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Ecosystems definitions Flashcards

Ecosystems definitions
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  • Ecosystems
    A dynamic system comprising a community of organisms interacting with each other and their physical environment, where energy flows through and matter is recycled.
  • Biosphere
    The global sum of all ecosystems, encompassing all living organisms and their interactions with the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere.
  • Photosynthesis
    The process by which autotrophs convert light energy, water, and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen, providing energy for themselves and forming the base of the food chain.
  • Carbon Cycle
    The flow of carbon through the biosphere, involving its exchange between the atmosphere, organisms, soil, and oceans, driven by processes like photosynthesis and respiration.
  • Trophic Levels
    The hierarchical positions organisms occupy in a food chain, based on their feeding relationships, from primary producers to apex predators.
  • Autotrophs
    Organisms that produce their own food from inorganic substances using light (photosynthesis) or chemical energy (chemosynthesis), forming the base of the food chain.
  • Primary Producers
    Organisms that convert inorganic materials into organic matter, forming the base of the food chain and supporting all other trophic levels, typically through photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.
  • Decomposers
    Organisms that break down dead organic matter and waste, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem, ensuring the continuous availability of essential elements for other living organisms.
  • Detritivores
    Organisms that consume non-living organic matter, such as dead organisms and waste, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
  • Food Web
    A complex network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem, illustrating how energy and nutrients flow through various trophic levels, including producers, consumers, and decomposers.
  • Gross Primary Productivity
    The total energy captured by primary producers from sunlight or inorganic sources in a given area and time, before accounting for energy used in respiration.
  • Net Primary Productivity
    The total amount of new biomass produced by primary producers after subtracting the energy they use for respiration.
  • Biomagnification
    The process where toxins become more concentrated in organisms at higher trophic levels due to the inefficiency of energy transfer in food chains.