Biosphere
The part of Earth that supports life
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| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
Biosphere | The part of Earth that supports life |
Biomes | Large regions characterized by specific climate |
Ecosystems | A community of living organisms and their nonliving environment interacting together. |
Communities | All the different populations that live together in an area. |
Species | A group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring. |
Populations | All the members of one species living in a specific area. |
Organisms | Individual living things. |
Biotic Factors | Living or once-living parts of an ecosystem |
Abiotic Factors | Nonliving parts of an ecosystem |
Climate | The average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time. |
Weather | The day-to-day conditions of the atmosphere |
Rain Shadow Effect | A dry area on one side of a mountain |
Trophic Structure | The feeding relationships and energy flow within an ecosystem. |
Producer(s) | Organisms that make their own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis |
Primary Consumer(s) | Herbivores that eat producers. |
Secondary Consumer(s) | Carnivores or omnivores that eat primary consumers. |
Tertiary Consumer(s) | Top predators that eat secondary consumers. |
Predator | An animal that hunts and eats other animals. |
Prey | An animal that is hunted and eaten by a predator. |
Apex Predator | A predator at the top of the food chain with no natural enemies. |
Keystone Species | A species that has a major impact on its ecosystem |
Scavenger | An animal that eats dead animals |
Decomposer | Organisms that break down dead matter and return nutrients to the soil |
Herbivore | An animal that eats only plants. |
Carnivore | An animal that eats only other animals. |
Omnivore | An animal that eats both plants and animals. |
Detritivore | An organism that feeds on detritus |
Food Chain | A linear sequence showing who eats whom in an ecosystem. |
Food Web | A complex network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem. |
10% Rule | Only about 10% of the energy from one trophic level is passed to the next |
Biomass | The total amount of living material in a given area. |
Symbiosis / Symbiotic Relationship | A close and long-term relationship between two species. |
Mutualism | Both species benefit |
Parasitism | One species benefits while the other is harmed |
Commensalism | One species benefits while the other is unaffected |
Competition | When two or more organisms fight for the same limited resource |
Predation | One organism |