ecology
scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment
Population
a group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area and interbreed, producing fertile offspring
Community
(ecology) a group of interdependent organisms inhabiting the same region and interacting with each other
Ecosystem
A community and its physical environment together
Landscape Ecology
The application of ecological principles to the study of land-use patterns; the scientific study of the biodiversity of interacting ecosystems
Biosphere
part of Earth in which life exists including land, water, and air or atmosphere
Species
group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring
Atmosphere
the layer of air that surrounds the earth
Hydrosphere
the watery layer of the earth's surface
Lithosphere
the solid part of the earth consisting of the crust and outer mantle
Energy
the ability to do work
Potential Energy
energy stored due to an object's position or arrangement
Kinetic Energy
the energy an object has due to its motion
Thermodynamics
the study of energy transformations that occur in a collection of matter
Closed System
a system in which no matter is allowed to enter or leave
Open System
matter can enter from or escape to the surroundings
The First law of Thermodynamics
..., Energy cannot be created or destroyed but it can be changed from one form to another
Second Law of thermodynamics
..., a law stating that mechanical work can be derived from a body only when that body interacts with another at a lower temperature
Entropy
..., (thermodynamics) a thermodynamic quantity representing the amount of energy in a system that is no longer available for doing mechanical work
Photosynthesis
..., process by which plants and some other organisms use light energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and high-energy carbohydrates such as sugars and starches
Aerobic Cellular Respiration
..., the process by which cells use oxygen to obtain usable energy from an energy source
Hydrothermal Vents
..., geysers on the seafloor, created where tectonic plates move apart, spewing hot and mineral-rich water into cold ocean depths
Chemosynthesis
..., process by which some organisms, such as certain bacteria, use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates
Energy Flow
..., The flow of energy from an ecosystem to an organism and from one organism to another.
Trophic level
..., step in the movement of energy through an ecosystem; an organism's feeding status in an ecosystem.
Food Web
..., (ecology) a community of organisms where there are several interrelated food chains
Producers
..., organisms that make their own food
Consumers
..., an organism that obtains energy and nutrients by feeding on other organisms or their remains.
Heterotrophs
..., organisms that depend on other organisms for their food
Herbivores
..., an organism that eats only plants.
Secondary Consumers
..., an organism that eats primary consumers
Carnivores
..., organisms that mainly prey upon animals.
Omnivores
..., an organism that eats both plants and animals.
Detritivores
..., organisms that consume organic litter debris and dung.
Decomposers
..., organisms that break down wastes and dead organisms and return raw materials to the environment
Food Chains
..., a series of steps in which organisms transferring energy by eating or being eaten.
Ecological Pyramids
..., show the relative amount of energy or matter contained within each trophic level in a given food chain or food web
Pyramid of Numbers
..., representation of the number of individual organisms in each trophic level of an ecosystem
Pyramid of Biomass
..., Shows the total amount of living material available at each trophic level/ The area at the bottom corresponds to the producer level. It represents the greatest amount of living material.
Biomass
..., the total mass of living matter in a given unit area
Pyramid of Energy
an ecological pyramid that shows the energy flow through each trophic level in an ecosystem.
Gross Primary Productivity
the rate at which organic matter is assimilated by plants and other producers during a period of time over a certain area
Net Primary Productivity
the rate at which biomass accumulates in an ecosystem