Environmental Systems Ch. 4

Question 1

ecosystem

Answer 1

a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

Question 2

biotic factor

Answer 2

A biotic factor is a living organism that shapes its environment. In a freshwater ecosystem, examples might include aquatic plants, fish, amphibians, and algae. Biotic and abiotic factors work together to create a unique ecosystem

Question 3

abiotic factor

Answer 3

An abiotic factor is a non-living part of an ecosystem that shapes its environment. In a terrestrial ecosystem, examples might include temperature, light, and water.

Question 4

organism

Answer 4

a form of life composed of mutually interdependent parts that maintain various vital processes. a form of life considered as an entity; an animal, plant, fungus, protistan, or monera. any organized body or system conceived of as analogous to a living being: the governmental organism.

Question 5

species

Answer 5

a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding. The species is the principal natural taxonomic unit, ranking below a genus and denoted by a Latin binomial,

Question 6

population

Answer 6

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

Question 7

community

Answer 7

a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common

Question 8

habitat

Answer 8

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

Question 9

natural selection

Answer 9

the process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. The theory of its action was first fully expounded by Charles Darwin and is now believed to be the main process that brings about evolution.

Question 10

evolution

Answer 10

the process by which different kinds of living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms during the history of the earth.

Question 11

adaptation

Answer 11

the action or process of adapting or being adapted.

Question 12

artificial selection

Answer 12

Artificial selection is the identification by humans of desirable traits in plants and animals, and the steps taken to enhance and perpetuate those traits in future generations

Question 13

Resistance

Answer 13

Resistance is the opposition that a substance offers to the flow of electric current.

Question 14

archaea

Answer 14

Archaea are a domain of single-celled microorganisms. They have no cell nucleus or any other organelles inside their cells. … Many archaea are extremophiles, achieving wide environmental tolerance of temperature, salinity, and even radioactive environments.

Question 15

bacteria

Answer 15

Bacteria are microscopic, single-celled organisms that thrive in diverse environments. These organisms can live in soil, the ocean and inside the human gut. Advertisement. Humans’ relationship with bacteria is complex

Question 16

fungus

Answer 16

any of a group of spore-producing organisms feeding on organic matter, including molds, yeast, mushrooms, and toadstools.

Question 17

protist

Answer 17

a single-celled organism of the kingdom Protista, such as a protozoan or simple alga.

Question 18

gymnosperm

Answer 18

a plant that has seeds unprotected by an ovary or fruit. Gymnosperms include the conifers, cycads, and ginkgo.

Question 19

angiosperm

Answer 19

a plant that has flowers and produces seeds enclosed within a carpel. The angiosperms are a large group and include herbaceous plants, shrubs, grasses, and most trees.

Question 20

invertebrate

Answer 20

an animal lacking a backbone, such as an arthropod, mollusk, annelid, coelenterate, etc. The invertebrates constitute an artificial division of the animal kingdom, comprising 95 percent of animal species and about 30 different phyla.

Question 21

Vertebrate

Answer 21

an animal of a large group distinguished by the possession of a backbone or spinal column, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes.