Holy Cow Test - Vocab Flashcards
Carbon Fixation
the process by which living organisms convert inorganic carbon to organic compounds. These organic compounds are then used to store energy and as structures for other biomolecules.
Environment
the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates.
Community
a group or association of populations of two or more different species occupying the same geographical area at the same time, also known as a biocoenosis, biotic community, biological community, ecological community, or life assemblage.
Population
all the inhabitants of a particular town, area, or country.
Species
a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding.
Biodiversity
the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
Biological Disturbance
disturbance events that impact a species and community structure and function within an ecosystem.
Habitat
the natural home or environment of a plant, animal, or other organism.
Physical Disturbance
a physical force, agent, or process, either abiotic or biotic, causing a perturbation or stress, to an ecological component or system, relative to a specified reference state and/or system.
Stability
The quality of maintaining a constant character in the presence of forces
Biogeochemical cycle
the movement and transformation of chemical elements and compounds between living organisms, the atmosphere, and the Earth’s crust.
Biological Availability
the extent a substance or drug becomes completely available to its intended biological destination(s).
Phototroph
an organism that can use visible light as a primary energy source for metabolism.
Reservoir
a large natural or artificial lake used as a source of water supply.
Biomass
the total quantity or weight of organisms in a given area or volume.
Biosphere
the regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth (or analogous parts of other planets) occupied by living organisms.
Carbon Sink
a forest, ocean, or other natural environment viewed in terms of its ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Combustion
rapid chemical combination of a substance with oxygen, involving the production of heat and light.
Fossil Fuels
a natural fuel such as coal or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms.
Hydrosphere
the sum of Earth’s water, in the ocean, the ground, on the surface, and in the air.
Organic Matter
the large source of carbon-based compounds found within natural and engineered, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.
Endangered Species
a species of animal or plant that is seriously at risk of extinction.
Anthropogenic
of, relating to, or resulting from the influence of human beings on nature.
Captive Breeding
the process of keeping plants or animals in controlled environments.
Conservation
prevention of wasteful use of a resource.
Ecological restoration
the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed.
Ecotourism
tourism directed toward exotic, often threatened, natural environments, intended to support conservation efforts and observe wildlife.
Sustainable development
economic development that is conducted without depletion of natural resources.
Survival rate
the probability of survival of an individual from one age to the next.
Acidification
the action or process of making or becoming acidic.
Controlled Burns
setting planned fires to maintain the health of a forest.
Endangered Species
a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction
Overharvesting
exploiting a natural resource until its supply is so diminished that its exploitation is no longer sustainable.
Overhunting
the problem of catching and killing too many of a particular type of animal, so that there are not enough left.
Urbanization
the process of making an area more urban.
Simple Sugar
the most basic forms of sugar.
Cellulose
complex carbohydrate consisting of 3000 or more glucose units. It is the basic structural component of plant cell walls.
Hydrocarbon
any of a class of organic chemicals made up of only the elements carbon (C) and hydrogen (H).
Organic
relating to or derived from living matter.
Starch
a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage.
Glycogen
the stored form of glucose that’s made up of many connected glucose molecules.
Chitin
a large polysaccharide made of modified glucose molecules.
Chlorophyll
a green pigment, present in all green plants and in cyanobacteria, responsible for the absorption of light to provide energy for photosynthesis. Its molecule contains a magnesium atom held in a porphyrin ring.
Cytosol
the water-containing component of the cytoplasm of a cell, within which various organelles and particles are suspended.
Transpiration
(of a plant or leaf) the exhalation of water vapor through the stomata.
