Quarter 2 Test Review Flashcards
Producer
Definition: Organism that makes its own food; autotroph (self-feeder)
Example: Plants, clover
Consumer
Definition: Organisms that get their energy by eating other organisms; heterotroph (other-feeder)
Example: Coyote, rabbit
Herbivore
Definition: Plant eaters; only eats producers
Example: cows, sheep, deer,
Carnivore
Definition: Consumers that only eat other consumers
Example: lions, hawks
Omnivore
Definition: Eaters of all; consumers that eat producers and other consumers
Example: humans
Decomposer
Definition: Consumer that gets food by breaking down dead organisms
Example: Fungi, bacteria
Cellular Respiration
The process of breaking down food to yield energy
Energy Pyramid
- Energy is lost during the process of converting food to energy so that at each “trophic” level, only 10% of that energy is transferred.
- Pyramid: Producers at the bottom, then primary consumers, then secondary consumers, then tertiary consumers at the top.
Water Cycle
The sun creates heat that evaporates water from water sources, turning it into clouds. Then as the water cools, it condenses to form tiny droplets. When the clouds meet cold air, the water returns as precipitation. It is then soaked into soil, or evaporated.
Carbon Cycle
Carbon enters when producers take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis, then consumers eat the producers. When food molecules are broken down during cellular respiration, the carbon is released back into the atmosphere as CO2.
Nitrogen Cycle
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil take nitrogen gas from the air and transform it into ammonia, which might be turned into nitrates, which in turn can become atmospheric nitrogen. Other bacteria takes the nitrogen from dead organisms and returns it to the soil.
Primary Succession
Succession that occurs on surfaces where no ecosystem existed before
Secondary Succession
Succession that occurs on a surface where an ecosystem has previously existed
The first organism to colonize a newly available area
Pioneer organism
Biome
Areas that have distinctive climates and organisms
Tropical Rainforest
Description: Near the equator, hot, wet, and humid, strong sunlight year-round, little variation in temperature, thin and poor soil, canopies, specialists,
Threats: Native people displaced, land is being stripped and cleared
Distinction: Greatest biological diversity of any biome
Temperate Rainforest
Description: High rainfall and moderate temperatures are perfect for forest plants. Contains deciduous forests.
Distinction: Located about 48 degrees latitude but the Pacific moderates the temperature. The forest floor gets more light than a rainforest, and therefore more plants.
Taiga
Description: Rough terrain and the forest floor is sparsely vegetated. It has long cold winters and low precipitation. It also has lakes and swamps.
Distinction: Acidic soil prevents most soil growth.
Savannah
Description: Found in tropics near the equator. Heavy rainfall is followed by droughts. Plants have large roots systems and animals are migratory
Distinction: Greatest collection of grazing animals on earth.
Temperate grassland
Description: Found in the interiors of continents where there is too little rainfall for trees to grow. Has severe winters, perennial plants, and grazing animals.
Threats: Cultivation and overgrazing
Distinction: Often has prairie fires.
Chaparral
Description: Occurs in mid-latitudes. Has hot dry summers, mild wet winters, and slight variations in seasonal temperature. Plants are resistant to water loss and most animals use camouflage.
Threats: Human development
Distinction: Hollywood
Desert
Description: Receive less than 10 inches of precipitation. Plants have a waxy coating that preserves water, has wide roots, and are drought-resistant. Animals can estivate and animals are mostly active at night and have thick skin to preserve water.
Threats: Residential development
Distinction: Driest places on earth
Tundra
Description: Lines north of the Arctic Circle. Short summers, has bogs and swamps. Second driest place next to the desert. Plants are small or flat to protect from winds. Most birds migrate there in the summer.
Threats: Conditions are extreme, and therefore the land can be easily damaged and slow to recover. Oil extraction.
Distinction: Contains permafrost
Mountains
Description:
Threats:
Distinction:
What percent of the earth’s water is freshwater? What percent is in the form of ice or groundwater? What percent is in lakes, rivers, atmosphere, and soil moisture?
3%
99%
1%, which is also the 1% that humans come into contact most
Aquifer
Large amounts of groundwater that are found in underground rock formations
Recharge Zone
The area of land from which the groundwater originates
What is the name of the huge aquifer that runs from northern Texas to South Dakota?
The Ogallala Aquifer
Desalinization
The action of removing salt from saltwater. Distillation (heat is used to evaporate fresh water from salt water) and reverse osmosis (pressure is used to push water through a semipermeable membrane that will not permit salts to pass).
Ways to conserve water
- Taking shorter showers
- Low-flow faucets and showerheads
- Install an inexpensive low-flow faucet aerator
- Installing a water-saving device in the toilet
- Don’t let the water run while brushing your teeth
- Filling up the sink rather than letting it run while washing dishes
- Watering the lawn at night
Point Pollution
Definition: Pollution that is discharged from a single source. It is easily identified and traced,
Example: Factory, wastewater treatment plant, oil tanker
Nonpoint Pollution
Definition: Pollution that comes from many sources rather than from a single specific site
Example: Streets, storm sewers, runoff from fertilizer or pesticides
What are the primary air pollutants?
Carbon Monoxide, Particulate Matter, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Nitrogen Oxides, and Sulfur Oxides
Smog
Air pollution that hangs over urban areas and reduces visibility: smoke and fog
Thermal Inversion
Pollution is trapped near the Earth’s surface by the warmer air above it.
Indoor Air Pollution
Pollution that accumulates indoors
Common pollutants:
- Asbestos
- Fungi and bacteria
- Gasoline
- Tobacco smoke
- Carbon monoxide
Buildings with particularly bad air quality can cause_______________.
Sick-Building Syndrome
Acid Precipitation
Highly acidic precipitation that results from the burning of fossil fuels
Which pollutants lead to acid rain?
Nitrogen and sulfur, which turn into acid
The layers of the atmosphere in order…
- Troposphere
- Stratosphere
- Mesosphere
- Thermosphere
5.Exosphere
Which layer of the atmosphere contains the Ozone Layer?
The Stratosphere
Climate
Definition: The average weather in an area over a long period of time.
Factors: Latitude (most important), air circulation, ocean currents, and local geography.
Weather
Definition: What is happening in the atmosphere at a particular place at a particular moment
Factors: Place and time
Greenhouse Gases
Benefits: Permits life on earth and prevents ice age
Detriments: It can be hazardous in large amounts and causes global warming
Examples: Methane, CO2, Water Vapor, CFCs, nitrous oxide,
Ozone Layer
Importance: Protects living organisms from UV rays
CFCs are responsible for the depletion of the ozone layer
When inorganic materials get into a body of water through human activity that includes fertilizer runoff and sewage overflow, it is called__________________>
Artificial Eutrophication
The bottom layer in a pond is called the _______________________.
Benthic Zone
The ecosystem in which freshwater from rivers mixes with salt water from the ocean is called an_________________.
Estuary
