Unit 1 test Flashcards
Atmosphere
The gases (or in our case, air) that surround a planetary body and are held there by gravity.
troposhere
greenhouse gases and the air that we breathe
stratosphere
17-50 km above the earth, consists of ozone (O3) which acts as a global sunscreen and basically allows life on earth
hydrosphere
Consists of all the water on or near the earth’s surface including water vapor, liquid water, ice and permafrost
geosphere
includes the exterior and interior of the Earth itself; the core, mantle, and crust
Biosphere
All the parts of the atmosphere where life is found; if the earth were an apple it would be no thicker than the apple’s skin
The three factors that sustain life on Earth
1) the sun’s constant flow of one-way energy (2nd law of thermodynamics)
2) nutrient cycling all through the biosphere (law of conservation)
3) Gravity (holds the atmosphere in place, also helps nutrient cycling)
The amount of the sun’s energy that plants actually use to photosynthesize
0.1%
BBR
(the carbon cycle) Burning. Breathing. Rotting.
2 carbon reservoirs
old-growth forests/rainforests and ocean sediments
photosynthesis
carbon dioxide+water+light= glucose (C6H12O6) and oxygen
Cellular respiration
when cells use glucose to make energy
Decomposition
bacteria break down organisms and release CO2 and H2S (hydrogen sulfide). bacteria IN WATER break down organisms into carbonates which sink to the ocean floor (CO3 2-). With compaction, carbonates can become fossil fuels.
Where nitrogen is found
- 78% of the atmosphere
- proteins
- DNA
- soil
- ocean sediments
What lightning does in the nitrogen cycle
makes it into ammonia (NH3)
Nitrogen Fixation
bacteria take N2 from the air and make it into NH3, with water that makes NH4+ (ammonium ions) which plant can use as a nutrient. this is one of the only ways plants can use nitrogen- if it’s fixed.
Nitrification
bacteria changing NH3 and NH4+ into nitrates (NO3-) which can also be used as nutrients by plants
Ammonification
bacteria break down dead organisms and waste to make NH3 and NH4+
Denitrification
bacteria in swamps, lakes, and oceans break down detritus (any waste) which releases nitrogen into the atmosphere and out of the water
How do humans affect the nitrogen cycle
burn fuel, fertilize obnoxiously, sewage/agricultural runoff, clear cut forests/develop grasslands
ecology
science focusing on the interactions of organisms with other organisms and their abiotic environments
What is the order starting with an atom in relations to the environment?
atom-molecule-cells-organisms (species)-population-community-ecosystem-biosphere
Autotrophs
producers (diy nutrients)
glucose formula
C6H12O6
chemosynthesis
photosynthesis without sunlight (heat)
primary consumers
(herbivores) eat mostly green plants
secondary and tertiary consumers
feed on the flesh of other organisms
detritivores
feed on the wastes or dead bodies of other animals; the reason nature does not waste anything
aerobic respiration
using O2 to make energy in the mitochondria of the cell
biomass
the dry weight of every organic thing in an ecosystem; depends on the solar capacity of the producers
the 10% rule
with every energy transfer, only 10% is actually transferred
NPP
the rate at which producers photosynthesize (Net Primary Productivity)
major reservoirs of phosphorus
rocks and ocean sediments (in rocks it is phosphate) also this cycle relies on erosion therefor it is very slow
where phosphorus is normally found
DNA, RNA, ATP, bones, teeth
human impact on the phosphorus cycle
extracting phosphates for fertilizer, clear-cutting, mining, sewage
why algal blooms are bad
they use all nutrients then die, which removes all oxygen from the water, which causes everything else to die (dead zones)
what determines how air circulates in the lower atmosphere
uneven heating by the sun, rotation of the earth on its axis, and properties of air, water, and land
things that can impact climate
bodies of water, mountains, cities (humans)
the two prevailing themes of adaptation
beat the heat and every drop of water counts (deserts)
savannas
tropical grasslands with scattered clumps of trees, year-round warmth, dry/wet seasons. home to many predators as well as grazing and browsing animals.
temperate grasslands
very cold winters, hot, dry, summers, fertile soil, humans commonly use as farmland
short grass vs. tall grass prairies
short: lots of flowers, biodiversity
tall: more rain, midwest US, western parts of the US and Canada
Arctic tundras
cold grasslands with no trees, cold year-round, found south of the polar ice cap, long winters with short days, animals with thick fur
two ways deserts form
1) the rain-shadow effect (when moisture moves over a mountain, very little actually is transferred to the other side, resulting in a desert)
2) being near the coast (the cold air above the water meets the warm air above the land and makes the moisture in the ground evaporate, which gets absorbed by the air, resulting in a desert)
tropical rainforests
near the equator, hot and humid, almost daily rainfall, teeming with biodiversity, made up of broadleaf evergreens, 1/2 of known life is found here, quick decomp
jungle
the densest part of a tropical rainforest
temperate deciduous forests
distinct seasons, mild temps, made up of broadleaf deciduous trees, slow decomp, more disturbed by humans than any other biome
taigas
cold, subarctic forests, frigid winters, somewhat warm, short summers, evergreen trees, low biodiversity yet many types of animals
temperate rainforests
coastal coniferous: ample rainfall, large conifer trees
“islands of biodiversity”
MOUNTAINS!!! they also contain a majority of the world’s forests, 17% of the world’s population live in the mountains or foothills, home to many animals that would otherwise not exist, major water storehouses. Their glaciers are melting—> global warming! We need to protect the mountains.
the key factors that determine biodiversity in ocean layers
temp, oxygen levels, food, and photosynthesis needs.
