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ESWS155 - Elements of Environmental Protection > Study Guide pt 1 (ch. 1-5) > Flashcards

Study Guide pt 1 (ch. 1-5) Flashcards

(118 cards)

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1
Q

interspecific competition

A

(–); neither individual gets 100% of of the resources it needs

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2
Q

quantitative data

A

data that is measurable and numerical

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3
Q

resource partitioning

A

using different parts of the ecosystem to coexist

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4
Q

boreal forest/taiga

A

11% of land surface; very few evergreen trees; nutrient-poor, acidic soil; Canada, Alaska, Russia, Scandinavia

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5
Q

sustainable ethic

A

resources are limited and we must act as such; humans are only a part of the environment

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6
Q

nucleic acid monomer

A

nucleotides

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7
Q

natural selection

A

inherited characteristics enhance survival and reproduction; those traits are passed on more frequently

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8
Q

land eithic

A

mistreating the environment is fiscally irresponsible; land is a commodity vs. land is a complex ecosystem

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9
Q

feedback loop

A

circular process in which a system’s output serves as the input for the same system

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10
Q

products of light reactions

A

O2, ATP (energy), NADPH

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11
Q

secondary succession

A

disturbance dramatically alters but does not destroy all local organisms; fires, hurricanes, farming, logging

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12
Q

1st trophic level

A

producers/autotrophs; capture solar energy to produce sugars; green plants

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13
Q

density-dependent factors

A

limiting factors whose influence is affected by population density; predation, competition, disease

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14
Q

type I survivorship curve

A

higher death rate at older ages; larger animals; humans, mammals

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15
Q

species diversity

A

number of species interacting

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16
Q

tundra

A

minimal precipitation; extremely cold winters; dominated by mosses and lichens; permafrost; Russia, Canada, Scandinavia

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17
Q

climax community

A

community that remains in place with few changes until another disturbance

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18
Q

environmental science

A

study of how the natural world works, how the environment affects us, and how we affect the environment

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19
Q

ecosystem

A

all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact in a given space

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20
Q

scientific method

A

observe, question, predict, hypothesis, experiment, analysis, share results

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21
Q

3rd trophic level

A

secondary consumers; pray on primary consumers; carnivorous; salamanders

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22
Q

natural resources

A

substances and energy we take from our environment

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23
Q

lipid monomer

A

glycerol and fatty acids

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24
Q

photosynthesis formula

A

6CO2 + 6H2O + sunlight –> C6H12O6 + 6O2

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25
gross primary production (gpp)
total amount of energy captured by autotrophs
26
desert
minimal precipitation; not always hot; plants have adapted to minimize water loss
27
hydrosphere
all liquid, solid, and vapor water
28
data
facts collected for analysis
29
source
a pool that releases more than it accepts
30
meiosis
reproduction of sex cells; leads to crossing over and genetic variability
31
tropical dry forest
warm with wet/dry seasons; mostly agricultural -> soil erosion; India, Africa, South America, Northern Australia
32
type II survivorship curve
same death rate at all ages; medium-sized animals; birds
33
products of light-independent reactions
sugars
34
what are the four macromolecules of life?
proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and lipids
35
predation
(+-); one individual kills/consumes prey
36
exponential growth
unregulated population growth; not sustainable long-term; often occurs in introduced or non-native species
37
carrying capacity
the maximum size of a population ots environment can sustain
38
temperate rainforest
a lot of precipitation; coniferous trees; erosion and landslides affect soil fertility; logged for lumber and paper; most old growth is gone; Pacific Northwest
39
biogeochemistry
how chemical elements flow through living systems and their physical environments
40
directional selection
drives a feature in one direction; depends on the environment
41
2nd trophic level
primary consumers; herbivors that eat producers; grasshoppers
42
taxonomy
formal system for naming and grouping species to communicate order and relationships
43
primary succession
disturbance removes all soil life; community is built from scratch; follows glaciers, volcanic lava
44
uniform population distribution
due to competitive interactions
45
five ideas supporting natural selection
variability of traits within populations, traits are inheritable, individuals reproduce, resources are limited, population sized are relatively constant
46
realized niche
conditions where an organism actually occurs
47
parasitism
(+-); one organism depends on another for nourishment
48
provisioning services
food, freshwater, natural medicines
49
ecology
the study of organisms and their relationships with their environments
50
niche
the match of a species to a specific environmental condition
51
succession
predictable series of changes in a community following a disturbance
52
net primary production (npp) in water
driven by sunlight and nutrients
53
cultural services
recreation, ecotourism, ethical values
54
overshoot
when humans or a population consume more than the environment can sustain
55
"k-selected" organisms
long gestational periods; few offspring; strong parental care; low biotic potential; stabilize at or near carrying capacity
56
speciation
process of generating a new species from a single species
57
organic compounds
has carbon atoms joined by covalent bonds (has carbon-carbon bonds)
58
atmosphere
the air surrounding the planet
59
biosphere
the planet's living organisms and abiotic portions of the environment with which they interect
60
flux
rate at which materials move between pools
61
positive feedback loop
system changes and continues to change in one direction; pushes system towards the extreme end of the spectrum; typically a result of human activity
62
environmental ethics
moral principles that govern behavior concerning the environment
63
protein monomer
amino acids
64
supporting services
nutrient cycling, soil formation, photosynthesis
65
carbohydrate monomer
monosaccharides (sugars)
66
2nd Law of Thermodynamics
not all heat energy can be converted into work
67
1st Law of Thermodynamics
total amount of energy in the universe is constant and conserved; energy cannot be created or destroyed
68
transpiration
water enters vascular system of plants through roots and evaporates through stomata on leaves
69
pioneer species
first species to arrive in primary succession; mosses and lichens
70
negative feedback loop
system changes and moves back to set point; output and input move in opposite directions and cancel each other out
71
climate diagrams
measure temperature, precipitation, and wet/dry seasons
72
community diversity
populations from many species interacting
73
survivorship curve
a graph that shows the likelihood of death for age demographics
74
evolution
the process through which the characteristics of a species change over time; descent with modification
75
primary production
conversion of solar energy to chemical energy by autotrophs
76
keystone species
has a strong or wide-reaching impact far out of proportion to its abundance; removal significantly alters the food web
77
regulating services
air quality, pollination, erosion
78
qualitative data
observations and characteristics; not measurable
79
4th trophic level
tertiary consumers; eat secondary consumers; carnivrous; highest trophic level; hawks
80
lithosphere
rock and sediment
81
community
a group of species occupying the same area at the same time
82
nucleic acid function
DNA holds hereditary information; RNA hold information for protein creation
83
carbohydrate function
energy storage
84
intraspecies competition
competition within the same species
85
sink
a pool that takes in more than it releases
86
random population distribution
typically a homogenous environment
87
density-independent factors
limiting facotrs whose influence is not affected by population density; weather, floods, landslides
88
ecosystem services
any benefit humans receive from the natural environment
89
herbivory
(+-); animals feed on tissue of plants
90
earth's biomes
defined by temperature and precipitation
91
allopatric speciation
species formation due to physical separation of populations
92
ecological footprint
how much biologically productive land each person consumes; measured in # of earths needed to sustain consumption
93
pH
measure of H+ and OH- in a substance; acid (pH < 7) = more H+; base (pH > 7) = more OH-
94
mutualism
(++); all specied involved benefit from interactions
95
entropy
measure of randomness and disorder
96
type III survivorship curve
higher death rate at younger ages; smaller animals and plants; trees
97
logistic growth
limiting factors slow and stop exponential growth
98
artificial selection
livestock, grains, greens
99
genetic diversity
variation within a species
100
species interactions
positive effects (+), negative effects (-), no effects (0)
101
tropical rainforest
year-round rain and warm temperatures; lush vegetation; diverse species; poor, acidic soils; West Africa, southeast Asia, central and South America
102
trophic levels
rank in feeding hierarchy
103
"r-selected" species
species that reproduce quickly and offer little to no care for offspring; high biotic potential; populations fluctuate greatly
104
clumped population distribution
social structure, safety, resource availability,
105
invasive species
non-native organisms that spread widely and become dominant; limiting factors are absent; not always harmful
106
frontier ethic
Earth has unlimited resources; humans are the masters of the environment
107
temperate deciduous forest
even, year-round precipitation; fertile soils; mid-latitude Europe, eastern China, eastern North America
108
chaparral
mild, wet winter; warm, dry summer; frequent fires; Mediterranean, coastal Chile, California; Southern Australia
109
temperate grasslands/steppe/prairie
more extreme temperature difference; less precipitation; largely converted to agriculture
110
sustainability
living within the means of the Earth
111
environment
all living and nonliving things
112
fundamental niche
combination of all conditions allowing survival
113
inorganic compounds
lacks carbon-carbon bonds
114
pool/reservoir
where nutrients are stored for a period of time
115
net primary production (npp) on land
driven by temperature and precipitation
116
sympatric speciation
species formation due to behavioral or temporal changes that separate populations
117
lipid function
cell structure, moving/storing energy
118
protien functions
support, movement, energy storage, immune response

ESWS155 - Elements of Environmental Protection (3 decks)

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