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Survey of Environmental Science > Chapter 6-10 (Unit2) > Flashcards

Chapter 6-10 (Unit2) Flashcards

0
Q

Includes all of the organisms in a given area plus the nonliving components of the physical environment in which they interact

A

Ecosystem

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1
Q

This sum total of all earth’s ecosystems, refers to the total area on earth were living things are found. Also called a biomass.

A

Biosphere

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2
Q

The physical environment in which individuals a particular species can be found

A

Habitat

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3
Q

A group of plants or animals that have a high degree of similarity and can generally only interbreed among themselves

A

Species

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4
Q

The role of species plays in its community, including how it gets its energy and nutrients, and what habitat requirements it has, and what other species and parts of the ecosystem interact with.

A

Niche

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5
Q

Energy ________, a one-way passage of energy through an ecosystem

A

Flows

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6
Q

Nutrients ________, the movement of lights essential chemicals or nutrients through an ecosystem also known as biogeochemical cycles.

A

Cycles

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7
Q

The sum of all organic material, plant and animal matter, that make up an ecosystem also called a biosphere.

A

Biomass

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8
Q

Specific portions of the biosphere determined by client identified by the predominant vegetation and organisms that have adapted to live there.

A

Biome

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9
Q

Organization of life from biosphere to individual levels:

A

Biosphere, biome, ecosystem, community, population, individual.

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10
Q

Tundra, boreal forest, desert, Savannah, temperate grasslands are all an example of what….

A

Biomes

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11
Q

The critical resource whose supply determines the population of a given species in a given biome such as deadwood flowers and CO2

A

Limiting factor

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12
Q

The range, within upper and lower limit, that living things can survive and reproduce

A

Range of tolerance

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13
Q

The living or organic components of an ecosystem, such as the plants and animals and their waste. (Dead leaves/feces)

A

Biotic

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14
Q

The nonliving components of an ecosystem, such as rainfall and mineral composition of the soil

A

Abiotic

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15
Q

Abiotic or biotic components of the environment that serve as a storage place for cycling nutrients

A

Reservoirs or sinks

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16
Q

And organismic convert solar energy to chemical energy via photosynthesis i.e. plants

A

Producer

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17
Q

An organism that obtains energy and nutrients by feeding on another organism - such as a bunny eating a plant

A

Consumer

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18
Q

The process in which all organisms break down sugar to release its energy, using oxygen and giving off CO2 as a waste product

A

Cellular respiration

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19
Q

Movement of carbon through biotic and abiotic parts of an ecosystem. Cycles via photosynthesis and cellular respiration as well as in and out of other reservoirs such as ocean and soil. Is also released by human actions such as fossil fuel burning

A

Carbon cycle

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20
Q

Continuous series of natural process by which nitrogen passes from the air to the soil, two organisms, and then returns back to the air or soil through decomposition or denitrification

A

Nitrogen cycle

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21
Q

The conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into a biologically usable form, carried out by bacteria found in the soil and also via lightning

A

Nitrogen fixation

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22
Q

The process in which ammonium is oxidized into nitrites and nitrates by bacteria called “nitrifying bacteria”

A

Nitrification

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23
Q

When animals excrete waste or when an animal dies and it decays back into the soil with the help of bacteria.

A

Ammonification

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24
Q

When microbes use ammonium and converted back into nitrogen release it into the atmosphere

A

Denitrification

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25
Q

Series of natural processes by which the nutrient phosphorus moves from rock to soil or water, to living organisms, and back to the soil. It is never airborne.

A

Phosphorus cycle

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26
Q

All individuals of a species that live in the same geographic area and are able to interact interbreed

A

A population

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27
Q

The changes over time of population size in composition

A

Population dynamics

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28
Q

The smallest number of individuals that would still allow population to persist or grow, ensuring long-term survival

A

Minimum viable population

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29
Q

An evaluation of the possible positive and negative impacts of a proposed environmental action, including alternative actions that could be pursued

A

Environmental impact statement

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30
Q

The number of individuals per-unit area

A

Population density

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31
Q

The location and spacing of individuals with in their range

A

Population distribution

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32
Q

When Individuals are found in groups or patches with in the habitat

A

Clumped distribution

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33
Q

When individuals are spread out over the environment irregularly with no discernible pattern

A

Random distribution

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34
Q

When individuals are spaced evenly, perhaps due to territorial behaviors or mechanisms for suppressing the growth of nearby individuals (rarely seen)

A

Uniform distribution

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35
Q

The change in population size over time, births minus deaths over a specific time period.

A

Population growth rate

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36
Q

The number of births per 1000 individuals per year

A

Birthrate

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37
Q

The number of deaths per 1000 individuals per year

A

Death rate

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38
Q

The maximum rate at which the population can grow due to births if each member of the population survives and reproduces symbolized by (r)

A

Biotic potential

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39
Q

Population size because progressively larger each breeding cycle, produces the J curve when plotted overtime

A

Exponential growth

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40
Q

The kind of growth and which population size increases rapidly at first but then slows down as the population becomes larger, produces an s-curve when plotted overtime

A

Logistic growth

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41
Q

The population size of a particular environment can support indefinitely without long-term damage to the environment, represented by the (K)

A

Carrying capacity

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42
Q

Factors, such as predation, competition or disease, whose impact on the population increases as population size goes up

A

Density dependent

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43
Q

Factors, such as storms, natural disasters, fire and floods, whose impact on population is not related to population size

A

Density independent

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44
Q

How quickly a population can potentially increase, reflecting the biology of the species. Factors are lifespan, fecundity, maturity rate, etc.

A

Reproductive strategies

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45
Q

Species that have a high biotic potential and share other characteristics such as short lifespan, early maturity, and high fecundity.

A

r - selected species

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46
Q

Species That have a low biotic potential and share characteristics such as long lifespan, late maturity, and low fecundity; generationally show logistical population growth

A

K - selected species

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47
Q

Fluctuations in population size that produce a very large population followed by a crash that lowers the population size drastically, followed again by an increase to a large-size and a subsequent crash

A

Boom and bust cycles

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48
Q

Local extinction of a species

A

Extirpation

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49
Q

The study of how a given ecosystem functions. Plants, animals, and other species living and interacting in an area

A

Community ecology

50
Q

A species that is particularly vulnerable to ecosystem upsets, and that, when we monitor them, can give us advance warning of a problem with that ecosystem

A

Indicator species

51
Q

All of the organisms in a given area plus the physical environment in which they live and interact.

A

Ecosystems

52
Q

Is simple linear path that shows what eats what.

A

Food chain

53
Q

Any given ecosystem might have dozens of individual food chains. Linked together they create a __________ which shows the manny connections it the community.

A

Food web

54
Q

A photosynthetic organism that captures solar energy directly and uses it to produce its own food (ie. moss, plants and lichen)

A

Producer

55
Q

An organism that eats other organisms to gain energy. Includes animals, fungi, and bacteria. An example would be when a bunny eats a plant

A

Consumer

56
Q

The individual levels in a food chain

A

Tropic levels

57
Q

Consumers such as worms insects and crabs who eat dead organic material

A

Detritivores

58
Q

Organisms such as bacteria and fungi that break down organic matter down to atoms or molecules in a form that plants can take back up

A

Decomposers

59
Q

A measure of total photosynthesis - the plant only uses a portion of this usually less than 50%, the rest is transferred to consumers.

A

Gross primary productivity

60
Q

A description of how much energy is left over and actually stored in the photosynthetic organism

A

Net primary productivity (NPP)

61
Q

The ability of an ecosystem to recover when it’s damaged or perturbed

A

Resilience

62
Q

The variety of species in the area, includes measures of us species richness and evenness

A

Species diversity

63
Q

The total number of different species in a community

A

Species richness

64
Q

The relative abundance of each species any community

A

Species evenness

65
Q

Places were two different ecosystems meet such as the edge between of a forest and field, or river and stream

A

Eco-tones

66
Q

The different physical makeup of eco-tones which creates different conditions that either attract or repel certain species

A

Edge effects

67
Q

Species that prefer to live close to the edge of two different habitats in what are known as eco-tone areas

A

Edge species

68
Q

Species that prefer core areas of the habitat, areas deep within the habitat away from the edge

A

Core species

69
Q

A species that impacts it’s community more than it’s mere abundance would predict (alligator, wolves)

A

Keystone species

70
Q

Species interaction in which individuals are vying for limited resources. Can be members of the same species.

A

Competition

71
Q

Competition between two members of the same species

A

Intraspecific competition

72
Q

Competition between individuals of different species

A

Interspecific competition

73
Q

When different species use different parts or aspects of a resource, rather than competing directly for the same resource.

A

Resource partitioning

74
Q

A close or ecological relationship between two species

A

Symbiosis

75
Q

A symbiotic relationship between individuals of two species in which both parties benefit

A

Mutualism

76
Q

A symbiotic relationship between individuals of two species in which one benefits from the presence of the other but the other is unaffected

A

Commensalism

77
Q

A symbiotic relationship between individuals of two species in which one benefits and the other is negatively affected, a form of predation

A

Parasitism

78
Q

The science that deals with the repair of damaged or disturbed ecosystems

A

Restoration ecology

79
Q

Predictable transitions that can be observed in which one community replaces another (conditions that the plants themselves create more soil, shade, etc)

A

Ecological succession

80
Q

Ecological succession that occurs in an area where no ecosystem existed before

A

Primary succession

81
Q

Ecological succession that occurs in an ecosystem that is been disturbed, occurs more quickly than primary succession because soil is present (fire, flooding)

A

Secondary succession

82
Q

Plant species that move into an area during early stages of succession, these are often (r) species and may be annuals: species that live once year, leave behind seeds and then die

A

Pioneer species

83
Q

Species that move into an area at later stages of ecological succession

A

Climax species

84
Q

The end stages of ecological succession in which the conditions created by the climax species are suitable for the plants that created them so they can persist as long as the environment remains unchanged

A

Climax community

85
Q

The variety of life on earth, it includes species, genetic and ecological diversity

A

Biodiversity

86
Q

The variety of species, including how many are present (richness) and their abundance relative to each other (evenness)

A

Species diversity

87
Q

The heritable variation among individuals of a single population or then the species as a whole

A

Genetic diversity

88
Q

The variety within an ecosystem structure, including many communities, habitats, niches and tropic levels

A

Ecological diversity

89
Q

Benefits that are important to all life including humans, provided bifunctional ecosystem; include such things as nutrient cycles, air and water purification, and ecosystems goods such as food and fuel

A

Ecosystem services

90
Q

And objects or species worth, based on its usefulness to humans

A

Instrumental value

91
Q

An object or species worth, based on it’s near existence. It has an inherent right to exist on its own

A

Intrinsic value

92
Q

Describes species that is made it to a particular area and is not naturally found elsewhere

A

Endemic

93
Q

An area that contains a large number of endemic but threatened species; usually tropical areas

A

Biodiversity hotspot

94
Q

Describes a species that is locally extinct in one or more areas but still has some individual members in other areas

A

Extirpated

95
Q

When a wealthy nation forgive the debt of a developing nation in return for a pledge to protect natural areas in that developing nation

A

Debt for nature swap

96
Q

The primary law under which biodiversity is protected in the United States

A

The Endangered Species Act

97
Q

A non-native species, a species outside of its range, whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm

A

Invasive species

98
Q

The complete loss of the species

A

Extinction

99
Q

A nonrandom influence affecting who survives or reproduces

A

Selective pressure

100
Q

A trait that helps an individual survive or reproduce, the traits that an environment favors

A

Adaptation

101
Q

The process by which organisms best adapted to the environment, (the fittest) survive to reproduce, leaving more offspring than less well adapted individuals

A

Natural selection

102
Q

Stretches of DNA, the cells hereditary material, that each direct the production of a particular protein and influence individuals traits

A

Genes

103
Q

Changes in how common certain genes are in the population from one generation to the next / the frequency of some genes increase and others decrease

A

Evolution

104
Q

Assortment and abundance of particular variants of jeans relative to each other within a population

A

Gene frequencies

105
Q

When different individuals have different versions of genes. Variations among individuals of a single population or within the species as a whole

A

Genetic diversity

106
Q

Two species each provide the selective pressure that determines which of the others traits is favored by natural selection

A

Coevolution

107
Q

Describe the species that is needed to a particular area and is not naturally found elsewhere

A

Endemic

108
Q

Local extinction in one or more areas, though some individuals exist in other areas

A

Extirpation

109
Q

The change in gene frequencies in a population over time due to random mating results in the loss of some gene variants

A

Genetic drift

110
Q

When population size is drastically reduced, meeting to the loss of some genetic variants and resulting in a less diverse population

A

Bottleneck effect

111
Q

When a small group with only a subset of the larger populations genetic diversity becomes isolated and it involves into a different population, missing some of the traits of the original population

A

Founder effect

112
Q

The average rate of extinction that occurs outside of mass extinction events

A

Background rate of extinction

113
Q

The total collection of fossils found on earth. (Remains, impressions, traces of ancient organisms)

A

Fossil record

114
Q

A species that faces a very high risk of extinction in the immediate future

A

Endangered

115
Q

A species that is likely to become endangered in the near future

A

Threatened

116
Q

Altering a natural area in a way that makes it uninhabitable for the species living there

A

Habitat destruction

117
Q

Hazardous or objectionable substances that are released into the environment; also includes noise and light

A

Pollution

118
Q

Human activity that removes more of a resource then can be replaced in the same timeframe, such as taking too many individuals from a population

A

Overharvesting

119
Q

Alterations to climate resulting from human impact

A

Anthropogenic climate change

120
Q

Destruction of part of an area that separates suitable habitat patches from one another; patches that are too small maybe come on usable for that species

A

Habitat fragmentation

121
Q

Species that prefer core areas of the habitat – areas deep within the habitat away from the edge

A

Core species

122
Q

Species that prefer to live close to the edges of two different habitat (ecotone areas)

A

Edge species

123
Q

When humans decide which individuals breed and which do not an attempt to produce a population with desired traits. Such as the selective breeding of wolves into domestic dogs.

A

Artificial selection

Survey of Environmental Science (2 decks)

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