ENSP Exam 1

What are the steps to the scientific method?

1. Observation

2. Questions

3. Hypothesis

4. Predictions

5. Test

6. Results

What step of the scientific method is the independent and dependent variable a part of?

Test

__ is the process of turning the sun’s diffuse light energy into concentrated chemical energy​.

Photosynthesis

What is respiration?

Releasing chemical energy.

__ cannot be created or destroyed.

Energy

__ is an increasing state of disorder.

Entropy

Energy changes from a __ to __ ordered stare via entropy.

More; Less

__ slow movement of lithospheric plates.

Plate tectonics

__ plate boundaries are locations where plates are moving away from one another because of magma pushing to the surface.

Divergent

Divergent plate boundaries __ crust.

Creates

__ plate boundaries are tectonic regions where two lithospheric plates slide horizontally past each other.

Transform

Friction from transform plate boundaries can cause __.

Earthquakes

A __ plate boundary is a place where two tectonic plates move toward each other and collide.

Convergent

A __ a population or group of populations whose members share characteristics​.

Species

Plants turn __ into glucose.

Sunlight

Plants take in __ and release __.

Carbon Dioxide; Oxygen

Humans take in __ and release__.

Oxygen; Carbon Dioxide

__ is the group of individuals of a particular species that live in the same area​.

Population

__ is the process where populations change over multiple generations as genetic changes alter physical and behavioral traits​.

Evolution

__ leads to __ in natural selection.

Mutations; Adaptations

__ is the variety of life across all levels of organization.

Biodiversity

__ is the process of generating new species from a single species​.

Speciation

__ speciation happens from a physical barrier.

Allopatric

__ speciation has no geographical barrier.

Sympatric

__ extinction rate is the constant, slow rate of extinction​.

Background

A __ is an organism’s role within its community​

Niche

__ species have narrow niches and specific needs; makes them vulnerable to extinction​.

Specialist

__ species have broad niches; makes them good at adapting to change​.

Generalist

__ species only exists in a certain, specialized area; usually have small populations.

Endemic

Population __ is the number of individuals per unit area​.

Density

Population __ is the number of individuals present at a given time​

Size

Population __ is the spatial arrangement of organisms in a given area (random, uniform, clumped)​.

Distribution

How is population growth rate calculated?

(birth rate - death rate) + (immigration rate - emigration rate)​

What kind of growth has a J curve?

Exponential

What is carrying capacity?

The maximum population size that can be sustained by a species’ environment over time​.

What limiting factors can cap population growth?

Resource availability, predators, parasites, disease, and temperature extremes.

__ are physical, chemical, and biological attributes of the environment that restrain population growth​.

Limiting factors

Species in type two survival curves have __ offspring and have __ death rates at old age.

Few; Higher

Species in type __ survival curves have the same death rate across all ages.

Two

Species in type three survival curves have __ offspring and higher death rates at __ ages.

Many; Young

K-selected species have __ offspring and __ parental care​.

Few; Strong

R-selected species reproduce __ and have __ parental care.

Quickly; Little

__ species have a strong or wide-reaching impact far out of proportion to its abundance​.

Keystone

__ is a phenomenon in which predators at high trophic levels indirectly affect populations at low trophic levels​.

Trophic cascade

__ physically modify the environment​.

Ecosystem engineers

__ species are non-native arrivals to a community brought by people, and are successful in establishing populations​.

Invasive

What can be used to control invasive species?

Native predators and diseases.

A __ is event that causes rapid changes in the environment that alters the community or ecosystem​.

Disturbance

Ecological __ is the ability of an ecosystem or community to withstand, respond to, and/or recover from a disturbance.​

Resilience

__ is the predictable series of changes in a community following a disturbance​.

Succession

What influences climate and the distribution of biomes?​

Temperature and Precipitation

A __ is a regional complex of similar communities​.

Biome

What type of feedback loop?
The system moving in one direction acts as an input that causes the system to move in the opposite direction.

Negative

What type of feedback loop?

System output causes the system to change in the same way and drives it further toward one extreme or another.

Positive

What structural sphere is rock and sediment​?

Lithosphere

What structural sphere is the air surrounding our planet?

Atmosphere

What structural sphere is liquid, solid, or vapor water?

Hydrosphere

What structural sphere is the planet’s biotic (living) organisms and the abiotic (non-living) portions of the environment​?

Biosphere

__ is the movement of nutrients through ecosystems ​.

Nutrient cycles

A __ is a reservoir/pool that accepts more nutrients than it releases, collects​

Sink

A __ is a reservoir/pool that releases more nutrients than it accepts​

Source

__ is the rate at which materials move between pools​.

Flux

What is the largest reservoir for carbon?

The ocean

What is the second largest reservoir for carbon?

Sedimentary rock

How does a decrease in vegetation affect the carbon cycle?

It disrupts the absorption of Co2 absorption from the atmosphere.

What are the biggest sinks of phosphorus?

Rocks, sediment, sedimentary rock, oceans​

The __ cycle transforms inert nitrogen into a more usable form that can be taken by plants and animals and cycled.

Nitrogen

The __ process is the industrial method for making ammonia by combining nitrogen from the air with hydrogen gas under high heat and pressure.

Haber-Bosch