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ecology
scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment
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biotic factors
all living things
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abiotic factors
all nonliving things
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trophic level
step in a level or food chain
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biogeochemical cycles
process in which elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another
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species
group of organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring
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population
groups of organisms of the same species living in the same area
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community
groups of different populations living in the same area
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ecosystem
all organisms that live in the same area along with the environment
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biome
group of ecosystems with the same climate and similar dominant communities
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biosphere
highest level of organization
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producer/autotroph
organisms that make their own food from sun/inorganic chemicals
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consumers/heterotrophs
organisms that can't make their own food
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herbivore
only eats plants
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carnivore
eats animals/meat
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omnivore
eat both plants and animals
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photosynthesis
use energy from the sun to make organic chemicals for energy
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chemosynthesis
capture energy from source other than sun
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food chain
a simple series of who eats who
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food web
a complex interaction of all the food chains in an ecosystem
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nutrient
chemical substance that an organism requires to live
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detrivore
organism that feeds on plant and animal remains and other dead matter
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decomposer
organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter
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ecological pyramid
diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy or matter within each trophic level in a food chain or food web
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primary productivity
rate at which organic matter is created by producers in an ecosystem
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limiting nutrient
single nutrient that either is scarce or cycles very slowly, limiting the growth of organisms in an ecosystem
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evaporation
process by which water changes from a liquid into an atmospheric gas
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transpiration
loss of water from a plant through its leaves
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nitrogen fixation
process of converting nitrogen gas into ammonia
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denitrification
conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas
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biotic: grass, trees, animals
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abiotic: rocks, air, temperature
using the African savannah as an example, list some biotic and abiotic factors
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species, population, community, ecosystem, biome, biosphere
list the levels of organization from smallest to largest
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observing, experimenting, modeling
what are the 3 main methods used to study ecology?
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predictions
what are the benefits of creating ecological models?
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chemo- energy source other than sun
what is the difference between photosynthetic autotroph and chemosynthetic autotroph?
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one direction: sun to producers, then to consumers and decomposers
which way does energy flow through an ecosystem?
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show how much energy is available at each trophic level
what is the basic principle of energy pyramid?
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show how much food is available at each trophic level
what is the basic principle of the biomass pyramid?
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shows number of individuals at each trophic level
what is the basic principle of the pyramid of numbers?
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biological process
photosynthesis, respiration, deposition
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geochemical process
erosion, volcanic activity
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biogeochemical process
burial, deposition
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human activities
mining, cutting/burning forests, burning fossil fuels
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nitrogen is required to make amino acids
why is nitrogen so important to living things?
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producers and bacteria use products
why is nitrogen fixation so vital to food chains/webs?
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phosphorus forms part of important life-sustaining molecules such as DNA and RNA
why is phosphorus so important to living things?
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a large input of a limiting nutrient
what causes algal blooms?
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