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Ecosystem
All the interacting parts of a biological community and its environment
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Sustanible ecosystem
an ecosystem that is capable of withstanding pressure and giving support to a variety of organisms
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Biotic
- the living parts of an ecosystem
- e.g. plants, animals,fungi
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Abiotic
- the non-living parts of an ecosystem
- e.g. water,light,air,sunlight
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Lithosphere
the hard part of earths surface
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Hydrosphere
all the water found on Earth, including lakes,oceans,and ground water
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Atmosphere
The layer of gases above Earth's surface
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Biosphere
The regions of Earth where living organisims exist
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Nutrients
Chemicals that are essential to living things and is cycled through ecosystems
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Eutrophication
a process in which nutrient levels in aquatic ecosystems increase, leading to an increase in the populations of primary producers
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Photosynthesis
a process that changes solar energy into chemical energy
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Trophic level
A category of organisms that is defined by how the organisms gain their energy
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Trophic efficiency
a measure of the amount of energy or biomass transferred from one trophic level to the next higher trophic level.
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Biomass
the total mass of living organisms in a defined group or area
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Bioaccumulation
a process in which an organism ingests materials, especially toxins,faster than it eliminates them
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Biomagnification
a process in which the concentration of ingested toxins increases as it moves from one trophic level to the next
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Cellular respiration
a process that releases energy from organic molecules, especially carbohydrates, in the presence of oxygen
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Fermentation
a process that releases energy from organic molecules, especially carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen
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Greenhouse gas
an atmospheric gas that prevents heat from leaving the atmosphere, thus increasing the temperature of the atmosphere
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Greenhouse effect
the warming of Earth as a result of greenhouse gases, which trap some of the energy that would otherwise leave Earth.
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Acid precipitation
rain,snow,or fog that is unaturally acidic (pH less than 5.6) due to gases in the atmosphere that react with water to form acids
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