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Ecosystem
all the interacting parts of a biological community and its environment.
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Sustainable 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.
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Abiotic
the non-living parts of an ecosystem.
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Lithosphere
the hard part of earth's 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 organisms exists.
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Nutrients
a chemical that is 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 and 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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Biomass
the total mass of living organisms in a defined group or area.
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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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Bioaccumulation
the 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 rereleases 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 gases
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 unnaturally acidic due to the gases in the atmosphere that react with water to form acids.
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