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35 Cards in this Set
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- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
Heterotrophs |
An organism that obtains its energy from other complex organisms. |
wolf
The heterotroph hunted its prey. |
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Autotrophs |
An organism that obtains its energy from simple, inorganic beings. |
plants
Some autotrophs use photosynthesis. |
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Photoautotrophs |
An organism that obtains its energy by means of photosynthesis. |
plants
Photoautotrophs are producers in the food chain. |
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Chemoautotrophs |
An organism that obtains its energy by means of a chemical process, instead of photosynthesis. |
bacteria
Chemoautotrophs are producers on the food chain. |
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Cell respiration |
A process of reactions in the cells of organisms which converts biochemical energy from nutrients to adenosine triphosphate (ATP). |
Respiration involves the breaking of large chemical bonds into smaller ones. |
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Producers |
Organisms capable of obtaining their energy by means of creating complex compounds from simple ones. |
Plants
Autotrophs are producers. |
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Consumers |
Organisms that cannot create their own energy and therefore must obtain it by feeding on other organisms. |
wolves
Consumers come second in the food chain. |
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Decomposers |
Organisms that break down other living things, thus recycling nutrients in the ecosystem. |
bacteria
Decomposers break down the cells of other organisms. |
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Biotic |
Relating to life and the ecosystem. |
life
Abiotic is the antonym of biotic, and it relates to non-living things. |
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Abiotic |
Relating to non-living things. |
rain
Both biotic and abiotic things are scattered throughout the ecosystem. |
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Ecosystem |
Relating to a system's living things (biotic) and it's abiotic terrain. |
community
Ecosystems consist of a vast array of living and non-living things. |
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Habitats |
The natural environment of an organism. |
home
Modern ways of human life sometimes disrupt the habitats of other organisms on earth. |
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Biosphere |
The areas of a planet in which organisms reside. |
area of life
Biospheres account for all of the ecosystems of a planet. |
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Energy |
The capacity to perform work. |
vitality
To stay organized, organisms require energy. |
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Chemical energy |
Energy obtained or lost during a chemical reaction. |
energy released from ATP/glucose
Chemical energy is one of the various forms of energy. |
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Free energy |
Energy which may be taken from a system. |
available
Free energy is a thermodynamic term. |
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Heat energy |
Energy transferred by means of differing temperatures. |
temperature
The amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of a substance by one degree Celsius. |
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First Law of Thermodynamics |
Energy can not be created or destroyed. |
Burning a log and having most of the energy be released as heat energy, with some remaining as smoke and ash.
The first law of thermodynamics relates to the law of conservation of energy. |
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Second Law of Thermodynamics |
Systems are naturally inclined toward disorder. |
Heat energy being released
Organisms combat the second law of thermodynamics by constantly obtaining energy. |
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Entropy |
Disorder |
Burning a log and having smoke scattered around
The second law of thermodynamics relates to entropy. |
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Enzymes |
A substance made to bring about a biochemical reaction. |
catalyst
Every enzyme has a specific substrate that activates it. |
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Active site |
The place on an enzyme where it connects to its substrate. |
chemical reaction
The action sites of enzymes are unique, just like their substrates. |
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Substrate |
The substance required by an enzyme to instigate a chemical reaction. |
"key"
Every enzyme has a specific substrate that activates it. |
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Metabolism |
A series of chemical processes that take place in an organism to maintain life. |
food
The metabolism is broken down into two parts, the constructive metabolism and the deconstructive metabolism. |
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Synthesis |
The act of producing a compound from two individual, smaller components. |
creation
A+B=AB is a common way to illustrate synthesis. |
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Decomposition |
The act of breaking down a compound into two individual, smaller compounds. |
destruction
AB=A+B is a common way to illustrate decomposition. |
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Biosynthesis |
The creation of complex molecules within organisms. |
creation
Biosynthesis is the same as regular synthesis, it just focuses in on living things. |
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Oxidation |
The process of being chemically combined with oxygen. |
oxygen
The act of burning coal turns it from sulfur to sulfur dioxide. |
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ATP |
Adenosine phosphate (adenine ring, ribose sugar, three phosphate groups) |
ATP is produced by means of cellular respiration. |
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Digestion |
The process of breaking down food. |
breaking down
Various ways in which materials may be digested are present in the ecosystem. |
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Pepsin |
A common gastric juice. |
digestion
Gastric juices are used to aid the process of digestion. |
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Small intestines |
An area of the body in which most of the digestive process occurs. |
gastrointestinal tract
In the small intestines, food is digested and its nutrients absorbed. |
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Salivary amylase |
An enzyme found in the saliva of humans. |
spit
Salivary amylase aids the digestive process by beginning the process of breaking down food. |
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Lipase |
An enzyme that breaks down lipids. |
Lipase breaks down fats into glycerol and free fatty acids. |
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Villi |
A fingerlike lining of the small intestine |
small intestine
Villi work to distribute nutrients to the bloodstream. |