Energy Flow, Nutrient Cycles and Ecological Relationships

Front

What do we call the region of the globe that supports life?

Back

Biosphere: The biosphere is the global sum of all ecosystems, where life exists, including land, water, and the atmosphere.

Front

An organism that uses the energy of sunlight or inorganic chemicals to produce its own "food" is called a(n) _____________.

Back

Autotroph: Autotrophs are organisms that can produce their own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.

Front

A(n) _____________ is made up of a biological community and all of the abiotic factors that affect it.

Back

Ecosystem: An ecosystem includes all living organisms in a particular area, along with the non-living components of their environment.

Front

All of the interacting living species in an area make up a biological _____________.

Back

Community: A community consists of all the different populations of species that live and interact in a specific area.

Front

A deer that feeds on the acorns from an oak tree is an example of a(n) _______________.

Back

First order consumer: First order consumers, or primary consumers, are organisms that eat producers (plants) for energy.

Front

What is the process by which energy is transferred through food chains?

Back

Energy flow: Energy flow refers to the transfer of energy from one trophic level to another in an ecosystem.

Front

What term describes organisms that cannot produce their own food and must consume other organisms?

Back

Heterotroph: Heterotrophs are organisms that obtain their food by consuming other living things.

Front

What is the term for the role and position a species has in its environment?

Back

Niche: A niche encompasses how a species interacts with biotic and abiotic factors in its environment.

Front

What is the term for the variety of life in a particular habitat or ecosystem?

Back

Biodiversity: Biodiversity refers to the variety of living organisms in a given area, including the diversity of species, genetics, and ecosystems.

Front

What is the term for the movement of nutrients through the environment and living organisms?

Back

Nutrient cycle: Nutrient cycles describe the movement and exchange of organic and inorganic matter back into the production of living matter.