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element
substance that cannot be broken down chemically into other substances
atom
bit of matter that cannot be subdivided any further without losing its essential properties
matter
anything that occupies space and has mass
radioactive isotopes
living cells cannot distinguish between isotopes of the same elements, can damage DNA, breaks chemical bonds or forms abnormal bonds
65%
oxygen
18.5%
carbon
3%
nitrogen
9.5%
hydrogen
molecule
consists of two or more atoms held together by covalent bonds
hydrocarbons
organic molecules consisting of only carbon and hydrogen
smallest unit of life
cell
population
all the individuals of the same species living within a specific area
community
association of populations of two or more different species inhabiting a particular area
ecosystem
all the living organisms in a particular area together with the abiotic, non-living parts of that environment
biosphere
the collection of all ecosystems
freshwater ecosystem
rarest, occurring only on 1.8 percent of the Earth’s surface; fish amphibians, reptiles, insects, phytoplankton, fungi, and bacteria
ocean water (marine)
most common, 75% of Earth’s surface, shallow ocean ecosystems include extremely biodiverse coral reef ecosystems
terrestrial
grouped into large categories called biomes
ecosystem services
Earth’s natural systems provide things required for our survival; air and water purification, climate regulation, and plant pollination, nutrient cycling, soil formation, and primary production
natural sciences
biology, chemistry, geology, ecology, etc.
social sciences
ethics, economics, political science, etc.
scientific theory
an integrated explanation of many hypotheses, each supported by many observations and experiments, generally accepted as true
variable
factor that influences a process
carrying capacity
population size finally stabilizes (zero population growth rate) at the maximum population size that can be supported by the environment
interspecific competition
competition between individuals of different species
intraspecific competition
competition between individuals from the same species
survivorship
chance of an individual in a given population surviving to various ages
tracers
follow molecules as they undergo chemical changes in an organism
pre-industrial
no countries currently in this stage, isolated groups of people with limited contact to global society
transitional
developing, or less-industrialized countries just gaining access to improved healthcare and sanitation
industrial
developed, or more industrialized countries experiencing societal changes that continue to decrease the death rate and begin to decrease the birth rate
post-industrial
developed, or more industrialized countries where birth rate and death rate are equally low
first law of thermodynamics
energy cannot be created or destroyed
second law of thermodynamics
the amount of usable energy in the universe decreases over time
trophic level
each link in a food chain
first trophic level
producers
second trophic level
primary consumers
third trophic level
secondary consumers
sector
industrial, vehicular, residential, commercial
application
electricity, transportation, heating/cooling, etc
source
coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear, renewables
nation of origin
domestic use, imports, exports
scrubbers
remove sulfur and particulates from emissions