Terrestrial Flashcards
Planetary boundary
The safe operating space that humans can survive and develop in. Crossing these boundaries means that earths systems don’t function correctly.
Ocean acidification
When the ph levels of the ocean decrease due to carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Ozone depletion
A decrease in ozone within the ozone layer which protects the earth from harmful UV rays of the sun
Atmospheric aerosol
A particle in the atmosphere which affects the size and properties of clouds
Ecosystem
A community of living and non living organisms which interact with one another in an environment
Biogeographic realms
Ecosystems which have shared similar evolutionary history
Biomes
Areas where the climate determines the types of plants and animals which live there
Convergent evolution
Where species of different ancestral origin evolve to have similar traits
Difference between organic and inorganic compounds
Organic compounds contain both carbon and hydrogen bonds
Inorganic compounds either don’t contain carbon or only contain carbon. (h20 and co2)
Autotroph
An organism which can produce its own food using inorganic compounds
Heterotrophs
An organism which cannot produce its own food and gets its food from other organisms
Flux
The flow of matter/energy through biotic and abiotic factors
Tropic level
The position an organism occupies on a food web
Tropic interaction
The transfer of matter/energy from one species to another species
Tropic cascade
The side effect which occurs when a tropic level (position an organism occupies on a food web) is removed
Bottom up vs Top down cascade
Bottom up cascades occur when primary producers affect the populations of primary consumers and producers through resource restriction
Top down cascades occur when the apex predator/animal at the highest tropic level controls the population of primary consumers, therefore increasing/benefiting the primary producers
Keystone species
Species which define an ecosystem. Without them ecosystems would function differently or not exist
Ecosystem services
Benefits which an ecosystem provides to humans