Studied by 3 peopleThe combined portions of the planet in which life
exists, including land, water, and the
atmosphere, form the
biosphere
A group of organisms that can breed and
produce fertile offspring is known as a(an)
species
Compared to a community, an ecosystem
includes
the nonliving, physical environment as well
as the community.
An ecological method that uses mathematical
formulas based on data collected is
modeling
An ecologist marks out an area in a specific
ecosystem and proceeds to identify the number
of insect species in the area. This is an example
of ecological
observation
The main source of energy for life on Earth is
sunlight
Organisms that feed on plant and animal
remains and other dead matter are
detritivores
How does a food web differ from a food chain?
A food web links many food chains together
In a biomass pyramid, the base of the pyramid
represents the mass of
producers
The amount of energy represented in each
trophic level of consumers in an energy pyramid
is about
10% of the level below it
Transpiration is part of the
water cycle
Carbon is found in the atmosphere in the form of
Carbon dioxide
Biologists describe nutrients as moving through
cycles because the substances
are passed between organisms and the environment and then back to organisms.
The only organisms that can convert nitrogen in the atmosphere into a form useful to living things are nitrogen-fixing
bacteria.
When an aquatic ecosystem receives a large input of a limiting nutrient, the result is
algae bloom
Which of the following is a nonrenewable resource?
Fossil Fuels
Which of the following is a sustainable-use strategy that can help prevent desertification?
Contour plowing
The advantage of sustainable development is that it
provides for human needs without depleting natural resources.
A mixture of chemicals that occurs as a haze in the atmosphere is known as
smog.
Plowing the land removes the roots that hold the soil in place and increases the rate of
soil erosion
The type of biodiversity that includes the inheritance information carried by the Earth’s organisms is called
genetic diversity.
Populations of invasive species tend to
increase rapidly
The wise management of natural resources, including the preservation of habitats and wildlife, is known as
conservation
By focusing on protecting specific ecosystems, biologists hope to preserve
global biodiversity
In a food pyramid, biological magnification results in the
increased amount of a toxic substance in organisms at the highest level
An increase in the average temperature of the biosphere is called
global warming
The geological record indicates that Earth’s climate has
repeatedly changed over its history
A possible effect of global warming is
extinction of organisms in areas where they once thrived
Depletion of Earth’s protective ozone layer results in
an increase in the amount of UV radiation that reaches the surface
The most likely cause of ozone depletion is the
addition of chemicals developed for use in refrigeration and aerosol cans
The Earth’s polar zones are cold because
at the poles, the sun's rays are at a very low angle
The upward movement of warm air and the downward movement of cool air creates
air currents
Earth's temperature range is maintained by
the greenhouse effect
Variation of temperature in the temperate zone is due primarily to
latitude and season
The tropical zone is warm all year long because
it receives direct or nearly direct sunlight year-round
Which of the following is a biotic factor in a bullfrog's niche?
a heron
An organism’s niche is different from its habitat because
the niche includes all the conditions under which the organism lives
The attempt by organisms of the same or different species to use a resource at the same time in the same place is called
competition
An association between two species in which one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed is called
commensalism
When a volcano erupts and completely destroys an ecosystem, the first species to populate the area are usually
pioneers such as lichens
When the climate in a small region of a biome is different from the overall climate of the biome, the region’s climate is called
microclimate
The ability of an organism to survive under conditions that differ from its optimal condition is called
tolerance
Which of the following biomes is characterized by less than 25 centimeters of annual precipitation?
desert
Which of the following biomes is characterized by a mixture of deciduous and coniferous trees?
temperate forest
Which of the following biomes is characterized by the presence of permafrost?
Tundra
Population density is the number of individuals
per unit area
When the birthrate of a population exceeds its death rate, the population
increases
An S-shaped curve on a graph of population growth is characteristic of
logistic growth
Exponential growth in a population slows down or stops as
resources become limited
Exponential growth rate means that each new generation of a population
increases at the same rate as the previous generation.
A limiting factor that affects all populations in similar ways regardless of their size might be
drought
Which of the following would be a limiting factor affecting the panda population of China?
a disease that kills bamboo plants
Density-dependent factors operate most strongly when a population is
Large and dense
Within a limited area, if the population of a predator increases, the population of its prey is likely to
decrease
Which of the following is a density-independent factor affecting populations?
destructive hurricane
ATP
adenosine triphosphate, a molecule that provides energy for cellular processes
Energy is released when an ATP molecule is converted to an ADP (adenosine diphosphate) molecule
Bacteria
unicellular organisms that contain cell walls and ribosomes but do not contain a nuclear membrane around their genetic material or other organelles common to plant and animal cells.
Carbon dioxide
a colorless, odorless gas that is produced during respiration and combustion (burning)
cell
– the smallest structural and functional unit of all organisms that is said to be alive
Cellular respirartion
a process by which energy is released from food
Compound light microscope
an instrument used to magnify small objects. Two or more lenses (an eye piece and one of several objective lenses) collect light and bend it to create the larger image.
Eukaryote
an organism in which the genetic material inside of cells is contained within a distinct nucleus
Multicellular
consisting of many cells
Muscle cell
a long, contractile cell that forms the muscles of the body. Muscle cells contract (shorten) and relax (lengthen) to produce movement
Neuron
a cell that is able to transmit nerve impulses (signals) from one part of the body to another.
Organelle
a cell structure that performs a specific function
nucleus
an organelle that contains DNA and controls the cell by regulating when genes are turned on and off
cell membrane
surrounds and protects the cell by regulating what can go in and out
Photosynthesis
the process by which light energy is used to combine water and carbon dioxide to produce glucose and oxygen
Prokaryote
single celled organisms that do not contain distinct nuclear membranes around their genetic material
Bacteria are these.
Protist
eukaryotic organisms that are neither fungi, plants nor animals
Most are unicellular. Examples are amoeba, Paramecium and Euglena
Red Blood Cell
a cell that uses hemoglobin to carry oxygen to the cells and tissues of the body. Red blood cells also carry carbon dioxide back to the respiratory organs
Root Hair cell
a cell found in the roots of plants that absorbs water and nutrients from the soil
Tissue
a group of similar cells that work together to carry out a specific function. o Together, several groups ____ can form an organ
Unicellular
consisting of a single cell. _______ organisms include bacteria, microalgae, and most protists
White Blood Cell
Cells in the blood that protect against invading pathogens. are part of the immune system
Consumer
an organism that obtains energy by feeding on organic materials
Organic materials
are carbon-based compounds produced by living things.
Coral
a class of marine animals in the phylum Cnidaria that are important reef builders in tropical oceans
Polyps of stony corals excrete exoskeletons of
calcium carbonate
Coral bleaching
a process in which corals lose their zooxanthellae, usually as a result of abnormally high water temperatures
Coral Reef
– a complex and diverse marine ecosystem formed on the exoskeletons secreted by stony corals
-occupy less than 1% of the world’s ocean floor but contain over 25% of all marine species
Filter Feeder
an organism that eats by straining food, such as plankton, from water
-includes sponges, manta rays, whale sharks, baleen whales, barnacles, clams, flamingos, and many others
Food Chain
a sequence of organisms in which each organism feeds on the one below.
Food Web
a diagram that shows feeding relationships for a group of organisms
Grazer
an organism that feeds by eating plants, algae, and other immobile organisms
Nutrients
– substances used by an organism for energy, growth, or other processes essential to life.
Important in seawater include nitrates and phosphates.
Ocean Acidification
a decrease in the pH of the ocean, caused by increased absorption of carbon dioxide from Earth’s atmosphere
pH
– a measure of how many hydrogen ions there are in a solution. The greater the number of hydrogen ions is, the more acidic the solution and the lower
7 is neutral, below 7 is acidic, 7 is basic
Plankton
small organisms that live suspended in ocean water
-produce energy from photosynthesis
predator
an animal that kills and eats other animals
Producer
an organism that converts simple inorganic matter (such as water and carbon dioxide) into organic matter (such as sugar and protein
Sediments
rock fragments that have been transported to a different location
Zooxanthellae
photosynthetic algae that live inside corals
Biotic Factor
the living components that affect an ecosystem
-include disease-causing bacteria, invasive species, and humans
Black band disease
a disease characterized by a narrow band of microorganisms that gradually spreads across a coral, completely destroying coral tissue as it moves
-mainly affects massive corals such as star corals and brain corals
Invasive species
an introduced species that is harmful to native species
White band Disease
a coral disease that generally proceeds from the base of the colony up toward the branch tips, destroying coral tissue as it goes.
-affects two branched coral species in the Caribbean: staghorn coral and elkhorn coral.
Atmosphere
– the gases that surround a planet
Earth’s _____ consists of nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), argon (1%), and smaller amounts of other gases, including carbon dioxide and methane
Biomass
the total mass of a group of living things
Note
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