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atmosphere
all of the air on earth
life
the existence of an individual human being or animal
biosphere
all living things on earth
geosphere
all rock and solid material on earth
hydrosphere
all water on earth
photosynthesis
autotroph’s process of turning water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and glucose
claim
an assertion of the truth of something
evidence
the data or information used to support a claim.
reasoning
explanation of evidence that supports claim
weathering
the process of breaking down rocks and minerals through physical, chemical, or biological means.
erosion
the process of moving sediment and soil from one location to another, often caused by water, wind, or ice.
aerobic
process requiring oxygen
anaerobic
process without oxygen
cyanobacteria
photosynthetic blue/green bacteria that produce oxygen
banded iron formation
sedimentary rocks formed by the precipitation of iron in ancient oceans, indicating periods of oxygen production by photosynthetic organisms
solar system
a collection of celestial bodies
radiometric dating
a method used to date materials based on the decay of radioactive isotopes
meteorite
a solid fragment of a meteoroid that survives its passage through the Earth's atmosphere and lands on the surface
asteroid
a small rocky body that orbits the Sun
plate tectonics
the large-scale movement of the Earth's crust over time
moon
a natural satellite that orbits a planet
planet
a celestial body that orbits a star, is spherical in shape, and has cleared its orbit of other debris
impact crater
a depression on a planetary surface caused by the collision of a meteorite or other celestial body
mineral
a naturally occurring inorganic solid with a defined chemical composition
composition
a specific combination of elements and minerals that make up something
terrestrial
relating to the Earth or land, especially in contrast to water or air.
crust
the outermost layer of the Earth, composed of solid rock and minerals
volcano
a rupture in the Earth's crust where molten lava, ash, and gases escape from the magma chamber
accretion disk
a rotating disk of dense gas and dust that is formed from a nebula
nebula
a large cloud of gas and dust in space
planetesimal
a minute planet
sun
the star of our solar system
nuclear fusion
the process that formed the sun
stellar winds
a flow of gas ejected from the upper atmosphere of a star
element
the series of materials that make up things on earth
glucose
a simple sugar created by photosynthesis, and is used in cellular respiration
carbon dioxide
two carbon and one oxygen molecule created by respiration
oxygen
the gas vital for life on earth
reactants
the substance that begins the chemical reaction
products
the output of a chemical reaction
chemical reaction
a process in which one or more substances are converted to one or more different substances
energy
capacity to do work
matter
physical substance
rate
a quantity measured against some other quantity
factor
a circumstance that contributes to a result or outcome
autotroph
an organism that can produce its own food
heterotroph
an organism that derives energy from other organisms
graph
a diagram showing the relation between variable quantities
trend
a general direction in which something is developing
consumption
the using of a resource
combustion of fossil fuels
the process of burning fossil fuels, primarily producing carbon dioxide and water vapo
decomposition
the state or process of rotting
ocean gas exchange
the process that occurs when co2 is exchanged between the ocean and atmosphere
sedimentary rock
rock that is created from layers of sediment being compressed
carbon cycle
the cycling of carbon through the earth’s resevoirs
cellular respiration
the process of living creatures using glucose and oxygen to create useable energy
bond energy
a measure of the amount of energy needed to break apart a molecule
aerobic respiration
the process of cellular respiration that takes place in the presence of oxygen gas to produce energy from food
anaerobic respiration
a cellular process where energy is produced from food molecules without the use of oxygen
fermentation
an anaerobic metabolic process where organisms break down sugar molecules into simpler compounds
lactic acid fermentation
an anaerobic metabolic process where glucose is converted into cellular energy and the byproduct lactate
alcoholic fermentation
a biological process where yeasts convert simple sugars like glucose into ethanol and carbon dioxide as byproducts, occurring in the absence of oxygen
food chain
a linear network of links in a food web
food web
all the food chains in an ecosystem
producer
an organism that makes its own food using energy from the sun or chemicals
consumer
an organism that cannot produce its own food and must obtain energy by eating other organisms
decomposer
an organism or process that uses dead or decaying material
trophic level
each of several hierarchical levels in an ecosystem
predator
an animal that naturally preys on others
prey
biotic factor
any living thing that has an effect on an ecosystem
abiotic factor
any non-living thing that has an effect on an ecosystem
competition
an interaction between organisms that share the same resources
carrying capacity
the maximum amount of a certain kind of organism that an ecosystem can support
ecosystem
a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment
habitat
where animals live
positive feedback loop
when the product of a reaction leads to an increase in that reaction
negative feedback loop
the effects of a reaction slow or stop that reaction
hormone
the body’s chemical messengers
homeostasis
the state of steady internal physical and chemical conditions maintained by living systems
independent variable
the thing you are changing in an experiment
dependent variable
the thing you are measuring in an experiment
