What are a few key terms for biotic factors, abiotic factors, energy transfer, radiation, conduction, convection, ozone, salinity

1 answer

Here are some key terms related to each of the topics you've mentioned:

Biotic Factors

  • Organisms: Living components of an ecosystem, including plants, animals, and microorganisms.
  • Species Diversity: The variety of different species within an ecosystem.
  • Food Chain: A linear sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass as one organism eats another.
  • Predation: Interaction where one organism (predator) consumes another (prey).
  • Symbiosis: A close interaction between two different species that can be beneficial, harmful, or neutral.

Abiotic Factors

  • Climate: Long-term weather patterns in a specific area, including temperature, humidity, and precipitation.
  • Soil Composition: The minerals and organic matter present in soil that affect plant growth.
  • Water Availability: The presence and distribution of water resources in an ecosystem.
  • Nutrients: Essential substances that organisms need to grow, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
  • Temperature: An important abiotic factor that affects metabolic rates and the distribution of organisms.

Energy Transfer

  • Trophic Levels: The hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, including primary producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, etc.
  • Biomass: The total mass of living matter within a given unit area, often used to measure energy content.
  • Photosynthesis: The process by which plants convert light energy into chemical energy stored in glucose.
  • Respiration: The process by which organisms convert glucose and oxygen into energy, releasing carbon dioxide and water.
  • Decomposers: Organisms that break down dead or decaying organic matter, returning nutrients to the environment.

Radiation

  • Electromagnetic Spectrum: The range of all types of radiation, including visible light, ultraviolet (UV) light, infrared, etc.
  • Solar Radiation: Energy from the sun that provides warmth and supports photosynthesis.
  • Radiant Energy: Energy that travels in waves and can move through space.
  • UV Radiation: A type of electromagnetic radiation that can cause skin damage and is absorbed by the ozone layer.

Conduction

  • Heat Transfer: The process of energy moving from a warmer object to a cooler one through direct contact.
  • Thermal Conductivity: The property of a material to conduct heat; high thermal conductivity means efficient heat transfer.
  • Conduction Mechanism: The molecular process by which heat energy is transferred through collisions between particles.

Convection

  • Convection Currents: The circular movement of fluids (liquids or gases) caused by differences in temperature and density.
  • Fluid Dynamics: The study of the behavior of liquids and gases in motion, particularly relevant in the process of convection.
  • Thermal Convection: The transfer of heat by the movement of fluids, causing warmer, less dense areas to rise and cooler, denser areas to sink.

Ozone

  • Ozone Layer: A region of Earth's stratosphere that contains a high concentration of ozone and protects life by absorbing most of the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation.
  • Ozone Depletion: The thinning of the ozone layer caused by chemicals like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).
  • Tropospheric Ozone: Ozone found in the lowest layer of Earth's atmosphere, which can be a harmful pollutant.

Salinity

  • Salinity: A measure of the amount of dissolved salts in water, typically expressed in parts per thousand (ppt) or grams per liter (g/L).
  • Eutrophication: Nutrient enrichment in water bodies that can lead to increased growth of algae, often influenced by salinity levels.
  • Haline Circulation: Ocean currents driven by differences in salinity and temperature.

These terms provide a foundation for understanding the interactions and dynamics within ecosystems and the physical environment.