Level A
ECOSYSTEM VOCABULARY
Tier One:
Energy- to use the capacities of organisms to convert some combination of light, biomass, organic compounds, gases and water into useful chemical-bond energy
Marine- found in/ produced by the sea
Photosynthesis- the complex way that plants convert sunlight into a sugar-like substance for food/ energy
Producer- an organism that produces its own food; typically green
Consumer- an organism that consumes other organisms for food
Decomposer- an organism that breaks down dead and/or decaying organisms
Heterotroph- an organism that doesn't get its energy from the sun
Autotroph- an organism that gets its energy from the sun and uses photosynthesis to create its own food; otherwise known as a producer
Water Cycle- the cycle of Earth's water from the clouds in the atmosphere, over the land, and then back up into the clouds; powered by sunlight and also known as the Hydrosphere
Relationship- symbiosis when two animals or a series of animals live together in a certain manner, be that aggressive or peaceful
Precipitation- rain, snow, sleet or hail
Turbidity- the clearness or fogginess of water
Salinity- the salt levels in water
pH- pH is a measure of the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution; solutions with a high concentration of hydrogen ions have a low pH and solutions with a low concentrations of H+ ions have a high pH
Dissolved Oxygen- refers to microscopic bubbles of oxygen that are mixed in water and available to aquatic organisms for respiration
Density- the degree of compactness of a substance
Herbivore- an organism that only eats vegetation (plants)
Carnivore- an organism that only eats meat
Omnivore- an organism that eats both meat and plants
Tier Two:
Aquatic- related to any type of water anywhere
Terrestrial- relating to the land
Food Chain- network of links in a food web starting from producer organisms (such as grass or trees which use radiation from the sun to make their food) and ending at apex predator species (like grizzly bears or killer whales)
Host- a host is an organism that harbors a parasite or a mutual symbiotic organism, typically providing nourishment and shelter
Population- the number of specific organisms in a given space
Organism- a living thing
Habitat- place where an organism or a population normally lives
Species- a group of closely related organisms that are very similar to each other and coexist nicely
Niche- role an organism plays in an ecosystem
Energy Pyramid- a representation of the trophic levels (nutritional) by which the incoming solar energy is transferred into an ecosystem
Density- Dependent- something that limits population (carrying capacity is dependent)
Density- Independent- something that limits organisms but is not based on population; it could be a certain area or a certain species
Temperature Range- The degree of hotness or coldness of a body or environment
Drought- when an area goes a long time without precipitation
Acidification- term used to describe significant changes to the chemistry of water substance
Tier Three:
Ecosystem- a habitat that sustains living and non-living things
Parasite- an organism that lives off of another organism (host)
Parasitism- a relationship where one organism benefits at the expense of the other
Mutualism- organisms living together beneficially
Symbiosis- organisms living together in a certain manner
Symbiotic- a relationship between organisms living near each other
Commensalism- a relationship where either organisms are harmed, but only one really benefits
Biotic- relating to/resulting from living things
Abiotic- physical; not derived from living things
Ecology- biology branch dealing with the relations and interactions between organisms and their environment, including other organisms
Oxygen Cycle- a rotation between Earth's three main spaces; the atmosphere (air), the total content of biological matter within the biosphere (the global sum of all ecosystems = the land), and the Earth's crust; people consume oxygen and make carbon dioxide, and then plants take the carbon dioxide and emit oxygen
Nitrogen Cycle- the movement of nitrogen into and out of the environment and living organisms
Carbon Cycle- the process in which carbon dioxide is transferred into living things (mainly vegetation by photosynthesis) and is return to the atmosphere through respiration, the decay of dead organisms, and the burning of fossil fuels
Biomass- the total mass of organisms in a given area or volume
Cooperation- an evolutionary process groups of organisms work or act together for common or mutual benefits
Coexistence- groups of organisms work or act together for common or mutual benefits (usually peacefully)
Overpopulation- environments with the resources a species needs to survive, like water and essential nutrients; It can result from an increase in births, a decline in survival rate (due to disease, famine, etc.), an increase in immigration of the same species and/or a competing one, or unsustainable environment conditions
Produced by Zoë Jordan
Level B
ECOSYSTEMS PROJECT
Many things can be labeled in an ecosystem. As an example, one might call a shark a carnivore in a marine/aquatic ecosystem. The ecosystem we have chosen is the York River Salt Marsh, Located about 11 miles west of Williamsburg, Virginia. Carnivorous creatures residing in the Salt marsh may include piranhas, bull sharks, as well as several species of crabs including hermit crabs and ghost crabs. Many rare plants can be found in a salt marsh as well as rare creatures like the English Cottontail, who is a herbivore. Many of the salt marsh’s residents are visibly diverse when it comes to their eating habits. There is no doubt a large food chain the can be seen with many producers at the bottom, being plants such as foxglove, as well as a wide variety of carnivores and herbivores, as well as omnivores, being listed in a strange order where many omnivores can be seen near the top of the food web. Water in the salt marshes are very different than in a regular marsh. Salt marshes have high turbidity levels, as well as high salinity levels. The salinity of the different marshes is what separates many of the creatures residing in the habitats that can be found and created there, as saltwater fish may be seen more often than freshwater fish, as many saltwater fish are carnivorous. Another factor leading to the difference between animal life in the salt marsh, is that some freshwater organisms can’t thrive is water with such high salinity levels. Plant life is not very different, however, many people have discovered a few differences with the way the plants grow. Many bacteria serve as decomposers, while producers are the plants in the lower part of the food web, and consumers are found everywhere but in plants.
Produced by: Virginia Hufschmitt
ECOSYSTEMS PROJECT
Many things can be labeled in an ecosystem. As an example, one might call a shark a carnivore in a marine/aquatic ecosystem. The ecosystem we have chosen is the York River Salt Marsh, Located about 11 miles west of Williamsburg, Virginia. Carnivorous creatures residing in the Salt marsh may include piranhas, bull sharks, as well as several species of crabs including hermit crabs and ghost crabs. Many rare plants can be found in a salt marsh as well as rare creatures like the English Cottontail, who is a herbivore. Many of the salt marsh’s residents are visibly diverse when it comes to their eating habits. There is no doubt a large food chain the can be seen with many producers at the bottom, being plants such as foxglove, as well as a wide variety of carnivores and herbivores, as well as omnivores, being listed in a strange order where many omnivores can be seen near the top of the food web. Water in the salt marshes are very different than in a regular marsh. Salt marshes have high turbidity levels, as well as high salinity levels. The salinity of the different marshes is what separates many of the creatures residing in the habitats that can be found and created there, as saltwater fish may be seen more often than freshwater fish, as many saltwater fish are carnivorous. Another factor leading to the difference between animal life in the salt marsh, is that some freshwater organisms can’t thrive is water with such high salinity levels. Plant life is not very different, however, many people have discovered a few differences with the way the plants grow. Many bacteria serve as decomposers, while producers are the plants in the lower part of the food web, and consumers are found everywhere but in plants.
Produced by: Virginia Hufschmitt
By Zach White
Level E
York River Salt Marsh on the Virginian coast
Water Cycle:
-Evaporation off the coast of Virginia from the Atlantic ocean
-Condensation in the atmosphere in the form of heavy clouds over the marsh
-Precipitation of fresh water rain into the York River system
-Infiltration of the rain water into the wetland ground surrounding the salt marsh
-Runoff from the land over the river basin dispersing in the salt marsh, usually causing small estuaries on the outskirts of the marsh
-Transpiration from the marshland and the surrounding vegetation, bringing the water back into the atmosphere/ clouds
-The cycle begins again as the sun evaporates more water from the ocean, the river and the salt marsh back into the atmosphere
Carbon Cycle:
-CO2 floats in the atmosphere above the land
-Plants take in the CO2 in order to self-sustain through photosynthesis, making organic carbon
-While decomposers help the decaying of dead animals more organic carbon is created
-This carbon works its way through the ground and mixes with the carbon emitted by other things in the Earth like animal waste and fossils/fossil fuels
-Collecting the carbon from waste and dead organisms in and around the marsh adds to the carbon levels
-Through the roots of marsh plants (mostly grass), the carbon escapes into the air
-On the way back up, the carbon increases by absorbing more from salt plant respiration, animal respiration and factory emissions
-The carbon is now back in the atmosphere, so the cycle begins again
Nitrogen Cycle:
-Nitrogen/nitrates in the wet soil in and around the marshland play(s) a crucial role in the health of the salt marsh vegetation
-Plant uptake occurs and the nitrogen is taken through their roots and used to mature the plant
-Some marshland animals eat those plants and therefore ingest the nitrogen
-The animals produce waste, which gets absorbed into the soil and mixes with the other nutrients to eventually be used by the plants again
-Some of the nitrogen is leftover and in a process called "Leeching", where the extra nitrates remain in the soil to use later or just to enrich the soil itself
Completed by: Zoë Jordan
York River Salt Marsh on the Virginian coast
Water Cycle:
-Evaporation off the coast of Virginia from the Atlantic ocean
-Condensation in the atmosphere in the form of heavy clouds over the marsh
-Precipitation of fresh water rain into the York River system
-Infiltration of the rain water into the wetland ground surrounding the salt marsh
-Runoff from the land over the river basin dispersing in the salt marsh, usually causing small estuaries on the outskirts of the marsh
-Transpiration from the marshland and the surrounding vegetation, bringing the water back into the atmosphere/ clouds
-The cycle begins again as the sun evaporates more water from the ocean, the river and the salt marsh back into the atmosphere
Carbon Cycle:
-CO2 floats in the atmosphere above the land
-Plants take in the CO2 in order to self-sustain through photosynthesis, making organic carbon
-While decomposers help the decaying of dead animals more organic carbon is created
-This carbon works its way through the ground and mixes with the carbon emitted by other things in the Earth like animal waste and fossils/fossil fuels
-Collecting the carbon from waste and dead organisms in and around the marsh adds to the carbon levels
-Through the roots of marsh plants (mostly grass), the carbon escapes into the air
-On the way back up, the carbon increases by absorbing more from salt plant respiration, animal respiration and factory emissions
-The carbon is now back in the atmosphere, so the cycle begins again
Nitrogen Cycle:
-Nitrogen/nitrates in the wet soil in and around the marshland play(s) a crucial role in the health of the salt marsh vegetation
-Plant uptake occurs and the nitrogen is taken through their roots and used to mature the plant
-Some marshland animals eat those plants and therefore ingest the nitrogen
-The animals produce waste, which gets absorbed into the soil and mixes with the other nutrients to eventually be used by the plants again
-Some of the nitrogen is leftover and in a process called "Leeching", where the extra nitrates remain in the soil to use later or just to enrich the soil itself
Completed by: Zoë Jordan