Radience

Ecology and the Biosphere

Science

abiotic factor

a nonliving part of the environment, like water, light or temperature
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autotroph

an organism that uses energy from the sun to produce its own food, like plants
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biogeochemical cycle

the movement of a chemical through the living and nonliving parts of an ecosystem
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biomass

total mass of all living matter in a given area
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biome

large areas with similar climates, plants, and animals, like a tundra, taiga or desert
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biosphere

the part of Earth with life, its land, water and atmosphere
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biotic factor

a living factor in the environment, like plants or animals
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carnivore

an animal that only eats other animals
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chemosynthesis

a process by which some organisms, like bacteria, use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates
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consumer

unlike a plant, cannot make its own food, instead it eats other living things
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decomposer

an organism that breaks down dead organisms and waste, like fungi or bacteria
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denitrification

when a bacteria converts nitrates into nitrogen gas
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detritivore

an organism that feeds on dead organic matter
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ecology

how organisms interact with their environment
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ecosystem

all the living and nonliving things interacting in an area
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energy pyramid

the diagram of energy loss through a food chain
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food chain

the food energy transfer between organisms in an ecosystem
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food web

a model of overlapping food chains in an ecosystem
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herbivore

an animal that eats only plants
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heterotroph

an organism that cannot make its own food, including all animals
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nitrogen fixation

the process in which soil bacteria convert nitrogen gas into ammonia
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nutrient

a substance that an organism needs to live, like water or minerals
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omnivore

can eat both plants and animals
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phytoplankton

microscopic, photosynthetic organisms that float near the water’s surface, like algae
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plankton

tiny microscopic organisms that float or drift in water
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producer

organism that can make its own food, like all plants
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trophic level

a step in the food chain or food web
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zooplankton

floating animal plankton
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