bio/eco 10

• 2) Chemoautotrophs - use chemical energy from inorganic molecules to synthesize organic compounds (bacteria)
• 3) Heterotrophs - obtain their nutrients by consuming other living things (animals).
• Saprotrophs - heterotrophs that break down dead plant material into simpler substances (fungi & bacteria)
• Parasites - live on or inside another organism and get nourishment at the expense of the host (e.g., tapeworms, fleas, lice)
• Autotroph - An autotroph is an organism that can produce its own food using light, water, carbon dioxide, or other chemicals.
• Saprotroph - A saprotroph is an organism that obtains nutrition by breaking down dead organic matter.
• Photosynthesis - The process by which plants, algae, and some bacteria convert sunlight into sugar and oxygen.
• Primary consumers - Organisms that feed directly on producers (plants) in a food web.
• Trophic level - The position of an organism within a food chain based on where it gets its nutrients.
• Secondary consumer - An animal that eats primary consumers.
• Tertiary consumer - An animal that eats secondary consumers.
• Producers - Producers are plants and algae that use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into organic compounds such as glucose during photosynthesis.
• Consumers - Consumers are animals that get energy by eating other organisms.
• Pyramid of Biomass - A graphical representation of the amount of biomass (living matter) at each trophic level in an ecosystem, which can be greater or smaller than the pyramid of numbers depending on factors such as body size and efficiency of energy transfer.
• Energy Pyramid - An illustration showing the flow of energy through different trophic levels in an ecosystem.
• Ecosystem - An ecosystem consists of all the biotic (living) components within a given area, including producers, consumers, decomposers, and their interactions.
• Biome - Biomes are large areas of land or sea with similar climates and vegetation types.
• Alleles - different versions of a gene that code for the same trait.
• Genotype - the genetic makeup of an individual
• Phenotype - the physical characteristics of an individual resulting from both genetics and environmental factors
• Homozygous - having two identical alleles at a particular locus
• Phenotype - the physical expression of genes
• Heterozygous - having two different alleles at one locus
• Gene pool - all the genes present within a population
• Dominant - when only one copy of the dominant allele is needed to express the phenotype
• Dominant Allele - one version of a gene that is expressed when present in either homozygous or heterozygous form
• Mutations - random changes in DNA sequence that can lead to new traits
• Recessive - when two copies of the recessive allele are required to express the phenotype
• Dominant trait - expressed when only one copy is present (heterozygote)
• Recessive Allele - one version of a gene that is only expressed when present in homozygous form
• Recessive trait - not expressed unless both copies are present (homozygote)
• Genetic drift - random changes to gene frequencies due to chance events, such as sampling error or founder effect
• Mendelian inheritance - the transmission of traits through generations based on Mendel's laws of segregation, independent assortment, dominance, and codominance
• Recessive - when both copies of the recessive allele are required to express the phenotype
• Genetic Variation - differences in genetic makeup between members of a species
• Genetic Drift - change in frequency of an allele due to chance events, such as sampling error during reproduction
• Environmental Variation - variation among individuals within a population due to differences in environmental conditions
• Bottleneck Effect - occurs when a large population experiences a sudden decrease in size, resulting in reduced genetic diversity within the remaining individuals
• Codominance - when two different alleles contribute equally to the expression of a phenotype
• Dominant - when either copy of the dominant allele is sufficient to express the phenotype