Reading...
Play button
Play button
Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
71 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
Environment
|
Circumstances or conditions that surround an organism or groups of organisms
The complex of social or cultural conditions that affect an individual or community |
|
|
environmental science
|
the systematic study of our environment and our proper place in it
interdisciplinary, integrative |
|
|
environmentalism
|
working to influence attitudes and policies that affect out environment
|
|
|
science
|
methodical, logical process for producing knowledge about natural phenomena
cumulative body of knowledge produced by scientists based on careful observation and hypothesis testing |
|
|
hypothesis
|
a testable explanation
|
|
|
scientific theory
|
a description or explanation that has been supported by a large number of tests and is considered by experts to be reliable
|
|
|
natural experiment
|
involves observation of events that have already happened
|
|
|
manipulative experiment
|
conditions are deliberately altered and all other variables are held constant
|
|
|
controlled study
|
comparing treatment and control groups
|
|
|
sustainable development
|
meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
|
|
|
weather
|
description of physical conditions of atmosphere
|
|
|
climate
|
description of long term weather patterns in a particular area
|
|
|
troposphere
|
8-18km thick
weather composition relatively uniform lots of air movement |
|
|
tropopause
|
transition boundary that limits mixing between the troposphere and upper zones
|
|
|
stratosphere
|
tropopause to 50km
relatively calm stable air temp almost no water vapor 1000x more ozone than troposphere |
|
|
mesosphere
|
middle layer
|
|
|
thermosphere
|
begins at 80km
ionized gasses and high temperatures |
|
|
convection currents
|
vertical cells which circulate air from warm latitudes to cooler latitudes
|
|
|
latent heat
|
energy stored in water vapor which causes air to rise and cool
|
|
|
condensation nuclei
|
tiny particles of dust, smoke, ash, spores, etc. that attach to water vapor creating precipitation
|
|
|
coriolis effect
|
rotation of earth causing wind and currents to move clockwise in north and counterclockwise in south
|
|
|
hurricanes
|
low pressure and warm water
hot water vapor rises creating convection currents latent heat released creates a + feedback loop feeding storm |
|
|
milankovitch cycles
|
periodic shifts in earths orbit and tilt
|
|
|
biome distribution depends on...
|
temp and precipitation
|
|
|
tropical rainforests
|
few deciduous trees, more than 200cm rainfall, warm-hot temp, 90% nutrients tied up in living organisms, rapid decomposition and nutrient cycling
|
|
|
matter
|
everything that has mass and takes up space
|
|
|
elements
|
substances that cannot be broken down into simpler forms
|
|
|
atoms
|
the smallest particles exhibiting characteristics of the element
|
|
|
atomic #
|
# of protons
|
|
|
isotope
|
different atomic mass, diff neutrons
|
|
|
four major rings and chains of carbon
|
lipids, carboydrates, proteins, nucleic acids
|
|
|
lipids
|
fats and oils; cell membrane; stores energy
|
|
|
carbohydrates
|
sugars cellulose; store energy
|
|
|
proteins
|
amino acids, enzymes; release energy
|
|
|
nucleic acid
|
DNA, carry information
|
|
|
cells
|
compartments in a living organism which carry out process of life
|
|
|
metabolism
|
sum of enzymatic reactions performed by an organism
|
|
|
kinetic energy
|
energy in moving objects
|
|
|
potential energy
|
stored energy
|
|
|
solar energy is essential for two reasons
|
warmth and photosynthesis
|
|
|
energy flow + nutrient cycling =
|
ECOSYSTEM
|
|
|
primary productivity
|
amount of biomass (biological material) produced in a given area during a given period of time
|
|
|
gross primary product
|
photosynthesis
|
|
|
net primary productivity
|
photosynthesis - respiration
|
|
|
trait
|
any single feature or quantifyable measurement of an organism
|
|
|
adaptation
|
trait that confers a selective advantage in a given environment
|
|
|
evolution
|
genetic changes within a pop. over time
|
|
|
natural selection
|
differential reproductive success
|
|
|
mutations
|
random changes in DNA
|
|
|
4 conditions necessary for evolution
|
variation in traits in a pop.
traits must affect reproductive success traits must be heritable selective pressure must favor these traits |
|
|
selective pressure
|
environmental factors that favor survival and increase reproductive success of some individuals
|
|
|
resource partitioning
|
groups of individuals become specialized to utilize sub-sets of same resource
|
|
|
radiative evolution
|
divergence from common ancestor into two or more species
|
|
|
isolation
|
prevents gene flow between members of a species
|
|
|
allopatric
|
due to geographic separation
|
|
|
sympatric
|
does not require geographic separation
|
|
|
mechanism responcible for speciation
|
mechanical, ecological, behavioral, temporal
|
|
|
habitat
|
place or set of environmental conditions where an organism lives
|
|
|
ecological niche
|
an N dimensional space of environmental factors that determines species distribution
|
|
|
expoitative competition
|
one organism pre-empts the available resources
|
|
|
interference
|
one ind. physically prevents others
|
|
|
population
|
individual of same species living in same place at same time
|
|
|
dynamics
|
changes over time
|
|
|
birth
|
production of new individuals
|
|
|
fecundity
|
ability to reproduce
|
|
|
fertility
|
# of offspring produced
|
|
|
age
|
of first reproduction
|
|
|
mortality
|
death rate
|
|
|
survivorship
|
% of cohort surviving to reproduce
|
|
|
life expectancy
|
age likely to survive to
|
|
|
life span
|
longest period reached by a given type of organism
|
