Biosphere vocabulary

Biosphere

• Global sum of all ecosystems

abiotic factors

• non-living chemical and physical parts of the environment that affect living organisms and the functioning of ecosystems.

Biotic factor

• he living components of an ecosystem

populations

• summation of all the organisms of the same group or species, which live in a particular geographical area, and have the capability of interbreeding.

Ecosystem

• a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Biome

• a large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, e.g., forest or tundra.

Autotroph

• an organism that is able to form nutritional organic substances from simple inorganic substances such as carbon dioxide.

Photosynthesis

• the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water. Photosynthesis in plants generally involves the green pigment chlorophyll and generates oxygen as a byproduct.

Heterotroph

• an organism deriving its nutritional requirements from complex organic substances.

Herbivore

• an animal that feeds on plants.

Carnivore

• an animal that feeds on flesh.

Decomposer

• an organism, especially a soil bacterium, fungus, or invertebrate, that decomposes organic material.

Food Chain

• a hierarchical series of organisms each dependent on the next as a source of food.

Food web

• a system of interlocking and interdependent food chains.

Tropic Level

• each of several hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, comprising organisms that share the same function in the food chain and the same nutritional relationship to the primary sources of energy.

Ecological pyramid

• a graphical representation designed to show the biomass or bio productivity at each trophic level in a given ecosystem.

Ecological pyramid

• a graphical representation designed to show the biomass or bio productivity at each trophic level in a given ecosystem.

Biomass

• organic matter derived from living, or recently living organisms

sustainability

• the ability to continue a defined behavior indefinitely

Habitat

• the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.

Niche

• he function or position of a species within an ecological community. A species's niche includes the physical environment to which it has become adapted as well as its role as producer and consumer of food resources.