Ecology Review

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What is nitrogen fixation?

Back

The process by which bacteria convert nitrogen gas from the atmosphere into ammonia, making it available for plants.

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What is a food web?

Back

A complex network of feeding relationships among various organisms in an ecosystem.

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Who is considered a primary consumer in a food chain?

Back

An organism that eats producers; for example, a rabbit eating grass.

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What are decomposers?

Back

Organisms that break down dead material and return nutrients to the soil.

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What are tertiary consumers?

Back

Carnivores that eat secondary consumers in a food web.

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What is the role of producers in an ecosystem?

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Organisms that produce their own food through photosynthesis, forming the base of the food chain.

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What is the difference between a food chain and a food web?

Back

A food chain is a linear sequence of organisms where each is eaten by the next, while a food web is a complex network of interconnected food chains.

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What is the significance of biodiversity in an ecosystem?

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Biodiversity contributes to ecosystem resilience, stability, and productivity.

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What is the process of nitrification?

Back

The conversion of ammonia into nitrites and then nitrates by bacteria, making nitrogen available to plants.

Front

What is denitrification?

Back

The process by which bacteria convert nitrates back into nitrogen gas, returning it to the atmosphere.