EVS 123 Final Exam Study Guide

Flashcards covering key vocabulary terms and concepts from the EVS 123 course lecture notes on the biosphere and climate change.

Eukaryotic

Organisms whose cells have a nucleus enclosed within membranes.

Prokaryotic

Single-celled organisms that lack a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles.

Autotroph

Organisms that produce their own food, typically through photosynthesis.

Heterotroph

Organisms that cannot produce their own food and must consume other organisms.

Photosynthesis

The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods with the help of chlorophyll.

Respiration

The process of breaking down sugar for energy, releasing carbon dioxide and water.

Bioconcentration

The absorption of substances by living organisms from their environment.

Bioaccumulation

The accumulation of substances, such as pesticides, or other chemicals in an organism.

Biomagnification

The increasing concentration of toxic substances in organisms at each trophic level.

Primary production

The rate at which energy is converted by photosynthetic and chemosynthetic autotrophs to organic substances.

Net production

The amount of organic matter available for consumers after accounting for the energy used by producers.

Biomass

The total mass of organisms in a given area or volume.

Carrying capacity

The maximum population size of a species that an environment can sustain indefinitely.

Eutrophication

The process by which bodies of water become nutrient-rich, leading to a high growth of algae and depletion of oxygen.

Proxy records

Historical data that scientists use to infer climate conditions, such as ice cores or tree rings.

Milankovitch cycles

Long-term changes in the Earth's orbit and axial tilt that affect climate and ice ages.

Carbon sequestration

The process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide to reduce global warming.