Summative Assessment Review: Ecology, Chemistry, and Electricity

Flashcards covering the essential vocabulary of Ecology, Chemistry history and structure, and Electricity principles as outlined in the lecture review sheet.

Abiotic factor

Any non-living part of the environment, such as rocks, water, and sand.

Biotic factor

Anything that is alive or was once alive, such as trees, bacteria, and plants.

Sustainable ecosystem

An ecosystem that can support and endure all the interacting parts of a community forever.

Lithosphere / Geosphere

The solid Earth consisting of rocks, soil, and land.

Hydrosphere

All the water on Earth, including oceans, lakes, rivers, and ice.

Atmosphere

The layer of gases surrounding Earth, containing $O_2$, $CO_2$, and $N_{2}$.

Biosphere

All living things on Earth, including plants, animals, and humans.

Population

A group of individuals of the same species living in the same area.

Community

A group of populations of different species living in the same area.

Food chain

A diagram that shows one single path of energy flow in an ecosystem.

Food web

A diagram that shows many connected paths of energy flow in an ecosystem.

Trophic Level

A feeding level in a food chain or food web.

Producer

An organism that makes its own food using sunlight.

Consumer

An organism that cannot make its own food and must consume others.

Decomposer

An organism that breaks down dead plants, animals, and waste.

Herbivore

An animal that eats only plants.

Carnivore

An animal that eats other animals.

Omnivore

An animal that eats both plants and animals.

Photosynthesis

The process occurring in chloroplasts where $CO_2$, $H_2O$, and sunlight are used to produce glucose (sugar) and $O_2$.

Cellular Respiration

The process occurring in the mitochondria where glucose (sugar) and $O_2$ are used to produce $CO_2$, $H_2O$, and energy ($ATP$).

Autotroph

A living organism that makes its own food using sunlight or chemicals for energy.

Heterotroph

A living organism that cannot make its own food and gets energy by eating other organisms.

Predator

An animal in a food chain that hunts and eats other organisms.

Prey

An animal in a food chain that is hunted and eaten by predators.

Commensalism

A relationship where one organism benefits and the other organism is unaffected.

Mutualism

A relationship where both organisms benefit from the interaction.

Parasitism

A relationship where one organism benefits and the other organism is harmed.

Competition

Occurs when organisms compete for the same resources, such as food, space, or water.

Predation

When one organism (predator) hunts, kills, and eats another organism (prey).

Limiting factor

Any variable within a system that slows or stops the growth of a process, such as food availability, predators, or disease.

Carrying capacity

When limiting factors control the size of a population and the ecosystem can support that specific population size forever.

Biodiversity

The variety of living organisms in an ecosystem.

Atomos

The term used by Democritus for the tiny unit of matter that cannot be divided anymore.

Dalton's Model

Suggested atoms are like Billiard Balls; all matter is made of atoms which cannot be created nor destroyed.

Thomson's Model

The Raisin Bun (Chocolate Chip Cookie) model showing negative charges randomly dispersed in a positive area.

Rutherford's Model

The Planetary Model showing a positively charged nucleus surrounded by electrons and mostly empty space.

Bohr's Model

The Solar System Method where negatively charged electrons travel in circular orbits, shells, or energy levels.

Protons

Subatomic particles in the nucleus with a positive charge and a mass of $1$; quantity equals the atomic number.

Electrons

Subatomic particles outside the nucleus in shells with a negative charge and a mass of $0$.

Neutrons

Subatomic particles in the nucleus with a neutral charge and a mass of $1$; quantity equals mass number minus atomic number.

Valence electrons

The electrons located in the outermost energy level (outer shell) of an atom.

Pure Substance

A substance with a fixed composition throughout that can be chemically separated.

Mixture

Two or more substances combined that can be physically separated.

Homogeneous

A mixture where you can only see one phase or part (the same throughout).

Heterogeneous

A mixture where you can see multiple phases and can separate them easily (different).

Period

Horizontal rows going across the periodic table; the number tells how many energy levels an atom has.

Group

Vertical columns going up and down the periodic table; elements in the same group have the same number of valence electrons.

Metals

Elements that are shiny (lustrous), malleable, ductile, and solid at room temperature.

Non-metals

Elements that are dull, brittle, mostly gases, and act as insulators.

Metalloids

Elements with properties of both metals and non-metals; shiny but dull, semiconductors, and malleable but brittle.

Cation

A positively charged ion formed when an atom loses one or more electrons.

Anion

A negatively charged ion formed when an atom gains one or more electrons.

Lewis-Dot Diagram

A diagram that shows the valence electrons of an atom using dots around its chemical symbol.

Insulators

Materials that resist the flow of electricity, such as rubber, plastic, wood, and glass.

Conductors

Materials that allow electricity to flow easily, such as copper, aluminum, and metals.

Static Discharge

The sudden movement of electrons from one object to another, such as lightning.

Charging by Friction

When electrons move because two objects rub together, result in one object becoming negative and one becoming positive.

Charging by Contact

When a charged object touches another object, and electrons transfer so both end up with the same type of charge.

Charging by Induction

When a charged object causes electrons in another object to move without any physical contact.

Series circuit

A circuit with only one pathway; if one bulb goes out, all go out, and current is the same everywhere.

Parallel circuit

A circuit with multiple pathways; if one bulb goes out, others stay on, and current splits among branches.

Current

The flow of electrons, measured in amperes ($A$).

Voltage

The push that moves electrons through a circuit, measured in volts ($V$).

Resistance

Opposition to current flow, measured in ohms ($\Omega$).

Ohm's Law

The relationship between voltage, current, and resistance defined by $V = I \times R$.