Exam 1 Flashcards
The variation of genes in a group of a species; higher diversity means better resistance to stress or disease.
Genetic Diversity
The number of species in an area.
Species Diversity
The number of ecosystems in an area.
Ecosystem Diversity
Define the term “system.
inputs with outputs.
Food, water, pollination, species diversity, and cultural values are all benefits that humans draw from an ecosystem and/or are important to their proper functioning. These are known as:
ecosystem services
Environmental scientists study
-Simple and complex interrelated natural and human systems.
-Food production and water resources.
-Global issues like species extinction, climate alterations, and resource consumption.
-Ecosystems and changes (from both natural and human sources) in those systems.
At which trophic level are eagles that consume fish that eat algae
secondary consumers
Water, DNA, proteins, and sugars are all examples of
Compounds necessary for life.
What is the environment?
Sum of all conditions surrounding us that influence life
Nonliving
abiotic
Living
biotic
Inputs
energy,matter
actions
energy,material conversions, energy, material storage
outputs
energy,matter,heat
Ecosystem
physical area on the earth surface
ecosystem services
benefits humans, get it from ecosystem
food production
supply of grains is expected to decline, unpredictable weather productions +growing human population
Resource depletion
human population grows, resources for survival become depleted
eutrophication
fish kills, harmful bacteria, damage to resources
Scientific method
Observe/question
Form testable hypothesis/prediction
collect data/conduct experiment to test prediction
interpret results
disseminate findings
replication
taking repeated measurements
sample size
the number of times the measurement is repeated
accuracy
how close measured value is to actual/true value
precision
how close the repeated measurement is to one another
steady state
inputs=outputs
atom
smallest particle that can exist; everything is made up of atoms
compound
substance made up of two or more atoms of different elements chemically bonded together (H2O)
molecule
two or more atoms bonded together
photosynthesis
performed by plants, algae, bacteria
respiration
performed by all organisms
consumers
heterotrophs;must consume other organisms
herbivores
primary consumers
carnivores
secondary consumers
food chain
sequence of consumption from producer through tertiary consumer (producer-primary-secondary-tertiary)
trophic level
position by which an organism occupies a food chain (producer-1, primary-2, secondary-3, tertiary-4)
Food web
accounts for multiple food chains/complex relationships between organisms
Decomposers
fungi, bacteria that break down organisms by recycling nutrients and waste back into ecosystem
detrivores
organisms that break down dead tissue and waste
ecosystem productivity
amount of energy available in ecosystem (determines GPP)
Net primary Productivity (NPP)
energy captured minus energy respired by producers
biomass
total mass of all living matter in specific area
ecological efficiency
proportion of consumed energy that can be passed from one trophic level to another
biosphere
combination of all ecosystems on earth
hydrologic cycle
movement of water through biosphere
carbon cycle
movement of carbon through biosphere
nitrogen cycle
movement of nitrogen through bioshphere
biogeochemical cycle
movement of matter within/between ecosystems
phosphorous cycle
movement of phosphorous through biosphere
species richness
number of species in given area
species evenness
how dominant one species is/equally abundant multple scpecies are in an ecosystem
categories of endangerment
least concerned, near-threatened, threatened, extinct
reduced biodiversity is due to
deforestation, invasive species, over-harvesting
invasive species
exotic species that live outside their historical range/spread rapidly across large areas
biosphere reserves
protected areas consisting of zones that vary in the amount of permitted human impact (738 reserves in World)
Core
- innermost zone of planet, largely nickel+iron
mantle
-above the core, contains magma
crust
-outermost layer of the planet
rock cycle
constant formation+ destruction of rock
weathering
rocks are exposed to air, water, chemicals, or biological agents that degrade rock
physical weathering
breakdown of rocks and minerals without altering chemical composition
frost action (thaw)
water gets into cracks of rock, freezes, and pushes rock to break; creates potholes too
erosion
physical removal of rock fragments from a landscape or ecosystem
