This is the study of the interactions between living and nonliving things
What is Ecology?
These are organisms that produce their own food
What are Producers?
This is the measure of the total amount of living tissue of organisms within a trophic level in an ecosystem
What is Biomass?
This is an organism's role in its ecosystem
What is niche?
A relationship between 2 or more organisms of different species where ALL benefit from the association
What is MUTUALISM?
The sum of all of Earth's ecosystems in land, water, or air
What is a Biosphere?
These are organisms that break down the dead remains of other organisms
What are Decomposers?
This links all the food chains in an ecosystem together
What is a food web?
These are the main PRODUCERS in streams and rivers
What is algae?
When population growth is controlled by limited resources or the presence of predators or both
What is LOGISTIC growth?
The nonliving physical and chemical conditions affecting organisms
What are Abiotic factors?
In addition to heat, this is a second way that energy is "lost."
What is waste?
Trophic levels track this as it moves through the ecosystem
What is energy?
This ocean biome is where photosynthetic organisms live
What is the PHOTIC zone?
A non-native plant or animal introduced into a new ecosystem that can be extremely problematic
What is an INVASIVE species?
This is another name for the ability to reproduce (one of the factors critical to the definition of species)
What is fertile?
This is lost each time it moves up a trophic level in an ecosystem
What is Energy
This ecological "pyramid" reflects the actual dry mass of all organisms in each trophic level of an ecosystem
What is a Biomass Pyramid?
This is Earth's largest biome
What is the marine biome?
This is a relationship between species in which one organism EATS another
What is PREDATION?
This is a natural disaster most Floridians must face and is a key abiotic factor
What is a hurricane?
This is the source of almost all of the energy used in ecosystems
What is the sun?
This is the percentage of energy from one trophic level available to the next higher trophic level
What is 10%
Most of the United States falls into this climate region
What is the Temperate Zone?
Biotic factors that limit population growth are called this
What are density-dependent factors?