1. module 1
1.1. lesson 1
1.1.1. Photosynthesis Photosynthesis is a system of biological processes by which photosynthetic organisms, such as most plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, convert light energy, typically from sunlight, into the chemical energy necessary to fuel their activities.
1.1.2. Epidermal leaf cells An epidermal cell is a cell that is part of the outer layer of an organism. For example, in humans, skin cells are epidermal. Leaves on plants have epidermal layers on the top and bottom of the leaf.
1.1.3. Cuticle A cuticle, or cuticula, is any of a variety of tough but flexible, non-mineral outer coverings of an organism, or parts of an organism, that provide protection. Various types of "cuticle" are non-homologous, differing in their origin, structure, function, and chemical composition.
1.1.4. Stomata In botany, a stoma, also called a stomate, is a pore found in the epidermis of leaves, stems, and other organs, that controls the rate of gas exchange between the internal air spaces of the leaf and the atmosphere
1.1.5. Mesophyll Cells the middle cell layer of a leaf containing chloroplasts and representing the main site of photosynthesis. Plants possess three different types of tissue: dermal, vascular and ground tissue. The mesophyll of leaves represents a type of ground tissue
1.1.6. Chloroplasts A chloroplast is a type of membrane-bound organelle known as a plastid that conducts photosynthesis mostly in plant and algal cells.
1.1.7. Chlorophyll A and B Chlorophyll A - It is the most abundant type of chlorophyll, which absorbs light rays of wavelengths of 429 nm and 659 nm most effectively. Chlorophyll B - It is a type of accessory pigment responsible for passing on light energy to chlorophyll a. It is found in plants and green algae.
1.1.8. Light Cycle The period of light that a subject is exposed to in a period of time, usually expressed as the amount of time in a 24 hour cycle.
1.1.9. Night Cycle used to process Automated Clearing House (ACH) transfers (debits and credits) at night—generally between 10:00 p.m. and 1:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).
1.1.10. Different sugars Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double sugars, are molecules made of two bonded monosaccharides
1.1.11. Cellular Respiration Cellular respiration is the process by which biological fuels are oxidized in the presence of an inorganic electron acceptor, such as oxygen, to drive the bulk production of adenosine triphosphate, which contains energy
1.1.12. Glycolysis Glycolysis is the metabolic pathway that converts glucose into pyruvate and, in most organisms, occurs in the liquid part of cells. The free energy released in this process is used to form the high-energy molecules adenosine triphosphate and reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide.
1.1.13. Mitochondria A mitochondrion is an organelle found in the cells of most eukaryotes, such as animals, plants and fungi. Mitochondria have a double membrane structure and use aerobic respiration to generate adenosine triphosphate, which is used throughout the cell as a source of chemical energy.
1.1.14. Lactic Acid Fermentation Lactic acid fermentation is a metabolic process by which glucose or other six-carbon sugars are converted into cellular energy and the metabolite lactate, which is lactic acid in solution. It is an anaerobic fermentation reaction that occurs in some bacteria and animal cells, such as muscle cells
1.1.15. Ethanol Alcohol Fermentation Ethanol fermentation, also called alcoholic fermentation, is a biological process which converts sugars such as glucose, fructose, and sucrose into cellular energy, producing ethanol and carbon dioxide as by-products.
1.2. lesson 2
1.3. Producers A producer is an organism that creates its own food or energy. A consumer is an organism that gets its energy by eating plants or animals. Producers, also called autotrophs, include plants, bacteria, and algae. Plants get energy from the sun and turn it into food, a sugar called glucose.
1.4. Consumer A consumer, according to the definition in biology, is an organism that cannot produce its own food and must eat other plants and/or animals to get energy. Consumers are also known as heterotrophs.
1.5. Primary Consumer The primary consumer definition is an organism that eats plants and provides the energy needed for other types of consumers to use. Primary consumers differ from other consumers because they are the only types of animals that eat plants.
1.6. Secondary Consumer Secondary consumers are those that predate upon primary consumers, and tertiary consumers predate upon secondary consumers. Secondary consumers are either carnivores (which eat meat) or omnivores (which eat a mixture of plants and meat). Classic examples of carnivores include crocodiles and wolves.
1.7. Tertiary Consumer Tertiary consumers are animals that consume other animals to obtain nutrition from them. Most importantly, they are at the highest level of the food chain.
1.8. Detritivores Detritivores are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus. There are many kinds of invertebrates, vertebrates, and plants that carry out coprophagy. By doing so, all these detritivores contribute to decomposition and the nutrient cycles.
1.9. Food Chain A food chain is a linear network of links in a food web starting from producer organisms and ending at an apex predator species, detritivores, or decomposer species. A food chain also shows how organisms are related to each other by the food they eat. Each level of a food chain represents a different trophic level.
1.10. Food Web A food web is the natural interconnection of food chains and a graphical representation of what-eats-what in an ecological community. Ecologists can broadly define all life forms as either autotrophs or heterotrophs, based on their trophic levels, the position that they occupy in the food web.
1.11. Energy Pyramid / 10 % rule The ten percent rule of energy transfer states that each level in an ecosystem only gives 10% of its energy to the levels above it. This law explains much of the structural dynamics of ecosystems including why there are more organisms at the bottom of the ecosystem pyramid compared to the top.
1.12. lesson 3
1.13. carbon cycle
1.14. Cellular Respiration Cellular respiration is the process by which biological fuels are oxidized in the presence of an inorganic electron acceptor, such as oxygen, to drive the bulk production of adenosine triphosphate, which contains energy.
1.15. Photosynthesis Photosynthesis is a system of biological processes by which photosynthetic organisms, such as most plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, convert light energy, typically from sunlight, into the chemical energy necessary to fuel their activities.
1.16. Sedimentation Sedimentation is the deposition of sediments. It takes place when particles in suspension settle out of the fluid in which they are entrained and come to rest against a barrier.
1.17. Decomposition Decomposition or rot is the process by which dead organic substances are broken down into simpler organic or inorganic matter such as carbon dioxide, water, simple sugars and mineral salts.
1.18. Fossil Fuels A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material such as coal, oil, and natural gas, formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals that is extracted and burned as a fuel. Fossil fuels may be burned to provide heat for use directly, to power engines, or to generate electricity.
1.19. Combustion combustion, a chemical reaction between substances, usually including oxygen and usually accompanied by the generation of heat and light in the form of flame.
1.20. Water Cycle
1.21. Evapotranspiration Evapotranspiration includes water evaporation into the atmosphere from the soil surface, evaporation from the capillary fringe of the groundwater table, and evaporation from water bodies on land. Evapotranspiration also includes transpiration, which is the water movement from the soil to the atmosphere via plants.
1.22. Condensation Condensation is the change of the state of matter from the gas phase into the liquid phase, and is the reverse of vaporization. The word most often refers to the water cycle.
1.23. Precipitation In an aqueous solution, precipitation is the process of transforming a dissolved substance into an insoluble solid from a supersaturated solution. The solid formed is called the precipitate.
1.24. Runoff Article Vocabulary. Runoff occurs when there is more water than land can absorb. The excess liquid flows across the surface of the land and into nearby creeks, streams, or ponds. Runoff can come from both natural processes and human activity.
1.25. Seepage The slow but often steady flow of water between one water body and another. As a term, it is often used to describe leakage to underlying aquifers through stream beds or the emergence of groundwater into a stream channel, but it may also relate to flow between different aquifer units.
1.26. Oxygen Cycle
1.27. Cellular Respiration Cellular respiration is the process by which biological fuels are oxidized in the presence of an inorganic electron acceptor, such as oxygen, to drive the bulk production of adenosine triphosphate, which contains energy.
1.28. Photosynthesis photosynthesis is a system of biological processes by which photosynthetic organisms, such as most plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, convert light energy, typically from sunlight, into the chemical energy necessary to fuel their activities.
1.29. Nitrogen Cycle
1.30. Precipitation In an aqueous solution, precipitation is the process of transforming a dissolved substance into an insoluble solid from a supersaturated solution. The solid formed is called the precipitate.
1.31. Nitrogen Fixation Nitrogen fixation is the process by which nitrogen is taken from its molecular form (N2) in the atmosphere and converted into nitrogen compounds useful for other biochemical processes.
1.32. Ammonification Ammonification is the process by which microorganisms present in soil, sediment, or water mineralize low molecular weight, dissolved, organic molecules presenting amine or amide groups and produce ammonium.
1.33. Nitrification Nitrification is a microbially-catalyzed process whereby ammonia is oxidized to nitrite and subsequently to nitrate. It is also responsible for production of nitrous oxide, a climatically important greenhouse gas.
1.34. Assimilation Assimilation is the process of absorption of vitamins, minerals, and other chemicals from food as part of the nutrition of an organism. In humans, this is always done with a chemical breakdown.
2. module 2
2.1. lesson 1
2.1.1. Biosphere The biosphere, also known as the ecosphere, is the worldwide sum of all ecosystems. It can also be termed the zone of life on Earth. The biosphere is virtually a closed system with regard to matter, with minimal inputs and outputs.
2.1.2. Biome A biome is a distinct geographical region with specific climate, vegetation, and animal life. It consists of a biological community that has formed in response to its physical environment and regional climate. Biomes may span more than one continent. A biome encompasses multiple ecosystems within its boundaries.
2.1.3. Ecosystems An ecosystem is a system that environments and their organisms form through their interaction. The biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Ecosystems are controlled by external and internal factors.
2.1.4. Communities an interacting group of various species in a shared and common location. A community is a diverse group of organisms that interact in a common location.
2.1.5. Populations a group of individuals of the same species living and interbreeding within a given area. Members of a population often rely on the same resources, are subject to similar environmental constraints, and depend on the availability of other members to persist over time.
2.1.6. Organism An organism is a living thing that has an organized structure, can react to stimuli, reproduce, grow, adapt, and maintain homeostasis. An organism would, therefore, be any animal, plant, fungus, protist, bacterium, or archaeon on Earth. These organisms may be classified in various ways.
2.1.7. Abiotic An abiotic factor is a non-living part of an ecosystem that shapes its environment. In a terrestrial ecosystem, examples might include temperature, light, and water. In a marine ecosystem, abiotic factors would include salinity and ocean currents.
2.1.8. Biotic Consisting of living organisms. An ecosystem is made up of a biotic community all of the naturally occurring organisms within the system together with the physical environment.
2.1.9. Limiting Factor A limiting factor is anything that constrains a population's size and slows or stops it from growing. Some examples of limiting factors are biotic, like food, mates, and competition with other organisms for resources.
2.1.10. Biotic Potential Biotic potential is the ability of a population of living species to increase under ideal environmental conditions – sufficient food supply, no predators, and a lack of disease. An organism's rate of reproduction and the size of each litter are the primary determining factors for biotic potential.
2.1.11. Carrying Capacity Carrying capacity can be defined as a species' average population size in a particular habitat. The species population size is limited by environmental factors like adequate food, shelter, water, and mates. If these needs are not met, the population will decrease until the resource rebounds.
2.1.12. Overpopulation Overpopulation, Situation in which the number of individuals of a given species exceeds the number that its environment can sustain.
2.1.13. Extinction Extinction is the complete disappearance of a species from Earth. Species go extinct every year, but historically the average rate of extinction has been very slow with a few exceptions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYxpE20JCxI
2.1.14. Endangered Species Endangered means a species is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. “Threatened” means a species is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future.
2.1.15. Threatened species Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), plant and animal species may be listed as either endangered or threatened. “Endangered” means a species is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. “Threatened” means a species is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future.
2.2. lesson 2
2.2.1. Symbiosis Symbiosis is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction between two biological organisms of different species, termed symbionts, be it mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasitic. In 1879, Heinrich Anton de Bary defined it as "the living together of unlike organisms".
2.2.2. Commensalism a relationship between individuals of two species in which one species obtains food or other benefits from the other without either harming or benefiting the latter. commensalism. Related Topics: mimicry inquilinism host interspecific association.
2.2.3. Parasitism Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson characterised parasites as "predators that eat prey in units of less than one". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g09BQes-B7E
2.2.4. Mutualism Mutualism is a type of symbiotic relationship where all species involved benefit from their interactions.
2.2.5. Cooperative Relationships Cooperative relationships are socially motivated, shaped by a 'socially oriented' or 'common good' approach rather than a transactional approach focusing on personal benefit or material gain.
2.2.6. competitive Relationship A competitive relationship is when two people in a close dynamic typically friends, romantic partners, or family members constantly compete with each other. While a little competition can be playful and friendly, people in severely competitive relationships may have built-up resentment against their counterparts.
2.2.7. Predator-prey relationship The predator-prey relationship is a biological interaction where one organism (the predator) hunts and kills another organism the prey for food.
2.3. lesson 3
2.3.1. Ecological succession Ecological succession is the process by which the mix of species and habitat in an area changes over time.
2.3.2. Climax Community A climax community is defined as the final stage of ecological succession attainable by a plant community. As plant succession occurs, so does animal succession. As pioneer species establish that life can exist in the area, more advanced plants and animals will move in and become established as well.
2.3.3. Primary succession Primary succession happens when a new patch of land is created or exposed for the first time. This can happen, for example, when lava cools and creates new rocks, or when a glacier retreats and exposes rocks without any soil. During primary succession, organisms must start from scratch.
2.3.4. Secondary succession Secondary succession occurs when the severity of disturbance is insufficient to remove all the existing vegetation and soil from a site. Many different kinds of disturbances, such as fire, flooding, windstorms, and human activities can initiate secondary succession.
2.3.5. Eutrophication Eutrophication is the process in which a water body becomes overly enriched with nutrients, leading to the plentiful growth of simple plant life. The excessive growth of algae and plankton in a water body are indicators of this process.
2.3.6. Dynamic Equilibrium Many physical and chemical processes are reversible. A reversible process is said to be in dynamic equilibrium when the forward and reverse processes occur at the same rate, resulting in no observable change in the system.
2.3.7. Resource Extraction The extraction of resources refers to the withdrawing of materials from the environment for human use, including fossil fuels (oil, gas, and coal), rocks and minerals, biomass via deforestation and fishing and hunting, and water.
2.3.8. Pollution Pollution is the introduction of harmful materials into the environment. These harmful materials are called pollutants. Pollutants can be natural, such as volcanic ash. They can also be created by human activity, such as trash or runoff produced by factories. Pollutants damage the quality of air, water, and land. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6rglsLy1Ys
2.3.9. Nonnative species Non-native species are organisms that do not occur naturally in an area, but are introduced as the result of deliberate or accidental human activities. Unlike invasive species, non-native species may not hinder or prevent the survival of others within the ecosystem.