Chapter 4 Vocabulary

Question 1

Organism

Answer 1

Any form of life

Question 2

Eukaryotic

Answer 2

When an organism is surrounded by a membrane and has a distinct nucleus and several other internal parts called organelles

Question 3

Prokaryotic

Answer 3

When an organism’s cell is surrounded by the membrane, but the cell contains no distinct nucleus or other internal parts enclosed by membranes

Question 4

Species

Answer 4

Groups of organisms that resemble one another in appearance, behavior, chemistry, and genetic makeup

Question 5

Population

Answer 5

A group go interacting individuals of the same species occupying a specific area

Question 6

Genetic Diversity

Answer 6

When individuals in a population vary slightly in their genetic makeup, which is why they do not all look or act alike

Question 7

Habitat

Answer 7

The place or environment where a population (or individual organism) normally lives

Question 8

Distribution/Range

Answer 8

The area over which we can find a species

Question 9

Community/Biological Community

Answer 9

consists of all the populations of the different species living and interacting in an area

Question 10

Ecosystem

Answer 10

A community of different species interacting with one another and with their physical environment of matter and energy

Question 11

Biosphere

Answer 11

All of the earth’s ecosystems together make up what we call the biosphere

Question 12

Atmosphere

Answer 12

A thin envelope or membrane of air around the planet

Question 13

Troposphere

Answer 13

The inner layer, extends only about 17 kilometers above sea level

Question 14

Stratosphere

Answer 14

The layer after the Troposphere, stretching 17-48 kilometers above the earth’s surface
The ozone layer is found here

Question 15

Hydrosphere

Answer 15

Consists of the earth’s water. It is found as liquid water, ice, and water vapor in the atmosphere

Question 16

Lithosphere

Answer 16

The earth’s crust and upper mantle

Question 17

Biome

Answer 17

Large regions such as forests, deserts, and grasslands characterized by a distinct climate and specific species adapted to it

Question 18

Anaerobic Respiration/Fermentation

Answer 18

Form of cellular respiration when some decomposers get the energy they need by breaking down glucose in the absence of oxygen

Question 19

Genetic Diversity

Answer 19

The variety of genetic material within a species or a population

Question 20

Species Diversity

Answer 20

The number of species present in different habitats

Question 21

Ecological Diversity

Answer 21

The variety of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems found in an area or on the earth

Question 22

Functional Diversity

Answer 22

The biological and chemical processes such as energy flow and matter cycling needed for the survival of species, communities, and ecosystems

Question 23

Food Web

Answer 23

A more realistic type of chain that takes into account the complexity of nature

Question 24

Biomass

Answer 24

The dry weight of all organic matter contained in its organisms

Question 25

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

Answer 25

The total amount of solar energy that the producers in an ecosystem capture via photosynthesis over a given amount of time

Question 26

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

Answer 26

The energy captured (GPP) minus the energy respired by producers

Question 27

Soil Horizon

Answer 27

Mature soils, or soils that have developed over a long time, are arranged in a series of horizontal layers called soil horizons, each with a distinct texture and composition that varies with different types of soil

Question 28

Soil Profile

Answer 28

A cross-sectional view of the horizons in a soil

Question 29

Infiltration

Answer 29

Downward movement of water through soil

Question 30

Leaching

Answer 30

Process when the water seems down, it dissolves various minerals and organic matter in super layers ad carries them to lower layers

Question 31

Evaporation

Answer 31

Conversion of water into water vapor

Question 32

Transpiration

Answer 32

Evaporation from plant leaves after water is extracted from soil by roots and transported throughout the plant

Question 33

Condensation

Answer 33

Conversion of water vapor into droplets of liquid water

Question 34

Precipitation

Answer 34

Rain, sleet, hail, snow

Question 35

Percolation

Answer 35

Downward flow of water through soil and permeable rock formations to groundwater storage areas called aquifers

Question 36

Runoff

Answer 36

Surface movement down slopes to the sea to resume the cycle

Question 37

Condensation Nuclei

Answer 37

Tiny particles on which droplets of water vapor can collect

Question 38

Glaciers

Answer 38

One-tenth of the fresh water returning to the earth’s surface as precipitation becomes locked up in slowly flowing ice and snow

Question 39

Surface Runoff

Answer 39

When precipitation falling on terrestrial ecosystems

Question 40

Aerobic Respiration

Answer 40

Complex process that occurs in the cells of most living organisms, in which nutrient organic molecules such as glucose combine with oxygen and produce carbon dioxide, water, and energy

Question 41

Fossil Fuels

Answer 41

Products of partial or complete decomposition of plants and animals that occur as crude oil, coal, and natural gas, or heavy oils as a result of exposure to heat and pressure in the earth’s crust over millions of years

Question 42

Nitrogen Fixation

Answer 42

Conversion of atmospheric nitrogen gas into forms useful to plants by lightning, bacteria, and cyanobacteria; It is part of the nitrogen cycle

Question 43

Nitrification

Answer 43

Process when specialized aerobic bacteria convert most of the ammonia in soil to nitrite ions and nitrate ions

Question 44

Nitrite Ions (NO2)

Answer 44

Toxic to plants

Question 45

Nitrate Ions (NO3)

Answer 45

Easily taken up by plants as a nutrient

Question 46

Ammonification

Answer 46

Step when vast armies of specialized decomposer bacteria convert this detritus into simpler nitrogen-containing inorganic compounds such as ammonia and water-soluble salts containing ammonium ions

Question 47

Denitrification

Answer 47

Step in which other specialized anaerobic bacteria in water-logged soil and in the bottom sediments of lakes, oceans, swamps, and bogs convert to NH3 and Nh4+ back into nitrite and nitrate ions and then into nitrogen gas (N2) and nitrous oxide gas (N2O)