unit exam - 1

Question 1

Scientific method

Answer 1

the process of establishing facts through testing and experimentation.

Question 2

Engineering

Answer 2

the branch of science and technology concerned with the design, building, and use of engines, machines, and structures.

Question 3

Data

Answer 3

facts about something that can be used in calculating, reasoning, or planning

Question 4

Problem statement

Answer 4

a concise description of the problem or issues a project seeks to address

Question 5

Hypothesis

Answer 5

a testable statement about the relationship between two or more variables or a proposed explanation for something

Question 6

Independent variable

Answer 6

variation does not depend on that of another

Question 7

Dependent variable

Answer 7

whose value depends on that of another.

Question 8

Scientific model

Answer 8

an object or even a process or a system that is used to describe and explain phenomena that cannot be experienced directly.

Question 9

Data analysis

Answer 9

the process of applying statistical and/or logical techniques to evaluate data.

Question 10

Claim

Answer 10

an assertion of the truth of something, typically one that is disputed or in doubt.

Question 11

Population

Answer 11

the group of organisms of the same species living in the same area

Question 12

Carrying capacity

Answer 12

greatest number of any species that can exist within a specific habitat without threatening the existence of other species also living in the habitat

Question 13

Limiting factor

Answer 13

anything that constrains a population’s size and slows or stops it from growing

Question 14

Density-dependent
limiting factor

Answer 14

any force that affects the size of a population of living things in response to the density of the population

Question 15

Density-independent
limiting factor

Answer 15

any force that affects the size of a population of living things regardless of the density of the population

Question 16

r selected species

Answer 16

those that have shorter lifespans, are generally smaller, produce many young, and exhibit exponential growth.

Question 17

K-selected species

Answer 17

living things that focus reproduction on few offspring.

Question 18

Exponential growth

Answer 18

a pattern of data that shows greater increases with passing time, creating the curve of an exponential function (j shaped curve)

Question 19

Logistic growth

Answer 19

the process of a population’s growth rate decreasing as the number of individuals in the population decrease (s shaped curve)

Question 20

Abiotic factors

Answer 20

a non-living part of an ecosystem that shapes its environment

Question 21

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)

Answer 21

the source of energy for use and storage at the cellular level.

Question 22

Autotroph (producer)

Answer 22

an organism that can produce its own food using light, water, carbon dioxide, or other chemicals.

Question 23

Biological Community

Answer 23

an interacting group of various species in a common location

Question 24

Biomass

Answer 24

organic, meaning it is made of material that comes from living organisms, such as plants and animals.

Question 25

Biosphere

Answer 25

made up of the parts of Earth where life exists—all ecosystems.

Question 26

Biotic factors

Answer 26

a living organism that shapes its environment

Question 27

Carbon cycle

Answer 27

the process in which carbon atoms continually travel from the atmosphere to the Earth and then back into the atmosphere

Question 28

Cellular respiration

Answer 28

the process by which organisms use oxygen to break down food molecules to get chemical energy for cell functions.

Question 29

Commensalism

Answer 29

a relation between two kinds of organisms in which one obtains food or other benefits from the other without damaging or benefiting it.

Question 30

Decomposer

Answer 30

organism that breaks down dead organic material

Question 31

Ecology

Answer 31

the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment

Question 32

Ecosystem

Answer 32

a community of interacting organisms and their environment

Question 33

Food Chain

Answer 33

describes who eats whom in the wild

Question 34

Food Web

Answer 34

consists of all the food chains in a single ecosystem

Question 35

Habitat

Answer 35

a place where an organism makes its home

Question 36

Heterotroph (consumer)

Answer 36

an organism that eats other plants or animals for energy and nutrients

Question 37

Mutualism

Answer 37

a type of symbiotic relationship where all species involved benefit from their interactions.

Question 38

Niche

Answer 38

the role an organism plays in a community

Question 39

Nitrogen cycle

Answer 39

a continuous series of natural processes by which nitrogen passes successively from air to soil to organisms and back to air or soil

Question 40

Parasitism

Answer 40

a nonmutual relationship between two organisms in which one benefits at the expense of the other

Question 41

Photosynthesis

Answer 41

the process by which plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to create oxygen and energy in the form of sugar

Question 42

Succession

Answer 42

a series of progressive changes in the composition of an ecological community over time

Question 43

Symbiosis

Answer 43

a close ecological relationship between the individuals of two (or more) different species

Question 44

Transpiration

Answer 44

the process by which plants give off water vapor through openings in their leaves.

Question 45

Trophic level

Answer 45

one of the hierarchical strata of a food web characterized by organisms which are the same number of steps removed from the primary producers

Question 46

Water cycle

Answer 46

the continuous movement of water within the Earth and atmosphere