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.