Unit 1 bio Flashcards
Final review
Definition of biology
the scientific study of life
Definition of science
an approach to understanding the natural world based on inquiry
Steps of scientific method
- observation/exploration
- ask qurestions
- testing + peer review
- Analyze + support/reject hypothesis
- conclusions
Hypothesis formula
if IV…then DV
Indep variable
what the scientists change
Depend variable
data that is being collected (quantitative/qualitative)
Properties of life
- order
- cells
- growth and development
- energy processing
- regulation
- response to environment
- reproduction
- evolution
theory def
widely accepted explanation of many observations
fact def
considered objectively true based on all current evidence
hypothesis def
proposed explanation from a set of observations
psuedoscience
any field of science that is FALSELY presented as having a scientific basis
anecdotal evidence
an assertion based on a single or a few examples that DO NOT suport a generalized conclusion
Ecology def
study of interactions between organisms and their environments
Biome
an area classified by the species, temperature and precipitation there
savana
grasslands; warm year-round; dry and rainy season
chaparral
meditteranean
Taiga
type of coniferous forest; largest terrestrial biome; LONG winters
greenhouse gases
CO2, methane, water vapor
greenhouse effect
heating of atmosphere by gg; this is necessary for earth not to freeze, but excess gg = global warming
C02 is removed from atmosphere by…
incorporating it into photosynthesis
Effect of global warming on oceans
oceans are Co2 sponges, making them more acidic and killing essential marine life
photic vs. aphotic (marine biomes)
light available for photosynthesis vs. too murky/deep light availabel
pelagic realm
open water
estuary
transitional area between river and ocean
Nitrogen cycle steps
- N2 in atmosphere
- Bacteria ‘fix’ N2 in root nodes into usable form
- bacteria in soil ‘fix’ it
- nitrifying bacteria convert it into nitrites/nitrates
- No-3 used by plants to make amino acids
- animal eat plants and uses N to make amino acids
- excrete N with waste
- denitrifying bacteria creates N2 again
Patterns of dispersion
clumped, random, uniform
opportunistic life history
enables species to adapt quickly to disturbances; type 3 survivorship; makes successful invasive species
equilibrial life history
type 1 survivorship;; does not adapt to changes as quickly
Density-dependent factors
limiting factors whose intsntiy is related to population desnity
Examples of Density-depend factors
intraspecific competition, space available, accumulation of toxic waste, disease
Density-independent factors
limiting factor whose intensity is unrelated to pop. density
Examples of density-indep factors
abiotic factors - fires, floods, storms
Population cycle (predator and prey pop. depend on eachother) example
snowshoe hare + lynx
Age structure
diagram that displays the distribution of people of various ages; can also indicate social conditions
population momentum
increased proportion of childbearing age in a population (e.e percent of girls under 15 helps indicate future pop. growth)
author of Silent Spring
Rachel Carson
Biodiversity
the variety of living things; makes an ecosystem stronger against disturbances
trophic structure
partitioning of biomass between tropic levels (think pyramid)
biological control of pests
intentional release of natural enemy to attack a pest population (risk of enemy becoming invasive)
integrated pest managment
a combo of biological, chemica, and cultural methods for sustainable control of pests
human population growth
Advances in food, sanitation, and health care = death rate decreased; scientists feared Earth will reach cc and dd factors would cause a pop. decline with human suffering
mutualism
(+, +)
commensalism
(+, 0)
parasitism/predation
(+, -)
compeittion
(-, -)
relative abundance (component of biodiversity)
measure of how common one species is compared to the others in an area
keystone species
occupies an ecological niche that holds the rest of the community in place
