Ecology

organisms that make food using energy from the sun

• organisms that make food using chemicals (no access to sun):
• example--organisms deep in ocean

• Organisms that eat other organisms
• (cannot make their own food)

use of methods, systems and materials that won't deplete resources or harm natural cycles for the future

consumer that feeds directly on producers

a consumer that eats primary consumers

organism that makes its own food (autotroph) and produces organic molecules that serve as food for other organisms in an ecosystem

• process by which a community arises in a virtually lifeless area with no soil:
• Example-volcanos make islands

• Change following a disturbance that damages an existing community but leaves the soil intact:
• Example-forest growing back

all the parts of the planet that are inhabited by living things; sum of all Earth's ecosystems

community of living things plus the nonliving features of the environment that support them

all the organisms living in an area (different species)

group of individuals of the same species living in a particular area at the same time

number of organisms in a population that an environment can maintain:

• factor that limits a population more as population density increases:
• Example--disease

factor unrelated to population density that limits a population

• The movement of energy through a biological food chain:
• 10% is passed from previous trophic level
• nearly all energy is from sun
• all living things use energy

• matter is recycled within and between ecosystems through biogeochemical cycles (water cycle, carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle):
• Example: photosynthesis, and fossil fuels in the Carbon cycle

• Energy + 12 H₂O + 6 CO₂ --> 6 O₂ + C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6 H₂O
• the process in which plants use energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into sugars

• 6 O2 + C₆H₁₂O₆ + 6 H₂O --> Energy + 12 H₂O + 6 CO₂
• opposite of photosynthesis
• process by which oxygen is converted to chemical energy and carbon dioxide

the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms, being characterized by reproduction, adaptation, evolution, DNA and/or RNA, production of waste, and use energy

cellular organism that lacks a nucleus (does not have membranes within membrane); bacteria

a complex cell with a nucleus surrounded by its own membrane and has other internal organelles

Shared areas/ resources are ruined/depleted because people use them for their own self-interest even though it is not in anyone's long-term interest

example--litter

(large) number of species in a given area

different species need same thing --> one will succeed over the other because growth is limited by same resource

interaction in which one organism consumes another

Symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits and the other is harmed as a result

a symbiotic relationship in which both organisms benefit

A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits but the other isn't affected

an organism's habitat (physical features of environment) and role in that environment

waste and remains of dead organisms :(

having water rich in nitrogen promotes growth of plans-- especially algae--which reduces oxygen and as a result kills organisms

atmospheric gasses trap sun's energy that reaches earth--heats up surface; keeps stable temperature