1/106
Looks like no tags are added yet.
Name | Mastery | Learn | Test | Matching | Spaced |
---|
No study sessions yet.
What is the tragedy of the commons?
the tendency of a shared, limited resource to become depleted because people act from self-interest for short-term gain
What is the formula to evaluate human impact on the environment and what does each letter stand for?
I=PxAxT
P: population size
A: affluence
T: technology development
Define sustainable development
Development of an economic system that uses natural resources in ways that do not deplete them or otherwise compromise their availability to future generations
Name some examples of sustainable development
Solar and wind power, recycling, regenerative agriculture, less consumption as a society (for example fast fashion is a huge contributor to consumption)
Define ecosystem services
Natural services provided by healthy ecosystems that support life and human economies at no cost to us
Ex: sun provides warmth, trees provide clean air
Define Science
The systematic examination of the structure and functioning of the natural world, including both its physical and biological attributes
What are the steps of the scientific method?
Observation
Question
Hypothesis or Prediction
Experiment or Observation
Conclusion
Report Findings
Define hypothesis
A testable explanation for an observation
Define data
Information/measurements collected
Define sample size
Number of observations
Define sum
Total of your measurements
Define mean
Average
Define standard deviation
How much the actual measurements deviate from the average
Define scientific theory
Well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations and hypotheses, and enables scientists to make accurate predictions about new situations
What is the peer review process?
1. author submits
2. assessed by editor (reject)
3. sent to reviewers
4. reviews assessed by editor (reject and revisions required)
5. accepted
6. production
7. publication
Define matter
Anything that has mass and takes up space (solid, liquid, gas)
Define element
Substance that cannot be broken down into other substances by chemical reactions (Helium, hydrogen, etc)
Define compound
Substances that contain two or more elements (Table Salt NaCl)
What is a proton?
Positively charged particle found in the nucleus
What is a neutron?
A particle that has no charge and that is inside the nucleus
What is an electron?
A negatively charged subatomic particle outside the nucleus
Define atomic number
The total number of protons
Define mass number
The total number of protons and neutrons in a nucleus
Define isotype
Elements that exist in different forms that have the same #of protons but different mass # due to a difference in electrons
Define ion
Atoms or molecules that are electrically charged as a result of gaining or losing an electron
Define molecule
Two or more atoms of the same or different elements joined by chemical bonds
Define organic molecule
Carbon-based molecules- 2 or more carbons
What is a carbohydrate?
Organic compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in a ration of 1:2:1 respectively
What is a lipid?
Fats and oils that store a large amount of energy and are hydrophobic
What is a protein?
A chain of amino acids
What is a nucleic acid?
Store information and provide instructions to build the protein
Define energy
Energy is defined as the ability to do work
What is kinetic energy?
Energy of motion (ex: flowing water, electricity)
What is potential energy?
Stored energy (ex: molecules in food, water behind a dam)
What is the first law of thermodynamics/law of conservation of energy?
Energy can be transferred and transformed, but it cannot be created or destroyed.
What is energy efficiency?
Measure of how much work results from each unit of energy put into a system
Define trophic level
Feeding level based on source of nutrients
What are the trophic levels?
Producer, (plants) primary consumer (herbivores), secondary consumer (carnivores and omnivores), tertiary consumer (carnivores)
Describe the process of photosynthesis
6CO2 + 6H2O------> photosynthesis ----> C6H12O6 + 6O2
What is cellular respiration?
Turns stored chemical energy from food into energy to perform life processes
How does energy travel through the trophic levels?
Plants take in solar energy through photosynthesis, consumers eat the plants, other consumers eat those consumers, decomposers break down the leftovers, which releases chemical nutrients, which turn into heat
natural selection
process where individuals with certain genetic traits are more likely to survive and reproduce under a specific set of environmental conditions
population
group of individuals if same species in a specific time and place
gene pool
collection of alleles in a population at one time
allele
form of a gene
gene
segment of DNA strand
genotype
genetic code of trairs; series of nucleotides
phenotype
an organism's physical appearance, or visible traits.
Mutation
change in coded information in the DNA
Adapatation
acquisition of traits that are determined by natural selection
ecological niche
a way to group species together
two types of ecological niches
generalists and specialists
endemic species
often also referred to as specialists - can only survive in a particular area - vulnerable/prone to extinction
resource partioning
organisms with overlapping ecological niches have to share same environment and adapt to limited food sources
indicator species
species that serve as early warnings that an ecosystem is being damaged as they are senstive to environmetnal conditions and vulnerable to atmospheric pollution
species diversity
number and abundance of species in an ecosystenm
species diversity is assed by
species richness and species evenness
types of species interactions
competition, predation, mutualism, commensalism, predation, parasitsm, herbivory
keystone species
A species that influences the survival of many other species in an ecosystem
ecosystem engineers
a keystone species that creates or maintains habitat for other species
coevolution
process in which two or more species evolve in response to changes in each other and is exemplified by predator defenses
prey defenses examples
warning coloration, mimicry, cyrptic coloration, flashing coloration, chemical defenses
primary productivity
rate of biomass production through photosynthesis
high primary productivity in
swamps mashes and estuaries
low primary productivity in
deserts
Tropical rainforest
biome near the equator with warm climate wet weather and lush plant growth; high temperature and high rainfall
tropical seasonal forest
biome characterized by deciduous and evergreen trees, both dry and rainy seasons
tropical savanna and grasslands
mostly grass, warm temperature, minimal rainfall, occasional rainy seasons
desert
An extremely dry area with little water and few plants, nocturnal animals, leathery leaved plants
temperate grassland
biome characterized by deep, nutrient-rich soil that supports many grass species; midlatitude and mild
temperate shrubland
biome characterized by lots of shrubs with hot and dry summers, cooler winters with virtually all precipitation in the winter
temperate forest
biome dominated by a lot of rainfall, often found in northeast, coniferous and deciduous trees
boreal forest
biome south of the tundra with dense evergreen forests and long, cold, dry winters; dominating coniferous; northern, slow growing
arctic tundra
a biome characterized by low average temperatures, brief growing seasons, high latitude and cold temperatures, intense burst of growth in vegetation, photosynthetic 3 months out of year
alpine tundra
biome at high mountain altitudes, which has vegetation low to the ground due to severe temperatures and wind and uv radiation & short intense growing seasons - air pollution/nitrous oxide more impactful here
ecological succesion
gradual change in a species composition over time in a given area
primary succession
succession that occurs in an area in which no trace of a previous life is present
secondary succesion
succession that occurs in an area where there was previous life forms but it underwent a disturbance
genetic drift
gradual changes in gene frequencies due to random events
metapopulation
a collection of populations that have regular or occasional gene flow between geographically separate units
Gene flow
movement of alleles from one population to another; can exist due to corridors and migration routes and is cause for evolution
bottleneck effect
when a population, and its genetic diversity, are dramatically reduced by a catastrophic event
density dependent factors
depend on population size such as predation, disease, competition for food and water
density-indepedent factors
factors that dont depend on population size such as change in temperatures or habitat destruction
r strategist
produce many offspring, but provide few resources for them
k strategist
produce few offspring but invest in considerable resources for their support
type 1 survivorship curve
most die later in life
type 2 survivorship curve
all die at uniform rate
tyoe 3 survivorship curve
most die early in life or at a young age
genetic diversity
variety of genes within a population or species
environmental health
looks at external factors that cause disease including elements of the sociocultural and technical world
disease
any abnormal change in the body's condition that impairs important physical or physiological function
zoonotic diseases
disease passed form wild animals to humans such as covid, ebola, influenza
antibiotic resistance
the ability of bacteria to withstand the effects of an antibiotic due to a mutation, mutation will be a trait passed on to future generations
environmental toxicology
the study of toxic substances and their impact on living organisms as well as. how they interact and are transfomred as they move through individuals and ecosystems
two types of response to exposure
acute and chronic
acute
sudden and short term exposure, more severe, one time occurrence
chronic
gradual and long term exposure, repeated, long lasting
bioaccumulation
refers to the increased concentration of a contaminant within the tissue of a specific organism
biomagnification
refers to increased concentration of a contaminant as trophic levels increase