Invasive Species
This long-legged amphibian, originally from Central and South America, became a major pest after being introduced to Australia to control sugar cane pests.
The cane toad
These organisms make their own food using sunlight and are the first step in the food chain.
Producers, Autotrophs
This type of symbiosis occurs when both organisms benefit from the relationship, like when bees pollinate flowers.
Mutualism
This term describes the process by which toxins become more concentrated as they move up the food chain.
Biomagnification
This process occurs when nitrogen gas from the atmosphere is converted into ammonia by certain bacteria in the soil.
Nitrogen Fixation (NH2)
This fast-growing vine from Asia can grow up to a foot a day and has taken over trees, fences, and buildings in the southern U.S.
Kudzu
These organisms consume plants or other producers for food and are known as herbivores.
Primary Consumers
In this type of symbiosis, one organism benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed, like birds riding on the backs of large mammals to eat ticks.
Commensalism
This toxic chemical, once widely used in pesticides, can accumulate in the bodies of animals and is an example of biomagnification in action.
DDT
These specialized bacteria are responsible for turning ammonia into nitrites in the nitrogen cycle.
These big fish are known for jumping out of rivers and lakes when boats go by. They’ve taken over parts of the Mississippi River and are a threat to native fish.
Asian Carp
These organisms eat primary consumers (herbivores) and are also called carnivores.
Secondary Consumers
This type of symbiosis occurs when one organism benefits at the expense of another, like a tick feeding on the blood of a dog.
Parasitism
In a food chain, this group of animals is most at risk of biomagnification because they are at the top and consume many smaller organisms.
Apex predators
In this step of the nitrogen cycle, plants absorb nitrites and nitrates from the soil and use them to make proteins.
Assimilation
These tiny striped clams hitched rides in ships from Europe and now clog pipes, cover beaches, and crowd out native species in the Great Lakes.
Zebra Mussels
In a food web, this level is typically made up of top predators, who have no natural predators themselves.
Tertiary Consumers
This adaptation allows some animals, like chameleons, to blend in with their surroundings to avoid predators.
Camouflage
This process occurs because toxins are not broken down by organisms and can accumulate over time in tissues, especially fat.
Bioaccumulation
This process occurs when bacteria break down nitrogen compounds in the soil and release nitrogen gas back into the atmosphere.
Denitrification
This colorful bug from Asia is a serious threat to U.S. crops like grapes, apples, and hardwood trees. It leaves behind a sticky mess that causes mold to grow.
The spotted lanternfly
Only about 10% of the energy from one trophic level is transferred to the next level. This rule is called the “10% rule” and explains why there are fewer of these organisms at the top of a food web.
Energy flow or energy pyramid
Some desert animals, like the fennec fox, have large ears to help them stay cool in the heat. This is an example of an adaptation for this purpose.
Thermoregulation
This large bird, once endangered by high DDT levels, became a symbol of biomagnification's effects before the pesticide was banned.
Bald Eagle
This process, essential for the nitrogen cycle, occurs when lightning or certain bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into usable forms like nitrates.
Nitrogen Fixation (NH3)