Semester 2 Final Review Sheet Notes
Segment 3
Erosion vs. Weathering:
Erosion: The process by which soil and rock particles are worn away and moved elsewhere by wind, water, ice, or gravity.
Weathering: The breaking down or dissolving of rocks and minerals on the surface of the Earth. Water, ice, acids, salts, plants, animals, and changes in temperature are all agents of weathering.
Plate Tectonics, Pangaea, Movement of Plates vs. Age:
Plate Tectonics: The theory that the Earth's outer shell is divided into several plates that glide over the mantle, the rocky inner layer above the core.
Pangaea: A supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic eras. It began to break apart about 200 million years ago.
Movement of Plates: The Earth's plates are constantly moving at a rate of a few centimeters per year. This movement is driven by convection currents in the mantle.
Age: The age of the Earth's plates varies. Oceanic plates are generally younger than continental plates.
Fossil Records as Evidence of Plate Tectonics:
Fossils of the same species have been found on different continents that are now separated by oceans. This suggests that these continents were once joined together.
Miller-Urey Apparatus/Experiment in Providing Evidence for Beginning of Life on Early Earth/Carbon Cycle Modeling of Early Earth:
Miller-Urey Experiment: A chemical experiment that simulated the conditions thought to be present on early Earth and tested the chemical origin of life under those conditions. The experiment showed that organic compounds, such as amino acids, could be formed spontaneously from inorganic materials.
Carbon Cycle Modeling of Early Earth: Models of the carbon cycle on early Earth are used to understand how the climate and atmosphere may have changed over time. These models take into account factors such as volcanic activity, weathering, and the presence of liquid water.
Extinction Rates/Mass Extinctions over Periods of Time:
Extinction Rate: The rate at which species disappear from Earth.
Mass Extinctions: Events in Earth's history when a large percentage of species went extinct in a relatively short period of time. There have been five major mass extinctions in Earth's history.
Physical Deposition/Weathering and Erosion/Plate Tectonics/Chemical Deposition:
Physical Deposition: The process by which sediments are laid down by physical means, such as wind, water, or ice.
Weathering and Erosion: The processes that break down and transport rocks and minerals.
Plate Tectonics: The theory that the Earth's outer shell is divided into several plates that glide over the mantle.
Chemical Deposition: The process by which sediments are laid down by chemical means, such as precipitation from solution.
Using Fossils and Their Positions in Strata to Determine Age:
Fossils can be used to determine the age of rock layers. The relative age of fossils can be determined by their position in strata (layers of rock). Fossils found in lower strata are generally older than fossils found in upper strata.
Segment 4
Punnett Squares and Dihybrid Crosses (Chapter 10.2, pages 294-295):
Punnett Square: A diagram used to predict the genotypes and phenotypes of offspring in a genetic cross.
Dihybrid Cross: A cross between two individuals that are heterozygous for two traits. A dihybrid cross typically has a phenotypic ratio of in the offspring if the genes are unlinked, meaning they are on different chromosomes.
Miller-Urey Experiment: Simulated early Earth conditions, showing organic compounds could form from inorganic materials.
Carbon Cycle Modeling: Models the early Earth's climate and atmosphere changes, considering volcanic activity, weathering, and water.