Unit 2.1
The smallest unit in the ecological hierarchy, an ______ is a single organism capable of independent survival.
Individuals
The ability to do work; in ecosystems, it flows through organisms.
Energy
The movement of carbon through the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere.
Carbon Cycle
____ affects the amount of solar energy received, which influences temperature and daylight hours.
Latitude
_____ refers to changes in community along an environmental gradient.
Zonation
Non-living environmental factors (temperature, water, sunlight).
Abiotic Factors
A system that exchanges energy and matter with its surroundings.
Open system
Loss of nutrients from soil as they are washed away by water.
Leaching
The range of ________ that a region experiences throughout the year. _______ influences the types of organisms that can survive in a biome.
Gradual change in species composition in an area over time.
Succession
One species benefits, the other is unaffected.
Commensalism
Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.
First law of thermodynamics
All living organisms that participate in nutrient cycling.
Biosphere
Rising of cold, nutrient-rich water to the ocean surface.
Upwelling
First organisms to colonize an area.
Pioneer Species
The role of a species in an ecosystem, including how it uses resources and interacts with others.
Niche
What is the 10% Rule?
Only about 10% of energy is passed to the next trophic level.
"Ecosystems absorb more CO₂ than they release, typically when photosynthesis outpaces respiration."
Sink
Human development altering natural biome formation.
Urbanization
Number of different species increases during succession.
Species diversity
Interactions like mutualism, where two species benefit from their relationship, can enhance the ability of populations to expand into new areas or thrive in existing ones.
Symbiosis
Measure of disorder; increases as energy is lost as heat during transfers, leading to less organized energy states in ecosystems.
Entropy
Nutrient overload, especially from nitrogen and phosphorus, promotes excessive algae growth in water bodies.
Eutrophication
Continuous global ocean circulation system moving heat around Earth.
Global conveyor belt
Stable, mature ecosystem with little change in species composition.
Climax community