Vocab Flashcards
the inter most zone of Earth’s interior composed of mostly iron and nickel. it includes a liquid outer layer and a solid inner layer
Core
molten rock
magma
the layer of earth above the core, containing magma
mantle
the layer of earth located in the outer part of the mantle, composed of semi molten rock. Has plasticity.
asthenosphere
outermost layer of earth, including the mantle and crust
lithosphere
in geology, the chemically distinct outermost layer of the lithosphere
crust
in geology, a place where molten material from Earth’s mantle reaches the lithosphere
hot spot
the theory that the lithosphere of earth is divided into plates most of which are in motion
plate tectonics
the sum of processes that build up and break down the lithosphere
tectonic cycle
the process of one crustal plate crossing under another
subduction
a vent in the surface of earth that emits ash, gas, or molten lava
volcano
an area beneath the ocean where tectonic plates move away from one another
divergent plate boundary
the formation of new ocean crust as a result of magma pushing forward and outward from earths mantle to surface
seafloor spreading
an area where tectonic plates move sideways past each other
transform fault boundary
The sum of all the conditions surrounding us that influence life.
environment
The field of study that looks at interactions among human systems and those found in nature.
Environmental science
a particular location on Earth with biotic and abiotic
ecosystems
biotic
living
abiotic
non- living
a social movement that seeks to protect the environment through lobbying, activism, and education.
environmentalism
The field of study that includes environmental science and additional subjects such as environmental policy, economics, literature, and ethics
environmental studies
the process by which life-supporting resources such as clean water, timber, fisheries, and agricultural crops are produced
ecosystem services
an indicator that describes the current state of an environmental system
environmental indicator
the diversity of life forms in an environment
biodiversity
a measure of the genetic variation among individuals in a population
genetic diversity
a group of organisms that is distinct from other groups in its morphology
species
The number of species in a region or in a particular ecosystem
species diversity
the evolution of a new species
speciation
the average rate at which species become extinct over the long term
background extinction rate
gases in earth’s atmosphere that trap heat near the surface
greenhouse gases
derived from human activities
anthropogenic
amount per each person in a country or unit of population
per captia
improvement in human well-being through economic advancement
development
living on earth in a way that allows humans to use its resources without depriving future generation of those resources
sustainability
development that balances current human well-being and economic advancement with resource management for the benefit of future generations
sustainable development
love of life
biophillia
a measure of how much an individual consumers, expressed in an area of land
ecological footprint
an objective method to explore the natural world, draw inferences from it, and predict the outcome of certain events, processes, or changes
scientific method
a testable conjuncture about how soemthing works
hypothesis
any categories, conditions, factors, or traits that differ in the natural world or in experimental situations
variable
a variable that is not dependent on other factors
independent variable
a variable that is dependent on other factors
dependent variable
a prediction that there is no difference between the groups or conditions that are being compared
null hypothesis
the data collection procedure of taking repeated measurements
replication
the number of times a measurement is replicated in a data collection
sample size (n)
how close a measured value is to the actual or true value
accuracy
how close the repeated measurements of a sample are to one another
precision
an estimate of how much a measured of calculated value differs from a true value
uncertainty
a hypothesis that has been repeatedly tested and confirmed by multiple groups of researchers and has reached wide acceptance
theory
a groups that experiences the same conditions except for the single variable under study.
control group
a natural event that acts as an experimental treatment in an ecosystem.
natural experiment
anything that occupies space and has mass
matter
smallest particle that contains chemical props. of an element
atom
a substance composed of atoms that can not be broken into smaller, simpler components
element
a particle containing more than 1 atom
molecule
a molecule containing more than one element
compound
measurement of the total number of protons and neutrons in an element
mass number
atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons
isotopes
The spontaneous release of material from the nucleus of radioactive isotopes
radioactive decay
The time it takes for 1/2 of an original radioactive parent atom to decay
half life
The bond formed when elements share electrons
covalent bond
a chemical bond between two ions of opposite charges
ionic bond
a weak chem bond that forms when hydrogen atoms are covalently bonded to one atom but are attracted to another atom or molecule
hydrogen bond
one side is more positive and the other side is more negative
polar molecule
a prop of h2o that results from cohesion of of h2o molecules at the surface of a body of h2o that creates a sort of skin on its surface
surface tension
prop of h2o when adhesion of h2o molecules to a surface is stronger than the cohesion between the molecules
capillary action
contributes hydrogen atoms to a substance
acid
contributes hydroxide atoms to a substance
base
the number that indicates the relative strength of A’s and B’s
ph
an increase in acidity of the oceans
ocean acidification
occurs when atoms separate from molecules and recombine with other molecules
chemical reaction
matter cannot be created nor destroyed; it can only change form
law of conservation of matter
compound that does not contain the element carbon or contains carbon bound to elements other than hydrogen
inorganic compound
compound that contains carbon-carbon or carbon-hydrogen bonds
organic compound
compound made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms
carbohydrate
critical part of living organisms made up of a long chain of nitrogen containing organic made molecules aka amino acids
protein
organic compounds found in all living cells
nucleic acid
genetic material containing the code for reproducing the components of the next generation, organisms pass to offspring
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
translates the code stored in DNA, makes synthesis of proteins possible
RNA (ribonucleic acid)
smaller organic biological molecule that doesn’t mix with water
lipid
highly organized living entity that consists of 4 types of macromolecules and other substances in a watery solution, surrounded by a membrane.
cell
proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids
macromolecule
The process by which life supporting resources such as clean water, timber, fisheries, and agricultural crops are produced
ecosystem services
an indicator that describes the current state of an environmental system
environmental indicator
How do we notice when ecosystems are stressed or have degraded?
when they do not proved the same services or produce the same products
environmental idicators
Biodiversity, food production, human population, resource depletion, and surface temp + CO2 concentration.
the diversity of life forms in an environment
biodiversity
use with out regard for future needs… American colonies and pioneers
exploitation
Set aside, not to be use… a brief movement in the early 1800s
preservation
use resource for 1 purpose intensively… industrial revolution, the making of America
utilitarian
many voices involved in the decision making regarding the use of a resource
multiple use/ sustainibility
the ability to do work or transfer heat
energy
the amount of energy used when a 1 watt electrical device is turned on for 1 second
joule
the rate at which work is done
power
a form of energy emitted by the sun that includes visible light, ultraviolet, and infrared energy
Electromagnetic radiation
a mass less pack of energy that carries electromagnetic radiation at the speed of light
photon
stored energy that has not been released
potential energy
potential energy stored in chemical bonds
chemical energy
The energy of motion
kinetic energy
measure of the average kinetic energy in a substance
temperature
Energy can neither be created nor destroyed but can change from one form to another
1st law thermodynamics
when energy is transformed, the quantity stays the same, but its ability to do work diminishes
2nd law thermodynamics
the ratio of the amount of energy expended in the form you want to the total amount of energy that is introduced into the system.
energy efficiency
the ease with which an energy source can be used for work
energy quality
randomness in a system
entropy
exchanges of matter or energy occurs across system boundaries
open system
matter and energy exchanges do not do not happen across boundaries
closed system
addition to the system
input
a loss from the system
output
to determine inputs, outputs, and change in a system under various conditions
system analysis
inputs=outputs, system is unchanging over time
steady state
a system responds to change by returning to it’s original start, or decreasing the rate which change is happening
neg. feedback loop
change in a system is amplified
pos. feedback loop
The region of our planet where life resides, the combination of all ecosystems on earth
biosphere
organism that uses energy from the sun to produce usable forms of energy aka autotroph
producer
The process where producers use solar energy to convert CO2 and H2O into glucose
photosynthesis
The process where cells unlock the energy of chemical compounds
cellular respiration
cells convert glucose and oxygen into CO2 and H2O
aerobic respiration
cells convert glucose into energy in the absence of oxygen
anerobic respiration
an organism incapable of photosynthesis and must obtain it’s energy by consuming other organisms aka heterotroph
consumer
a consumer that eats producers aka primary consumer
herbivore
a consumer that eats other consumers
carnivore
carnivore, eats primary consumers
secondary consumer
carnivore, eats secondary consumers
tertiary consumer
The successive levels or organisms consuming each other
trophic levels
The sequence of consumption from producer to tertiary concumers
Food chain
a complex model of how energy and matter move between trophic levels
food web
an organism that consumes dead animals.
scavenger
an organism that specializes in breaking down dead tissues and waste products
decomposers
The total amount of solar energy that producers in an ecosystem captured via photosynthesis over a given amount of time
gross primary Productivity GPP
The energy captured by producers minus the energy producers respire
Net primary productivity NPP
The total mass of all living matter in a specific area
Biomass
The amount of biomass present in an ecosystem at a particular time.
Standing crop
the proportion of consumed energy that can be passed from one trophic level to another.
ecological efficiency
a representation of the distribution of biomass, numbers, or energy among trophic levels. a
trophic pyramid
the movements of matter within and between ecosystems
biogeochemical cycle
the movement of water through the biosphere
water cycle
the release of water from leaves during photosynthesis
transpiration
the combined amount of evaporation and transpiration
evapotranspiration
water that moves across the land surface and into streams and rivers
runoff
the movement of carbon around the biosphere
carbon cycle
one of 6 key elements that organisms need in relatively large amounts: Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur
macronutrient
a nutrient required for the growth of an organism but available in a lower quantity than other nutrients
limiting nutrient
the movement of nitrogen around the biosphere
nitrogen cycle
the process that converts nitrogen gas in the atmosphere into forms of nitrogen that producers can use.
Nitrogen fixation
the conversion of ammoinia into nitrite and then to nitrate
nitrification
the process by which producers incorporate elements into their tissues
assimilation
the process by which fungal and bacterial decomposers break down the organic matter found in dead bodies and waste products and convert into inorganic compounds
mineralization
the process by which fungal and bacterial decomposers break down the organic nitrgoen found in dead bodies and waste products and convert it into inorganic ammonium
ammounification
the conversion of nitrate in a series of steps into the gases nitrous oxide and eventually nitrogen gas which is emitted into the atmosphere
denitrification
the transportation for dissolved molecules through the soil via groundwater
leaching
the movement of phosphorus around the biosphere
phosphorus cycle
a rapid increase in the algal population of a waterway
algal bloom
low in oxygen
hypoxic
when oxygen concentrations become so low that it kills fish and other aquatic animals
dead zone
the movement of sulfur around the biosphere
sulfur cycle
an even, caused by physical, chemical, or biological agents, resulting in changes in population size or community composition.
disturbance
a measure of how much a disturbance can affect flows of energy and matter in an ecosystem
resistance
the rate at which an ecosystem returns to its original state after a disturbance
resilience
the study and implementation of restoring damages ecosystems
restoration ecology
all land in an given landscape that drains into a particular stream, river, lake, or wetland.
watershed
the hypothesis that ecosystems experiencing intermediate levels of disturbance are more diverse than those with high or low disturbance levels
intermediate disturbance hypothesis
a layer of the atmosphere closest to the surface of earth, extending to approximately 16 km or 10 mi.
trophosphere
the layer of the atmosphere above the trophosphere, extending roughly 16-50 km or 10-31 mi above the surface of earth
stratosphere
the average weather that occurs in a given region over a long period of time
climate
the short term conditions of the atmosphere in a local area, which include temperature, humidity, clouds, precipitation, and wind speed.
weather
the percentage of incoming sunlight reflected from a surface
albedo
the max amount of water vapor in the air at a given temperature
saturation point
the cooling affect of reduced pressure on air as it rises higher in the atmosphere and expands
adiabatic cooling
the heating affect of increased pressure on air as it sinks toward the surface of earth and decreases in volume.
adiabatic heating
the release of energy when water vapor in the atmosphere condenses into liquid water
latent heat realease
global patterns of air movement that are initiated by the unequal heating of earth
atmospheric convection currents
a convection current in the atmosphere that cycles between the equator and 30N and 30S
Hadley Cell
the latitude that receives the most intense sunlight, which causes the ascending branches of the 2 Hadley cells to converge
intertropical convergence zone ITCZ
a convection current in the atmosphere, formed by air that rises at 60N and 60S and sinks at the poles 90N and 90S
polar cell
a convection current in the atmosphere that lies between Hadley cells and polar cells
Ferrell cell
the deflection of an object path due to the rotation of earth
Coriolis effect
the region with dry conditions found of the leeward side of a mountain range as a result of humid winds from the ocean causing precipitation on the windward side
rain shadow
a large scale pattern of water circulation that moves clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counter clockwise in the southern hemisphere
gyre
the upward movement of ocean water toward the surface as a result of diverging currents
upwelling
an oceanic circulation pattern that drives the mixing of surface water and deep water
thermohaline circulation
a geographic region categorized by a particular combination of average annual temperature, annual precipitation, and distinctive plant growth forms on land.
terrestrial biome
an aquatic region characterized by a particular combination of salinity, depth, and water flow
aquatic biome
an area where a species lives in nature
habitat
a cold and treeless biome with low growing vegetation
tundra
an impermeable, permanently frozen layer of soil.
permafrost
a forest biome made up primarily of coniferous evergreen trees that can tolerate cold winters and short growing seasons
boreal forest
a coastal bome typified by moderate temperatures and high precipitation
temperate rainforest
a biome with warm summers and cold winters with over 1 m of precipitation annually
temperate seasonal forest
a biome characterized by hot, dry, summers and mild, rainy winters.
woodland/shrubland
a biome characterized by cold, harsh winters, and hot, dry summers
temperate grassland/Cold desert
a warm wet biome found betwen 20N and 20S of the equator, with little seasonal temperature variation and high precipitation
tropical rainforest
a biome marked by warm temperatures and distinct wet and dry seasons
tropical seasonal forest/savanna
a biome prevailing at approximately 30N and 30S with hot temperatures, extremely dry conditions, and sparse vegetatation
Subtropical desert
The shallow zone of soil and water in lakes and ponds where most algae and emergent plants grow
littoral zone
a zone of open water in lakes and ponds
limnetic zone
floating algae
phytoplankton
a region of water where sunlight does not reach, below the limnetic zone in very deep lakes
profundal zone
the muddy bottom of a lake, pond, or ocean
benthic zone
describes a lake with a low level of productiivity
oligotrophic
describes a lake with a moderate level of productivity
mesotrophic
describes a lake with a high level of productivity
eutrophic
am aquatic biome that is submerged or saturated by water for at least part of each year, but shallow enough to support emergent vegetation
freshwater wetland
a march containing nonwoody emergent vegetation, found along the coast in temperate climates
salt marsh
an area along the coast where the freshwater of rivers mixes with salt water from the ocean
estuary
a swamp that occurs a long tropical and subtropical coasts and contains salt tolerant trees with roots submerges in water
mangrove swamp
the narrow band of coastline between the levels of high tide and low tide
intertidal zone
the most diverse marine biome on earth, found in warm, shallow waters beyond the shoreline
coral reef
a phenomenon in which algae inside corals die, causing the corals to turn white
coral bleaching
deep ocean water, located away from the shoreline where sunlight can no longer reach the ocean bottom
open ocean
The upper layer of ocean water in the ocean that receives enough sunlight to photosynthesize
photic zone
the deeper layer of the ocean water that lacks sufficient sunlight for photosynthesis
aphotic zone
a process used by some bacteria in the ocean to generate energy with methane and hydrogen sulfide
chemosynthesis
