SIMPLE KEY DEFINITIONS Flashcards
(136 cards)
1
Q
What is transpiration?
A
plants lose water through tiny holes in their leaves
this water turns into vapor and goes into the air
2
Q
What is proxy data?
A
Proxy data is indirect evidence used to reconstruct past environmental conditions
3
Q
What are biofuels?
A
fuels produced through plant materials
4
Q
What is biomimetics?
A
the study of living organisms so the knowledge gained can be applied to engineering or technological advancements
5
Q
What are Vavilov Centres?
A
regions where a high diversity of crop wild relatives can be found
———->
representing the natural relatives of domesticated crop plants
6
Q
What are photoautotrophs?
A
Organisms that photosynthesise
7
Q
What is interception?
A
when precipitation is stopped and held by vegetation
this delays the water reaching the ground and sometimes the water never reaches the surface
instead it is evaporated back to the atmosphere
8
Q
What is decomposition?
A
break down of organic matter, releasing nutrients which can then be absorbed by plant roots
9
Q
What is organic matter?
A
Organic matter is material that comes from living organisms
eg. dead leaves, animal waste, and decaying organisms
10
Q
Deoxygenation definition?
A
loss or removal of oxygen from water or the environment
11
Q
What is eutrophication?
A
when too many nutrients get into water, causing lots of algae to grow
12
Q
Acid mine drainage definition?
A
polluted water that comes from mines
Occurs when rainwater mixes with minerals
13
Q
What does an edge species stand for?
A
evolutionary
distinct
globally
endangered
14
Q
What are endemic species?
A
plant or animal that only exists in one geographical region
15
Q
What is a keystone species?
A
plant or animal that plays a unique role in how an ecosystem functions
16
Q
What is a flagship species?
A
charismatic, popular species which is the symbol for an issue
17
Q
What is population fragmentation?
A
when a group of animals or plants gets split into smaller, isolated groups, usually because of things like roads, buildings, or deforestation
18
Q
What does CITES stand for?
A
convention of international trade in endangered species
19
Q
What is appendix 1 cites?
A
Species threatened by extinction
Complete ban on trade (unless for conservation purposes)
20
Q
What is appendix 2 cites?
A
species that may be threatened by extinction if trade is not controlled
trade is allowed in some countries (where species is well protected)
21
Q
What is in situ conservation?
A
when species are protected in their natural habitat
22
Q
what is ex situ conservation?
A
when species are protected away from where they usually live
23
Q
What is hybridisation?
A
individuals interbreeding with closely related species
24
Q
What is cryopreservation?
A
storing eggs, semen and embryos for future breeding programmes
25
What is artificial insemination?
collecting semen from a male and inserting it into a female
26
What is embryo transfer?
closely related species is used as a surrogate mother
27
What is micro-propagation of plants?
form of tissue culture where clusters of cell can be produced from a single plant/tissue sample
28
What is hard release?
releasing individuals with no support
29
What is soft release?
involves post release support such as gradual release into larger areas and the provision of food as they learn to find food themselves
30
What is Kew's Millennium Seedbank?
a project that stores seeds from plants all over the world to help protect them from extinction
31
What is rewilding?
large scale restoration of ecosystems in their natural conditions
32
What is a random mutation?
A random change in the DNA sequence of an organism
33
What is Ecological succession?
The process by which the mix of species and habitat in an area changes over time
34
What is a Sere?
The sequence of changes in Ecological Succession
during which an uncolonised habitat develops into the climax community
35
What is the Climatic Climax Community?
The sequence of new species colonising, thriving, then dying out, continues until a final community of species develops which remain dominant as long as the climate does not change.
36
What is a plagioclimax community?
A Plagioclimax community is an area or habitat in which the influences of the humans have prevented the ecosystem from developing further
37
What are R-selected species?
Species that respond RAPIDLY to low survival rates
38
What are K-selected species?
Species that recover SLOWLY from a decline in population
39
What are density interdependent factors?
Factors where population density has no effect on the chances of survival on an individual
40
What are dependent factors?
Factors where the chances of an individual surviving depend on population density
41
Definition of carrying capacity?
Maximum population size that can be supported indefinitely without damaging environment
42
What is taxonomy?
Science of grouping organisms according to similarities in their features
43
What is a species?
Group of closely related organisms that can produce fertile offspring
44
What is evolution?
Process that changes the gene pool of a species
45
What is a habitat?
Area or location in which a species or community live
46
What is an ecological niche?
Role a species plays within its habitat and how it interacts with its habitat
47
What is a population?
All the individuals of a single species that live in a particular area
48
What is a community?
All the members of all the species that live in an area
49
What is an ecosystem?
combination of biotic and abiotic factors of an area
50
What is a biome?
A large geographical region with specific climate conditions within which a characteristics community of species lives
51
What is the biosphere?
All areas of planet earth that are inhabited of living organisms
eg.soil,land surface,water and atmosphere
52
What is primary succession?
Takes place on new surfaces where there has been no previous vegetation or soil formation
53
What is secondary succession?
Takes place where there has been soil or vegetation, but the climax vegetation was not established
54
Define richness and evenness in terms of ecology
Richness: How many different species there are
Evenness: A comparison of the number of individuals there are in each species.
55
Define abundance and frequency in terms of sampling
Abundance: Number of given individuals in a given area.
Frequency: An estimate of number based on occurrence.
56
What is translocation?
the movement of materials in plants from the leaves to other parts of the plant
57
What is artificial population control?
human actions taken to manage or limit the size of animal or plant populations to protect ecosystems
58
What is the cryosphere?
Frozen water part of the earth system
59
Climate change def?
Long term change in average weather patterns
60
What is thermal expansion?
Warmer atmosphere heats sea water which expands
61
What are primary pollutants?
released directly from human activities
62
What are secondary pollutants?
produced by chemical reactions involving
primary pollutants
63
What is the North Atlantic Conveyor (Gulf Stream)?
Movement of layers of surface and deep water in the Atlantic Ocean which distributes energy
64
What is a reserve?
name given to a mineral which can be exploited now with current technology
65
What is a resource?
name given to a mineral which can be theoretically exploited
66
What is an ore?
a body of rock which contains minerals which can be exploited
67
What is a stock?
this includes all the material that exists in the lithosphere which are being exploited now, in the future or maybe never
68
What is grade within an ore?
amount of mineral in an ore
69
What are mineral resources?
useful materials which come from the Earth
70
What is an igneous process?
ROCKS are FORMED by the COOLING and HARDENING of MAGMA or LAVA
71
What is hydrothermal fluid?
a FLUID which is a HOT and AQUEOUS SOLUTION which is RICH in DISSOLVED METALS
72
When is a mineral vein formed?
when a mineral precipitates in a fracture
73
What is a country rock?
the older rock surrounding an igneous intrusion
74
What is precipitation in regards to the lithosphere?
the process in which dissolved metals come out of solution
75
What is the lithosphere?
the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle
76
What are alluvial deposits?
when rivers/glaciers which are carrying sediments lose energy and therefore this leads to the sediments being deposited
77
What is metamorphic in regards to the lithosphere?
existing rock exposed to extreme heat and pressure
however it doesn’t melt
this occurs near igneous intrusions or tectonically active regions
78
What is an igneous intrusion?
magma that has forced its way into existing rock layers beneath the Earth's surface and solidified
79
What is sedimentary in regards to the lithosphere?
Mminerals settle and build up to produce layers of concentrated mineral over time
80
Evaporites definition?
rocks formed when water evaporates and leaves behind minerals like salt or gypsum
81
What is secondary enrichment?
a natural process where metals are concentrated in an ore deposit by the action of water moving through the ground, often making the deposit richer and easier to mine
82
What is bioleaching?
acidophilic bacteria can be used to extract minerals from low concentration ores by oxidising sulphides
83
What is phytomining?
planting absorbs heavy metals and concentrate them in the leaves. This can decontaminate a site and act as a form of mining. The vegetation could then be harvested, burnt and metal extracted
84
What is iron displacement?
iron is less valuable mineral and displaces copper, so if you take a copper solution and add iron then the copper will be deposited as a solid
85
What is leachate collection?
collect water that has percolated through a spoil heap
full of dissolved ions
then feed it back into the spoil heap until the concentration is high enough to exploit
86
What is polymer absorption?
irons in seawater can be passed through a polymer and this attaches to polymers such as lignin (wood), shrimp shells or artificial polymers
87
What are intrusive rocks?
rocks that form when magma cools slowly under the Earths surface
88
What are extrusive rocks?
rocks that form when the lava cools quickly on the Earths surface
89
What are batholiths?
Large body of igneous intrusive rock formed beneath the Earth’s surface by the intrusion and solidification of magma
90
What is quarrying?
Quarrying is the process of
removing rock, sand, gravel or
other minerals from the
ground in order to use them to
produce materials for
construction or other uses
91
What is dredging?
Dredging is the removal of
sediments and debris from
the bottom of lakes, rivers,
harbours, and other water
bodies
92
What are spoil heaps?
remains of the overburden, gangue minerals and the remains of solid processing waste
93
What is turbid drainage water?
Suspended particles in the water can block the light
therefore reduce levels of photosynthesis in the river network
94
what is the circular economy in environmental science?
the analysis of human activities and an assessment of how they can be more sustainable
95
What is cradle to cradle design?
Ensuring that the design process allows materials to be reused at the end of their useful lives
96
What is leachate?
Leachate is dirty liquid that forms when rainwater passes through waste, like in a landfill, and picks up harmful chemicals
97
What is a biogeochemical cycle?
biological and physical processes that move elements that are important to living organisms
98
Photosynthesis word equation?
carbon dioxide + water → glucose + oxygen
99
What is respiration?
conversion of organic matter -> carbon dioxide and water in all living organisms, releasing energy
100
Respiration word equation?
Glucose + Oxygen → Carbon dioxide + Water + Energy
101
What is combustion?
burning of organic material releases carbon dioxide
102
What is in the mineral nutrient cycle?
soil
biomass
litter
103
What does inert mean?
chemically inactive
104
What are the 4 biological processes that contribute to the cycling of nitrogen through the biosphere?
nitrogen fixation
decomposition
nitrification
denitrification
105
What is nitrification?
nitrifying bacteria convert ammonium into nitrates
106
What is denitrification in relation to the nitrogen cycle?
conversion of nitrates to nitrogen by denitrifying bacteria
107
What is one bacteria responsible for denitrification?
Pseudomonas
108
What is the Haber Process?
he Haber Process fixes nitrogen from the air into ammonia using high pressure, temperature, and an iron catalyst.
109
Explain the Phosphorus cycle?
plants are eaten by animals
when plants/animals die, decomposers return phosphorus to soil
this creates more soluble phosphorus compounds that are easier for plants to absorb
110
What factors control soil formation?
Climate
organisms
topography (relief)
parent material
time
111
What does CL O R P T STAND FOR?
Climate
Organisms
Topography
Parent material
Time
112
What is soil fertility?
Ability of soil to sustain plant growth
113
What is the pH of fertile soils?
usually between 5.5-7
114
Soluble definition?
A substance that dissolves in water
115
Insoluble definition?
A substance that does not dissolve in water
116
What is root penetration?
the process by which plant roots grow and extend into the soil
117
What is ease of cultivation?
how easy or difficult it is to prepare and manage soil for growing crops
118
What shape are crumb peds?
small and round
119
What shape are platy peds?
large and flat
120
Peds are names given to what?
Blocks in the soil
121
What is humus?
decaying organic matter
122
What is "the soil"?
collective body of all soil that covers the Earth’s land surface
123
What is "a soil"?
individual body of soil that has similar characteristics throughout
124
What is a regolith?
unconsolidated, loose deposits covering solid rock
125
What are the three main stages of soil formation?
weathering
humification
translocation
126
What is soil aggregation?
Soil aggregation is the process where soil particles bind together to form clumps or aggregates.
127
What is surface litter?
A layer of dead plant material on the soil surface that protects soil and begins decomposition
128
What is leaching in environmental science?
water carries dissolved substances, like nutrients or pollutants
down through soil
potentially reaching groundwater
129
What is the parent material?
underlying geological material (like rock or sediment) from which soil forms through weathering over time
130
What is translocation?
the movement of soil components in any form (solution or suspension), or in any
direction (downwards or upwards)
131
What does the porosity influence?
the drainage (permeability) and air content of the soil
132
Soil degradation def?
general decline in soil quality
133
What is assimilation?
uptake/absorption of element to form amino acids and proteins
134
What is nitrogen fixation
conversion of atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia or nitrate by bacteria
135
What is ammonification?
conversion of organic nitrogen from dead organisms into ammonia by decomposers
136
Sedimentation Phosphorus cycle def?
accumulation of phosphorus in sediments, which can eventually form new rocks
