic levels |
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food web |
model showing the flow of chemical P.E. in interconnected food chains |
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food/energy/ecological pyramid |
a food chain/web shown as a pyramid of numbers, or energy, or biomass |
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nutrients |
chemicals needed for life (e.g., vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates) |
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nutrient cycle |
the flow of nutrients between organisms and stores |
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stores |
where nutrients accumulate in the abiotic environment; e.g. oceans |
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photosynthesis |
reaction in green plants' chloroplasts: light energy is converted to chemical P.E. in the form of glucose |
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cellular respiration |
reaction in mitochondria: glucose is "burned" at low temperature, its energy is converted into the chemical P.E. of ATP |
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sediment |
layers of soil, etc. that accumulates, especially at sea/lake bottoms |
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weathering |
chemical and/or mechanical breakdown of rock, e.g., by glaciers |
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greenhouse effect |
when the atmosphere traps heat (IR) rays from the sun |
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greenhouse gases |
atmospheric gases that trap sun's heat , e.g., CO2, CH4, |
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nitrogen fixing |
taking atmospheric N2 to make nitrate or ammonium ions |
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nitrification |
changing ammonium to nitrate ions |
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denitrification |
changing nitrate ions back to N2 |
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leaching |
when lots of rain dissolves soil nutrients and washes them away |
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eutrophication |
when excess nutrients cause a population explosion of aquatic plants; often followed by loss of dissolved O2 when these plants die and decay |
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guano |
bird droppings; often used as a natural fertilizer |
