Unit 4 test

Precautionary Principle

The idea that it's better to act cautiously and prevent harm before it happens, rather than waiting for proof of harm.

Carbon Cycle

The natural process where carbon moves between the atmosphere, plants, animals, oceans, and soil, supporting life and regulating Earth's climate.

Peat

A dense, waterlogged material made up of partially decomposed plant matter, accumulating in wetlands like bogs.

Fossil Fuels

Deposits of coal, oil, and natural gas made from partially decomposed organic materials being compressed over millions of years.

Food Chain

A sequence of organisms in a habitat, beginning with a producer, where each obtains nutrients by eating the organism preceding it.

Autotrophs

Organisms that make their own food from simple inorganic materials and an energy source.

Heterotrophs

Organisms that feed on organic molecules.

Primary Consumer

An organism that feeds on a primary producer.

Trophic Level

A group of organisms that obtain their food from the same part of a food web, with the same number of energy transfers from the source of energy.

Greenhouse Effect

Natural phenomenon which traps the sun's warmth in a planet's lower atmosphere.

Methanogenic Bacteria

Archaebacteria that metabolize nutrients without oxygen, producing methane as a byproduct.

Ecosystem

The organisms of a particular habitat together with the physical environment in which they live.

Biodiversity

The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

Biomass

A way to measure the total mass of living organisms in an area or ecosystem at a specific time.

Carbon Sink

Natural systems that absorb and store more carbon than they release.

Energy Pyramid

A diagram showing the total energy content at different trophic levels in an ecosystem.

Climate Change

Change in the earth's weather patterns and climate as a result of global warming.

Ocean Acidification

Significant changes to the chemistry of the ocean due to the absorption of CO2, leading to acid production.

Cell Respiration

The process in which organisms convert glucose into energy.

Positive Correlation

An upward trend in data where increases in the independent variable result in increases in the dependent variable.

Negative Correlation

A downward trend in data where increases in the independent variable result in decreases in the dependent variable.

Carbon Flux

The movement of carbon between different parts of the Earth, such as the atmosphere, oceans, plants, and soil.

Abiotic Factors

Aspects of the environment that are not living, such as humidity, temperature, and soil particles.

Biotic Factors

The biological influences and factors on organisms in an ecosystem.

Symbiotic Relationship

Interactions between organisms living together, including commensalism, mutualism, and parasitism.