Instructions for Side by Side Printing
- Print the notecards
- Fold each page in half along the solid vertical line
- Cut out the notecards by cutting along each horizontal dotted line
- Optional: Glue, tape or staple the ends of each notecard together
Unit 11: Ecology and the Environment
front 1 Ecology | back 1 The study of ecosystems or how organisms interact with each other and their environment. |
front 2 Biosphere | back 2  Largest level or organization. The zone of life on earth that includes all living things. |
front 3 Population | back 3  A group of the same species of individuals living in the same area and interacting with each other in some way. |
front 4 Community | back 4  Populations of different species that live in a specific location. |
front 5 Ecosystem | back 5  A community or group of organisms living and interacting with other and their environment (non living factors) |
front 6 Exponential Growth | back 6  Unchecked reproduction of a population of organisms. Occurs when each individual in a population reproduces, the offspring reproduce, and then the offpring of the offspring reproduce. |
front 7 Carrying Capacity | back 7  The largest population that a given ecosystem can support at any time. It is determined by the availability of resources. |
front 8 Biotic Factors | back 8 Living things or things associated with or the result from the activities of living organisms in an ecosystem. |
front 9 Abiotic Factors | back 9 Nonliving thing in an ecosystem such as rocks, soil, climate, etc. |
front 10 Trophic Level | back 10  A producing or feeding level in a food chain. |
front 11 Producer | back 11  1st trophic level in organization. Plants and other photosynthetic organisms that produce glucose (converts sun energy into chemical energy). Also known as autotroph. |
front 12 Food Chain | back 12  The pathway along with food/energy is transferred from one organism to another. |
front 13 Food Web | back 13  Shows flow of energy in all of the interconnected food chains in an ecosystem. |
front 14 Consumer | back 14  An organism that eats other organisms or are heterotrophs.
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front 15 Keystone Species | back 15 Species that plays a key role in maintaining ecosystem stability. |
front 16 Biome | back 16  A large area dominated by characteristic plants and animals, such as a rain forest, desert, or tundra. Determined by participation and temperature. It is the broadest level of ecological classification within the biosphere. |
front 17 Biodiversity | back 17 The variety of species and total number of individuals of each of species living in a defined area. An important indicator in how healthy and well-functioning an ecosystem is. |
front 18 Limiting Factors | back 18 Limits the potential for a population to grow exponentially due to the availability of resources such as food, water and predators. |
front 19 Heterotroph | back 19 Organisms that eat other organisms for energy. Also known as consumers. |
front 20 Autotroph | back 20 Organisms that produces its own food either by photosynthesis or chemosynthesis. Also known as a producer. |
front 21 Aquatic Ecosystem | back 21 An ecosystem in water - can be marine (saltwater) or freshwater ecosystems. |
front 22 Terrestrial Ecosystem | back 22 Ecosystem found on land. 6 main types:
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front 23 Ecological Pyramid | back 23  A graphical model that is shaped like a pyramid to show how the energy flows through a food chain. |
front 24 Energy Pyramid | back 24  A graphical representation of the total amount of chemical energy present at each trophic level of an ecosystem. |
front 25 10% rule | back 25  Used to explain energy flow in energy pyramids. In each trophic level, 90% of the available energy is used by that level and 10% moves up to the next level when they are eaten. |
front 26 Primary Succession | back 26  The change in species composition in a defined area over time, starting on ground that has no living things on it. |
front 27 Pioneer Species | back 27 First plants or animals to inhibit bare land. |
front 28 Succession | back 28 When ecosystems change over time through the progressive replacement of species. |
front 29 Secondary Succession | back 29  Changes in plant and animals life in an established ecosystem, can only occur after an ecosystem is in place. |
front 30 Climax Community | back 30 A stable, long-lasting community that results from succession. |
front 31 Non native species | back 31 Organisms that have invaded established ecosystems and disturbs the balance of the ecosystems. Also known as invasive species. |
front 32 Water Cycle | back 32  How water is stored and moved between land, air, and living things. |
front 33 Condensation | back 33  Part of water cycle where water vapor condenses into liquid water by clinging to dust or other small particles suspended in the atmosphere, forming clouds |
front 34 Evaporation | back 34  Part of the water cycle where liquid water changes to water vapor due to heat from the sun. |
front 35 Transpiration | back 35  Part of the water cycle where a plant loses water to the atmosphere through the surface of its leaves. |
front 36 Respiration | back 36  Processes in which organisms exchanges gases with its environment. Part of the water cycle because animals exhale water vapor into the air during respiration. |
front 37 Decomposer | back 37  Organisms, such as bacteria and fungi, that consume very small bits of organic matter from dead organisms and breaks them down into chemicals that are recycled back into the environment. |
front 38 Symbiosis | back 38 The relationship between two different kinds of living things that live together and depend on each other. Three kinds:
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front 39 Mutalism | back 39  Type of symbiosis where both organisms in the relationship benefit. |
front 40 Parasitism | back 40  Type of symbiosis where one organism benefits (parasite) at the expense of the other (host). |
front 41 Commensalism | back 41  Type of symbiosis where one organism benefits and the other is not affected. |
front 42 Nitrogen Cycle | back 42  Cycle where nitrogen changes into different chemical forms. Atmosphere is largest reservoir of nitrogen, but is not useable so it needs to be converted into useable forms for organism. |
front 43 Nitrogen Fixing | back 43  Conversion of nitrogen gas into ammonia and nitrates by bacteria. Bacteria form symbiotic relationship with plants to provide usable nitrogen for plants. |
front 44 Denitrification | back 44  The conversion of nitrate to gaseous nitrogen by bacteria, which then enters the atmosphere. These bacteria use nitrogen compounds instead of oxygen for their processes of respiration. |
front 45 Carbon Cycle | back 45  Processes that recycle carbon, one of the most important elements on earth, between earth's soil, atmosphere, and organisms. |
front 46 Oxygen Cycle | back 46  Processes that cycle of oxygen between air, land, and organisms. |
front 47 Renewable Resources | back 47 Resources that regenerate or regrow fast enough for us to keep using them. Ex: radiant energy, livestock, wind and water. |
front 48 Nonrenewable Resources | back 48 Resources which either cannot be renewed at all or take such a long time to renew that people cannot depend on the renewal. Ex: oil and fossil fuels. |
front 49 Greenhouse Effect | back 49  The process in which the atmosphere reflects radiation bouncing off earth's surface. |
front 50 Greenhouse gases | back 50  Gasses in the atmosphere which trap radiant energy, such as carbon dioxide. Increased greenhouse gases are thought to be causing global warming. |
front 51 Pollution | back 51 The presence of harmful materials in the environment. |
front 52 Competition | back 52 An interaction between organisms or species, in which fitness of one is lowered by the presence of another |
front 53 Predation | back 53  Where a predator feeds on a prey. Population size of the predator affect the population size of the prey and vise versa. |