NR 435 Chapter 2 Vocabulary

The accumulated biological material produced by living organisms.

The circulation and reutilization of carbon atoms, especially via the processes of photosynthesis and respiration.

Organisms that mainly prey upon animals.

The process in which a cell breaks down sugar or other organic compunds to release energy used for cellular work.

The population of plants, animals and microorganisms living and interaction in a certain area at a given time.

Organisms that obtain energy and nutrition by feeding on other organism or their remains.

Fungus or bacterium that breaks complex organic material into smaller molecules.

The scientific study of relationships between organisms and their environment.

A specific biological community and it's physical environment interacting in an exchange of matter and energy.

The capacity to do work, such as moving matter over a distance.

A complex interlocking system of individual food chains in an ecosystem.

Organisims that only eat plants.

All the energy and matter exchanges that occur within a living cell or organism.

The circulation and reutilization of nitrogen in both organic and inorganic phases.

Organisms that eat both plants and animals (actually that feed on more than one trophic level).

A value that indicates the acidity or alkalinity of a solution on a scale from 0 to 14, based on the proportion of H' ions present.

The biomechanical process by which green plants and some bacteria capture light energy and use it to produce chemical bonds. Carbon dioxide is consumed while oxygen and simple sugars are produced

All members of a species that live in the same area at the same time.

photosynthesizing organisms

The amount of biomass produced in a given area during a given period of time.

Step in the movement of energy through an ecosystem; and organisms feeding status in an ecosystem.