Environmental Science - Module 1 Review

These flashcards cover key concepts from the Environmental Science Module 1 lecture notes, encompassing ecology, biogeochemical cycles, population dynamics, and ecosystem interactions.

Ecology is the interaction between and among and the relationship between them and the environment.

organisms; biotic & abiotic

A is a group of organisms that are genetically similar and interbreed with one another to produce live, fertile offspring.

Species

A is made up of all the species living in any one area at the same time.

Population

The total of all populations in a habitat is referred to as a .

Community

An comprises all populations in a given area together with the non-living components.

Ecosystem

The is the part of Earth that is able to support life, also known as the zone of life.

Biosphere

The is a layer of air that surrounds Earth.

Atmosphere

The is the part of Earth composed of all water on or near the Earth.

Hydrosphere

The is the upper layer of Earth which includes oceanic and continental crusts.

Lithosphere

A is the place where an organism lives and is characterized by specific environmental conditions.

Habitat

The is the role or function of an organism within the ecosystem.

Niche

A is a type of ecosystem characterized by distinctive climatic and soil conditions.

Biome

An is a transitional boundary between two ecological communities.

Ecotone

Biotic factors are the biological influences on organisms within an .

ecosystem

Abiotic factors are or non-living factors that shape ecosystems.

physical

Climatic factors include , temperature, wind, and water availability.

light

Edaphic factors relate to and its characteristics such as acidity and nutrient status.

soil

Topographical factors include the range and of a shape.

aspect

A limiting factor is a condition that causes the greatest change to the ecosystem by the smallest variation from its range.

tolerance

A density dependent limiting factor affects a population's growth in relation to the population's .

density

A density independent factor affects a population regardless of its or density.

size

Without limiting factors, organisms would grow to their potential.

biotic

potential is the maximum reproductive potential of an organism.

Biotic

The niche is the niche that a species would occupy in the absence of competitors.

Fundamental

The niche is the part of the fundamental niche that an organism occupies due to limiting factors.

Realized

The carbon cycle is vital for sustaining life by regulating climate and providing building blocks for all organisms.

living

Carbon sinks are areas that and hold large amounts of carbon dioxide.

absorb

A living forest is a carbon sink, while a burning forest becomes a carbon .

source

Photosynthesis involves the conversion of 6CO₂ and 6H₂O into and 6O₂.

C₆H₁₂O₆

Nitrogen fixation is the process of converting gaseous nitrogen to by bacteria.

ammonia

The cycle ensures that phosphorus is available to living organisms.

Phosphorus

The water cycle is crucial for sustaining life and regulating climate by continuously recycling .

water

Nutrient availability ensures the continuous supply of vital nutrients such as , nitrogen, and phosphorus.

carbon

The cycling of nutrients supports ecosystem and stability.

productivity

Biotic and abiotic interactions facilitate the flow of through ecosystems.

energy

Productivity refers to the rate of production of matter in an ecosystem.

organic

Producers use energy from , carbon dioxide, and nutrients to produce food.

sunlight

Consumers are organisms that cannot produce their own food, so they feed on other organisms.

living

Decomposers break down dead organisms and recycle nutrients back into the .

soil

A food chain is a series of organisms through which organic compounds are by plants or other autotrophs.

transferred

Only about of available energy is transferred at each stage of the food chain.

10%

Ecological pyramids represent the relative proportions of or biomass at each level in a food chain.

energy

Competition among individuals of the same species is called competition.

intraspecific

The maximum population an environment can sustain without degradation is known as capacity.

carrying

The predator-prey relationship is crucial as the availability of prey limits the number of in a food chain.

predators

Symbiosis occurs when organisms of different species live in association with each other.

intimate

mutualism occurs when both organisms benefit from the relationship.

Mutual

Parasitism is when one organism lives on or in another organism for much of its .

life

In commensalism, one organism benefits while the other is helped or harmed.

neither

Ecological succession is the process by which organisms change the environmental conditions, allowing other species to them.

replace

Primary succession occurs when new land is formed and inhabited by a pioneer .

population

Secondary succession happens where life was already present but experienced an environmental or change.

alteration

Natural selection is the process through which populations adapt and change over .

time

Population sampling methods include quadrats and for non-moving organisms.

transects

Capture-mark-release-recapture is a method used for estimating the population size of organisms.

moving

The formula for species diversity is D = N(N-1)/Σn(n-1) where D is species diversity, N is the total number of organisms, and n is the number of a species.

particular

Diversity within species refers to genetic variation among individuals of the species.

same

Ecosystem stability increases as species increases.

diversity

Carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals that an ecosystem can support sustainably without resources.

depleting

Human activities that affect ecosystems include deforestation, pollution, and destruction.

habitat

Natural ecosystems provide numerous benefits to humans, known as services.

ecosystem

Ecosystem services include provisioning services like food and purification.

air

External factors like habitat fragmentation can critically impact the and biodiversity of ecosystems.

integrity

Two types of ecosystems to study are terrestrial and ecosystems.

aquatic

A tropical rainforest is characterized by high rainfall, dense vegetation, and incredible .

biodiversity

Coral reefs support numerous marine species, such as fish, mollusks, and marine .

plants

Both tropical rainforests and coral reefs face threats due to human activity like and pollution.

overfishing

A climax community is a relatively stable, long-lasting community reached at the end of a series.

successful

The role of predators and prey in communities highlights the importance of feedback mechanisms in ecosystems.

negative

Density-independent factors include natural disasters and conditions that affect populations regardless of size.

climate

Environmental resistance includes factors like limited food, space, and that slow down population growth.

water

Habitat destruction caused by human activity threatens not only the organisms completing the ecosystem but the itself.

ecosystem

Biogeochemical cycles play a critical role in recycling nutrients back into the for new plant growth.

soil

Natural selection allows species to adapt, evolving over successive over time.

generations

The process of determines how species interactions shape community composition and stability.

natural selection

A is a method used to assess species diversity and ecosystem health by quantifying different organisms present.

sampling method

Diversity between species refers to the number and variety of different species in an .

ecosystem