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NateB
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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 (e.g plants, animals, etc.)
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Abiotic
- -the non-living parts of an ecosystem
- (e.g water, rocks, air, etc.)
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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
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Atmosphere
the layer of gases above the Earth's surface
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Biosphere
-the regions of Earth where living organisms 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
- 1. Fertilizer run off from farmland into water
- 2. Algae Bloom
- 3. Submerged plants dies due to reduced light
- 4. Algae and other plants die
- 5. Bacteria use oxygen during decomposition
- 6. Oxygen levels in water drop too low for fish to survive
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Photosynthesis
- -a process that changes solar energy into chemical energy
- -combines oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen to makes life's universal energy supply
- - Word equation for photosynthesis:
- - carbon dioxide + water >>> glucose + oxygen (sunlight energy)
- - Chemical Equation:6CO2 + 6H2O ------> C6H12O6 + 6O2
- Sunlight energy
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Trophic Level
-a category of organisms that is defined by how the organisms gain their energy 
- First trophic level: Primary producers (plants)
- Second trophic level: Primary consumers (herbivores)
- Third trophic level: Secondary consumers (carnivores)
- Fourth trophic level: Tertiary consumers (top carnivores)
energy from the sun > plants > insects > birds > bigger birds
plants = primary producers - insects = primary consumers
- birds = secondary consumers
- bigger birds = tertiary consumers
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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
- -always less than 100 %
- -only 10 % transferred to next higher level
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Bioaccumulation
- -a process in which an organism ingests materials, especially toxins, faster than it eliminates them
- -when caused by pollution, (man-made) effects are devastating in most cases
- -can work to the advantage of species that are not affected by toxins, because they are more likely to survive, allowing them to reproduce
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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
- -essential to life
- -used by most living organisms, such as humans and plants
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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
- -atmospheric gases that prevents heat from leaving the atmosphere, thus increasing the temperature of the atmosphere
- -Greenhouse gases include: water vapour, carbon dioxide, and methane
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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 (pH less than 5.6) due to gases in the atmosphere that react with water to form acids
- -occurs when water combines with nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide and creates nitric acid and sulfuric acid
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