Unit 8

Front 1

greenhouse effect

Back 1

an atmospheric heating phenomenon, caused by short-wave solar radiation being readily transmitted inward through the earth's atmosphere but longer-wavelength heat radiation less readily transmitted outward, owing to its absorption by atmospheric carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, and other gases; thus, the rising level of carbon dioxide is viewed with concern.

Front 2

deforestation

Back 2

to divest or clear of forests or trees:

Front 3

biomagnification

Back 3

the increasing concentration of toxic substances within each successive link in the food chain.

Front 4

over-exploitation

Back 4

exploitation to the point of diminishing returns

Front 5

desertification

Back 5

the rapid depletion of plant life and the loss of topsoil at desert boundaries and in semiarid regions, usually caused by a combination of drought and the overexploitation of grasses and other vegetation by people.

Front 6

acid rain

Back 6

precipitation, as rain, snow, or sleet, containing relatively high concentrations of acid-forming chemicals, as the pollutants from coal smoke, chemical manufacturing, and smelting, that have been released into the atmosphere and combined with water vapor: harmful to the environment.

Front 7

ozone depletion

Back 7

a slow, steady decline of about 4 percent per decade in the total amount of ozone in Earth's stratosphere

Front 8

carbon cycle

Back 8

the circulation of carbon atoms in the biosphere as a result of photosynthetic conversion of carbon dioxide into complex organic compounds by plants, which are consumed by other organisms: the carbon returns to the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide as a result of respiration, decay by fungi, bacteria, etc., and combustion of fossil fuels.

Front 9

water cycle

Back 9

The cycle of evaporation and condensation that controls the distribution of the earth's water as it evaporates from bodies of water, condenses, precipitates, and returns to those bodies of water

Front 10

nitrogen cycle

Back 10

the continuous sequence of events by which atmospheric nitrogen and nitrogenous compounds in the soil are converted, as by nitrification and nitrogen fixation, into substances that can be utilized by green plants, the substances returning to the air and soil as a result of the decay of the plants and denitrification.

Front 11

food web

Back 11

a series of organisms related by predator-prey and consumer-resource interactions; the entirety of interrelated food chains in an ecological community.

Front 12

food chain

Back 12

a series of organisms interrelated in their feeding habits, the smallest being fed upon by a larger one, which in turn feeds a still larger one, etc.

Front 13

tertiary consumer

Back 13

An animal that feeds on secondary consumers in a food chain.

Front 14

eutrophication

Back 14

characterized by an abundant accumulation of nutrients that support a dense growth of algae and other organisms, the decay of which depletes the shallow waters of oxygen in summer.

Front 15

ecological pyramid

Back 15

graphical representation designed to show the biomass or productivity at each trophic level in a given ecosystem

Front 16

tropical rain forest

Back 16

rain forest in a tropical area

Front 17

desert

Back 17

any area in which few forms of life can exist because of lack of water, permanent frost, or absence of soil.

Front 18

taiga

Back 18

the coniferous evergreen forests of subarctic lands, covering vast areas of northern North America and Eurasia.

Front 19

tundra

Back 19

one of the vast, nearly level, treeless plains of the arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America.

Front 20

permafrost

Back 20

perennially frozen subsoil.

Front 21

freshwater

Back 21

of or living in water that is fresh or not salt

Front 22

marine

Back 22

of or pertaining to the sea

Front 23

savanna

Back 23

grassland region with scattered trees, grading into either open plain or woodland, usually in subtropical or tropical regions.

Front 24

temperate grassland

Back 24

composed of a rich mix of grasses and forbs and underlain
by some of the world's most fertile soils

Front 25

temperate deciduous forest

Back 25

located in the temperate zone above the tropical forests
and below the coniferous forests:go through four seasons

Front 26

ecosystem

Back 26

system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their environment.

Front 27

primary succession

Back 27

the development of plant and animal life in an area without topsoil; the development of biotic communities in a previously uninhabited and barren habitat with little or no soil

Front 28

pioneer species

Back 28

a plant species which colonizes previously uncolonized land,
usually leading to ecological succession

Front 29

climax community

Back 29

point of greatest intensity or force in an ascending series or progression; a culmination.

Front 30

secondary succession

Back 30

The act or process of following in order or sequence.

Front 31

fire

Back 31

a state, process, or instance of combustion in which fuel or other material is ignited and combined with oxygen, giving off light, heat, and flame.

Front 32

climax

Back 32

the highest or most intense point in the development or resolution of something;

Front 33

convergent evolution

Back 33

the appearance of apparently similar structures in organisms of different lines of descent.

Front 34

Mullerian mimicry

Back 34

the resemblance in appearance of two or more unpalatable species, which are avoided by predators to a greater degree than any one of the species would be otherwise.

Front 35

Batesian mimicry

Back 35

the protective resemblance in appearance of a palatable or harmless species, as the viceroy butterfly, to an unpalatable or dangerous species, as the monarch butterfly, that is usually avoided by predators

Front 36

coevolution

Back 36

evolution involving a series of reciprocal changes in two or more noninterbreeding populations that have a close ecological relationship and act as agents of natural selection for each other, as the succession of adaptations of a predator for pursuing and of its prey for fleeing or evading.

Front 37

predator-prey adaptations

Back 37

predator-prey relationship is important in maintaining
balance among different animal species

Front 38

cryptic coloration

Back 38

coloring that conceals or disguises an animal's shape

Front 39

warning coloration

Back 39

a bold, distinctive pattern of color characteristic of a poisonous or unpalatable organism, as the skunk or the monarch butterfly, that functions as a warning to and defense against predators.

Front 40

mimicry

Back 40

the close external resemblance of an organism, the mimic, to some different organism, the model, such that the mimic benefits from the mistaken identity, as seeming to be unpalatable or harmful.

Front 41

parasitism

Back 41

a relation between organisms in which one lives as a parasite on another.

Front 42

commensalism

Back 42

A symbiotic relationship between two organisms of different species in which one derives some benefit while the other is unaffected.

Front 43

mutualism

Back 43

a relationship between two species of organisms in which both benefit from the association.

Front 44

symbiosis

Back 44

symbiosis

Front 45

herbivore

Back 45

plant eating

Front 46

predation

Back 46

a relation between animals in which one organism captures and feeds on others

Front 47

predator

Back 47

organism that exists by preying upon other organisms.

Front 48

parasite

Back 48

an organism that lives on or in an organism of another species, known as the host, from the body of which it obtains nutriment.

Front 49

parasitoid

Back 49

Any of various insects, such as the ichneumon fly, whose larvae are parasites that eventually kill their hosts.

Front 50

resource partitioning

Back 50

subdivision of resources

Front 51

keystone species

Back 51

species that has a disproportionate effect on its environment relative to its abundance

Front 52

dominant species

Back 52

A species of plant or animal that is particularly abundant or controls a major portion of the energy flow in a community.

Front 53

niche

Back 53

the position or function of an organism in a community of plants and animals

Front 54

interspecific competition

Back 54

competition between two or
more species for some limiting resource

Front 55

population cycle

Back 55

phenomenon where populations rise and fall
over a predictable period of time

Front 56

population cycle

Back 56

phenomenon where populations rise and fall over a predictable period of time

Front 57

k selected

Back 57

relates to the selection of traits (in organisms) that allow success in particular environments.

Front 58

carrying capacity

Back 58

The maximum number of individuals that a given environment can support without detrimental effects.

Front 59

logistic growth

Back 59

Population growth in which the growth rate decreases with increasing number of individuals until it becomes zero when the population reaches a maximum.

Front 60

exponential growth

Back 60

The period of bacterial growth during which cells divide at a constant rate

Front 61

density independent

Back 61

A factor that affects the birth rate or mortality rate of a population in ways that are independent of the population density

Front 62

density dependant

Back 62

A factor that affects the birth rate or mortality rate of a population in ways varying with the population density.

Front 63

limiting factors

Back 63

A factor or condition that, either temporarily or permanently, impedes mission accomplishment

Front 64

age structure

Back 64

Categorization of the population of communities or countries by age groups, allowing demographers to make projections of the growth or decline of the particular population.

Front 65

dispersal patterns

Back 65

Distribution pattern of metals in soil, rock, water, or vegetation.

Front 66

size

Back 66

The physical dimensions, proportions, magnitude, or extent of an object.

Front 67

density

Back 67

The number of individuals, such as inhabitants or housing units, per unit of area.