Midterm 1 Flashcards
(144 cards)
1
Q
Environment
A
consists of all living and non living things
2
Q
focus on natural sciences aspects
the study of how the natural world works, how the environment effects us and how we. effect it
A
envi sci
3
Q
not a scientific study, social movement dedicated to protect the natural world
A
environmentalism
4
Q
Biotic
A
Living, natural, animals and plants, biosphere (one of earths major subsystems)
5
Q
Abiotic
A
non living, natural, atmosphere (air) hydrosphere (water), geosphere (land)
6
Q
Biosphere
A
All living organisms; plants, animals, microbes… organic matter
7
Q
Atmosphere
A
gaseous envelope <100km thick
* supports life
Nitrogen (N): ~ 78 %
Oxygen (O): ~ 21 %
Argon (Ar): ~ 0.93 %
Carbon dioxide (CO2): ~ 0.035 %
Other gases (H2O, ozone…): ~ 0.035 %
8
Q
Geosphere
A
rocks, soil, sediments - 30 % of Ea rth’s surface area
9
Q
the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle
A
lithosphere
10
Q
the technosphere encompasses parts modified by humans interactions of
the anthroposphere with other subsystems of earth = environmental systems
A
anthrosphere
11
Q
network of relationships between parts/elements/components that interact
and function as a unit
A
system
12
Q
process of systems move in opposing directions at equivalent rates
A
dynamic equillibrium
13
Q
Inexhaustible renewable natural resources
A
- Sunlight
- Wind energy
- Wave energy
- Geothermal energy
14
Q
Exhaustible renewable natural resources
A
- Agricultural crops
- Fresh water
- Forest products
- Soils
15
Q
Non renewable natural resources
A
Crude oils
* Natural gas
* Coal
* Copper, aluminum, and
other metals
16
Q
replaced over short periods, replenished within reasonable use
A
renewable
17
Q
finite, over long periods, geologic timeframes, supply diminishes with use
A
non renewable
18
Q
Ecosystem services
A
- The purification of water and air
- Cycling of nutrients
- Recycling water flow
- Flood prevention
- Reducing erosion
19
Q
‘Measure of the ability of a system to support life’
-Number of individuals of a particular species that can be sustained by
biological productivity of a system
A
Carrying capacity
20
Q
Ecological footprint
A
a method that determines how dependent humans are on natural resources
21
Q
Biocapacity
A
the capacity of a country, region or world to produce useful biological
materials
22
Q
Natural Capital
A
Earth’s accumulated wealth of natural resources and ecosystem services.
23
Q
a systematic process for learning about the world and testing our understanding of it
A
science
24
Q
scientists gather basic info about organisms, materials, and/or systems
A
descriptive science
25
used to construct explanations of how a certain phenomena works and why they occur
hypothesis driven
26
a technique for testing ideas with formalized steps
scientific method
27
2 identical groups are tested for the effects of the independent variable
controlled experiment
28
the researcher controls the independent variable
manipulated experiment
29
takes place when a controlled experiment is not possible and the dependant variables are naturally occurring
natural experiments
30
What do scientists look for among variables?
correlation and statistical relationships
31
Paradigm
dominant scientific view
32
Paradigm Shift
occurs when one of the views change as a result of new ideas and evidence
33
Overpopulation types
people and consumption
34
Sustainability requires:
understanding all affects of our actions on all living things
acknowledging earths resources are finite
knowing true environmental and societal costs
sharing responsibility
35
Sustainable solutions must be:
global
recognize global interconnections
emphasize clean energy choices
maximize recycling and production efficiency's
preserve biodiversity
36
Homostasis
Steady state
tendency od sustems to maintain constant or stable internal conditions
37
resistance
strength of systems tendency to remain constant-resist disturbance
38
resilience
measure of how readily a system will return to its original state after a disturbance
39
system characteristics not evident in the components alone
emergent properties
40
Earths major subsystems
geosphere
atmosphere
biosphere
hydrosphere
anthrosphere
41
physical and chemical foundation for life
heat energy
nutrients
moisture retention
mass transfer
42
Hydrosphere
all water
essential to life
mass energy transport
43
the study of interaction of organisms within their abiotic environment
ecology
44
the study of energy and material flow among biotic and abiotic components
ecosystem ecology
45
ecosystem inputs:
carbon
nutroents
water
energy
46
Organic material of which living organisms are formed
biomass
47
assimilation if energy by autotrophs
gross primary production
48
conversion of solar energy ti chemical energy by autotrophs
primary production
49
energy remaining after respiration by plants, and is used to generate biomass
net primary production
50
biomass generated by heterotrophs
secondary production
51
ecosystems whose plants rapidly convert solar energy to biomass
high net primary production
52
macronutrients
nutrients required in relative larger amounts
52
nutrients
elects and compounds required for survival that are consumed by organisms
53
transitional zones between 2 ecosystems In which elements of different ecosystems mix
ecotones
54
nutrient cycle
the movement of nutrients through ecosystems
55
pools
where nutrients reside for varying amounts of time
56
flux
movement of nutrients among pools (to or from the reservoirs), which change over
time and are influenced by human activities
57
sources
pools that release more nutrients than they accept; releases more than received
58
sinks
accept more nutrients than they release
59
evaporation
water moves from aquatic land systems to air
60
transpiration
release of water vapour by plants
61
precipitation
condensation of water vapour as rain or snow
62
Water reservoirs
gain by inflow, lose by outflow
if inflow=outflow, reservoir size contain, maintaining balance is complex
63
aquifers
underground reservoirs of spongelike regions of rock and soil that hold groundwater
64
The carbon cycle
provides the _______ for all living things
carbon is found in ____,_____,____, and ______.
________ moves carbon from air to organisms
________returns carbon to air and oceans
__________ returns carbon to the soil.
foundation
carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and bones
photosynthesis
respiration
decomposition
65
4 main reservoirs
atmosphere
oceans
land surface
geosphere
66
specializes in bacteria
crucial to all organisms
78% of our atmosphere but N2 gas is not a useable form
nitrogen cycle
67
Nitrogen fixation
nitrogen gas is made into ammonia by nitrogen fixing bacteria
68
bacteria that convert ammonium ions first into nitrite ions then to nitrate ions
nitrification
69
convert nitrates in soil or water to gaseous nitrogen, releasing it back into the atmosphere
denitrifying bacteria
70
Human impacts on the nitrogen cycle
smog
emissions
feretilizers
runoff
groundwater contamination
71
The phosphorus cycle
circulates key plant nutrient
hey component of cell membranes DNA RNA ATP and ADP
72
food webs
plants take up phosphorus when it is dissolved in water -pass up through food webs
73
human impacts on the phosphorus cycle
released to surface water by fertilizers and animal wster
not removed during wastewater treatment
eutrophication and O depletion
lost for long periods of time if released in oceans
millions of years before recycled
74
the process of nutrient overrichment, blooms of algae, increased production of organic matter, and ecosystem degration
eutrophication
75
genetic changes in organisms across generations
evolution
76
the process by which traits that enhance survival and reproduction are passed more frequently to future generations than those that do not
natural selection
77
4 main observations about the natural world
high reproductive capacity
heritable variation
limits on population growth
differential reproductive
78
the special characteristics that enable plants and animals to be successful in a particular environment
adaptation/adaptive traits
79
physical features of an organisms which can help it survive in its environment
structural adaptations
80
extinction
loss of species from earth
genetic material lost forever
impact on biological resource
eventual fate of all species
81
typical type of species loss
result of natural selection
background extinction
82
atypical species loss
sudden, catastrophic loss of large numbers of species
mass extinction
83
species that face threats that may cause it to become extinct within a short period
endangered species
84
species whose population has declined to a point that it may be a risk of extinction
threatened species
85
totality of an organisms adaptations, resource use, and lifestyle, describes role in a community/ecosystem
ecological niche
86
how populations of organisms respond to their environment
population ecology
87
population growth is limited by
environmental pressures
reproductive success/failure
overpopulation
88
Biodiversity speciation
process by which new species arise due to geologic isolation
allopatric
89
biodiversity speciation
process by which new species evolve from a single ancestral species while inhabiting the same geographic region
sympatric
90
classifications of species
domain
kingdom
phylum
class
order
family
genus
species
91
interaction among organisms vying for the same limited ecosystem resources
competition
92
competition between individuals in a single species
intraspecific
93
competition between individuals in a different species
interspecific
94
variation of a competitive relationship in which one species is harmed and the other is unaffected
amenalism
95
potential idealized ecological niche
fundamental niches
96
actual niche organism occupies in an ecosystem
actual niches
97
one species excludes another from a niche though resource competition
competitive exclusion
98
co-existing species occupy different niches, leading to characteristic displacement
resource partitioning
99
competing species evolve physical characteristics that reflect their reliance on the portion of resource use
characteristic displacement
100
processes by which individuals of one species capture, kill, and consume their prey
predation
101
animal defences
fleeing
mechanical
chemical
living in groups
camoflage
102
relationship in which one parasite depends on their host for nourishment or other benefits
parasitism
103
hosts and parasites become locked in a duel of escalating adaptations
coevolution
104
________exploit plants
herbivores
105
exploitation in which animals feed on the tissue of plants
herbivory
106
defences of herbivory
chemical - toxins, distasteful parts
physical - tones, spines, protected by other animals
107
2 or more species benefit from their interaction
mutualism
108
mutualism in which the organisms live close in physical contact
symbiosis
109
bees, bats, birds, and other transfer of pollen from one flower t another, fertilizing its eggs
pollination
110
one species benefits while one is unaffected
commensalism
111
plants that create shade and leaf litter allowing seedlings to grow
facilitation
112
an assemblage of speeches living in the same place at the same time
community
113
people interested in how species coexist and relate, change in community, and why patterns exist
community ecologists
114
energy biomass flow trophic level
producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers, decomposers/detrivores
115
1st trophic level
producers
116
organisms that capture solar energy for photosynthesis to produce sugars and manufacture organic compounds as energy resource
producers
117
organisms that consume producers and consumers
consumers
118
2nd trophic level
consumers
119
third trophic level
secondary consumers
120
predators at the highest t level, consume secondary consumers, also carnivores.
tertiary consumers
121
4th trophic level
tertiary consumers
122
omnivores
consume plants and animals
123
organisms that feel off of non living organic matter
detrivores/ decomposers
124
scavenges waste products and dead bodies
detrivores
125
break down leaf litter and other non living material
decomposers
126
transfers occur along food chain or webs
biomass
127
relationship of how energy/biomass is transferred up to the trophic levels
food chain
128
visual map of feeding relationships and energy flow
food webs
129
graphically shows relative energy value of each trophic level
ecological pyramid
130
main types of ecological pyramids
numbers
biomass
energy
131
a species that has a particular strong or far reaching impact. In ecological community, if they are removed its impact with have large ripple effects and will alter large portions of the food web.
keystone species
132
the predictable series of changes in a community following a disturbance
succession
133
a disturbance dramatically alters, but does not destroy all local organisms
secondary succession
134
the first species tp arrive in a primary succession area
pioneer species
135
general succession pattern
lichen-mosses-grass-shrubs-forests
136
the community resulting from successful succession
climax community
137
none native organisms that spread widely and become dominant in a community
invasive species
138
controlling invasive species
toxins
depriving of oxygen
stressing them
dying them out
remove manually
139
returning an area to its unchanged conditions
ecological restoration
140
major regional complex of similar communities recognized by plant type and vegetation structure
biome
141
shows an areas mean monthly temperature and precipitation
climatographs
142
10 major terrestrial biomes
tundra
boreal forrest
temperate deciduous forrest
temperate grasslanfs
temperate rain forests
tropical dry forests
tropical rain forest
savannah
desert
Mediterranean
143
aquatic ecosystems are shaped by:
water temp, salinity, dissolved nutrients
water action, currents, depth
substrate type
animal and plant life
