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Environmental Science > Cycles and Succession > Flashcards

Cycles and Succession Flashcards

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1
Q

Which major Earth sphere contains the gases that surround the planet?

A

atmosphere

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2
Q

Which major Earth sphere contains all the water on and under Earth’s surface?

A

Hydrosphere

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3
Q

Which major Earth sphere contains the solid and molten rock?

A

Geosphere

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4
Q

Which major Earth sphere contains all the living organisms on the planet?

A

Biosphere

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5
Q

What is a cycle?

A

A series of reservoirs and processes that store and move matter or energy.

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6
Q

What is a reservoir?

A

Part of a cycle where matter or energy is stored.

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7
Q

What is a process?

A

A method to convert or transfer matter or energy into another form.

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8
Q

What are the two processes that compose the short carbon cycle?

A

Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration

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9
Q

How does photosynthesis convert carbon from one form to another?

A

Photosynthesis converts carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to carbohydrates.

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10
Q

How does cellular respiration convert carbon from one form to another?

A

Cellular respiration converts carbohydrates into carbon dioxide that is exhaled into the atmosphere.

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11
Q

How are trees part of the long carbon cycle?

A

When trees die, their wood can be converted to carbon dioxide through the process of combustion.

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12
Q

How are fossil fuels part of the long carbon cycle?

A

Fossil fuels can be converted to carbon dioxide through the process of combustion.

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13
Q

When plants and animals die, what usually happens to their remains?

A

Bacteria and other decomposers break down their bodies into elements and simple compounds.

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14
Q

What must happen to dead plants and animals in order for them to form fossil fuels?

A

The remains of dead plants and animals must be buried to slow or stop decomposition.

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15
Q

What is combustion?

A

Combustion is the process of reacting a substance with oxygen and releasing energy.

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16
Q

How does atmospheric nitrogen become usable for most organisms?

A

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria convert nitrogen to ammonia or other nitrogen compounds in the soil.

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17
Q

How do plants get the nitrogen that they need?

A

Plants absorb nitrogen compounds from the soil.

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18
Q

How do organisms like humans get the nitrogen they need?

A

Organisms like humans get nitrogen in the food they consume.

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19
Q

What happens to the nitrogen that organisms like humans inhale?

A

The nitrogen is exhaled without being used by the organism.

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20
Q

How does nitrogen return to the atmosphere?

A

Bacteria decompose dead organisms, converting nitrogen in their bodies to nitrogen gas.

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21
Q

How do organisms like humans move nitrogen out of their bodies?

A

Organisms release nitrogen in their wastes.

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22
Q

How does water move from the atmosphere to Earth’s surface?

A

Precipitation in the forms of rain, snow, sleet, and hail.

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23
Q

How does water move from higher to lower elevations on Earth’s surface?

A

Water can move through the process of run-off in rivers, streams and glacier.

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24
Q

Where can water be stored on Earth’s surface?

A

Water is stored on Earth’s surface in the form of ponds, lakes, seas and oceans.

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25
Q

How can water move from glaciers and ice sheets into the atmosphere?

A

Sublimation

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26
Q

How can water mover from ponds, lakes, rivers, and oceans into the atmosphere

A

Evaporation

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27
Q

What is transpiration?

A

The process where plants release water vapor into the atmosphere from their leaves.

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28
Q

What is the process called that moves water from the surface into the ground

A

Infiltration

29
Q

Where is water stored underground?

A

In aquifers

30
Q

What is the process that changes water vapor in the air into liquid water?

A

Condensation

31
Q

In what two reservoirs is water stored in the atmosphere?

A

It is stored as water vapor in the air and water droplets or ice crystals in clouds.

32
Q

What is a producer?

A

An organism that gets its energy from inorganic sources.

33
Q

What is a consumer?

A

An organism that gets its energy from eating other organisms.

34
Q

What is an herbivore?

A

An organism that eats plants.

35
Q

What is a carnivore?

A

An organism that eats meat.

36
Q

What is an apex predator?

A

The organism that is at the top of food web.

37
Q

What is a decomposer?

A

An organism that gets its energy from breaking down dead organisms.

38
Q

What is a food chain?

A

A sample of the trophic levels from producer to primary, secondary and tertiary consumers.

39
Q

What is a food web?

A

The feeding relationship between the organisms living in a community.

40
Q

What is the Ten Percent Law?

A

Consumers only get 10% of the energy that organisms in the trophic level below received.

41
Q

Why does an organism only transfer 10% of the energy it received to the trophic level above it?

A

The organism uses the other 90% for its metabolism or loses it to the environment as waste heat.

42
Q

What is the largest source of energy for Earth’s systems

A

Energy transferred from the Sun

43
Q

When sunlight reaches Earth’s atmosphere, what three things can occur?

A

The atmosphere can reflect energy, absorb energy or allow energy to move through it.

44
Q

How does the atmosphere absorb energy from the Sun?

A

The atmosphere contains greenhouse gases and ozone that can absorb energy.

45
Q

What parts of the atmosphere reflect energy?

A

Clouds

46
Q

What happens to the Sun’s energy that passes through the atmosphere?

A

The Earth’s surface reflects or absorbs the energy.

47
Q

How does the Earth’s surface release absorbed energy?

A

The surface radiates energy into the atmosphere, which can be absorbed or transferred out to space.

48
Q

What is the greenhouse effect?

A

The Sun’s energy enters a system in short wavelengths that pass through the atmospheric gases. The Earth radiates energy in longer wavelengths that cannot pass easily through certain atmospheric gases.

49
Q

What is conduction?

A

Energy transfer by substances in contact

50
Q

What is convection?

A

Energy transfer within a fluid because of density differences

51
Q

What is radiation?

A

Energy transfer through photons moving as waves

52
Q

What is primary succession

A

The process of organisms establishing a new environment on land not previously occupied by other organisms.

53
Q

What events can cause primary succession?

A

New land can form by volcanic eruptions or by sediment deposition.

54
Q

What is secondary succession?

A

The process of organisms re-establishing an environment

55
Q

What events can cause secondary succession to begin?

A

Human activities, storms, and other natural disasters can destroy an existing environment.

56
Q

What is a sere?

A

The series of step that move succession from pioneer species to a climax community.

57
Q

What is a pioneer species?

A

An organism that can enter a new environment and survive on limited resources.

58
Q

What are four characteristics of pioneer species?

A
  1. They produce many small seeds. 2. Their seeds are carried by wind or attached to animals. 3. They mature rapidly. 4. They are shade intolerant.
59
Q

What is a climax community?

A

A stable environment in which organisms exist in balance with each other.

60
Q

What are four characteristics of plants in a climax community?

A
  1. They produce fewer but larger seeds. 2. Seeds move by gravity or by consumption by animals. 3. They mature slowly, but reach a large size. 4. They are shade tolerant.
61
Q

What is a typical old field succession sere?

A
  1. Pioneer species are grasses and weeds. 2. Perennial grasses and shrubs replace pioneer species. 3. Young pine forest species replace grasses and shrubs as organic layer in soil increases. 4. Mature hardwood trees form the climax community.
62
Q

Which symbiotic relationship occurs when both organisms benefit from the relationship?

A

Mutualism

63
Q

Which relationship occurs when one organism benefits, while the other organism is not affected by the relationship?

A

Commensalism

64
Q

Which symbiotic relationship occurs when one organism is harmed, while the other organisms is neither harmed nor benefited?

A

Amensalism

65
Q

Which symbiotic relationship is described when one organism benefits, while the other organsim is harmed by the relationship?

A

Parasitism

66
Q

Fleas feeding on the blood of a dog, causing itching and potentially transmitting disease is an example of which symbiotic relationship?

A

Parasitism

67
Q

Birds nesting in a hole in a tree is an example of which symbiotic relationship?

A

Commensalism

68
Q

Which symbiotic relationship is shown when both deer and rabbits eat the hosta plants in my garden?

A

Competition

69
Q

Bacteria in your stomach receiving nutrients and helping you digest your food would be an example of which symbiotic relationship?

A

Mutualism

Environmental Science (9 decks)

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