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39 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
acid rain
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corrosive rain caused by rainwater falling to the ground through sulfur dioxide gas, turning it into weak sulfuric acid; can damage structures and ecosystems |
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analytical model
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ecosystem model that is created with mathematical formulas to predict the effects of environmental disturbances on ecosystem structure and dynamics |
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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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biomass consumed and assimilated from the previous trophic level after accounting for the energy lost due to incomplete ingestion of food, energy used for respiration, and energy lost as waste |
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biogeochemical cycle
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cycling of mineral nutrients through ecosystems and through the non-living world |
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biomagnification
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increasing concentrations of persistent, toxic substances in organisms at each trophic level, from the primary producers to the apex consumers |
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biomass
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total weight, at the time of measurement, of living or previously living organisms in a unit area within a trophic level |
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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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conceptual model
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ecosystem model that consists of flow charts that show the interactions of different compartments of the living and non-living components of the ecosystem; also compartment model |
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dead zone
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area within an ecosystem in lakes and near the mouths of rivers where large areas of ecosystems are depleted of their normal flora and fauna; these zones can be caused by eutrophication, oil spills, dumping of toxic chemicals, and other human activities |
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detrital food web
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type of food web in which the primary consumers consist of decomposers; these are often associated with grazing food webs within the same ecosystem |
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ecological pyramid
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graphical representation of different trophic levels in an ecosystem based on organism numbers, biomass, or energy content; also known as Eltonian pyramid |
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ecosystem
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community of living organisms and their interactions with their abiotic environment |
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ecosystem dynamics
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study of the changes in ecosystem structure caused by changes in the environment or internal forces |
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equilibrium
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steady state of an ecosystem where all organisms are in balance with their environment and each other |
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eutrophication
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process whereby nutrient runoff causes the excess growth of microorganisms, depleting dissolved oxygen levels and killing ecosystem fauna |
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fallout
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direct deposit of solid minerals on land or in the ocean from the atmosphere |
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food chain
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linear representation of a chain of primary producers, primary consumers, and higher-level consumers used to describe ecosystem structure and dynamics |
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food web
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graphic representation of a holistic, non-linear web of primary producers, primary consumers, and higher-level consumers used to describe ecosystem structure and dynamics |
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grazing food web
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type of food web in which the primary producers are either plants on land or phytoplankton in the water; often associated with a detrital food web within the same ecosystem |
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gross primary productivity
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rate at which photosynthetic primary producers incorporate energy from the sun |
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holistic ecosystem model
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study that attempts to quantify the composition, interactions, and dynamics of entire ecosystems; often limited by economic and logistical difficulties, depending on the ecosystem |
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hydrosphere
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area of the Earth where water movement and storage occurs |
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mesocosm
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portion of a natural ecosystem to be used for experiments |
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microcosm
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re-creation of natural ecosystems entirely in a laboratory environment to be used for experiments |
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net consumer productivity
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energy content available to the organisms of the next trophic level |
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net production efficiency
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measure of the ability of a trophic level to convert the energy itreceives from the previous trophic level into biomas; also known as NPE |
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non-renewable resource
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resource, such as fossil fuel, that is either regenerated very slowly or not at all |
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primary consumer
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trophic level that obtains its energy from the primary producers of an ecosystem |
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primary producer
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trophic level that obtains its energy from sunlight, inorganic chemicals, or dead and/or decaying organic material |
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residence
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time measure of the average time an individual water molecule stays in a particular reservoir |
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resilience
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speed at which an ecosystem recovers equilibrium after being disturbed |
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resistance
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ability of an ecosystem to remain at equilibrium in spite of disturbances secondary consumer usually a carnivore that eat primary consumers |
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simulation model
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ecosystem model that is created with computer programs to holistically model ecosystems and to predict the effects of environmental disturbances on ecosystem structure and dynamics |
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subduction
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movement of one tectonic plate beneath another |
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tertiary consumer
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carnivore that eats other carnivores |
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trophic level
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position of a species or group of species in a food chain or a food web |
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trophic level transfer efficiency
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energy transfer efficiency between two successive trophic levels; also known as TLTE |
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net primary productivity |
energy that remains in the primary producers after accounting for the organisms’ respiration and heat loss |