Midterm Review

Question 1

renewable resources

Answer 1

resources that never run out or can be rapidly replenished

Question 2

nonrenewable resources

Answer 2

resources that can not be replenished and are only available in finite amounts

Question 3

sustainability

Answer 3

living on earth in a way that allows humans to use its resources without depriving future generations of those resources

Question 4

tragedy of the commons

Answer 4

the tendency of a shared, limited resource to become depleted because people act from self-interest for short-term gain

Question 5

Human Impact

Answer 5

Population x Affluence x Technology

Question 6

Highly developed countries

Answer 6

a country that has a highly developed economy and advanced technology; 20% of population that uses 80% of resources

Question 7

Low developed countries

Answer 7

a country that has a still developing country with a majority of people below the poverty line; 80% of population that only has access to 20% of the world’s resources

Question 8

Ecological footprint

Answer 8

a measure of how much that person consumes, expressed in area of land

Question 9

scientific method

Answer 9

an objective way to explore the natural world, draw inferences from it, and predict the outcome of certain events, processes, or changes

Question 10

hypothesis

Answer 10

a testable conjecture about how something works

Question 11

control group

Answer 11

a group that experiences exactly the same conditions as the experimental group, except for the single variable under study

Question 12

natural experiment

Answer 12

occurs when a natural event acts as an experimental treatment in an ecosystem

Question 13

energy

Answer 13

the ability to do work or transfer heat

Question 14

potential energy

Answer 14

stored energy that has not been released

Question 15

kinetic energy

Answer 15

the energy of motion

Question 16

law of conservation of matter

Answer 16

a law of nature stating that matter cannot be created or destroyed

Question 17

entropy

Answer 17

randomness in a system

Question 18

trophic levels

Answer 18

level in the feeding structure of organisms; energy flows from highest levels to lowest levels

Question 19

producer

Answer 19

an organism that uses the energy of the sun to produce usable forms of energy

Question 20

primary consumer

Answer 20

an individual capable of photosynthesis; must obtain energy by consuming other organisms

Question 21

herbivores

Answer 21

a predator that consumes plant as prey

Question 22

carnivores

Answer 22

a predator that consumes other animals as prey

Question 23

detritivore

Answer 23

an organism that specializes in breaking down dead tissues and waste products into smaller particles

Question 24

decomposer

Answer 24

fungi or bacteria that recycle nutrients from dead tissues and wastes back into an ecosystem

Question 25

Gross Primary Productivity

Answer 25

the total amount of solar energy that the producers in an ecosystem capture via photosynthesis over a given amount of time

Question 26

Net Primary Productivity

Answer 26

Gross Primary Productivity minus the respiration by the producers

Question 27

trophic pyramid

Answer 27

the distribution of biomass among trophic levels; decreases by 10x

Question 28

biogeochemical cycles

Answer 28

the movements of matter within and between ecosystems

Question 29

reservoir

Answer 29

a body of water created by blocking the natural flow of a waterway

Question 30

nitrogen

Answer 30

limiting nutrient for producers

Question 31

nitrogen fixation

Answer 31

nitrogen gas into ammonium

Question 32

leaching

Answer 32

nitrate is readily transported through the soil with water