apes vocab semester one Flashcards
study for final (and ap test)
comparative amounts of hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions contained in a particular volume of solution when a substance is dissolved in water; an acid solution has more hydrogen ions than hydroxide ions and a basic solution has more hydroxide ions than hydrogen ions
acidity
minute unit made of subatomic particles that is the basic building block of all matter
atom
the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom
atomic number
any of more than 120 different diseases, one for each type of cell in the human body; each type of cancer produces a tumor in which cells multiply uncontrollably and invade surrounding tissue
cancer
smallest living unit of an organism
cell
the idea that all living things are composed of cells
cell theory
interaction between chemicals in which the chemical composition of the elements or compounds involved changes
chemical reaction
a grouping of genes and associated proteins in plant and animal cells that carry certain types of genetic information
chromosones
molecules consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen that provide energy to living organisms; sugar, starch, and cellulose are examples
complex carbs
combination of atoms or opposite charged ions, of two or more elements held together by attractive forces called chemical bonds
compound
populations of all species living and interacting in an area at a particular time
community
amount of a chemical in a particular volume or weight of air, water, soil, or other medium
concentration
the process by which heat or electricity is directly transmitted through a substance when there is a difference of temp. or of electrical potential between adjoining regions
conduction
the transfer of heat via the movement in gas or liquid in which the warmer parts move up and the colder parts move down
convection
factual information collected by scientists
data
large molecules in the cells of living organisms that carry genetic information
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
point at which an environmental problem reaches a threshold level, which causes an often irreversible shift in the behavior of a natural system
ecological tipping point
biological scientist who studies relationships between living organisms and their environment
ecologist
rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit
electric power
form of kinetic energy traveling as electromagnetic waves
electromagnetic radiation
tiny particle moving around outside the nucleus of an atom; each one has one unit of negative charge and almost no mass
electron
chemical, whose distinctly different atoms serve as the basic building blocks of all matter; two or more elements combine to form compounds that make up much of the world’s matter
element
capacity to do work by performing mechanical, physical, chemical, or electric tasks or to cause heat transfer between two objects at different temperatures
energy
percentage of the total energy input that does useful work and is not converted into low-quality, generally useless heat in an energy conversion system or process
energy efficiency
ability of a form of energy to do useful work
energy quality
any process that increases (positive feedback) or decreases (negative feedback) a change to a system
feedback
occurs when an output of matter, energy, or information is fed back into the system as input and leads to changes in that system
feedback loop
whenever energy is converted from one form to another in a physical or chemical change, no energy is created or destroyed, but energy can be converted from one form to another
first law of thermodynamics
coded units of information about specific traits that are passed form parents to offspring during reproduction; they consist of segments of DNA molecules found in chromosones
genes
total kinetic energy of all randomly moving atoms, ions, or molecules whthin a given substance, excluding the overall motion of the whole object
heat (thermal energy)
chemical that kills a plant or inhibits its growth
herbicide
organic compound made of hydrogen and carbon atoms; the simplest is methane, the major component of natural gas
hydrocarbon
energy that is concentrated and has great ability to perform useful work
high quality energy
matter, energy, or information entering a system
input
atom or group of atoms with one or more positive or negative electrical charges
ion
two or more forms of a chemical element that have the same number of protons but different mass numbers because they have different numbers of neutrons in their nuclei
isotope
energy that matter has because of its mass and speed or velocity
kinetic energy
in any physical or chemical change, no atoms are created or destroyed
law of conservation of matter
energy storing organic molecule such as fats, oils, and waxes
lipids
energy that is dispersed and has little ability to do useful work
low quality energy
sum of the number of neutrons and the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom; it gives the aprox mass of that atom
mass number
anything that has mass and takes up space
matter
aprox representation or simulation of a system being studied
model
combination of two or more atoms of the same chemical element (O2) or different chemical elements held together by chemical bonds (H2O)
molecule
feedback loop that causes a system to change in the opposite direction
negative feedback loop
elementary particle in the nuclei of all atoms (kinda) it has a relative mass of 1 and no electric charge
neutron
resource that exists in a fixed amount in the earth’s crust and has the potential for renewal by geological, physical, and chemical process taking place over a long time
nonrenewable energy
energy released when atomic nuclei undergo a nuclear reaction such as the spontaneous emission of radioactivity, nuclear fission, or nuclear fusion
nuclear energy
informational molecules such as DNA or RNA in a double helix shape consisting of complementary nucleotides in a specific sequence
nucleic acids
extremely tiny center of an atom, making up most of the atom’s mass; it contains one or more positively charged protons and one or more neutrons with no electrical charge
nucleus
compounds containing carbon atoms combined with each other and with atoms of one or more other elements such as hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus, chlorine, and fluorine
organic compounds
matter, energy, or information leaving a system
output
process of scientists reporting details of the methods and models they used, the results of their experiments, and the reasoning behind their hypotheses for other scientists working in the same field to examine and criticize
peer review
the organization of all known chemical elements according to atomic number, chemical properties, and electron configuration
periodic table
numeric value that indicates the relative acidity or alkalinity of a substance on a scale of 0 to 14, with the neutral point at 7; acidic solutions have a value less than 7 and basic solutions have a value greater than 7
pH
process that alters one or more physical properties of an element or a compound ties of an element or a compound without changing its chemical composition
physical change
feedback loop that causes a system to change further in the same direction
positive feedback loop
energy stored in an object because of its position or the position of its parts
potential energy
mathematical statement about how likely it is that something will happen
probability
structural molecules consisting of a specific sequence of amino acids that serve as components of body tissue and as enzymes
proteins
positively charged particle in the nuclei of all atoms; each has a relative mass of 1 and a single positive charge
proton
fast-moving particles or waves of energy
radiation
concepts and ideas that are widely accepted by experts in a particular field of science
reliable science
energy that comes from resources that are replaced by natural processes continually or in a relatively short time
renewable energy
production of offspring by one or more parents
reproduction
anything obtained from the environment to meet human needs and wants; it can also be applied to other species
resource
attempts to discover order in nature and use that knowledge to make predictions about what is likely to happen in nature
science
a tentative explanation of a scientific law or certain scientific observations
scientific hypothesis
description of what scientists find happening in nature repeatedly in the same way, without known exception
scientific law
the ways scientists gather data and formulate and test scientific hypotheses, models, theories, and laws
scientific method
a well-tested and widely accepted scientific hypothesis
scientific theory
whenever energy is converted from one form to another in a physical or chemical change, we end up with a lower quality energy or less useful energy to do useful work, always happens to some energy used (usually into heat)
second law of thermodynamics
complex mixture of inorganic minerals (clay, silt, pebbles, and sand) decaying organic matter, water, air, and living organisms
soil
direct radiant energy from the sun and a number of indirect forms of energy produced by the direct input of such energy (wind, falling and flowing water, biomass from photosynthesis)
solar energy
extremely small particles- electrons, protons, neutrons- that make up the internal structure of atoms
subatomic particles
set of components that function and interact in some regular and theoretically predictable manner
system
preliminary scientific data, hypotheses, and models that have not been widely tested
tentative science
rate of flow of matter, energy, or information through a system
throughput
characteristic passed on from parents to offspring during pre production in an animal or plant
trait
scientific results or hypotheses presented as reliable science without enough double checking
unreliable science
unit of power, or rate at which electrical work is done
watt
amount of a crop produced per unit of land
yield
nonliving, compare to biotic
abiotic
complex process that occurs in the cells of most living organisms, in which nutrient organic molecules such as glucose combine with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide, water, and energy
aerobic respiration
porous, water-saturated layers of sand, gravel, or bedrock that can yield an economically significant amount of water
aquifer
whole mass of air surrounding earth
atmosphere
natural processes that recycle nutrients in various chemical forms from the nonliving environment to living organisms and then back to the nonliving environment (ex. carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and water)
biogeochemical cycle
organic matter produced by plants and other photosynthetic producers; total dry weight of all living organisms that can be supported at each trophic level in a food chain or web
biomass
zone of the earth where life is found in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere
biosphere
living organisms
biotic
cyclic movement of carbon in different chemical forms from the environment to organisms then back to the environment
carbon cycle
animal that feeds on other animals
carnivore
evolution in which two or more species interact and exert selective pressures on each other that can lead each species to undergo adaptations
coevolution
an interaction between organisms of different species in which one type of organisms benefits and the other type is neither helped nor harmed to any great degree
commensalism
two or more individual organisms of a single species (interspecific) or two or more individuals of different species (interspecies) attempting to use the same scarce resources in the same ecosystem
competition
organism that cannot synthesize the organic nutrients it needs and gets its organic nutrients by feeding on the tissues of producers or other consumers
consumer (heterotroph)
organism that digests parts of dead organisms and cast off fragments and wastes of living organisms by breaking down the complex organic molecules in those materials into simpler water soluble inorganic compounds that are returned to the soil and water for use as nutrients by producers
decomposer
biome in which evaporation exceeds precipitation and the average amount of precipitation is less than 25 cm per year; such areas have little vegetation or have widely spaced, mostly low vegetation
desert
parts of dead organisms and cast-off fragments and and wastes of living organisms
detrius
consumer organism that feeds on detrius, parts of dead organisms, and cast-off fragments and wasted of living organisms
detritivore
condition in which an area does not get enough water because of lower than normal precipitation or higher than normal temperatures that increase evaporation
drought
plant that uses roots to attach itself to branches high in trees, especially in tropical forests
epiphyte
series of organisms in which one eats or decomposes the preceding one; the sequence of organisms in an ecosystem through which energy is transferred
food chain
sum of total of all genes found in the individuals of the population of a particular species
gene pool
the earth’s immensely hot core, thick mantle composed of mostly rock and a thin outer crust that contains most of the earth’s rock, soil, and sediment
geosphere
natural effect that releases heat into the atmosphere near the earth’s surface; water vapor, carbon dioxide, ozone, and other gases in the lower atmosphere (troposphere) absorb some of the infrared radiation radiated by the earth’s surface and release it as heat into the troposphere
greenhouse effect
rate at which an ecosystem producers capture and store a given amount of chemical energy as biomass in a given length of time
gross primary productivity
water that sinks into the soil and is stored in slowly flowing and slowly renewed underground reservoirs called aquifers; underground water in the zone of saturation below the water table
groundwater
plant or animal on which a parasite feeds
host
cycle that collects, purifies, and distributes the earth’s fixed supply of water from the environment to living organisms and then back to the environment
hydrologic cycle
the earth’s liquid water (surface and ground) and frozen water (ice, permafrost) and gaseous water (vapor in atmosphere)
hydrosphere
downward movement of water through soil
infiltration/percolation
attemps by memebers of two or more species to use the same limited resources in an ecosystem
interspecies competition
type of species interaction in which both participation species generally benefit
mutualism
rate at which all the plants in an ecosystem produce net useful chemical energy (gross primary productivy-rate of cellular respiration)
net primary productivity
cyclic movement of nitrogen in different chemical forms
nitrogen cycle
any chemical an organism must take in order to live, grow, or reproduce
nutrient
natural process that recycles nutrients in various chemical forms from the nonliving environment to living organisms and then back to the nonliving environment
nutrient (biogeochemical) cycle
animal that can use both plants and animals as food sources
omnivore
interactions between species in which one organism called the parasite preys on the host
parasitism
cyclic movement of phosphorus in different forms from the environment to organisms repeat
phosphorous cycle
complex process in the cells of green plants that captures light energy and converts it to chemical bond energy
photosynthesis
interaction in which an organism of one species (predator) feeds on other species (prey)
predation
water in the form of rain, sleet, hail, and snow that falls down to ground
precipitation
organism that feeds on other organism
predator
relationship where between two organisms one eats the one that gets eaten
predator-prey relationship
organism that is killed by other organism because its a food source
prey
organism that feeds on some or all parts of plant or on other producers
primary consumer (herbivore)
organism that uses solar energy (green plants) or chemical energy (some bacteria) to manufacture the organic compounds it needs as nutrients from simple inorganic compounds obtained from the environment
producer (autotroph)
diagram representing flow of energy through the trophic levels
pyramid of energy flow (trophic pyramid)
process of diving up resources in an ecosystem so that species with the same needs have different niches
resource partitioning
