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;
186 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
evolution
|
genetic change in organisms across generations
|
|
|
natural selection
|
traits that enhance survival get passed on
|
|
|
Thomas malthus
|
human populations will eventually out strip resources cause widespread death and social upheaval
|
|
|
adaptive trait
|
a trait that promotes succsess
|
|
|
maladaptive
|
a trait that reduces success
|
|
|
mutation
|
accidental change in DNA
|
|
|
Artificial Selection
|
Selection conducted under human direction
|
|
|
biodiversity
|
refers to the sum total of organisims in an area
|
|
|
Species
|
and interbreeding population
|
|
|
Populations
|
A group of individuals of a particular species that live in the same area
|
|
|
endemic
|
occurs in only one place
|
|
|
Background Extinction Rate
|
the rate at which single species extiction occurs
|
|
|
Communities
|
multiple interacting species in the same location
|
|
|
Ecosystems
|
Encompasses communities and their abiotic material
|
|
|
Niche
|
Functional role in a community
|
|
|
Specialist
|
Narrow breadth and Specific requirements
|
|
|
Population density
|
describes the number of individuals with in a population per unit area
|
|
|
Random Distributrion
|
Located haphazardly in space with no patter
|
|
|
Uniform Distribuition
|
individuals are evenly spaced
|
|
|
Clumped Distribution
|
organisms arragnge themselves according to the availability of resources
|
|
|
survivorship curves
|
How the likihood of death can vary with age
|
|
|
emigration
|
Departure of individuals of a populationq
|
|
|
Growth Rate
|
(birth rate+immigration rate)-(death rate+emigration rate)= growth rate
|
|
|
exponential growth
|
increases at a fixed percentage
|
|
|
limiting factors
|
characteristics of the environment that restrain population growth
|
|
|
carrying capacity
|
Max population size that an environment can sustain
|
|
|
K-selected
|
A lot of energy taking care of young and few offspring
|
|
|
R-selected
|
focus on the quantity of offspring
|
|
|
fundamental niche
|
one species fullfills all its habitats roles
|
|
|
Realized Niche
|
It is lim,ited in its roles and resourses by other species
|
|
|
Amensalism
|
one organism is harmed and the other is uneffected
|
|
|
Commensalism
|
one species benefits the otheris uneffected
|
|
|
Keystone Species
|
has a particlarly stong or far reaching impact
|
|
|
resistance
|
a community that resists change and remains stable despite disturbance
|
|
|
resilience
|
a community that chanes in response to disturbance but later returns to its original state
|
|
|
Succession
|
A predictable series of changes when a severe disturbance occurs
|
|
|
Primary succession
|
A biotic community is built from scratch
|
|
|
Secondary succession
|
a disturbance alter an existing community but does not destroy all living things
|
|
|
Pioneer species
|
the first species to grow after primary succession takes place
|
|
|
Invasive species
|
non native organism spreads widely and become the dominant in the community with no or little preditors
|
|
|
Ecological restoration
|
restore and area to an earlier condition a natural "presettlement" condition
|
|
|
Biome
|
a major regional complex of similar communities
|
|
|
Climatographs
|
determines the average monthly temperature and precipitation
|
|
|
Temperate Deciduous forest
|
mid latitude trees that loose leaf in fall and regrow in spring
|
|
|
Temperate rainforest
|
heavy rain fall lots of coniferous trees the american pacific northwest
|
|
|
Tropical rainforest
|
year round rain and uniformly warm temperatures diverse biotic communities
|
|
|
tropical dry forest
|
warm year round and lower rainfall wet and dry season
|
|
|
Savanna
|
Drier tropical regions tropical grassland
|
|
|
desert
|
sparse rainfall
|
|
|
Tundra
|
dry as a desert but located in the high latitudes north
|
|
|
Boreal forest
|
norther coniferous forest long cold winters
|
|
|
Chaparral
|
mild wet winters and warm dry summers mediteranean
|
|
|
freshwater
|
2.5% of water that is relatively pure with few dissolved salts
|
|
|
Hydrologic cycle
|
As water moves it redistributes heat, erodes mountain ranges, builds river deltas, maintains organisms and ecosystems, shapeds civilizations and gives rise to political conflicts
|
|
|
Flood plain
|
areas nearest a river's course that are flooded periodically are said to be within this
|
|
|
littoral zone
|
the region ringing the edge of a water body, shallow enough that aquatic plants grow from the mud and reach the surface
|
|
|
Benthic Zone
|
bottom layer of lake or pond, extends along the bottom of the entire water body
|
|
|
Limnetic zone
|
open portion of a lake or pond away from shore sunlight penetrates enables photosynthesis and plant growth
|
|
|
profundal zone
|
the volume of open water the sun doesn't reach lacks plant life lower in dissolved ozygen and supports fewer animals
|
|
|
Aquifers
|
porous spongelike formations of rock sand or gravel that holdwater
|
|
|
water table
|
the upper limit of ground water held in and aquifer
|
|
|
confined or artesian aquifer
|
exists when a water-bearing porous layer of rock,sand,or gravel is trapped berween upper and lower layers
|
|
|
unconfined aquifer
|
no upward layer to confine it and can be easily recharged
|
|
|
consumptive use of water
|
water is removed and not returned
|
|
|
non consumptive use of water
|
is not removed or is only temporatily removed - like a dam
|
|
|
dam
|
any obstruction placed in a river or stream to block the flow of water so that water can be stored in a reservoir
|
|
|
Desalination
|
technological apporach to generate freshwater
|
|
|
polution
|
any matter or energy released into the environment whether from humanactivity or natural sources that cause undesirable impacts on the health and well-being of humans or other organisms
|
|
|
point sources
|
discrete locations suck as factories or ser pipe
|
|
|
non point source
|
pollution arising from multiple cumulative inputs over larger areas suchas farms
|
|
|
Waste water
|
refers to water that has been used by people in some way
|
|
|
septic systems
|
are the most popular method of wastwater disposal
|
|
|
Primary water treatment
|
the physical removal of contaminants in settling tanks or clarifiers
|
|
|
Secondary water treatment
|
water is aerated by being stirred up
|
|
|
ocenography
|
the study of the physics chemistry biology and geography of the oceans
|
|
|
currents
|
riverlike flowsof water moving horixontially for great distances
|
|
|
Upwelling
|
the vertical flow of cold,deep water toward the surface, occurs in area where horizontal currents flow away from on another
|
|
|
Downwelling
|
surface water sinks transporting warm water richin dissolved gasses providing an influx of oxygen for deep water life
|
|
|
Pelagic
|
ocean ecosystems that occur bweetn the surface and the floor
|
|
|
benthic
|
ocean ecosystems that occur on the floor
|
|
|
kelp
|
large brown algae grow on the floor of continental shelves and reach upward toward the sun
|
|
|
coral reef
|
a mass of calcium carbonate compsed of the skeletons of tiny colonial marine organisms known as corals
|
|
|
intertidal or littoral ecosystems
|
where the ocean meets the land
|
|
|
tides
|
periodic rising and falling of the ocean's height at a fiven location caused by the gravitationsl pull of the moon and sun
|
|
|
salt marshes
|
occur where the tides was over gently sloping sandy or silty substrates
|
|
|
mangroves
|
trees with unique roots that anchor into the water and some go above water to get oxygen
|
|
|
estuaries
|
water bodies where rivers flow into the ocean mixing fresheater with salt water
|
|
|
methane hydrate
|
icelike solid consisting of molecules of methane embedded in a crystal lattice of water moleculess
|
|
|
harmful algal blooms
|
population explosions amound marine algea that produce toxins that attack the nervous systems of vertebrates
|
|
|
red tides
|
algal species produce reddish pigments that discolor surface waters
|
|
|
marine protected areas
|
many have been established along the coastlines of developed countries
|
|
|
atmoshpere
|
the tin layre of gases that surrounds Earth
|
|
|
troposphere
|
the bottommost layer that blankers earth's surface and provides organisms the air they need to live
|
|
|
stratosphere
|
its gases experience little vertical mising so one substances enter it they tend to remain for a long time ozone is here
|
|
|
ozone layer
|
greatly reduces the amount of UV radiation that reaches the Earth's surface
|
|
|
mesosphere
|
above the stratosphere
|
|
|
thermosphere
|
above the mesosphere
|
|
|
Atmospheric pressure
|
measures the force perunit area produced by a column of air
|
|
|
relative humidity
|
the ratio of water vapor a fiven volume of air contains to the maximum amount it could conatain at a fiven temperature
|
|
|
convective circulation
|
warm air being less dense rises and creates vertical currents
|
|
|
weather
|
specifies atmospheric conditions over short time periods
|
|
|
Climate
|
describes the pattern of atmospheric conditions found across large geographic regions
|
|
|
warm front
|
the voundary along with a mass of warmer moister air replaces a mass of colder drier air
|
|
|
cold front
|
the boundar along which a colder drier air mass displaces a warmer moister airmass
|
|
|
high pressure system
|
an air mass with high stmospheric pressure it moves outward away from the center of high pressure as it descends bring fair weather
|
|
|
Low pressure system
|
air moves toward the low atmospheric pressure at the center of the system and spiral up
|
|
|
thermal inverion
|
departure from the normal temperature profile
|
|
|
inversion layer
|
the band of air in which temperature rises with altitude
|
|
|
hadley cells
|
equator where sunlight is most intense surface air warms rises and expands as it does it releases moiture
|
|
|
polar cells
|
life air and create precipitation around 60 degrees latitude causeing air to descend at around30 degress latitude and in the polar regions
|
|
|
air pollutants
|
gases and pariculate material added to the atmosphere that can affect climate or harm people or other organisms
|
|
|
Clean air act of 1970
|
set stricter standards for air quality
|
|
|
clean air act of 1990
|
sought to strengthen regulations pertaining to air quality standards
|
|
|
criteria pollutants
|
pollutants judged to pose expecially great threats to human health
|
|
|
Volatil organic compounds
|
carboncontaining chemicals used in industrial porcesses
|
|
|
toxic air pollutants
|
substances known to cause cancer reropductive defects or neurological developmental immu ne system or respiratorty problems
|
|
|
industrial smog
|
coal or oil being burned releases co2 and soots
|
|
|
Photochemical smog
|
formed through light driven chemical reactions of primary pollutants and normal atmospheric compounds that produce a mix of over 100 different chemicals
|
|
|
CFC
|
depleted the ozone layer
|
|
|
Montral Protocol
|
signatory nations agreed to cut CFC production in half
|
|
|
acidic depostition
|
acid rain
|
|
|
green house gases
|
gases that absorb infrared radiation from the earths surface
|
|
|
greenouse effect
|
warming of the troposphere
|
|
|
milankovitch cycles
|
result in slight changes in the relative amount of slar radiation reaching earth's surface at different latitudes of the long term
|
|
|
El nino
|
conditions are triggered when equatorial winds weaken and allow warm water from the weatern pacific to move eastwaerd preventing cold water from welling up inthe easter pacific
|
|
|
la nina
|
cold surface waters extendfar westward in the equatorial Pacific
|
|
|
proxy indicators
|
types of indirect evidence that serve as prozies for direct measurement
|
|
|
Interfovernmental Panel on climate change
|
collection of scienctific information concerning global climate change
|
|
|
Un framework convention of climate change
|
outlined a plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000
|
|
|
Kyoto Protocol
|
reduce emisions of 6 greenhouse gases to levels equal to or lower than those of 1990
|
|
|
Gross photosynthesis
|
The total number of carbohydrates produced
|
|
|
Community succession model
|
a barren environment slowly changes to become new starting with pioneer plants and getting more complex
|
|
|
Climax Communityq
|
peaked out the capacity of a system to grow and support things
|
|
|
Individualistic Model change
|
number size, most efficient at dispersal
|
|
|
Tolerance Model
|
Fire
|
|
|
Major causes of the loss of Biodiversity
|
H-Habitat Alteration
I-Invasive Species P-Pollution P-popullation growth o-Overexploitation |
|
|
Die back
|
vegitation dying- usually can handle one stress but not multiple
|
|
|
Bark Beatle
|
killed trees for over 10 years, leaving dead shells caused huge fire
|
|
|
Polor bear extinction
|
ice melting rapidly
not able to adjust to the rate of change |
|
|
System
|
a set of objects together with the relationship between the object and between their attributes
|
|
|
open system
|
a boundary through which energy and matter can move
|
|
|
Closed system
|
clear boundary no import or expor of energy or matter
|
|
|
Feedback
|
part of the out put of a system helpa change or slows down a change
|
|
|
relaxation time
|
time taken to realize equilibrium in a system during change from one quilibrium condition to another
|
|
|
Threshold
|
a condition characterizing the transition from one system to another
|
|
|
Nutrients
|
elements and compouns that organisms consume and require for survival
|
|
|
Geochemical cycles
|
physical flow of matter and energy though differing states of environment - no life
|
|
|
Biogeochemical cycles
|
physical flow of matter and energy though differing states of environment with life
|
|
|
resevoir
|
storage for elements or comounds
|
|
|
Flux
|
a way in or out of resevoir per unit of time
|
|
|
Francis Bretherton
|
Atomospheric proffessor
Diagrams of where things go and flow and store in biogeochemical cycles |
|
|
Nitrogen cycle
|
Humans have altered, 70% of atmosphere, limits the grow of plants
|
|
|
Nitrogen fixation
|
chemical technologies allow us to make NH4 fertilizer plants need fixed nitrogen to grow
|
|
|
Carbon Cycle
|
the movement of carbon
|
|
|
Important cycles
|
Nitrogen, Carbon, Phosphorus, Water, Rock
|
|
|
Hydrologic system
|
P=Et+R+G
|
|
|
P=Et+R+(I,Rs,S,M,L,G)
|
Et=evapotransporation
I=interception Rs=Surface storage S=channel storage M=soil moisture storage L=shallow storagae G=ground water |
|
|
Hydrologic working units
|
Drainage basin and water sheld the area drained by a stream sn all of its tributaries
|
|
|
Hydrograph
|
Shows discharge over time and the watersheds
Q=discharge, A=cross sectional area |
|
|
heavily forested hydrograph
|
Subduded in response, sloping
|
|
|
Semi desert Hydrogragh
|
Flashy in response Steep
|
|
|
Humams can inpact water sheds
|
Logging, fire. cities and urbanization
|
|
|
Aquifer
|
moves water through
|
|
|
Aquiclude
|
blocks water
|
|
|
watertable
|
the surface of the saturated zone
|
|
|
hilltop erosion
|
sheet flow, rills and gullies
|
|
|
channelized erosion
|
corrosion-chemical dissolves
corrasian-picks up and carries away |
|
|
vertical corrasion
|
cuts vertically down through the floor grand canyon
|
|
|
Horizontal corrazion
|
the banks fo rivers
|
|
|
oblique corrasion
|
horisontal and vertical a very tight river bend
|
|
|
knickpoint corrasion
|
under cuts the hard rock and attacks the softer rock aka a waterfall
|
|
|
competence
|
the biggest piece in a flow
|
|
|
capacity
|
total amount a flow could carry
|
|
|
Accelerated erosian
|
Agriculture, urbanization, mining
|
|
|
Disolved load transport
|
chemically disolve with in the fluid mix even throughout the flow
|
|
|
suspended load transport
|
solid and or silt muddy water not evenly distributed
|
|
|
Bed load transport
|
moves along the bottom on the bed
|
|
|
Deposistion
|
excess load or loss of transport capacity (the slope is reduced or the river fans out common in deltas)
|
|
|
Condenstation
|
the point at which no more water vapor can be held and it converts
|
|
|
adiabatic Process
|
no gain or loss of external energy or heat
|
|
|
orographic processes
|
topographical control
|
|
|
Frontal precipitation
|
metting of 2 blocks of air with different characteristics
|
|
|
convection
|
a hot spot rises up condenses and returns as rain a localized process
|
|
|
convergent
|
air flow meets in a valley and rises up together
|
|
|
parcel of air
|
air with common characteristics
|
|
|
Cylone
|
the center of low perssure and the moiture spins around it causing wave cyclones, tonaodes or Hurricanes
|
