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Ecosystem: a particular location on Earth distinguished by its particular mix of interacting biotic and abiotic components Producers/Autotrophs: Plants,

algae, and other organisms that use the Suns energy to produce useable forms of energy; make their own food Photosynthesis: producers use solar energy to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) into glucose (C6H12O6) Glucose: a form of potential energy that can be used by a wide range of organisms Cellular Respiration: a process that unlocks the chemical energy stored in the cells of organisms; the opposite of photosynthesiscells convert glucose and oxygen into energy, carbon dioxide, and water *All organisms carry out respiration to fuel their own metabolism and growth Consumers/Heterotrophs: incapable of photosynthesis and must obtain their energy by consuming other organisms Trophic Levels: successive levels of organisms consuming one another Primary Consumers: Heterotrophs that consume producers Secondary Consumers: carnivores that eat primary consumers (lions, hawks) Tertiary Consumers: carnivores that eat secondary consumers (bald eagles) Food Chain: the sequence of consumption from producers through tertiary consumers Scavengers: carnivores, such as vultures, that consumer dead animals Detritivores: organisms, such as the dung beetle, that specialize in breaking down dead tissues and waste products into smaller particles Decomposers: the fungi and bacteria that complete the breakdown process by recycling the nutrients from dead tissues and wastes back into the ecosystem Gross Primary Productivity: (GPP) the total amount of solar energy that the producers in an ecosystem capture via photosynthesis over a given amount of time Net Primary Productivity: (NPP) the energy captured minus the energy respired by the producers Biomass: the total mass of all living matter in a specific area Standing Crop: the amount of biomass present in an ecosystem at a particular time Ecological Efficiency: the proportion of consumed energy that can be passed from one trophic level to another Trophic Pyramid: represents the distribution of biomass across trophic levels, accounting for energy loss ___ Biosphere: The combination of all ecosystems on Earth; The region of our planet where life resides

Disturbance: An event caused by physical, chemical, or biological agents that results in changes in population size or community composition Resistance: The measure of how much disturbance can affect the flows of energy and matter within an ecosystem Resilience: The rate at which an ecosystem returns to its original state after a disturbance Restoration Ecology: restoring damaged ecosystems Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis: Ecosystems experiencing intermediate levels of disturbance are more diverse than those with high or low disturbance levels Instrumental Value: when a species has worth as an instrument or tool that can be used to accomplish a goal Intrinsic Value: A species has worth independent of any benefit it may provide to humans Provisions: Goods that humans can use directlylumber, food crops, etc.

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