PTQ: Sci Flashcards
Individuals leaving the population is known as ________.
emigration
What is the integration of living and nonliving system components in specific geographic areas called?
ecosystems
The ___________ is an objective way to explore the natural world, draw inferences from it, and predict the
outcome of certain events, processes, or alterations.
scientific method
What happens each time an atom splits?
A small amount of heat is given off
According to the most common definition, what is a characteristic that organisms must have to be a
species?
They must be able to produce viable offspring
What factors cause the type of genetic drift known as the bottleneck effect?
hunting, habitat loss, or natural disasters
According to the United Nations, the global human population reached _________ people in November
2022.
8 billion
How is ethanol produced?
by fermentation
What term is used to describe species that are not native to an area but are introduced by people, either
deliberately or accidentally?
exotic species
What largely determines the relatively hospitable temperatures on Earth?
heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere, also known as greenhouse gases
Mutualists are species that interact in what way?
for each other’s benefit
_________ solar energy refers to the collection of solar energy directly from the rays of the Sun without an
intermediate technology such as a pump or blower.
Passive
There are periods of mass extinction in which the fossil record reveals that _______ numbers of species
died in a very _______ time interval.
large, short
What happens to the size of a population as the limiting resource decreases?
the population decreases
An automobile parked in the sun with its windows closed on a cool day is an example of what effect?
the greenhouse effect
What is the process of becoming most suited for a particular environment called?
adaptation
When carbon combines with oxygen, it forms what?
carbon dioxide
How do environmental scientists define a population?
a group of individuals of a single species
How much energy does a pound of enriched uranium contain compared to gasoline?
the energy content of 1 million gallons of gasoline
According to the USAP Science Resource Guide, every day the Earth is bathed with what type of energy?
solar energy
The set of traits expressed by individuals that results from the interaction of genotype and environment is
known as _______________.
phenotype
What can happen to species as environments undergo major changes over a long period of time?
They will either die out or adapt through natural selection.
What is the main environmental objection to wind power?
the amount of bird deaths it causes
The term “trophe” in trophic levels comes from the Greek word for what?
nourishment
Sediments include nonchemical pollutants such as sand, silt, and clay that become mobilized when soil is
________.
disturbed
Active solar energy is primarily used for heating hot water and ___________.
generating electricity
According to the United Nations Development Program, people who live in developed countries own what percentage of the world’s automobiles and trucks?
87%
What provides the first step in understanding why some species are found or not found in various regions?
evolutionary history
In the context of agriculture, what does the term “intensity” refer to?
the amount of food grown per acre of land
Grasslands are often called ___________ in the U.S. and steppes in central Asia.
prairies
Oil and other petroleum products enter the oceans through multiple sources, most notably from spills from _______ and oil tankers.
off-shore drilling
What is resilience in an ecosystem?
the rate at which an ecosystem returns to its original state after a disturbance
The interactions of systems and components within systems are known as __________ ____________.
system dynamics
What energy does a wind turbine convert?
the kinetic energy of wind to the potential energy of electricity
_________ is critical for life on Earth because it is one of the elements in ________, which are the basic
components of all organisms.
Nitrogen, amino acids
What is another, more common term, for hydraulic fracturing?
fracking
____________ interactions are those that increase the survival probability or reproduction of both species.
Mutualistic
A butterfly stirring the air in Beijing can affect weather patterns in New York a month later. This often-
paraphrased statement is a poetic way of describing the ______________ of systems on Earth.
interconnectedness
What does IPCC stand for?
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
The ________ record is the basis of the geologic time scale, which divides time into various intervals.
Fossil
Because natural gas is less dense than oil, it lies ________ it in the rock strata.
above
An open system is one where the exchange of matter or __________ between it and other systems occurs.
energy
The heat produced from the radioactive decay of elements deep in the Earth is called _______ energy.
geothermal
What are biomes?
major regions of differing vegetation and wildlife types
A __________ species is a species with a dramatically _______ effect on an ecosystem relative to its
abundance.
keystone, large
What are the goals for energy use in a sustainable society?
increase efficiency while reducing costs and pollutants
The metal lead is very useful because it is soft, malleable, and resists corrosion, but it also impairs what part of the human body?
the human central nervous system
How big is the effect of human actions on Earth’s biosphere and global climate?
very large
A(n) __________ ___________ is a measure that reflects the environmental health of a system.
environmental indicator
Remains of extinct plants and animals that have been preserved in rock are known as ______.
fossils
