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APES > Test 1, Chap 3-4 > Flashcards

Test 1, Chap 3-4 Flashcards

(88 cards)

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1
Q

Ecology

A

The study of how organisms interact with each other and their nonliving environment

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2
Q

Ecological levels of organization

A

organism, species, population, community, ecosystem

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3
Q

Biomes

A

Large regions characterized by a distinct climate and specific life forms, may consist of many ecosystems

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4
Q

Another name for aquatic biomes

A

aquatic life zones

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5
Q

Ecotones

A

Regions where one ecosystem merges with another, and shows characteristics of both ecosystems

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6
Q

Autotrophs

A

Producers, make their own food through photosynthesis (using sunlight) or chemosynthesis (when they don’t have sunlight)

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7
Q

Difference between photosynthesis and chemosynthesis

A

Chemosynthesis is used when there’s no sunlight

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8
Q

Heterotrophs

A

consumers, feed on other organisms, most of them have aerobic respiration, some have anaerobic respiration, or fermentation

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9
Q

Anaerobic respiration

A

fermentation, produces methane gas, ethyl alcohol, acetic acid, or hydrogen sulfide

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10
Q

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

A

The rate at which an ecosystem’s producers convert solar energy into chemical energy

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11
Q

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

A

The rate at which producers store chemical energy minus the rate at which producers use chemical energy

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12
Q

Limiting Factor Principle

A

Too much or too little of any limiting factor can limit or prevent growth of a population

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13
Q

Biogeochemical cycles

A

natural processes that recycle nutrients in various chemical forms from the nonliving environment to living organisms and back again

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14
Q

Sedimentary cycles

A

Biogeochemical cycles where elements don’t have a significant gaseous phase and occur primarily in the lithosphere

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15
Q
A
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16
Q

Transpiration (HC)

A

Evaporation from leaves of water extracted from soil

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17
Q

Condensation (HC)

A

Water vapor to water

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18
Q

Precipitation (HC)

A

Rain, sleet, hail, snow

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19
Q

Infiltration (HC)

A

Movement of water into soil

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20
Q

percolation (HC)

A

downward flow of water through soil into groundwater storage areas called aquifers

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21
Q

runoff (HC)

A

downslope surface movement back to the sea

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22
Q

photosynthesis (CC)

A

Plants take CO2 from the atmosphere and convert it into complex carbohydrates

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23
Q

respiration (CC)

A

consumers take complex carbohydrates and create CO2

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24
Q

decomposition (CC)

A

decomposers take complex carbohydrates and create CO2

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25
Compaction (CC)
Biomass is burned and compressed into fossil fuels
26
Combustion (CC)
Fossil fuels or biomass is burned, releasing CO2
27
Absorption (CC)
The oceans absorb massive amounts of CO2, converting it into carbonic acid and lowering the pH of the oceans
28
Carbon Sink
Anything that absorbs more CO2 than it releases, ex oceans, forests, grasslands
29
Nitrogen gas makes up __% of the atmosphere
78%
30
Nitrogen fixation
Bacteria convert N2 into NH3 (ammonia)
31
Nitrification
NH3 (ammonia) becomes NO2 (nitrite) which becomes NO3 (nitrate)
32
Assimilation (NC)
Plant roots take up NH3 (ammonia), NH4 (ammonium ion) and NO3 (nitrate) and convert it into complex organic molecules
33
Ammonification
Decomposers break down complex organic molecules into NH3 (ammonia) and NH4 (ammonium ion)
34
Denitrification
Bacteria convert NH3 (ammonia) and NH4 (ammonium ion) into NO2 (nitrite) and NO3 (nitrate), which they then convert into N2 (nitrogen gas) and N2O (nitrous oxide)
35
The phosphorous cycle doesn't have an ____
atmospheric component
36
weathering (PC)
Slow breakdown of terrestrial phosphate
37
runoff (PC)
flow of phosphate into aquatic systems via precipitation
38
assimilation (PC)
take up of phosphorus by producers and consumers
39
deposition (PC)
Return of phosphorus to soil and rock through decay and waste products of organisms, almost exclusively sedimentary rock
40
Most of the earth's sulfur is in ____, however it is found in ____
underground rocks, organic compounds
41
Anaerobic decomposition
Breakdown of organic matter in the absence of O2 leads to the release of H2S (hydrogen sulfide)
42
Vulcanism
Release of SO2 (sulfur dioxide) by volcanoes
43
precipitation (SC)
Sulfur in the form of H2SO4 (sulfuric acid), aka acid rain
44
assimilation (SC)
organisms take up sulfuric acid and sulfate salts
45
The sulfur cycle is mainly ______, but has a small _____
sedimentary, atmospheric component
46
The sun is ____ years old
5 billion
47
James Hutton
Created the principle of uniformitarianism (current geologic processes are the same today as the past)
48
Principle of uniformitarianism
current geologic processes are the same today as the past
49
Nicholas Steno
Law of superposition, the stuff on top is younger than the stuff on the bottom, you can determine age by counting sedimentary layers (varves)
50
Law of superposition
the stuff on top is younger than the stuff on the bottom, you can determine age by counting sedimentary layers (varves)
51
Radiometric dating
Elements emit particles and energy at a constant measurable rate based on half life (ex U-238, K-40, C-14)
52
Fission Track Dating
Measures damage tracks from the spontaneous fission of U-238
53
Fossils are only found in ____
sedimentary (which explains why they're uncommon)
54
Trace fossils
Evidence that the organism was there, not actual bits of it (footprints, burrows, etc)
55
mummification
drying, often in desert
56
Tar beds
thick petroleum at surface
57
Petrification
mineral solutions (ground water) replace original organic materials, and then the water evaporates, leaving only the minerals
58
coprolites
fossilized dung or waste
59
amber
hardened tree sap (insects)
60
gastroliths
fossilized digestive stones or eggs
61
index fossils
fossils from organisms that only lived during a short period of time, meaning they can be used to date fossils nearby them
62
New Epoch
Started in 2000, Anthropocene
63
Chemical evolution
how did star dust create organisms, Alexander Oparin
64
Alexander Oparin
hypothesized that energy from lightning, volcanoes, and intense UV light created the first organic molecules from inorganic chemicals
65
microevolution
small genetic changes
66
macroevolution
long-term, large scale evolutionary changes, easily visible
67
microevolution happens through four processes
mutation, natural selection, gene flow, genetic drift
68
gene flow
the movement of genes between populations
69
genetic drift
fluctuations of gene frequency in the gene pool (percentage)
70
natural selection is based on three conditions
natural variability within a population, heritable trait, differential reproduction
71
vestigial structures
features of an organism that have no use because they were selected against during evolution
72
directional natural selection
causes allele frequencies to shift toward one end of the normal range, eliminating the other end
73
stabilizing natural selection
causes allele frequencies to shift toward the middle of the normal range, eliminating both ends
74
diversifying natural selection
causes allele frequencies to shift toward both ends, eliminating the middle
75
speciation
the process by which two species arise from one
76
steps of speciation
geographic isolation, reproductive isolation
77
geographic isolation
step in speciation when two groups of the same population reside in separate areas for long periods of time (islands)
78
reproductive isolation
step in speciation where two groups become so different that they are no longer able to interbreed
79
species richness
how many species there are
80
species evenness
how many there are of each species
81
the species diversity of an island is determined by
immigration rate and extinction rate
82
punctuated equilibrium
Gould and Eldredge, evolution consists of long periods of time with nothing happening with brief periods of rapid change
83
Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium
Allele frequencies of a population stay constant over time unless specific disturbing influences occur (mutations, selection, genetic drift)
84
Genetic engineering and artificial selection
human manipulation of genetic structure and/or breeding has led to new species or new traits in species
85
___% of all species that ever existed are extinct
99
86
background extinction
how some species disappear at a low rate (1-10 per year)
87
largest extinction
permian
88
last mass extinction
Cretaceous

APES (6 decks)

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