final Flashcards

Question

ECOSYSTEM

Answer 1

All the biotic interactions of a community as well as the interactions between organisms and their abiotic environment.

Answer 2

Study of how people use limited resources to satisfy unlimited needs

Answer 3

The study of the interactions among and between organisms and their abiotic environment

Answer 4

The amount of land, fresh water, and ocean required on a continuous basis to supply a person with food, wood, energy, water, housing, clothing, transportation, and waste disposal

Answer 5

the process of community development over time through a sequence of species Resident species modify the environment, making it more suitable for later species PRIMARY & SECONDARY

Answer 6

Particle of the atom that has a negative 1 charge and circles the nucleus. Bonding

Answer 7

Endocrine disruptors are exogenous (coming from outside) substances that act like hormones in the endocrine system and disrupt the physiologic function of the organism’s hormones. Studies have linked endocrine disruptors to biological effects in animals, giving rise to concerns that low level exposure might cause similar effects in human beings. Ex: BisPhenol A, Phthalates, DDT

Answer 8

Additional atmospheric warming produced as human activities increase atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases.

Answer 9

refer to the picture on study sheet

Answer 10

Polluter gets taxed for polluting but amount difficult to set

Answer 11

A periodic large-scale warming of surface waters of the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean that temporarily alters both ocean and atmospheric circulation patterns

Answer 12

Process in which more organic matter is being made during photosynthesis than is being consumed. Eutrophication a form of succession where there is an increase in the concentration of chemical nutrients in an ecosystem to an extent that increases the primary productivity of the ecosystem. Depending on the degree of eutrophication, negative environmental effects such as anoxia (loss of dissolved oxygen) and severe reductions in water quality, fish, and other animal populations.

Answer 13

The study of the effects of chemical, biological, and physical agents on the health of human populations.

Answer 14

The cumulative genetic changes in populations that occur during successive generations

Answer 15

Harmful environmental cost, borne by people not directly involved in selling or buying the product For example: the pollution released when fossil fuels are burned and pollution released to transport a product

Answer 16

Accelerating population growth that occurs when optimal conditions allow a constant Reproductive rate for limited periods

Answer 17

Flow of energy through Ecosystems (linear feeding relationships)

Answer 18

Having access at all times to adequate amounts and kinds of food needed for healthy, active lives

Answer 19

Rate of change of a population’s size, expressed in percentage per year.

Answer 20

A genetically modified organism (GMO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. These techniques, generally known as recombinant DNA technology, use DNA molecules from different sources, which are combined into one molecule to create a new set of genes. This DNA is then transferred into an organism, giving it modified or novel genes. For food, this may be resistance to pests, drought, cold, faster growth, more vitamins.

Answer 21

Research and development occurring between 1940’s and the late 1960’s that increased Agricultural production worldwide. It involved the development of high-yielding varieties of cereal grains, expansion of irrigation infrastructure, Modernization of management techniques, distribution of hybridized seeds, synthetic fertilizers, and pesticides to farmers

Answer 22

Large Circular ocean current systems that often encompass an entire ocean basin

Answer 23

Any source of potential damage

Answer 24

Is the period of time for a substance undergoing decay, to decrease by half. The name originally was used to describe a characteristic of unstable atoms (radioactive decay), but may apply to any quantity that follows a set-rate of decay. !!!!look at picture on study sheet

Answer 25

Breakup of large areas of habitat into small, isolated patches Clearing forests, grasslands, draining wetlands

Answer 26

Refers to soil. Top layer is ‘O’ for organic. A-topsoil, B-subsoil, C, R-bedrock.

Answer 27

Water circulates from the ocean to the atmosphere to the land, and back to the ocean - Provides renewable supply of purified water - Balance of water on land, oceans, and atmosphere * Evaporation * Transpiration * Precipitation * Runoff from watersheds * Percolation

Answer 28

A proposed explanation, based on accepted facts, for an observable phenomenon

Answer 29

Process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil.

Answer 30

a. In subsistence agriculture, the farmer only grows enough food to support the family. b. In traditional agriculture, they used animal and manpower, along with hand tools and simple machines. c. In intensive traditional agriculture, they use more technology such as pesticides and more advanced machines, without using fossil fuels, to produce not just for the family, but excess to be sold in markets.

Answer 31

In meteorology, an inversion is a deviation from the normal change of an atmospheric property with altitude. It almost always refers to a temperature inversion, i.e., an increase in temperature with height, or to the layer within which such an increase occurs.

Answer 32

An atom or compound that has lost or gained electron(s). It now has a (+/-)charge.

Answer 33

An atom with a different number of neutrons than specified on the periodic chart.

Answer 34

Jet streams are fast flowing, narrow air currents found in the atmospheres of some planets. The main jet streams are located near the tropopause, the transition between the troposphere (where temperature decreases with height) and the stratosphere (where temperature increases with height). The major jet streams on earth are westerly winds (flowing west to east). Their paths typically have a meandering shape; jet streams may start, stop, split into two or more parts, combine into one stream, or flow in various directions including the opposite direction of most of the jet. The Polar jet stream dips into the USA during winter months. Watch the news!

Answer 35

A species that has a disproportionate effect on its environment relative to its biomass. Such species affect many other organisms in an ecosystem and help to determine the types and numbers of various others species in a community

Answer 36

Reduction in the potential ability of the land to support crops/livestock

Answer 37

Soil erosion, compaction, salinization

Answer 38

It is the lethal dose required to kill half the members of a tested population.

Answer 39

A seasonal reversing wind accompanied by seasonal changes in precipitation, the southwestern summer monsoons occur from June through September. The Thar Desert and adjoining areas of the northern and central Indian subcontinent heats up considerably during the hot summers. This causes a low-pressure area over the northern and central Indian subcontinent. To fill this void, the moisture-laden winds from the Indian Ocean rush in to the subcontinent. These winds, rich in moisture, are drawn towards the Himalayas, creating winds blowing storm clouds towards the subcontinent. The Himalayas act like a high wall, blocking the winds from passing into Central Asia, thus forcing them to rise. With the gain in altitude of the clouds, the temperature drops and precipitation occurs. Some areas of the subcontinent receive up to 10,000 mm (390 in) of rain.

Answer 40

Adaptations and evolutionary modifications improve the chance of survival and reproductive success (fitness)

Answer 41

Particle of the atomic nucleus that has no charge.

Answer 42

Typically any binary compound of oxygen and nitrogen, or a mixture of such compounds. NO2, NO3, etc. In areas of high motor vehicle traffic, such as in large cities, the amount of nitrogen oxides emitted into the atmosphere can be quite significant. NOx react with ammonia, moisture, and other compounds to form nitric acid vapor and related particles. Small particles can penetrate deeply into sensitive lung tissue and damage it, causing premature death in extreme cases. Inhalation of such particles may cause or worsen respiratory diseases such as emphysema, bronchitis it may also aggravate heart disease. NOx react with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to form ozone. NOx (especially N2O) destroys the ozone layer.

Answer 43

Finite Resources that took millions of years to form

Answer 44

The nuclear reaction in which the nucleus of an atom splits into smaller parts, often producing free neutrons and lighter nuclei, which may eventually produce gamma rays. Fission of heavy elements is an exothermic reaction that can release large amounts of energy.

Answer 45

The process by which multiple like-charged atomic nuclei join together to form a heavier nucleus. This is the process used by the Sun to produce energy. Ex: 2 hydrogen isotopes (P/N) + ( P/N/N) combine = (P/P/N/N) + N + energy Hydrogen is (P) Helium

Answer 46

A chemical that an organism needs to live and grow or a substance used in an organism's metabolism that must be taken in from its environment. The effects of nutrients are dosedependent. The chemical elements consumed in the greatest quantities by plants are carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. These are present in the environment in the form of water and carbon dioxide; energy is provided by sunlight. Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and sulfur are also needed in relatively large quantities.

Answer 47

The ocean is not a still body of water. There is constant motion in the ocean in the form of a global ocean conveyor belt. This motion is caused by a combination of thermohaline currents (thermo = temperature; haline = salinity) in the deep ocean and wind-driven currents on the surface. Cold, salty water is dense and sinks to the bottom of the ocean while warm water is less dense and remains on the surface

Answer 48

An ecosystem or environment is said to be oligotrophic if it offers little to sustain life. The term is commonly utilized to describe bodies of water or soils with very low nutrient levels.

Answer 49

Species that eat both plants and animals as their primary food source.

Answer 50

Oxygen sag is the dip in dissolved oxygen present in water that is the result of the introduction of waste material. It is often found downstream from the point source

Answer 51

Ozone can cause adverse effects such as damage to lung tissue and reduction in lung function mostly in susceptible populations (children, elderly, asthmatics). Wind currents and cause health impacts far from the original sources can transport ozone. The American Lung Association estimates that nearly 50 percent of United States inhabitants live in counties that are not in ozone compliance.

Answer 52

Disease-causing organisms

Answer 53

Philosophical and theoretical framework of a scientific school or discipline within which theories, laws, and generalizations and the experiments performed in support of them are formulated; broadly: a philosophical or theoretical framework of any kind

Answer 54

Tiny particles of solid or liquid suspended in a gas or liquid. Human activities, such as the burning of fossil fuels in vehicles, power plants and various industrial processes also generate significant amounts of particulates.

Answer 55

Environmental persistence refers to the length of time a substance resides in environmental media and is usually defined in terms of half-life or residence time. Resistance to degradation as measured by the period of time required for complete breakdown of a material. Depends on temperature, pH, soil type, light intensity, etc

Answer 56

Any organism that interferes in some way with human welfare or activity

Answer 57

pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of a solution. The pH scale is logarithmic and as a result, each whole pH value below 7 is ten times more acidic than the next higher value. For example, pH 4 is ten times more acidic than pH 5 and 100 times (10 times 10) more acidic than pH 6. The same holds true for pH values above 7, each of which is ten times more alkaline (another way to say basic) than the next lower whole value. For example, pH 10 is ten times more alkaline than pH 9 and 100 times more alkaline than pH 8.

Answer 58

Process that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight. CARBON DIOXIDE (6CO2)+WATER(6 H2O)>LIGHT>

Answer 59

A group of organisms of the same species that live together in the same area at the same time

Answer 60

A condition in which people are unable to meet their basic needs: food, clothing, shelter, education, or health. Earning less than $2/day.

Answer 61

Setting aside undisturbed areas Maintaining them in a pristine state Protecting them from human activities that might alter their natural state

Answer 62

Particle of the atom nucleus that has a positive 1 charge.

Answer 63

Enacted in 1976, is the principal Federal law in the United States governing the disposal of solid waste and hazardous waste. -While RCRA handles many regulatory functions of hazardous and non-hazardous waste, arguably its most notable provisions regard the Subtitle C program which tracks the progress of hazardous wastes from their point of generation, their transport, and their treatment and/or disposal. - Due to the extensive tracking elements at all points of the life of the hazardous waste, the overall process has become known as the "cradle to grave" system. The program exacts stringent bookkeeping and reporting requirements on generators, transporters, and operators of treatment, storage and disposal facilities handling hazardous waste.

Answer 64

The combination of the likelihood of the occurrence of harm and the severity of that harm.

Answer 65

Risk assessment is the process where you: -Identify hazards and risk factors that have the potential to cause harm (hazard identification). Analyze and evaluate the risk associated with that hazard (risk analysis, and risk evaluation) Determine appropriate ways to eliminate the hazard, or control the risk when the hazard cannot be eliminated (risk control).

Answer 66

Resources potentially replaced by natural processes.

Answer 67

The number of children a couple must produce to replace themselves - Keeps population size stable - 2.1 children per woman

Answer 68

- In a soil of an arid, poorly drained region, the accumulation of soluble salts by the evaporation of the waters that bore them to the soil zone

Answer 69

Movement of seawater into a fresh water aquifer near the coast.

Answer 70

Scientific method refers to a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on gathering observable, empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning. A scientific method consists of the collection of data through observation and experimentation, and the formulation and testing of hypotheses.

Answer 71

Resource use that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for future generations.

Answer 72

Resource use that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for future generations.

Answer 73

An intimate relationship or association between members of two or more species - One species lives in or on another species - Relationship may be beneficial, neutral or harmful - Result of coevolution - MUTUALISM, COMMENSALISM, PARASITISM

Answer 74

A layer of cold air temporarily trapped near the ground by a warmer upper layer.

Answer 75

A drug or other substance capable of interfering with the development of a fetus, causing birth defects.

Answer 76

The fertility rate of a population is the average number of children that would be born to a woman over her lifetime if (1) she were to experience the exact current age-specific fertility rates (ASFRs) through her lifetime, and (2) she were to survive from birth through the end of her reproductive life. It is obtained by summing the single-year age-specific rates at a given time.

Answer 77

Theories are constructed to explain, predict, and master phenomena (e.g., inanimate things, events, or behavior of animals). A scientific theory can be thought of as a model of reality, and its statements as axioms (true statements taken for granted) of some axiomatic system. The aim of this construction is to create a formal system for which reality is the only model. The world is an interpretation (or model) of such scientific theories, only insofar as the sciences are true.

Answer 78

Study of Energy – First law - Energy cannot be created or destroyed Second law -The amount of usable energy in the universe decreases over time as some is lost as heat

Answer 79

Thought the idea of endless progress towards a utopian society was impaired by the dangers of population growth: "The power of population is indefinitely greater than the power in the earth to produce subsistence for man". Believing that one could not change human nature, and that egalitarian societies were prone to over-population, Malthus wrote in dramatic terms: "epidemics, pestilence and plague advance in terrific array, and sweep off their thousands and ten thousands. Should success be still incomplete, gigantic famine stalks in the rear, and with one mighty blow, levels the population with the food of the world"

Answer 80

The point/dosage at which a physiological or psychological effect begins to be produced.

Answer 81

Hazardous chemicals include a variety of acids, dioxins, explosives, heavy metals, infectious wastes, nerve gas, organic solvents, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides, and radioactive substances

Answer 82

Conditions in the atmosphere at a given place and time