DEBio 46 Ecosystem quizs

hydrosphere

• area of the Earth where water movement and storage occurs

• the layer of gases surrounding the planet

• the solid outer part of the Earth

• the region of the Earth where living organisms exist

apex consumer

• organism at the top of the food chain

• organism that feeds on primary consumers

• organism that is a primary producer

• organism that has no natural predators

residence time

• measure of the average time an individual water molecule stays in a particular reservoir

• the total amount of water in a reservoir

• the rate at which water is added to a reservoir

• the time it takes for water to evaporate from a reservoir

trophic level transfer efficiency (TLTE)

• energy transfer efficiency between two successive trophic levels

• the total energy available at the base of the food chain

• the rate of photosynthesis in primary producers

• the energy lost as heat at each trophic level

biogeochemical cycle

• the exchange of matter through the biosphere.

• the process of photosynthesis in plants.

• the movement of tectonic plates in geology.

• the cycle of water in the environment.

net consumer productivity (NCP)

• energy content available to the organisms of the next trophic level

• total energy consumed by all organisms in an ecosystem

• energy lost as heat during metabolic processes

• energy stored in primary producers

biomagnification

• accumulation of toxins at successive levels of the food chain

• the process of energy transfer between trophic levels

• the increase of biodiversity in an ecosystem

• the reduction of pollutants in the environment

ecological resilience

• speed at which an ecosystem recovers equilibrium after being disturbed

• the variety of species within an ecosystem

• the total biomass of an ecosystem

• the rate of energy flow through an ecosystem

net primary productivity (NPP)

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

• total energy produced by all organisms in an ecosystem

• energy lost through photosynthesis

• energy available for secondary consumers

photoautotroph

• organism capable of synthesizing its own food using energy from the sun

• organism that consumes other organisms for energy

• organism that relies on chemical reactions for energy

• organism that cannot produce its own food