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87 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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System defn.
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a group of interdependent materials
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Closed system
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a system that only exchanges energy across its boundary
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Open system
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a system that will exchange both matter and energy across its boundary
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Plate Tectonics
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~cooler rigid crust forms plates of less dense material that floats over hot plastic-molten material
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3 Types of Plate Boundaries
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~Divergent
~Convergent ~Transform |
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Divergent Boundaries
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Spreading apart of plates; new crust is usually made
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Convergent Plates
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Plates move towards each other
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Oceanic-Oceanic Convergent Plates
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~Subduction of the older plate
~Can lead to volcanism |
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Oceanic-Continental Convergent Plates
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Subduction of the oceanic plate
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Continental-Continental Convergent Plates
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~Collisions (that may result in mtns.)
~Massive Earthquakes |
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Transform Plates
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~Plates move laterally past each other
~Associated with mid-ocean rift systems |
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Continental vs. Oceanic Crust
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~Continental is older, thicker and more deformed than Oceanic
~Oceanic is denser than Continental |
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Igneous Rocks
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~Source is from the melting of the rocks in the mantle
~Later solidifies/crystallizes |
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Sedimentary Rock
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~Source: weathering and erosion rocks (igneous?)
~Formed through deposition, burial, and lithificaiton |
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Metamorphic Rock
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~Source: rocks under high temps and presuure in deep crust/upper mantle
~Recrystallization in solid state of new minerals |
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4 Spheres of the Environment
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~Atmosphere
~Lithosphere ~Hydrosphere ~Biosphere |
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Relationship of Spheres and Matter
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Matter flows throughout spheres but doesn't leave the system; is more of a closed system
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Relationship of Spheres and NRG
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Energy acts as an open system, coming from the Sun and eventually leaving the spheres
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1st Law of Thermodynamics
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Energy is neither created nor destroyed, but only changes form
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2nd Law of Thermodynamics
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Systems move from hi energy states to low energy states
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Elements
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a substance that consists of atoms all of which have identical characteristics
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Atoms
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smallest part of a substance that still retains its properties
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Protons
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have 1 atomic unit of mass and a positive charge
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Neutrons
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have 1 atomic unit of mass and a 0 charge
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Electrons
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have insignificant mass, highly energetic, and have a negative charge
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Atomic Mass
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The # of protons + neutrons
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Atomic Number
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determined solely by the number of protons
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Isotopes
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elements that have several varieties of different mass
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Bond
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result of the need for atoms to be electrically neutral
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Ionic Bond
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atoms attracted attracted by opposite electrical charge
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Covalent
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the sharing of electrons; strongest bond
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Metallic Bond
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freely moving electrons in the outer shell (electricity)
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Van der Waals Interactions
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weak electrostatic forces
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CHONPS cycles
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C-arbon
H-ydrogen O-xygen N-itrogen P-hosphorus S-ulfur |
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Nitrogen cycle
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~Nitrogen is put into soil as ammonium via decomposition
~Goes from ammonium to nitrites that can be utilized by plants ~Nitrites are then changed to nitrates in the soil that can be utilized by dentrifying bacteria |
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Phosphorus cycle (aquatic)
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~Phosphorus -> water thru agri, sewage, or through the weathering and erosion of rocks/minerals containing phosphates
~Phosphates in soln can either precipitate into sediment phosphates or used for photosynthesis by aquatic plants (later decomps) |
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Phosphorus cycle (terrestrial)
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~Death and excretion deposit are broken down by decomposers putting the phosphates into the soil
~The phosphates are then used by plants that are then eaten by consumers |
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Carbon cycle (terrestrial)
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~CO2 is taken from the atmosphere and is used for photosynthesis
~Plants are then consumed and/or burned ~Burning the plants/consumers that have eaten plants products releases CO2 into the atmosphere |
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Carbon cycle (aquatic)
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~CO2 can go into soln and be used for photosynthesis by aquatic plants
~Those plants then decompose or are eaten by something that decomposes and puts CO2 into the soil ~It settles and is used as fossil fuel ~Fossil fuel is burned and releases CO2 into the atmosphere |
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Oxidized Carbon
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~inorganic
~cation ~CO2 |
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Reduced Carbon
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~organic
~ anion ~energy! |
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Photosynthesis
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~takes oxidized carbon and adds electrons making it a reduced carbon
~Animal can then strip the electrons from the reduced carbon |
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Hierarchical environmental system
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composed of smaller systems that are made of smaller interacting parts
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Openness
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the degree of isolation of a system
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Integration
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the strength of interactions among the various parts of the system
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Complexity
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Refers to the number of parts in a system; the more parts, the gr8r the complexity
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Negative Feedback
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occurs when the rate of the process decreases as the concentration of the product increases
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Positive Feedback
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occurs when the rate of a process increases as the concentration of the product increases
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Environmental Impact (I)
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the alteration of the natural environment by human activity
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Environmental Impact Formula
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Environmental Impact (I) = Population (P) X Consumption (C)
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Commons defn.
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resources & environmental sinks that are held in common by many people
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Green Fees/True Environmental Costs
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adjusts the costs of products and services to include environmental costs
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Population
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a group of organisms of the same species living in the same area
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Carrying Capacity
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the maximum population that can be sustained in an area over a long time
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Competitive exclusion
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~2 or more organisms require the same limited resources
~Niche overlap can exclude the less efficient competitor |
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Symbiosis
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the living together in more or less intimate association or close union of two dissimilar organisms
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Mutualism
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symbiotic relationship where both species benefit
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Commensalism
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Symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is unaffected
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Parasitism
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Symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is harmed
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Amensalism
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Symbiotic relationship where one species is unaffected and the other is harmed
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Human Impacts on Populations
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~Increase by competitive and predator releases, increase in resource, or introduction to new areas
~Decrease by habitat disruption, intro of new species, overkill, and 2o extinctions |
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Competitive Release
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Due to human interference, a previous competitive force is removed from a species
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Predator Release
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the killing off of predators that causes an increase in population
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Introduced Exotic Species
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introduction of non-native species
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Population ranges/distribution
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populations tend to have a max abundance near the center of their geographic range
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Communities
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consist of all the populations that inhabit a certain area
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Ecotones
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occur when there are closed communities with sharp boundaries separating species
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Community succession
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sequential replacement of species in a community by immigration of new species and local extinction of old ones
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Matter Cycling
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matter is cycled over and over within a typical healthy ecosystem; consistently stays in the system
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Energy Flow
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enters the ecosystem from the sun and most of the energy is lost; what is retained and consumed loses 80-95% between each trophic level
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Biomass pyramids
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~Producers have the most biomass
~With each trophic increase, biomass decreases ~Most mass is consumed by decomposers |
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Biodiversity
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the variety and variability among living organisms and ecological complexes in which they occur
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Species Richness
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the overall species in an area
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How many species have been described?
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1.8-2 million
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How many species are estimated to be on Earth?
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5-100 million
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Ecological extinction
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A species too rare to have an impact on its ecosystem
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Extirpation
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A species has died out in a local area, but continues to exist elsewhere
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Community Degradation
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decline in the # of species in an ecosystem which then leads to easier ecosystem disruption
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Indicator Species
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species within an environment used to test ecosystem health; are more prone to environmental changes
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Extinction
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the complete loss of a species
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Background Extinction
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extinction that occur due to natural causes such as changes in climate, habitat, predation, evolution, or localized catastrophes
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5 Human Causes of Extinction
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~Habitat destruction
~Introduce New Species ~Overhunting ~Secondary Extinctions ~Community Degradation |
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Habitat Fragmentation
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the emergence of discontinuities in an organism's preferred habitat
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Edge effects
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refers to the changes in population or community structures that occur at the boundary of 2 habitats
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Keystone Species
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A species that many species become dependent on for food, reproduction, or some other basic need in a healthy community
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Species preservation through...
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-habitat protection
-selection and design of preserves -land management incentives -legal protection -captive breeding and reintroduction |
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Minimum Viable Population
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the minimum population size needed to stay above the extinction vortex
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