Life Science
ELEMENT SYMBOL % IN BODY
What does life depend on
hydrogen bonds in water
What do compounds dissolve in
water
What cycles through the environment
water
What is cohesion?
water sticking to water
What is adhesion?
water sticking to other things
surface tension
A measure of how difficult it is to stretch or break the surface of a liquid
Solvent
A liquid substance capable of dissolving other substances
high specific heat
The ability of water to resist changes in temperature.
Density
Mass per unit volume
Evaporation
The change of a substance from a liquid to a gas
hydroligic cycle
the water cycle
biogeochemical cycle
the movements of matter within and between ecosystems
Biotic
living
Abiotic
Non-living
Biodiversity
The variety of life
keystone species
a species that has an unusually large effect on its ecosystem
keystone species examples
beaver
habitat
Place where an organism lives
ecological niche
Sum total of a species' use of the biotic and abiotic resources.
competitive exclusion
Ecological rule that states that no two species can occupy the same exact niche in the same habitat at the same time
ecological equivalent
organisms that share a similar niche but live in different geographical regions
producer
An organism that makes its own food
Autotroph
An organism that makes its own food
Consumer
An organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms
what does a ecosystem include
both biotic and abiotic factors
what happens when you change factor in an ecosystem
it can affect many other factors
What is the difference between habitat and a niche
a habitat is where you live, a niche is how you live
what gives structure to a community
resource availability
what provides energy to organisms in an ecosystem
Producers
Heterotroph
An organism that cannot make its own food.
Chemosynthesis
process in which chemical energy is used to produce carbohydrates
climate
Overall weather in an area over a long period of time
Microclimate
The climate of a small area
Ecology
The study of how living things interact with each other and their environment
Community
All the different populations that live together in an area
Ecosystem
A community of organisms and their abiotic environment
Biome
A group of ecosystems with similar climates and organisms
Immigration
Migration to a new location
Emigration
Migration from a location
exponential growth
Growth pattern in which the individuals in a population reproduce at a constant rate
logistic growth
Population growth that is controlled by limited resources
carrying capacity
The largest population that an area can support
population crash
dramatic decline in the size of a population over a short period of time
limiting factor
An environmental factor that prevents a population from increasing
density-dependent limiting factor
limiting factor that depends on population size
density-independent limiting factor
environmental resistance that affects a population regardless of population
density
food chain
A series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten
Carnivore
A consumer that eats only animals.
Detrivitore
Organism that obtains nutrients from decomposing material, non-living material, or animal waste.
specialist
consumer that eats only one type of organism
trophic level
Each step in a food chain or food web
Herbivore
A consumer that eats only plants.
Omnivore
An animal that eats both plants and animals
Decomposer
An organism that breaks down wastes and dead organisms
Generalist
Species that does not rely on a single source of prey
food web
a system of interlocking and interdependent food chains.
Biomass
total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level
energy pyramid
diagram that compares energy used by producers, primary consumers, and other trophic levels
almost all producers obtain energy from...
sunlight
What are the three main climate zones of Earth
polar, temperate, tropical
What are the ecological research methods
observation, experimentation, and modeling
changes in population size are determined by
immigration, births, emigration, deaths
Population growth is based on what
available resources
What limits population growth?
ecological factors
What does a food web show?
complex network of feeding relationships
What do the arrows on a food chain show
Where the energy goes
Trophic levels
producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers
Types of consumers
herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, decomposers