Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
60 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
Ecosystem |
All the interacting parts of a biological community and its environment |
|
|
Sustainable Ecosystem |
an ecosystem that is capable of withstanding pressure and giving support ti a variety if organisms Word sustain has two meanings, To endure and to support |
|
|
Biotic |
The living parts of an ecosystem Animals, plants, people, organisms |
|
|
Abiotic |
the non-living parts of an ecosystem The resources and nutrients light, water, air, space, etc the things that effect the life of an animal |
|
|
Lithosphere |
The hard part of the earth surface the ground, what we live on |
|
|
Hydrosphere |
all the water found on Earth, including Lakes, oceans, and ground water everything in the water |
|
|
Atmosphere |
the layer of gases above Earth's surface air and gasses |
|
|
Biosphere |
the regions of Earth where living organisms exist all living things are part of it |
|
|
Nutrients |
a chemical that is essential to living things and is cycled through ecosystems needed to live |
|
|
Eutrophication |
a process in which nutrient levels in aquatic ecosystems increase, leading to an increase in the populations of primary producers algae boom |
|
|
Photosythesis |
a process that changes solar energy into chemical energy Carbon dioxide & water -----> oxygen & glucose |
|
|
Trophic Level |
a category of organisms that is defined by how the organisms gain their energy the food chain Primary producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers |
|
|
Biomass |
the total mass of living organisms in a defined group or area |
|
|
Trophic efficiency |
a measure of the amount of energy or biomass transferred from one trophic level to the next higher trophic level about 10% not all energy consumed because of heat loss, not all is eaten, and not all is digested |
|
|
Bioaccumulation |
a process in which materials, especially toxins, are ingested by an organism at a rate greater than they are eliminated |
|
|
Biomagnification |
related to accumulation. Is the increase in the concentration of a toxin as it moves from one trophic level to the next |
|
|
Cellular repiration |
a process that releases energy from organic molecules, especially carbohydrates, in the presence of oxygen Glucose & oxygen -------> water & carbon dioxide & energy |
|
|
Fermentation |
a process that releases energy from organic molecules, especially carbohydrates, in the absence of oxygen |
|
|
Greenhouse gases |
atmospheric gases that prevent hat from leaving the atmosphere, thus increasing the temperature of the atmosphere causes the greenhouse effect |
|
|
Greenhouse effect |
the warming of Earth as a result of greenhouse gases, which trap some of the energy that would otherwise leave Earth |
|
|
Acid precipitation |
rain, snow or fog that is unnaturally acidic due to gases in the atmosphere that react with water from acids caused by greenhouse gasses and the greenhouse effect |
|
|
Population |
all the individuals of a species that occupy a particular geographic area at a certain time Total number, like population of city |
|
|
Exponential growth |
accelerating growth that produces a J-shaped curve when the population is graphed against time when the line on the graph is going up |
|
|
limiting factors |
a factor the limits the growth, distribution, or amount of a population in an ecosystem abiotic things that would prevent growth One being the sparrows all competing for the same, small food source |
|
|
carrying capacity |
the size of a population that can be supported indefinitely by the available resources and services of an ecosystem when the line on the graph flattens, and smooths out |
|
|
ecological niche |
the way that an organism occupies a position in an ecosystem, including all the necessary biotic and abiotic factors. the resources it needs biotic and abiotic regulation of population size the bio relationships with other species |
|
|
predator |
an organism that kills and consumes other organisms Higher trophic level Snake vs mouse |
|
|
prey |
an organism that is eaten as food by a predator lower trophic level snake vs mouse |
|
|
mutualism |
a symbiotic relationship between two spices in which both species benefit from the relation ship bees and flowers |
|
|
parasite |
an organism whose niche is dependent on a close association with a larger host organisms brain worm and deer |
|
|
competition |
When two or more organisms compete for the same resources another example of the sparrows |
|
|
sustainable use |
use that does not lead to long-term depletion of a resource or affect the diversity of the ecosystem from which the resource is obtained |
|
|
doubling time |
the period of time that is required for a population to double in size |
|
|
ecological footprint |
a measure of the impact of an individual or a population on the environment in terms of energy consumption, land use, and waste production |
|
|
unsustainable |
a pattern of activity that leads to a decline in the function of an ecosystem |
|
|
sustainablilty |
use of Earth's resources, including land and water, at levels that can continue forever |
|
|
ecosystem services |
the benefits experienced by organisms, including humans, that are provided by sustainable ecosystems |
|
|
desertification |
the change of non-desert; desertification may result from climate change and unsustainable farming or water use example is clear cutting a forest |
|
|
ecotourism |
a form of tourism that is sensitive to the health of an ecosystem and involves recreational activities provided by sustainable ecosystems |
|
|
biodiversity |
the umber and variety of life forms, including species, found within a specific region as well as all the number and variety of ecosystems within and beyond that region |
|
|
protect |
to guard legally from harm a species that is listed as endangered, threatened, or of special concern |
|
|
biodiversity hotspot |
a place where there is an exceptionally large number of species in a relatively small area` forests |
|
|
community |
all the populations of the different species that interact in a specific area or ecosystem |
|
|
dominant species |
species that are so abundant that they have the biggest biomass of any community member always primary producers |
|
|
keystone species |
a species that can greatly affect population numbers and the health of an ecosystem sea otters |
|
|
captive breeding |
the breeding of rare or endangered wildlife in controlled settings to increase population size some prairie dogs in zoo |
|
|
ecosystem engineer |
a species that causes such dramatic changes to landscapes that it creates a new ecosystem beavers building dams |
|
|
succession |
the series of changes in an ecosystem that occurs over time, following a disturbance |
|
|
habitat loss |
the destruction of habitats, which usually results from human activities |
|
|
deforestation |
the practice of clearing forests for logging or other human uses, and never replanting them |
|
|
alien species |
a species that is accidentally or deliberately introduced into a new location sometimes deliberately, but majority is accidentally because of shipments of food, or boats example being zebra mussels on ships |
|
|
invasive species |
a species that can take over the habitat of native species upset the equilibrium once again, example being the zebra mussels in ballast water |
|
|
overexploitation |
the use or extraction of a resource until it is depleted example being fish in the ocean by Nova Scotia. Sailors say stories of all that you could see at times in the water were fish swimming around, but now there are not very many left because of over fishing in the area |
|
|
extinction |
the death of all the individuals in a species dodo bird |
|
|
biodiversity crisis |
the current accelerated rate of extinctions when a lot of animals are nearing extinction |
|
|
restoration ecology |
the renewal of degraded or destroyed ecosystems through active human intervention when an area has been destroyed by mining, and people go back and fill in the large holes and caves with dirt, and put more minerals back in the area |
|
|
reforestation |
the regrowth of a forest, either through natural processes or through the planting of seeds or trees in an area where a forest was cut down |
|
|
biocontrol |
the use of a species to control the population growth or spread of an undesirable species Often not thought through, example the species of poisonous toad, brought it to control one species, but ended up killing many other animals that tried eating them |
|
|
bioremedation |
the use of living organisms to clean up contaminated areas naturally algae in the water to clean minor oil spills |
|
|
bioaugmentation |
the use of organisms to add essential nutrients to depleted soils |
