Wk 6 Cumulative Vocab Review

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Primary producer

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The first producer of energy-rich compounds that are later used by other organisms.

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Abiotic

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A physical, or nonliving, factor that shapes an ecosystem.

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Biodiversity

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The total variety of organisms in the biosphere; also called biological diversity.

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Climate

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Average year-to-year conditions of temperature and precipitation in an area.

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Food web

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A network of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships among various organisms in an ecosystem.

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Ecological footprint

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A measure of human demand on the Earth's ecosystems, representing the amount of natural capital used.

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Biomagnification

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The process by which the concentration of toxic substances increases in each successive link in the food chain.

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Trophic level

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The position an organism occupies in a food chain, which determines its role in the ecosystem.

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Population density

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The number of individuals per unit area or volume.

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Density-independent limiting factor

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A factor that affects population size regardless of the population's density, such as natural disasters.