Ecology - the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings., Species - organisms that can mate and make fertile offspring, Population - made up of all organisms of the same species that live in an area at the same time, Community - many populations of organisms living in a specific area; does not include abiotic (nonliving) factors, Ecosystem - a biological community of interacting biotic (living) organisms and their abiotic (nonliving) physical environment, Habitat - the natural environmental area that a particular species lives in, Niche - the role or job of an organism within its environment, Energy Pyramid - illustrates the flow of energy in an ecosystem., Radiant Energy - energy from the sun, Chemical Energy - created when radiant energy is transformed by photosynthesis; lost as heat when transferred through consumers in an energy pyramid, Trophic Level - the energy position held by an organism in an energy pyramid, food chain, or food web, Food Chain - illustrates the transfer of energy/biomass from one organism in an ecosystem to another; arrows show direction of energy transfer, Food Web - illustrates the interactions of many food chains and is a better representation of how ecosystems operate., Producer - organisms which create glucose through photosynthesis using radiant energy from the sun; contain the most biomass/energy in a food chain; autotroph, Consumer - organisms that obtain chemical energy by eating other organisms; heterotroph, Carnivore - consumers that only eat meat, Omnivore - consumers that eat both plants and animals, Herbivore - consumers that only eat plants (primary consumers), Decomposer - organisms that feed on or break down dead plants or dead animals; heterotroph, Water Cycle - the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the earth, Nitrogen Cycle - the series of processes by which nitrogen is removed from the atmosphere and transferred between living organisms, Nitrogen Fixation - the chemical processes by which atmospheric nitrogen is converted by “nitrogen fixing bacteria” into a usable form for plants and animals., Carbon Cycle - the series of processes by which carbon is transferred and transformed within an environment., Greenhouse Effect - the trapping of radiation from the sun by greenhouse gasses (mostly carbon dioxide) which warms the Earth’s surface to a livable temperature., Fossil Fuels - non-renewable resources (oil, coal, natural gas) which release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere., Population Dynamics - the study of how and why populations change in size and structure over time, Dynamic Equilibrium - a system that will have small changes that sum together to produce no net change, Limiting Factors - anything in a population that restricts the population size, Exponential Growth - population numbers increase faster and faster as time progresses; shown by a j-curve on a population graph, Logistic Growth - happens when a population is limited in resources and starts to decrease in size; shown by a s-curve on a population graph, Population Density - is a measurement of population per unit area, Carrying Capacity - the maximum number of organisms in a population that the environment can support., Global Warming - a gradual increase in the earth's temperature generally due to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide, CFCs, and other pollutants, Habitat Destruction - process in which natural habitat is unable to support its naturally dwelling species, Deforestation - the permanent destruction of forests in order to make the land available for other uses, Acid Rain - caused by sulfates in factory smoke getting into the atmosphere and condensing, Invasive Species  - a plant, fungus, or animal species that is not native to a specific location (an introduced species), and has a tendency to spread and cause damage to the environment., Bioaccmulation - occurs when an organism absorbs a toxic substance at a rate greater than that at which the substance is lost., Sustainable Actions - actions that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs., Cycl- - circle, Carn- - meat, Omni- - all, Eco- - environment, Herb- - grass; plants, -vor- - devour; eat,

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