Air & Climate Chemistry
This greenhouse gas is released during anaerobic decomposition in wetlands.
Methane (CH₄)
Organisms introduced outside their native range that cause ecological harm are called this.
Invasive species
An invasive herbivore reduces producer biomass in an ecosystem. Which trophic level is directly affected first?
Primary producers
Two species compete for the same nesting space, reducing fitness of both species.
Competition
Plants that make their own food using sunlight belong to this trophic level.
Producers (autotrophs)
These gases combine with VOCs and sunlight to form photochemical smog.
Nitrogen oxides (NOx)
Dividing a forest into smaller patches increases this type of habitat.
Edge habitat
An invasive predator reduces herbivore populations, which allows plant populations to increase. This chain reaction is known as this ecological effect.
Trophic cascade
A hawk captures and eats a mouse.
Predation
An organism that eats producers is called this.
Primary consumer
This compound from old refrigerants destroys stratospheric ozone.
CFCs
Species that require stable forest conditions decline most after fragmentation.
Interior specialist
A bacterial culture grows rapidly when nutrients are unlimited, forming a J-shaped curve.
Exponential growth
Bees pollinate flowers while receiving nectar.
Mutualism
Multiple interconnected feeding relationships within an ecosystem form this structure.
Food web
This greenhouse gas is primarily released from fertilizer use.
Nitrous oxide (N₂O)
Excess nitrates in water bodies most directly cause this process.
Eutrophication
Competition for food increases as population size increases. This is an example of what type of limiting factor?
Density-dependent factor
Barnacles attach to whales without harming them.
Commensalism
A species with a disproportionately large impact on ecosystem structure is called this.
Keystone species
This atmospheric process occurs when reduced ice cover increases warming by lowering reflectivity.
Positive feedback loop
This international agreement regulates trade in endangered species like ivory.
CITES
A hurricane reduces a coastal bird population regardless of its size. This is what type of limiting factor?
Density-independent factor
Ticks feeding on mammals illustrate this interaction.
Parasitism
A forest remains mostly unchanged after a mild storm due to this ecosystem property.
Ecosystem resistance