Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics Flashcards
(15 cards)
What is a producer?
An organism that makes its own food through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.
What is a consumer?
An organism that eats other organisms for energy.
What is a decomposer?
An organism that breaks down dead matter (e.g., fungi, bacteria).
What is a food chain?
A linear sequence of organisms through which energy flows.
What is a food web?
A complex network of interconnected food chains.
What is the 10% rule in ecology?
Only 10% of energy transfers to the next trophic level.
What is biodiversity?
The variety of living species in an ecosystem.
What is a limiting factor?
Any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts population growth.
What is carrying capacity?
The maximum population an environment can support sustainably.
What is symbiosis?
A close relationship between different species.
What are the three main types of symbiosis?
Mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism.
What is the nitrogen cycle?
The process of nitrogen moving through the atmosphere, soil, and organisms.
What is the carbon cycle?
The movement of carbon among the atmosphere, biosphere, and geosphere.
What is ecological succession?
The gradual process of ecosystem development and species replacement.
What are invasive species?
Non-native organisms that disrupt native ecosystems.
