Environmental science 2nd

Goal of science

To develop explanations based on evidence

Pseudoscience

Claims that appear scientific, but lack proper evidence.

The law of conservation of matter

Matter cannot be created or destroye, only transformed.

Entropy

A measure of disorder or randomness in a system.

The Scientific Method

Observation, hypothesis, experimentation, analysis, conclusions

What happens to energy as it flows through an ecosystem?

Energy becomes less useful and more dispersed at each trophic level

The FIRST law of thermodynamics

Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed .

What distinguishes a scientic theory from an hypothesis?

A hypothesis is an educated guess you test, while a scientific theory is a comprehensive explanation that has been repeatedly confirmed by evidence.

The law of the conservation of Matter

Everything we produce, use, and throw away doesn't disappear—it stays in the environment in some form.

The carbon cycle

where carbon atoms are constantly passed from one place to another—air, water, rocks, living things

Nitrogen fixation

Atmospheric nitrogen gas (N₂), is converted into a usable form like ammonia (NH₃) or nitrate (NO₃⁻).

Parasitism

One organism benefits from the other- while the other is harmed

Commensalism

the relationship where one species benefits, and the other is neither helped nor harmed.

Intraspecific competition

Competition between individuals of the same species for limited resources such as food, water, space, or mates.

Interspecific competition

Competition between individuals of different species for the same limited resources, such as food, water, space, or light.

biological species

A group of organisms that can interbreed in nature and produce fertile offspring.

ecosystem

A community of living organisms (plants, animals, microbes) interacting with each other and with their non-living environment.

Natural selection

Individuals with traits that are better suited to their environment survive and reproduce more successfully

primary consumers

-In a food web Organisms that eat producers

Coevolution

The process by which two or more species influence each other's evolution over time, usually because they interact closely.

Photosynthesis

Returns carbon from the atmosphere to living organisms.

Specialization

The process by which a species evolves traits that allow it to thrive in a specific environment or niche.

Nitrogen cycle

The nitrogen cycle is the natural process by which nitrogen moves through the environment and living organisms, making it available in forms that organisms can use.

Humans altered the carbon cycle by…

activities that increase the amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere.

Humans altered the phosphorus cycle by…

Fertilizer use, Mining and industry

Producers

are organisms that produce their own food.

ecological succession

The natural, gradual process by which ecosystems change and develop over time.

climax community

The final, stable stage of ecological succession, where the ecosystem has reached equilibrium and species composition remains relatively constant over time.

Pioneer species

The first organisms to colonize a barren or disturbed environment during ecological succession.

secondary succession

The process of ecological recovery in an area where a community previously existed but was disturbed or damaged.

Primary Species

The first organisms to colonize a bare or newly formed environment during primary succession.

biomes

A large geographic area characterized by specific climate conditions, plants, and animals.

aquatic primary succession

he gradual development of a new aquatic ecosystem in a body of water that did not previously support life, such as a newly formed pond or lake.

The primary factor that determines the distribution of biomes on earth

Climate, specifically temperature and precipitation.