Shared Flashcard Set

Details

BIO 105 Module 2 Flash Cards
Major themes and terms from Chapter 2 of Essential Environment
113
Environmental Studies
Undergraduate 1
06/05/2017

Additional Environmental Studies Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
System
Definition
Network of relationships among parts, elements, or components that interact with and influence one another through the exchange of energy, matter, or information.
Term
Lithosphere
Definition
The rock and sediment beneath our feet; the planet’s uppermost mantle and crust
Term
Atmosphere
Definition
Air surrounding our planet
Term
Hydrosphere
Definition
All water on the planet
Term
Biosphere
Definition
All living and nonliving organisms on the planet
Term
Feedback loop
Definition
Circular process in which a system's output can serve as an input to the same system
Term
Negative Feedback Loop
Definition
Output that results from a system moving in one direction acts as imput that moves the system in the other direction
Term
Dynamic Equilibrium
Definition
When processes move in opposing directions at equivalent rates so that their effects balance out when in a system stabilized by negative feedback
Term
Homeostasis
Definition
The tendency of a system to maintain relatively constant of stable internal conditions
Term
Positive Feedback Loop
Definition
Driving a system further toward an extreme rather than stabilizing the system
Term
Watershed
Definition
Area of land from which water drains into a river
Term
Airshed
Definition
Geographic area that produces air pollutants likely to end up in a waterway
Term
Runoff
Definition
Precipitation that flows over land and enters waterways
Term
Hypoxia
Definition
Depletion of oxygen in water
Term
Eutrophication
Definition
Over enrichment of nutrients that cause blooms of algae and increased production of organic matter which leads to ecosystem degradation
Term
Matter
Definition
All material in the universe that has mass and occupies space
Term
Chemistry
Definition
Study of types of matter and their interactions
Term
Law of Conservation of Matter
Definition
Matter can be transformed but it cannot be created or destroyed
Term
Element
Definition
Fundamental type of matter that is a chemical substance with a given set of properties that cannot be broken down into substances with other properties in chemical reactions
Term
Atom
Definition
Smallest units that maintain the chemical properties of the element
Term
Proton
Definition
Positively charges particles in an atom's nucleus
Term
Atomic Number
Definition
Number of protons in an atom's nucleus
Term
Neutron
Definition
Particles in the nuclei that lack electric charge
Term
Electron
Definition
Negatively charges particles that surround an atom's nucleus
Term
Hydrogen
Definition
Element especially abundant in water
Term
Oxygen
Definition
Element especially abundant in air
Term
Silicon
Definition
Element especially abundant in Earth's crust
Term
Nitrogen
Definition
Element especially abundant in air
Term
Carbon
Definition
Element especially abundant in living organisms
Term
Nutrients
Definition
Elements that organisms need to survive
Term
Isotopes
Definition
Atoms with differing numbers of neutrons
Term
Ions
Definition
Atoms that have gained or lost electrons and became electrically charged atoms or combinations of atoms
Term
Molecules
Definition
Two or more atoms bonded together
Term
Chemical Formula
Definition
Formula used to indicate the type and number of atoms in a molecule
Term
Compound
Definition
Molecule composed of atoms from two ore more different elements
Term
Water
Definition
One oxygen atom bonded to two hydrogen atoms
Term
Carbon Dioxide
Definition
Compound consisting of one carbon atom bonded to two oxygen atoms
Term
Ionic Bonds
Definition
Ions of differing charge bind with one another to form compounds
Term
Covalent Bonds
Definition
Bonds that lack electrical charge and combine by "sharing" electrons
Term
Solutions
Definition
Elements, molecules, and compounds that come together without chemically bonding
Term
Methane
Definition
Colorless gas produced primarily by anaerobic decomposition
Term
Ozone
Definition
Molecule consisting of three atoms of oxygen
Term
Neutral on the pH Scale
Definition
Equal numbers of hydrogen ions and hydroxide ions
Term
Acidic on the pH Scale
Definition
Concentration of hydrogen ions is greater than hydroxide ions
Term
Basic on the pH Scale
Definition
Hydroxide ion concentration is higher than hydrogen ion concentration
Term
pH Scale
Definition
Scale that quantifies the acidity of basicity of a solution
Term
Organic Compounds
Definition
Carbon atoms joined by covalent bonds and may include other elements
Term
Inorganic Compounds
Definition
Compounds that lack carbon-carbon bonds
Term
Hydrocarbons
Definition
Organic compound that contains only atoms of carbon and hydrogen
Term
Polymers
Definition
Long chains of repeated molecules
Term
Macromolecules
Definition
Building blocks of life
Term
Protein
Definition
Long chains of organic molecules called, amino acids, that serve functions in living cells including structural support, energy storage, immune system functions, hormones, and enzymes
Term
Nucleic Acids
Definition
Direct the production of proteins by acids composed of nucleotides,a sugar molecule, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base
Term
Genes
Definition
Regions of DNA that Code for particular proteins that perform particular functions
Term
Carbohydrates
Definition
Simple sugars and large molecules comprised of chemically bonded simple sugars
Term
Glucose
Definition
Fuels living cells and serves as the base for complex carbohydrates
Term
Complex Carbohydrates
Definition
Used to build structure
Term
Starch
Definition
Energy storage compound
Term
Chitin
Definition
Structural component of shells
Term
Cellulose
Definition
Most abundant organic compound on Earth found in the cell walls of plants
Term
Lipids
Definition
Chemically diverse group of compounds that do not dissolve in water
Term
Cells
Definition
The most basic unit of organismal organization
Term
Energy
Definition
Intangible that can change the position, physical composition, and temperature of matter
Term
Potential Energy
Definition
The energy of position
Term
Kinetic Energy
Definition
Energy of motion
Term
Chemical Energy
Definition
Potential energy held in the bonds between atoms
Term
First Law of Thermodynamics
Definition
Energy can change from one form to another but it cannot be created or destroyed
Term
Second Law of Thermodynamics
Definition
The nature of energy will change from a more ordered stat to a less ordered state if no force counteracts this tendency
Term
Autotrophs
Definition
Organizers that use the sun's direct radiation to produce their own food- also called producers
Term
Photosynthesis
Definition
Process that converts the sun's light energy into chemical energy
Term
Chlorophyll
Definition
Light-absorbing pigment
Term
Chloroplasts
Definition
Cells organelles in autotrophs
Term
Light Reactions
Definition
Chemical reactions from solar energy
Term
Calvin Cycle
Definition
Light reactions that produce energy molecules which forms sugars
Term
Cellular Respiration
Definition
Chemical energy created by photosynthesis
Term
Heterotrophs
Definition
Organisms that gain their energy by feeding on the tissues of other organisms- also called Consumers
Term
Ecosystem
Definition
All living and nonliving entities that occur and interact in a particular area at a particular time
Term
Estuary
Definition
Body of water where rivers flow into the ocean thus mixing fresh and salt water
Term
Primary Production
Definition
Conversion of solar energy to the energy of chemicals bonds
Term
Gross Primary Production
Definition
Total amount of chemical energy produces by autotrophs
Term
Net Primary Production
Definition
Energy that remains after respiration
Term
Biomass
Definition
Term
Productivity
Definition
The rate at which autotrophs convert energy to biomass
Term
Net Primary Productivity
Definition
Amount producers convert from solar energy to biomass
Term
Landscape Ecology
Definition
Broad-scale approach to ecology
Term
Conservation Biologists
Definition
Scientists who study the loss, protection, and restoration of biodiversity
Term
Model
Definition
Simplified representation of a complicated natural process
Term
Ecological Modeling
Definition
Practice of constructing and testing models that aim to explain and predict how ecological systems function
Term
Ecosystem Services
Definition
Term
Nutrient Cycles
Definition
Circulation of elements or molecules through the lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere- also called the biogeochemical cycle
Term
Source
Definition
Reservoir that releases more material than it accepts
Term
Sink
Definition
Reservoir that accepts more materials than it releases
Term
Flux
Definition
Rate at which materials move between reservoirs
Term
Reservoir
Definition
Collection of nutrients- also called pool
Term
Residence Time
Definition
Amount of time nutrients remain in each reservoir
Term
Hydrologic Cycle
Definition
The flow of water in liquid, gaseous, and solid forms
Term
Evaporation
Definition
Water moving from surface water and moist soil to the atmosphere
Term
Transpiration
Definition
Release of water vapor into the atmosphere by plants through their leaves
Term
Precipitation
Definition
When water vapor condenses and falls as rain or snow
Term
Infiltration
Definition
The process in which water soaks down through soil and rock
Term
Aquifers
Definition
Underground reservoirs of water
Term
Groundwater
Definition
Water found beneath layers of soil
Term
Water Table
Definition
Uppermost level of groundwater held in an aquifer
Term
Carbon Cycle
Definition
The routes carbon atoms take through the environment
Term
Nitrogen Cycle
Definition
The route nitrogen atoms take through the nested networks of environmental systems
Term
Nitrogen Fixation
Definition
Can be accomplished in two ways: by the intense energy of lightning strikes of by types of nitrogen fixing bacteria
Term
Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria
Definition
Bacteria that inhabit the top layer of soil
Term
Nitrification
Definition
Conversion of ammonium ions into nitrite ions then into nitrate ions
Term
Denitrifying Bacteria
Definition
Bacteria that converts nitrates in the soil or water into gas
Term
Denitrification
Definition
Release of nitrogen back into the atmosphere as gas
Term
Industrial Fixation
Definition
Man-made discovery of how to fix nitrogen on massive scales
Term
Phosphorus Cycle
Definition
Nutrient cycle consisting of the routes that phosphorus atoms take through the nested networks of environmental systems
Term
Sedimentary Rocks
Definition
Largest reservoir in the phosphorus cycle
Supporting users have an ad free experience!