bio midterm vocab

fml

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