Ch. 3 Vocab

Question 1

Species

Answer 1

the entirety of a population that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring

Question 2

Population

Answer 2

a certain number of individuals that make up the interbreeding, reproducing group

Question 3

Biotic community or biota

Answer 3

is the grouping or assemblage of plants, animals, and microbes

Question 4

Abiotic

Answer 4

is the nonliving, chemical, and physical factors, such as the amount of water or moisture present, the climate, the salinity, or the type of soil in the area

Question 5

Ecosystems

Answer 5

a grouping of plants, animals, and microbes occupying an explicit unit of space and interacting with each other and their environment. Ecosystems are functional units of sustainable life on Earth

Question 6

Ecotone

Answer 6

a transitional area between two adjacent ecosystems that has characteristics of both

Question 7

Landscapes

Answer 7

a group of interacting ecosystems. Landscape ecology is the science that studies the interactions among ecosystems

Question 8

Biomes

Answer 8

similar or related ecosystems or landscapes that are often grouped together. (Ex: desert, tropical rain forest, tundra, etc.)

Question 9

Biosphere

Answer 9

all species and physical factors on Earth functioning as one unified ecosystem

Question 10

Law of limiting factors

Answer 10

Every species has an optimal range, zones of stress, and limits of tolerance with respect to every abiotic factor

Question 11

Optimum

Answer 11

a certain level at which the organisms do best

Question 12

Range of tolerance

Answer 12

the entire span that allows any growth at all

Question 13

Zones of stress

Answer 13

region between the optimal range and the high or low limits of tolerance

Question 14

Limiting factor

Answer 14

A factor that limits growth

Question 15

Habitat

Answer 15

refers to the kind of place where a species is biologically adapted to live

Question 16

Ecological niche

Answer 16

refers to what the animal feeds on, where it feeds, when it feeds, where it finds shelter, where it nests, and how it responds to abiotic factors

Question 17

Matter

Answer 17

anything that has mass and occupies space

Question 18

Atoms

Answer 18

the basic building blocks of all matter

Question 19

Molecule

Answer 19

consists of two or more atoms bonded together in a specific way

Question 20

Compound

Answer 20

consists of two or more different kinds of atoms bonded together

Question 21

Atmosphere

Answer 21

the thin layer of gases
separating Earth from outer space

Question 22

Hydrosphere

Answer 22

Water

Question 23

Lithosphere

Answer 23

Earths crust

Question 24

Mineral

Answer 24

is any hard, crystalline, inorganic material of a given chemical composition

Question 25

Organic

Answer 25

the chemical compounds making up the tissues of living organisms

Question 26

Inorganic

Answer 26

refers to all other molecules or compounds (those with neither carbon-carbon nor carbon-hydrogen bonds)

Question 27

Calorie

Answer 27

the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 gram (1 mL) of water 1 degree Celsius

Question 28

Chemical energy

Answer 28

the potential energy contained in such chemicals and fuels

Question 29

Entropy

Answer 29

is a measure of the degree of disorder in a
system

Question 30

Heat energy

Answer 30

The lowest from of energy

Question 31

Oxidation

Answer 31

breakdown of molecules

Question 32

Fermentation

Answer 32

anaerobic process

Question 33

Ecology

Answer 33

the study of all processes influencing the distribution and abundance of organisms and the interactions between living things and their environment