Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
115 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Science
|
organized way of using evidence to learn about the natural world; also, the body of knowledge that scientists have built up after yearsof using this process
|
|
Hypothesis
|
possible explanation for a set of observatioins or possible answer to a scientific question
|
|
Inference
|
logical interpretation based on prior knowledge and experience
|
|
Data
|
evidence; information gathered from observations
|
|
Observation
|
use of one or more of the senses--sight, hearing, touch, smell, and sometimes taste--to gather information
|
|
Theory
|
well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations
|
|
Responding Variable
|
factor in an experiment that a scientist wants to observe, which may change in response to the manipulated variable; also known as a dependent variable
|
|
Manipulated Variable
|
factor in an experiment that a scientist purposely changes; also known as independent variable
|
|
Controlled Experiment
|
a test of the effect of a single variable by changing it while keeping all other variablse the same
|
|
Spontaneous Generation
|
hypothesis (disproven) stating that life could arise from nonliving matter
|
|
Biology
|
science that seeks to understand the living world
|
|
Cell
|
collection of living matter enclosed by a barrier that separates the cell from its surroundings; basic unit of all forms of life
|
|
Sexual Reproduction
|
process by which cells from two different parents unite to produce the first cell of a new life form
|
|
Asexual Reproduction
|
Process by which a single parent reproduces by itself
|
|
Metabolism
|
set of chemical reactions through which an organism build up or breaks down materials as it carries out its life processes
|
|
Stimulus
|
a signal to which an organism responds
|
|
Homeostasis
|
process by which organisms maintain a relatively stable internal environment
|
|
Evolution
|
change in a kind of organism over time; process by which modern organisms have descended from ancient organisms
|
|
Metric System
|
decimal system of measurement based on certain physical standards and scaled on multiples of 10
|
|
Microscope
|
device that produces magnified images of structures that are too small to see with the unaided eye
|
|
Compound Light Microscope
|
microscope that allows light to pass through a specimen and uses two lenses to form an image
|
|
Electron Microscope
|
microscope that forms an image by focusing beams of electrons onto a specimen
|
|
Cell Culture
|
group of cells grown in a nutrient solution from a single origional cell
|
|
Cell Fractionation
|
technique in which cells are broken into pieces and the different cell parts are separated
|
|
Ecology
|
scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment
|
|
Biosphere
|
part of Earth in which life exists including land, water, and air or atmosphere
|
|
Species
|
group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring
|
|
Population
|
group of individuals of the same species that live in the same area
|
|
Community
|
assemblage of different populations that live together in a defined area
|
|
Ecosystem
|
collection of all organisms that live in a particular place, together with their nonliving environment
|
|
Biome
|
group of ecosystems that have the same climate and dominant communities
|
|
Autotroph
|
organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own food from inorganic compounds; also called a producer
|
|
Producer
|
organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce food from inorganic compounds; also called an autotroph
|
|
Photosynthesis
|
process by which plants and some other organisms use light energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and high-energy carbohydrates such as sugars and starches
|
|
Chemosynthesis
|
process by which some organisms, such as bacteria, use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates
|
|
Heterotroph
|
organism that obtains energy from the foods it consumes; also called a consumer
|
|
Consumer
|
organism that relies on other organisms for its energy and food supply; also called a heterothroph
|
|
Herbivore
|
organism that obtains energy by eating only plants
|
|
Carnivore
|
organism that obtains energy by eating animals
|
|
Omnivore
|
organism that obtains energy by eating both plants and animals
|
|
Detritivore
|
organism that feeds on plant and animal remains and other dead matter
|
|
Decomposer
|
organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter
|
|
Food Chain
|
series of steps in an ecosystem in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten
|
|
Food Web
|
newtork of complex interactions formed by the feeding relationships among the carious organisms in an ecosystem
|
|
Trophic Level
|
step in a food chain or food web
|
|
Ecological Pyramid
|
diagram that shows the relative amounts of energy or matter within each trophic level in a food chain or food web
|
|
Biomass
|
total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level
|
|
Biogeochemical Cycle
|
process in which elements, chemical compunds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the poisphere to another
|
|
Evaporation
|
process by which water changes from a liquid into an atmospheric gas
|
|
Transpiration
|
loss of water from a plant through its leaves
|
|
Nutrient
|
chemical substance that an organism requires to live
|
|
Nitrogen Fixation
|
process of converting nitrogen into ammonia
|
|
Denitrification
|
conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas
|
|
Primary Productivity
|
rate at which organic matter is created by producers in an ecosystem
|
|
Limitin Nutrient
|
single nutrient that either is scarce or cycles very slowly, limiting the growth of organisms in an ecosystem
|
|
Algal Bloom
|
an immediate increase in the amount of algae and other producers that results from a large input of a limiting nutrient
|
|
Weather
|
condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place
|
|
Climate
|
average, yearr-after-year conditions of temperature and precipitation in a particular region
|
|
Greenhouse Effect
|
natural situation in which heat is retained in Earth's atmosphere by carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and other gases
|
|
Polar Zone
|
cold climate zone where the sun's rays strike Earth at a very low angle
|
|
Temperate Zone
|
moderate climate zone between the polar zones and the tropics
|
|
Tropical Zone
|
warm climate zone that receives direct or nearly direct sunlight year round
|
|
Biotic Factor
|
biological influence on organisms within an ecosystem
|
|
Abiotic Factor
|
physical, or nonliving, factor that shapes an ecosystem
|
|
Habitat
|
the area where an organism lives, including the biotic and abiotic factors that affect it
|
|
Niche
|
full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which the organism uses those conditions
|
|
Resource
|
any necessity of life, such as water, nutrients, light, food, or space
|
|
Competitive Exclusion Principle
|
ecological rule that states that no two species can occupy the same exact niche in the same habitat at the same time
|
|
Predation
|
interaction in which one organism captures and feeds on another organism
|
|
Sybiosis
|
relatioinship in which two species live closely together
|
|
Mutualism
|
symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit from the relationship (+, +)
|
|
Commensalism
|
symbiotic relationship in which one member of the association benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed (+, =)
|
|
Parasitism
|
sybiotic relationship in which one organism lives in or on another organism (the host) and consequently harms it (+, -)
|
|
Ecological Succession
|
gradual change in living communities that follows a disturbance
|
|
Primary Succession
|
succession that occurs on surfaces where no soil exists
|
|
Pioneer Species
|
first species to population an area during primary succession
|
|
Secondary Succession
|
succession following a disturbance that destroys a community without destroying the soil
|
|
Biome
|
group of ecosystem that have the same climate and dominant communities
|
|
Tolerance
|
oranism's capacity to grow or thrive when subjected to an unfavorable environmental factor
|
|
Microclimate
|
climate with a small area that differs significantly from the climate of the surrounding area
|
|
Canopy
|
dense covering formed by the leafy tops of tall rain forest trees
|
|
Understory
|
layer in a rain forest formed by shorter trees and vines
|
|
Deciduous
|
term used to refer to a tree that sheds its leaves during a particular season each year
|
|
Coniferous
|
term used to refer to trees that produce seed-bearing cones and have thin leaves shaped like needles
|
|
Humus
|
material formed from decauing leaves and other organic matter
|
|
Taiga
|
biome in which the winters are cold but summers are mild enough to allow the ground to thaw
|
|
Permafrost
|
layer of permanently frozen subsoil in the tundra
|
|
Plankton
|
tiny, free-floating organisms that occur in aquatic eenvironments
|
|
Phytoplankton
|
population of algae and other small, photosynthetic organisms found near the surface of the ocean and forming part of plankton
|
|
Zooplankton
|
tiny animals that form part of the plankton
|
|
Wetland
|
ecosystem in which water either covers the soil or is present at or near the surface of the soil for at least part of the year
|
|
Estuary
|
wetlands formed where rivers meet the ocean
|
|
Detritus
|
particles of organic material that provide food for organisms at the base of an estuary's food web
|
|
Salt Marsh
|
temperate-zone estuary dominated by salt-tolerant grasses above the low-tide line by seagrasses underwater
|
|
Mangrove Swamp
|
coastal wetland dominated by mangroves, salt-tolerant woody plants
|
|
Photic Zone
|
well-lit upper layer of the oceans
|
|
Aphotic Zone
|
permanently dark layer of the oceans below the photic zone
|
|
Zonation
|
prominent horizontal bonding of organisms that live in a particular habitat
|
|
Coastal Zone
|
marine zone that extends from the low-tide mark to the end of the continental shelf
|
|
Kelp Forest
|
coastal ocean community named for its dominant organism--kelp, a giant brown algae
|
|
Coral Reef
|
diverse and productive environtment named for the coral animals that make up its primary structure
|
|
Benthos
|
organisms that live attached to or near the ocean floor
|
|
Population Density
|
number of individuals per unit of area
|
|
Immigration
|
movement of individuals into an area occupied by an existing population
|
|
Emigration
|
movement of individuals out of an area
|
|
Exponential Growth
|
growth pattern in which the individuals in a population reproduce at a constant rate
|
|
Logistic Growth
|
growth pattern in which a population's growth rate slows or stops following a period of exponential growth
|
|
Carrying Capacity
|
largest number of individuals of a population that a given environment can support
|
|
Limiting Factor
|
factor that causes the growth of a population to decrease
|
|
Density-Dependent Limiting Factor
|
limiting factor that depends on population size
|
|
Predator-Prey Relationship
|
mechanism of population control in which a population is regulated by predation
|
|
Density-Independent Limiting Factor
|
limiting factor that affects all populations in similar ways, regardless of population size
|
|
Demography
|
scientific study of human populations
|
|
Demographic transition
|
change in a population from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates
|
|
Age-Structure Diagram
|
graph of the numbers of males and females within different age groups of a population
|