Vocabulary
What is an Ecosystem
A biological community of interacting organisms.
Why are producers important?
They produce food for the rest of the ecoystem
What is a biochemical cycle?
The process of Earth's natural chemical elements being repeatedly transformed and recycled.
What is climate?
The average overall conditions in an area over a long period of time
What is a biotic factor?
A living or once-living part of an ecosystem.
What is symbiosis?
The interaction between two organisms to the advantage of one or both.
Why are consumers important?
Without consumers the population of plants becomes too large.
What is the water cycle? How does it work?
The water cycle is the process that water goes through to be recycled. Liquid water is evaporated by the sun's energy turning it into water vapor that eventually condenses in the sky and precipitates, falling back to the ground.
What is weather?
The day to day conditions of Earth's atmosphere.
What is a biological niche?
A specific specialized role that a species plays in its environment.
What is the difference between an autotroph and a heterotroph.
An autotroph derives from producing it within itself while a heterotroph derives food from other organisms.
What does carrying capacity mean in an ecosystem? how does knowing a ecosystem's carrying capacity help scientists?
A carrying capacity is the number of individuals that an environment can hold. Scientists use this information to determine if an ecosystem is healthy or not.
What is the carbon cycle? How does it work?
The carbon cycle is the process in which carbon is recycled. Carbon is released through respiration by consumers in a gas form, then plants remove the carbon gas from the atmosphere during photosynthesis.
What is climate change?
A change in global or regional climate patterns
What is a limiting factor
A factor that limits a population's growth.
What is a trophic level?
The position where an organism falls on a food chain.
What is a density dependent factor? how is it different from a density independent factor?
A density dependent factor is a factor that limits population growth based on population size or density. A density independent factor is a factor that limits population growth regardless of size or density.
Why is the nitrogen cycle important? How does it work?
What is the greenhouse effect?
Heat from the sun kept in the atmosphere by certain gases that reflect the heat back towards the ground.
What is a biosphere?
A region that is occupied by organisms.
What is the difference between commensalism and parasitism?
Commensalism is a symbiotic relationship where one organism benefits and the other is unaffected, parasitism is when one organism benefits and the other is harmed.
What is a trophic cascade?
When a change to a food web has widespread effects on the other species.
How is phosphorus released in the phosphorus cycle?
Water runs over rock formations, eroding them and releasing phosphorus from the rock.
Is climate change real?
Yes
What is a detritivore? Are they heterotrophs or autotrophs?
An organism that only eats and derives energy from things that are dead. Detritivores are heterotrophs