Ecosystems

• Define population

  the total number of specific organisms in an ecosystem
• Define community

  the total number of all organisms in an ecosystem
• define habitat

  an ecological area that is where a specific species lives
• define ecosystem

  a self-supporting system of organisms interacting with each other and with a physical environment
• define producer

  organism which photosynthesizes to produce new food or biomass
• define omnivore

  animals that eat both plants and animals
• define decomposer

  organism which decays material to help recycle nutrients for the food cycle
• define abiotic

  all the non-living and non-biological components of an ecosystem
• define food chain

  a linear sequence of links in a food web starting from a speciest that is the top carnivore. it also shows how the organisms are related with each other by the food they eat and links an ecosystem
• define food web

  a diagram showing the feeding connections in an ecological community (it also shows how the ecosystem is interlinked)
• define primary consumer

  an animal which eats producers (also known as a herbivore)
• define secondary consumer

  any animal which eats the primary consumer in an ecosystem
• define predator

  a consumer which is not eaten by any other animal
• define trophic levels

  the different stages in a food chain: the level at which an organism feeds in a food chain
• what percent of energy is tranferred between each trophic level?

  10%
• define transpiration?


  The process by which water is lost from a plant through its leaves.
• define decomposition?


  Breaking down a complex problem or system into smaller, more manageable parts.
• define assimilation - the process by which plants take in nitrates from the soil
• define nitrification - the process by which nitrogen is converted into nitrogenous compounds
• define denitrification - the process by which nitrates are converted into nitrogen gas
• define ammonification - the process by which nitrogen is converted into ammonia
• define nitrogen fixation - the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia