Environmental Biology, Ch. 2

Front 1

negative feedback loop

Back 1

feedback loop where one output of one type acts as in put that moves the system in the opposite direction. The input and output essentially neutralize each other and stabilize the system.

Ex.: thermostat,body temp regulation

Front 2

positive feedback loop

Back 2

rather than stabilizing the system, they push it towards an extreme.

ex: melting glaciers from GW

Front 3

lithosphere

Back 3

Earth's uppermost layers. contains rock and sediment beneath out feet.

Front 4

atmosphere

Back 4

air surrounding out planet

Front 5

hydrosphere

Back 5

all forms of water-- salt, fresh, liquid, ice, vapor, surface bodies, underground, in the atmosphere

Front 6

biosphere

Back 6

consists of all the planet's living organisms abiotic (nonliving) portions of the environment with which they interact

Front 7

eutrophication

Back 7

the process of nutrient enrichment, increased production of organic matter, and subsequent ecosystem degradation in a water body.

Front 8

matter

Back 8

any material that takes up space

Front 9

law of conservation of matter

Back 9

Matter exists in the universe as a solid, liquid, or gas. Matter may be transformed from one type of substance to others but it cannot be created or destroyed.

Front 10

element

Back 10

a fundamental type of matter, a chemical substance with a given set of properties that cannot be broken down into other substances

Front 11

atoms

Back 11

the smallest components that maintain the chemical properties of the element.

Front 12

protons

Back 12

inside an atom. positively charged particles.

Front 13

neutrons

Back 13

inside an atom. neutral particles.

Front 14

electrons

Back 14

negatively charged particles. surround the atom's nucleus.

Front 15

isotopes

Back 15

atoms with differing numbers of neutrons

Front 16

ions

Back 16

electrically charged atoms of combinations of atoms.

Front 17

molecules

Back 17

combinations of two or more atoms

Front 18

chemical formula

Back 18

shorthand for molecules

Front 19

compound

Back 19

a molecule composed of atoms of two or more different elements

Front 20

carbon dioxide

Back 20

consists of one carbon atom bonded to two oxygen atoms

Front 21

ionic bonds

Back 21

ions of differing charge bind with one another to form compounds

Front 22

covalent bonds

Back 22

atoms that lack an electrical charge combine by "sharing" electrons

Front 23

solutions

Back 23

when elements, molecules, and compounds come together without chemically bonding

ex: human blood, ocean water, carbon dioxide, plant sap, metal alloys

Front 24

neutral

Back 24

property of a solution in which the concentration of hydrodoxide ions (OH-) is equal to the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+)

Front 25

basic

Back 25

the property of a solution in which the concentration of hydroxide (OH-) ions is greater than the concentration of hydrogen (H+) ions

Front 26

acidic

Back 26

the property of a solution in which the concentration of hydrogen (H+) ions is greater than the concentration of hydroxide (OH-) ions

Front 27

hydrocarbons

Back 27

consists of solely atoms of carbon and hydrogen. they make up the fossil fuel

Front 28

macromolecule

Back 28

a very large molecule, such as a protein, nucleic acid, carbohydrate, or lipid.

Front 29

protein

Back 29

a macromolecule made up of long chains of amino acids

Front 30

nucleic acids

Back 30

a macromolecule that directs the production of proteins

Front 31

genes

Back 31

regions of DNA coding for particular proteins that perform particular functions

Front 32

carbohydrate

Back 32

an organic compound consisting of atoms of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen

Front 33

lipids

Back 33

A chemically diverse group of compounds, classified together because they don't dissolve in water.

Ex: fats, oils, phospholipids, waxes, and steroids

Front 34

cells

Back 34

most basic unit of organismal organization

Front 35

energy

Back 35

an intangible phenomenon that can change the position,physical composition or temperature of matter.

Front 36

potential energy

Back 36

energy of position

Front 37

kinetic energy

Back 37

energy of motion

Front 38

chemical energy

Back 38

potential energy held in the bonds between atoms

Front 39

first law of thermodynamics

Back 39

Energy can change from one form to another but cannot be created or lost. The total energy in the universe remains constant and is said to be conserved.

Front 40

second law of thermodynamics

Back 40

The nature of energy tends to change from a more-ordered state to a less-ordered state. Entropy increases.

Front 41

autotrophs (producers)

Back 41

Organisms that use the sun's radiation directly to produce their own food.

Ex: green plants, algae, cyanobacteria

Front 42

photosynthesis

Back 42

when an autotroph turns light energy from the sun into a chemical energy

Front 43

cellular respiration

Back 43

When a cell uses oxygen to to split glucose into water and carbon dioxide, and releases a chemical energy that can be used to form chemical bonds or to perform other tasks with in cell. HOW IT EATS, BASICALLY

Front 44

heterotrophs (consumers)

Back 44

organisms that gain their energy by feeding on the biomass of other organisms.

Front 45

ecosystem

Back 45

consists of all organisms and nonliving entities that occur and interact in a particular area

Front 46

estuary

Back 46

a water body where rivers flow into the ocean, mixing fresh water with salt water

Front 47

net primary production

Back 47

The energy or biomass that remains in a ecosystem after autotrophs have metabolized enough for themselves. It is the energy or biomass that is available for heterotrophs.

Front 48

net primary productivity

Back 48

The rate at which net primary production is produced.

Front 49

landscape ecology

Back 49

The study of how

Front 50

conservation biologist

Back 50

scientists who study the loss, protection, and restoration of biodiversity.

Front 51

model

Back 51

simplified version of a complicated natural process.

Front 52

ecological modeling

Back 52

The practice of constructing and testing models that aim to explain and predict how ecological systems function.

Front 53

ecosystem services

Back 53

an essential service an ecosystem provides that supports life and makes economic activity possible.

Front 54

nutrient cycles (biogeochemical cycles)

Back 54

the comprehensive set of cyclical pathways by which a given nutrient moves through the environment.

Front 55

hydrologic cycle

Back 55

water cycle

Front 56

evaporation

Back 56

when water moves into the autmosphere

Front 57

transpiration

Back 57

the release of water vapor by plants through their leaves.

Front 58

precipitation

Back 58

when water returns from the atmosphere

Front 59

infiltration

Back 59

when some water soaks down through the soil and rock

Front 60

aquifers

Back 60

underground reservoirs. sponge like regions of rock and soil that hold groundwater

Front 61

groundwater

Back 61

water found underground beneath soil.

Front 62

carbon cycle

Back 62

the process in which carbontravels from the atmosphere into organisms and the Earth and then back into the atmosphere. Plants take carbon dioxide from the air and use it to make food. Animals then eat the food and carbon is stored in their bodies or released as CO2 through respiration.

Front 63

nitrogen cycle

Back 63

After nitrogen has been fixed, other bacteria convert it into nitrate, in a process known as nitrification. In the first step of this process, Nitrosomonas convert ammonia into nitrite, and in the second step, nitrite is converted into nitrate, by Nitrobacter. This nitrate is then consumed by plants.

Front 64

nitrogen fixation

Back 64

when nitrogen gas combines with hydrogen to form ammonium ions (NH4+). They are chemically and biologically active and can be taken up by plants

Front 65

nitrogen-fixing bacteria

Back 65

bacteria that live in a mutualistic relationship with many types of plants and provide nutrients to the plants by converting nitrogen to a usable form.

Front 66

nitrification

Back 66

The conversion by bacteria of ammonium ions (NH4+) first into nitrite ions (NO2-) and then into nitrate ions (NO3-)

Front 67

denitrifying bacteria

Back 67

Bacteria that convert the nitrates in soil or water to gaseous nitrogen and release it back into the atmosphere.

Front 68

industrial fixation

Back 68

nitrogen fixation performed by people to produce fertilizers and industrial chemicals.