APES

A single organism

A group of individuals of the same species in the same area.

Different populations of organisms living together in a place.

Living organisms and their interactions with the physical environment.

A larger geographic area with similar climate

When species or individuals vie for limited resources.

One organism capturing and feeding on another organism.

A cooperative relationship where two species benefit from each other.

A relationship where one organism benefits and the other is unaffected.

Animals that primarily eat plants.

Animals that hunt and eat other animals for sustenance.

A close and long-term interaction between different species.

A relationship where one organism benefits at the expense of another.

A linear sequence of organisms where each is a source of food for the next.

A complex network of interconnected food chains in an ecosystem.

An organism that produces its own food through photosynthesis.

An organism that obtains energy by consuming other organisms.

An organism that breaks down dead organic matter into simpler substances.

A position in a food chain or web that determines an organism's source of energy.

The variety of life in a particular ecosystem or on Earth.

Organisms that live on or in another organism.

Fleas on a pet or tapeworms in the intestines.

Parasites that lay their eggs inside another organism.

The larvae consume the host from the inside out.

Close

Mutualism

Strategy to share limited resources and reduce competition.

Birds feeding on insects in different parts of a tree.

Using the same resource at different times to minimize competition.

Nocturnal and diurnal animals using the same habitat.

Dividing up habitat to avoid direct competition.

Animals using different levels of a forest (canopy vs. forest floor).

Physical adaptations allowing different species to coexist.

Birds with different beak shapes feeding on different seeds.

Superdense

Cold

Forests that shed leaves in the fall.

Treeless areas dominated by grasses.

Hot

Areas with small trees

Cold

Northern regions with cooler climate.

Hot and humid areas with exotic flora and fauna.

Regions with moderate and balanced climate.

Concentration of dissolved salts in water.

Movement or circulation of water in natural systems.

Transitional area between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Wetland with waterlogged soils and emergent vegetation.

Wetland dominated by woody vegetation.

Wetland with acidic

Transitional zones where freshwater meets saltwater.

Coastal wetland flooded by saltwater

Coastal wetland dominated by mangrove trees.

Diverse marine ecosystem built by coral polyps.

Shoreline areas alternately submerged and exposed by tides.

Vast

The natural process of carbon exchange and recycling.

A reservoir that absorbs and stores more carbon than it releases.

Anything that releases more carbon into the atmosphere than it absorbs.

The process by which plants convert sunlight

The process by which cells break down glucose to release energy and produce CO2 and water.

The region of Earth that encompasses all living organisms and their interactions with the environment.

The layer of gases surrounding a planet

The transfer of gases between two environmental compartments.

The process of particles settling down in a fluid.

The process of sediment or organic matter being covered and compacted over time.

Removing natural resources from the Earth's crust.

Natural or artificial storage areas for substances.

Biological conversion of ammonia to nitrate.

Conversion of organic nitrogen compounds to ammonia.

Conversion of atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia.

Bacterial fixation is natural

Incorporation of nutrients into plant and organism tissues.

Conversion of nitrate and nitrite back to atmospheric nitrogen.

Process of nutrients being washed out of soil.

Excessive enrichment of water bodies with nutrients.

To obtain natural resources for human use.

A dam or a lake.

Nitrate (NO3-)

Ammonia (NH3) or ammonium ions (NH4+)

Ammonia (NH3) or other nitrogen compounds.

Atmospheric nitrogen gas (N2)

Nutrients are washed into water bodies.

Harmful algal blooms and ecological problems.

Industrial production of ammonia.

The release of ammonia gas into the atmosphere from agricultural practices or animal waste.

A nutrient necessary for the growth and health of living things.

Rocks and minerals in the Earth that contain phosphorus.

Something made by humans in a lab or factory

The collection of living things in a particular area or ecosystem.

The settling of tiny bits of dirt

The upward movement of parts of the Earth's crust over time.

The excessive nutrient enrichment of a body of water

A situation where one thing reinforces and strengthens another in a continuous loop.

A situation where one thing helps balance out another to prevent extremes.

Places where freshwater is stored

Water turning into vapor due to heat.

Plants releasing water vapor from their leaves.

Combined process of water evaporating from the ground and transpiring from plants.

Rate at which producers convert energy into organic compounds.

Energy captured by producers minus energy expended in respiration.

Total energy captured by producers before accounting for respiratory losses.

Energy expended by organisms through cellular respiration.

Proportion of energy transferred between trophic levels in a food chain.

Energy cannot be created or destroyed

Matter cannot be created or destroyed

Process by which plants convert sunlight into energy.

Process by which organisms convert chemicals into energy.

Sequence of organisms showing energy transfer through consumption.

Position of an organism in a food chain.

Organism that converts energy into organic compounds.

Organism that obtains energy by consuming other organisms.

Organism that breaks down dead organic matter.

Movement of elements through living and non-living components of an ecosystem.

Continuous movement of water on

Movement of carbon through the atmosphere

Movement of nitrogen through the atmosphere

Natural processes that recycle essential elements through living organisms

States that the total entropy of a closed system will always increase.

Only about 10% of the energy at one trophic level is transferred to the next.

Only about 10% of the biomass at one trophic level is converted into biomass at the next.

Organisms that feed directly on producers and occupy the second trophic level.

Organisms that feed on primary consumers and occupy the third trophic level.

Organisms that feed on secondary consumers and occupy the fourth trophic level.

By measuring the total mass of living organisms within a specific area.

By determining the energy content of the biomass.

Calories or joules.

Essential elements such as carbon

Energy tends to become less organized and more dispersed over time.

They feed directly on producers (plants or algae).

They feed on primary consumers.

They feed on secondary consumers.

Specific context and measurement methods used in ecological studies.