Holy Cow Test - Vocab

Question 1

Carbon Fixation

Answer 1

the process by which living organisms convert inorganic carbon to organic compounds. These organic compounds are then used to store energy and as structures for other biomolecules.

Question 2

Environment

Answer 2

the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates.

Question 3

Community

Answer 3

a group or association of populations of two or more different species occupying the same geographical area at the same time, also known as a biocoenosis, biotic community, biological community, ecological community, or life assemblage.

Question 4

Population

Answer 4

all the inhabitants of a particular town, area, or country.

Question 5

Species

Answer 5

a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding.

Question 6

Biodiversity

Answer 6

the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

Question 7

Biological Disturbance

Answer 7

disturbance events that impact a species and community structure and function within an ecosystem.

Question 8

Habitat

Answer 8

the natural home or environment of a plant, animal, or other organism.

Question 9

Physical Disturbance

Answer 9

a physical force, agent, or process, either abiotic or biotic, causing a perturbation or stress, to an ecological component or system, relative to a specified reference state and/or system.

Question 10

Stability

Answer 10

The quality of maintaining a constant character in the presence of forces

Question 11

Biogeochemical cycle

Answer 11

the movement and transformation of chemical elements and compounds between living organisms, the atmosphere, and the Earth’s crust.

Question 12

Biological Availability

Answer 12

the extent a substance or drug becomes completely available to its intended biological destination(s).

Question 13

Phototroph

Answer 13

an organism that can use visible light as a primary energy source for metabolism.

Question 14

Reservoir

Answer 14

a large natural or artificial lake used as a source of water supply.

Question 15

Biomass

Answer 15

the total quantity or weight of organisms in a given area or volume.

Question 16

Biosphere

Answer 16

the regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth (or analogous parts of other planets) occupied by living organisms.

Question 17

Carbon Sink

Answer 17

a forest, ocean, or other natural environment viewed in terms of its ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Question 18

Combustion

Answer 18

rapid chemical combination of a substance with oxygen, involving the production of heat and light.

Question 19

Fossil Fuels

Answer 19

a natural fuel such as coal or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms.

Question 20

Hydrosphere

Answer 20

the sum of Earth’s water, in the ocean, the ground, on the surface, and in the air.

Question 21

Organic Matter

Answer 21

the large source of carbon-based compounds found within natural and engineered, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Question 22

Endangered Species

Answer 22

a species of animal or plant that is seriously at risk of extinction.

Question 23

Anthropogenic

Answer 23

of, relating to, or resulting from the influence of human beings on nature.

Question 24

Captive Breeding

Answer 24

the process of keeping plants or animals in controlled environments.

Question 25

Conservation

Answer 25

prevention of wasteful use of a resource.

Question 26

Ecological restoration

Answer 26

the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed.

Question 27

Ecotourism

Answer 27

tourism directed toward exotic, often threatened, natural environments, intended to support conservation efforts and observe wildlife.

Question 29

Sustainable development

Answer 29

economic development that is conducted without depletion of natural resources.

Question 30

Survival rate

Answer 30

the probability of survival of an individual from one age to the next.

Question 31

Acidification

Answer 31

the action or process of making or becoming acidic.

Question 32

Controlled Burns

Answer 32

setting planned fires to maintain the health of a forest.

Question 33

Endangered Species

Answer 33

a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction

Question 34

Overharvesting

Answer 34

exploiting a natural resource until its supply is so diminished that its exploitation is no longer sustainable.

Question 35

Overhunting

Answer 35

the problem of catching and killing too many of a particular type of animal, so that there are not enough left.

Question 36

Urbanization

Answer 36

the process of making an area more urban.

Question 37

Simple Sugar

Answer 37

the most basic forms of sugar.

Question 38

Cellulose

Answer 38

complex carbohydrate consisting of 3000 or more glucose units. It is the basic structural component of plant cell walls.

Question 39

Hydrocarbon

Answer 39

any of a class of organic chemicals made up of only the elements carbon (C) and hydrogen (H).

Question 40

Organic

Answer 40

relating to or derived from living matter.

Question 41

Starch

Answer 41

a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage.

Question 42

Glycogen

Answer 42

the stored form of glucose that’s made up of many connected glucose molecules.

Question 43

Chitin

Answer 43

a large polysaccharide made of modified glucose molecules.

Question 44

Chlorophyll

Answer 44

a green pigment, present in all green plants and in cyanobacteria, responsible for the absorption of light to provide energy for photosynthesis. Its molecule contains a magnesium atom held in a porphyrin ring.

Question 45

Cytosol

Answer 45

the water-containing component of the cytoplasm of a cell, within which various organelles and particles are suspended.

Question 46

Transpiration

Answer 46

(of a plant or leaf) the exhalation of water vapor through the stomata.