Vocabulary
What is an organism?
A living thing
the process by which molecules at the surface of a liquid absorb enough energy to change to a gas.
evaporation
Precipitation
any form of water that falls from clouds and reaches Earth’s surface as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.
Cultural services help with our well-being and happiness.
Organism, population, community, ecosystem
Niche
how an organism makes its living and interacts with the biotic and abiotic factors in its habitat.
the principle that the total amount of matter is neither created nor destroyed during any chemical or physical change.
Law of Conservation of Mass
a species that influence the survival of many other species in an ecosystem.
Keystone Species
The four categories of ecosystem services are cultural, provisional, regulatory, and supporting services.
The forest fire will reduce the number of trees in the forest in a significant way. Therefore, birds will have fewer places to nest and raise young. As a result, the population of birds will decrease.
Competition
: the struggle between organisms to survive as they attempt to use the same limited resources in the same place at the same time.
Ecosystem
DAILY DOUBLE
the community of organisms that live in a particular area, along with their nonliving environment.
Natural Resource
anything naturally occurring in the environment that humans use.
Most organisms require sunlight, amounts of water, and certain temperatures. They cannot survive in other climates.
DAILY DOUBLE
A food chain shows only one path in the flow of energy and matter from one organism to another. A food web is more complex, so it is better at showing the flow of energy and matter.
Predation
DAILY DOUBLE
an interaction in which one organism kills another for food or nutrients
Decomposer
an organism that gets energy by breaking down biotic wastes and dead organisms and returns raw materials to the soil and water.
Invasive Species
species that are not native to their habitat and can out-compete native species in an ecosystem.
DAILY DOUBLE
Biotic: Animals can hunt certain species, thereby reducing the population.
Abiotic: Lack of rain can lead to a decrease in population or flooding could drown out species.
Biodiverse ecosystems provide a variety of resources. These resources are valuable because all organisms need resources to live.
Ecological Restoration
the practice of helping a degraded or destroyed ecosystem recover from damage
the rule that energy cannot be created or destroyed
Law of Conservation of Energy
the series of predictable changes that occur in a community over time
DAILY DOUBLE
Succession
The Law of Conservation of mass says that matter cannot be created or destroyed. The amount of each element stays constant. In the cycles, matter may change, such as when oxygen and hydrogen form water molecules.
Predation: one organism kills another for food
Competition: different species share the same habitat and compete for survival
Mutualism: two species benefit from sharing the same environment
Commensalism: one organism gains from the relationship; the other is neither helped nor harmed
Parasitism: one organism benefits from and harms a host organism