Miller and Levine Ch 5

organism that obtains energy by eating only plants

animal that consumes the carcasses of other animals

organism that obtains energy by eating both plants and animals

organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter

organism that feeds on plant and animal remains and other dead matter

series of steps in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten

photosynthetic algae found near the surface of the ocean

network of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem

each step in a food chain or food web

small free-floating animals that form part of plankton

illustration of the relative amounts of energy or matter contained within each trophic level in a given food chain or food web

total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level

process in which elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another

single essential nutrient that limits productivity in an ecosystem

chemical substance that an organism needs to sustain life

process of converting nitrogen gas into nitrogen compounds that plants can absorb and use

process by which bacteria convert nitrates into nitrogen gas

the number of individuals of a given species per unit area

the number of males and females of each age contained within a population

moving into a region; increased population density results

moving out of a region; decreased population density results

the larger a population gets, the faster it grows; under ideal conditions with unlimited resources, this will occur

occurs when a population's growth slows then stops, following a period of exponential growth

the maximum number of individuals of a species that an environment can support

controls the growth of a population

operate strongly only when the population reaches a certain level; include competition, predation, herbivory, parasitism, disease, and stress from overcrowding

affect all populations in similar ways; unusual weather such as hurricanes, droughts, or floods and natural disasters such as wildfires

the scientific study of human populations; includes birthrates, death rates, and the age structure of a population and serves to predict why some countries have higher growth rates than others

a dramatic change from high birth rates and death rates to low birth rates and death rates experienced in recent decades in developed countries

part of Earth in which life exists including land, water, and air or atmosphere

group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring

group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area

assemblage of different populations that live together in a defined area

scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment

all the organisms that live in a place, together with their nonliving environment

group of land ecosystems with similar climates and typical organisms

any living part of the environment with which an organism might interact

physical, or nonliving, factor that shapes an ecosystem

organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds

first producer of energy-rich compounds that are later used by other organisms

process used plants and other autotrophs to capture light energy and use it to power chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and energy-rich carbohydrates such as sugars and starches

process in which chemical energy is used to produce carbohydrates

organism that obtains food by consuming other organisms

organism that relies on other organisms for its energy and food supply

organism that obtains energy by eating animals

basic unit of matter

the center of the atom which contains the protons and neutrons; in cells, structure that contains the cell's genetic material (DNA) and controls the cell's activities

negatively charged particle; located outside the atomic nucleus

substance consisting entirely of one type of atom

atom of an element that has a number of neutrons different from that of other atoms of the same element

substance formed by the chemical combination of two or more elements in definite proportions

link that holds together atoms in compounds

bond formed when one or more electrons are transferred from one atom to another

atom that has a positive or negative charge

bond formed by the sharing of electrons between atoms

smallest unit of most compounds

a slight attraction that develops between the oppositely charged regions of nearby molecules

characteristic of a molecule in which charges are distributed unequally

the weak attraction between a hydrogen atom and another atom; the attraction between the hydrogen atom on one water molecule with the oxygen atom on another water molecule

attraction between molecules of the same substance

attraction between molecules of different substances; in plants, attraction between unlike molecules

material composed of two or more elements or compounds that are physically mixed together but not chemically combined

mixture of two or more substances in which the molecules of the substances are evenly distributed

substance that is dissolved in a solvent to make a solution

substance in which a solute is dissolved to form a solution

mixture of water and nondissolved materials

measurement system used to indicate the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) in solution; ranges from 0 to 14

compound that forms hydrogen ions (H+) in solution

compound that produces hydroxide ions (OH+) in solution

weak acid or base that can react with strong acids or bases to help prevent sharp, sudden changes in pH

small unit that can join together with other small units to form polymers

large compound formed from combinations of many monomers

compound made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms; major source of energy for the human body

single sugar molecule

large macromolecule formed from monosaccharides

macromolecule made mainly from carbon and hydrogen atoms; includes fats, oils, and waxes

macromolecule containing hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus

monomer of nucleic acids made up of a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base

ribonucleic acid; single-stranded nucleic acid that contains the sugar ribose

macromolecule that contains carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen; needed by the body for growth and repair and to make up enzymes

compound with an amino group (−NH2) on one end and a carboxyl group (−COOH) on the other end

process that changes one set of chemicals into another set of chemicals

element or compound that enters into a chemical reaction

element or compound produced by a chemical reaction

energy needed to get a reaction started

substance that speeds up the rate of a chemical reaction

protein that acts as a biological catalyst

reactant of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction

an organized way of gathering and analyzing evidence about the natural world.

process of noticing and describing events or processes in a careful, orderly way

logical interpretation based on prior knowledge and experience

a proposed scientific explanation for a set of observations in ways that support or reject it

an experiment in which only one variable is manipulated at a time

factor in a controlled experiment that is deliberately changed; also called the manipulated variable.

the variable that is observed and that changes in response to the independent variable; also called the responding variable

in an experiment, the group that is not exposed to the treatment; contrasts with the experimental group and serves as a comparison for evaluating the effect of the treatment.

information gathered from experimental observations

well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations and hypotheses and allows scientists to make accurate predictions about new situations.

a partiality that prevents objective consideration of an issue or situation

the science that studies living organisms

a complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes

a signal to which an organism responds

process by which cells from two different parents unite to produce the first cell of a new organism

process by which a single parent reproduces by itself

process by which organisms maintain a relatively stable internal environment

set of chemical reactions through which an organism builds up or breaks down materials as it carries out its life processes

the regions of the surface and atmosphere of the Earth (or other planet) where living organisms exist