Let it Flow
This law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed
The Law of Conservation of Energy (First Law of Thermodynamics)
Unlike water, carbon, and nitrogen, this nutrient does not cycle through the atmosphere
Phosphorus
This is the correct order of ecological organization, starting from the most inclusive to the least inclusive.
Biosphere -> Biome -> Ecosystem -> Community -> Population -> Species
Two different biomes that share similar measurements of annual precipitation
Tundra & Desert
By burning these, humans significantly increase the amount of CO2 entering the atmosphere.
Fossil Fuels
This is the percentage of energy typically lost as heat when moving between trophic levels
90%
Burning fossil fuels and deforestation are two major ways these individuals influence the carbon cycle
Humans
Higher trophic levels contain smaller population sizes because...
Less energy is available
Camouflage, powerful tails for swimming, and upward-facing nostrils are adaptations for this specific reptile in a swamp.
Alligator
This process occurs when human-related nutrient runoff (like nitrogen) causes excessive algae growth and oxygen depletion in water.
Eutrophication
Organisms cannot pass on 100% of their energy because much of it is used for these biological processes or lost as heat
Metabolism
These cycles are necessary to ensure that essential nutrients are recycled and made available for living organisms
Hydrologic Cycle, Phosphorus Cycle, Nitrogen Cycle, Carbon Cycle
Temperature, sunlight, and soil type are examples of...
abiotic factors
These specific ecosystems are vital because they prevent flooding and filter out pollutants before they can reach the ocean.
Wetlands
This is the primary process by which plants "clean" the atmosphere of carbon
Photosynthesis
At the 3rd trophic level, this specific percentage of the original energy from the producers is available.
1%
This process, often performed by bacteria, converts atmospheric nitrogen into a form plants can actually use.
Nitrogen Fixation
This term describes the living organisms you interact with daily in your local environment
biotic factors
Broad leaves to capture sunlight would be a necessary adaptation for plants in what terrestrial biome?
Tropical Rainforest
This phenomenon describes how toxins (like mercury or DDT) become more concentrated in the tissues of organisms at higher trophic levels.
Biomagnification
This biological group plays the vital role of breaking down dead organic matter within a food web
Decomposers
While photosynthesis removes carbon from the atmosphere, these two processes (one biological, one industrial) move it back
A large region defined by its climate and community of flora and fauna
This biome-specific factor determines which plants can grow, which in turn determines the types of animals that can survive there
Climate
This human activity reduces the "sinks" that remove carbon from the atmosphere.
Deforestation