Ecology

a living thing

a non living thing

rocks, dirt, water, air, clouds, mountains, temperature, light

animals, trees, plants

air

rock

water

living things

producer

consumer

any type of plant

organisms that only eat plants

rabbits, cows, horses

organisms that mainly eats meat

tiger, lion, shark

organisms that eat both plants and meat

bears, humans, dogs, chimpanzee

organisms that eat decaying organic matter

vultures, dung beetles, earth worms

organisms that eat decaying organic matter and then break down that material into nutrients

fungi, bacteria

one path of energy transfer through each organism

all possible passages of energy transfers through each organism

sunlight is captured by the chloroplasts, stored in a chemical called ATP, the chemical is then used to create sugar (food) for the plant, the roots of the plant draws up water, and the carbon dioxide is taken by the leaves from the air and both then release oxygen into the atmosphere

glucose + oxygen = chemical energy + carbon dioxide + water

barren rock land is colonized by living things for the first time

an area that used to have living things is destroyed and then is re-colonized

when a place of water is enhanced by nutrients and minerals leading to excessive plant and algae growth

usually a high ranked animal that controls the population of lower trophic levels, therefore keeping ecosystems in balance

the number of different types of organisms within an ecosystem

if the keystone species was taken out of an ecosystem it is a part of the food chains would collapse

a species average population size in a specific type of habitat

anything that slows or causes a populations size to decrease

when forward and reversed reactions occur at the same time and there’s no observable changes

an essential component of cells and life sustaining chemical reactions

through living and decaying organisms, the atmosphere, bodies of water, and soil and rock

photosynthesis, cellular respiration, decomposition, ocean processes (aquatic photosynthesis, volcanic eruptions, forest fires

fossil fuel combustion and land clearance can deeply affect the carbon cycle by introducing carbon into the atmosphere from longer term stores

nitrogen is an important component of DNA and proteins, involves four processes, three make nitrogen available to plants and animals

nitrogen fixation, nitrification, uptake, denitrification

nitrogen gas is converted into nitrate and ammonium which can be used by plants

ammonium is converted unto nitrate and nitrite through the work of nitrifying bacteria

useable forms of nitrogen are taken up by plant roots and then incorporated into plant proteins

converting nitrate back into atmospheric nitrogen

fossil fuel combustion and burning organic matter can cause high levels of nitrogen and lead to acid rain as well as chemical fertilizers

phosphorus carries energy to cells, it can be found in phosphorus rocks and sediments on the ocean floor

break down rock, releasing phosphate into the soil from longer term stores

commercial fertilizers and phosphate containing detergents enter waterways and can contribute additional phosphate to the phosphorus cycle, forest clearance reduces phosphate levels as phosphate in trees enters soil as ash

1. Nutrient enrichment that occurs due to runoff from agricultural fields etc

2. Rapid growth of algae and other planktons resulting in an algal bloom

3. Dissolved oxygen decreases and generation of poisons occur

4. Aquatic species die as a result of the loss of oxygen and the production of dangerous poisons