DEBio 46 Ecosystem flashcards

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acid rain

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rain containing nitric and sulfuric acids

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apex consumer

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organism at the top of the food chain

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assimilation

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consumed biomass that is passed on to the next trophic level

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biomagnification

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accumulation of toxins at successive levels of the food chain

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chemoautotroph

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organism capable of synthesizing its own food using energy from inorganic molecules

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eutrophication

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when nutrients become highly concentrated in a body of water, leading to increased growth of algae or cyanobacteria

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gross primary productivity (GPP)

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rate at which photosynthetic primary producers incorporate energy from the sun

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hydrosphere

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area of the Earth where water movement and storage occurs

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net consumer productivity (NCP)

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energy content available to the organisms of the next trophic level

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net primary productivity (NPP)

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energy that remains in the primary producers after accounting for the organisms' respiration and heat loss