Atmosphere:
The layers of life sustaining gases surrounding Earth, (oxygen, carbon, etc.)
- The use of fossil fuels (factories, cars…) has contributed heavily to pollution and
climate change which permanently damages the ecosystem.
Hydrosphere:
All water (solid, liquid, gas) on and around Earth. It is where the water cycle occurs.
- We also polluted water. Some places do not have access to clean water.
Lithosphere:
The Earth’s solid outer shell, containing the life sustaining soil that allows plants to
grow.
- We produce a lot of solid waste that goes into landfills which then contaminates
the soil and groundwater.
Biosphere:
The area around Earth where life can exist. Within the hydro, atmo, and litho-sphere.
- Deforestation and burning fossil fuels can harm all life forms.
Ecosystem:
All the living organisms and their physical and chemical environment. Including the
biosphere, biomes, ecosystems, communities, populations, and individuals.
Sustainable ecosystem:
An ecosystem that is maintained through natural processes.
Radiant energy:
Energy that travel through space
Light energy:
Visible forms of radiant energy
Photosynthesis:
When the Sun’s energy is converted into chemical energy (sugar).
, Light energy
- Carbon Dioxide + water -----------> sugar + oxygen
Cellular respiration:
When sugar and oxygen are converted into water and carbon dioxide to provide
energy for the cell. Plants and animals.
Sugar + oxygen ----> carbon dioxide + water + energy
Producer:
An organism that makes its own food using the Sun's energy, (plants, algae).
Consumer:
An organism that obtains energy from consuming other organisms
Ecological niche:
The function a species serves in its ecosystem, including what it eats, what eats it, and
how it behaves. (it’s job)
- What happens if 2 animals have overlapping niches?
The animals will compete with each other and in the end one animal will steal
the niche and the other animal will either die or find a new niche.
Herbivore:
Only eat plants. They are primary consumers.
Omnivores:
Omnivores earth plants and animals.
Carnivore:
Carnivores eat meat. They are the tertiary consumers.
- To produce 1 kg of beef, you need so much water, crop, and land and it is very
costly because it is a higher trophic level
Detritivore/decomposers:
, Eat the remains of dead plants, animals, and their waste.
Food chain:
A sequence of organisms, each feeding on the next, showing how energy is transferred
from one organism to another.
A representation of the feeding relationships within a community.
Trophic levels:
The level of an organism in an ecosystem depending on its feeding position along a
food chain.
- 80-90% of energy taken in by consumers, 10% toward the body, 30% is for
thermal energy, and 60% is for decomposers
Ecological pyramid:
Is a representation of energy, numbers, or biomass relationships in ecosystems.
Approximately only 10% of energy is transferred from each level to the next.
Biomass:
The mass of living organisms in a given area.
Biogeochemical cycle:
The movement of matter through the environment.
Carbon cycle:
CO2 gets converted into oxygen through photosynthesis, the plants hold the carbon,
then animals like herbivores and omnivores eat the plants so now the carbon is a part
of them, once those animals die the detritivores break down the animals which
converts it into CO2 back into the atmosphere. Also, the animals that die will
eventually be fossil fuels through sedimentation, which get burned for energy and
become carbon dioxide.
Short-term stores:
Living things, atmosphere, ocean
Long-term stores:
The layers of life sustaining gases surrounding Earth, (oxygen, carbon, etc.)
- The use of fossil fuels (factories, cars…) has contributed heavily to pollution and
climate change which permanently damages the ecosystem.
Hydrosphere:
All water (solid, liquid, gas) on and around Earth. It is where the water cycle occurs.
- We also polluted water. Some places do not have access to clean water.
Lithosphere:
The Earth’s solid outer shell, containing the life sustaining soil that allows plants to
grow.
- We produce a lot of solid waste that goes into landfills which then contaminates
the soil and groundwater.
Biosphere:
The area around Earth where life can exist. Within the hydro, atmo, and litho-sphere.
- Deforestation and burning fossil fuels can harm all life forms.
Ecosystem:
All the living organisms and their physical and chemical environment. Including the
biosphere, biomes, ecosystems, communities, populations, and individuals.
Sustainable ecosystem:
An ecosystem that is maintained through natural processes.
Radiant energy:
Energy that travel through space
Light energy:
Visible forms of radiant energy
Photosynthesis:
When the Sun’s energy is converted into chemical energy (sugar).
, Light energy
- Carbon Dioxide + water -----------> sugar + oxygen
Cellular respiration:
When sugar and oxygen are converted into water and carbon dioxide to provide
energy for the cell. Plants and animals.
Sugar + oxygen ----> carbon dioxide + water + energy
Producer:
An organism that makes its own food using the Sun's energy, (plants, algae).
Consumer:
An organism that obtains energy from consuming other organisms
Ecological niche:
The function a species serves in its ecosystem, including what it eats, what eats it, and
how it behaves. (it’s job)
- What happens if 2 animals have overlapping niches?
The animals will compete with each other and in the end one animal will steal
the niche and the other animal will either die or find a new niche.
Herbivore:
Only eat plants. They are primary consumers.
Omnivores:
Omnivores earth plants and animals.
Carnivore:
Carnivores eat meat. They are the tertiary consumers.
- To produce 1 kg of beef, you need so much water, crop, and land and it is very
costly because it is a higher trophic level
Detritivore/decomposers:
, Eat the remains of dead plants, animals, and their waste.
Food chain:
A sequence of organisms, each feeding on the next, showing how energy is transferred
from one organism to another.
A representation of the feeding relationships within a community.
Trophic levels:
The level of an organism in an ecosystem depending on its feeding position along a
food chain.
- 80-90% of energy taken in by consumers, 10% toward the body, 30% is for
thermal energy, and 60% is for decomposers
Ecological pyramid:
Is a representation of energy, numbers, or biomass relationships in ecosystems.
Approximately only 10% of energy is transferred from each level to the next.
Biomass:
The mass of living organisms in a given area.
Biogeochemical cycle:
The movement of matter through the environment.
Carbon cycle:
CO2 gets converted into oxygen through photosynthesis, the plants hold the carbon,
then animals like herbivores and omnivores eat the plants so now the carbon is a part
of them, once those animals die the detritivores break down the animals which
converts it into CO2 back into the atmosphere. Also, the animals that die will
eventually be fossil fuels through sedimentation, which get burned for energy and
become carbon dioxide.
Short-term stores:
Living things, atmosphere, ocean
Long-term stores:
