BIO Midterm

a method of investigation involving observation and theory to test scientific hypotheses

a proposal intended to explain certain facts or observations

Any portion of the universe that can be isolated from the rest of the universe for the sole purpose of observing and measuring changes

The continuous circulation of water in the Earth's atmosphere system

the property of being sustainable

the ability to do work

stored energy

energy in moving objects

Everything that has mass and takes up space

forms of an element differing in atomic mass due to the fact that the isotopes have different numbers of neutrons

the order of an element in Mendeleyev's table of the elements; equal to the number of protons in the nucleus or electrons in the neutral state of an atom of an element

Substance composed of different kinds of atoms

forces (chemical energy) holding atoms together in molecules

Atoms with opposite charges (ions) form a bond e.g. Na+ and Cl- .

atoms share electrons (but not always equally). For example, in water the oxygen attracts the electrons more strongly than the hydrogens do, so the hydrogens have a slight positive charge and the oxygen a slight negative charge.

H2(Hydrogen), O2(Oxygen), N2(Nitrogen), HCl(Hydrochloric acid), H2O(Water), CO2(Carbon Dioxide), SO2(Sulfur Dioxide), , NO2(Nitrogen Dioxide), CH4(Methane)

Oxidation: When an atom gives up one or more electrons, it is oxidized

Reduction: When an atom gains electrons, it is reduced

the synthesis of organic compounds by bacteria or other living organisms using energy derived from reactions involving inorganic chemicals, typically in the absence of sunlight.

the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water. Generally involves the green pigment chlorophyll and generates oxygen as a byproduct

a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding.

a particular section, group, or type of people or animals living in an area or country.

a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.

the rate of production of new biomass by an individual, population, or community; the fertility or capacity of a given habitat or area.

each of several hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, comprising organisms that share the same function in the food chain and the same nutritional relationship to the primary sources of energy.

On average, only about 10 percent of energy stored as biomass in a trophic level is passed from one level to the next.

heritable behavioral, morphological, or physiological trait that has evolved through the process of natural selection, and maintains or increases the fitness of an organism under a given set of environmental conditions.

any event that changes genetic structure; any alteration in the inherited nucleic acid sequence of the genotype of an organism

The upper and lower limits to the range of particular environmental factors (e.g. light, temperature, availability of water) within which an organism can survive.

“For the greatest good for the greatest number for the longest time”

George Perkins Marsh - Man and Nature published in 1864 ▪Influenced Theodore Roosevelt and his conservation advisor, Gifford Pinchot. ▪Pinchot’s policy was one of Pragmatic Utilitarian conservation

Nature deserves to exist for its own sake - regardless of degree of usefulness to humans.

▪Biocentric Preservation – “Why ought man to value himself more than...the one great unit of creation”. He opposed Pinchot’s view.

▪Aldo Leopold – A student of Pinchot’s

▪Authored “The Land Ethic” – “we abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us”.

A number of specific environmental issues can impede human health and wellness. These issues include chemical pollution, air pollution, climate change, disease-causing microbes, lack of access to health care, poor infrastructure, and poor water quality.

responsible pro‐environmental behavior of citizens who act and participate in society as agents of change in the private and public sphere

founded Green Belt Movement in 1997 to organize poor rural African women to restore the local environment by planting trees, also promoting justice and equality

awakened public to environmental threat posed by pesticides Silent Spring (1962)

the organic circulation of carbon from the atmosphere into organisms and back again

the circulation of nitrogen; nitrates from the soil are absorbed by plants which are eaten by animals that die and decay returning the nitrogen back to the soil

Generalist species can feed on a wide variety of things and thrive in various environments (Ex. rats or racoons). Specialist species eat a limited diet and occupy a much narrower niche (Ex. pandas).

two species can't coexist if they occupy exactly the same niche (competing for identical resources)

Sympatric: organisms continue to live in the same place but become isolated by some other means

Allopatric: The new population evolves independently of the first, creating a new species

Mimicry: Batesian is harmless species mimic the warning coloration of dangerous species to gain protection

Mullerian is two dangerous species evolve to look alike

Symbiosis: two or more species live intimately together with their fates linked

Biotic and abiotic factors are what make up ecosystems. Biotic factors are living things within an ecosystem; such as plants, animals, and bacteria, while abiotic are non-living components; such as water, soil and atmosphere.

Curve on a graph recording when, in a new environment, the population density of an organism increases rapidly in an exponential or logarithmic form, but then stops abruptly as environmental resistance (e.g. seasonality) or some other factor (e.g. the end of the breeding phase) suddenly becomes effective

Limit of sustainability that an environment has in relation to the size of a species population

Logistic growth: Type of growth rate regulated by internal and external factors until coming into equilibrium with environmental resources

Density independency factors: As population size increases the effect intensifies (effect is what is in environment ex: overcrowding, food stabillity)

Famine: large-scale food shortages, massive starvation, social disruption, and economic chaos

Undernourishment: supplied with less than the minimum amount of the nutrients or foods essential for sound health and growth