ZOOLOGY
Zoology 201 with Greene at Miami University of Ohio
About this deck
By: Danielle Lefevers
Created: 2011-02-01
Size: 140 flashcards
Views: 100
Created: 2011-02-01
Size: 140 flashcards
Views: 100
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Biosphere
the thin layer of air(atmosphere), water(hydrosphere), soil and rock(lithosphere) that surrounds the planet and contains the conditions to support life
Global environment
the sum of all living organisms, the relationships between organisms and their environment.
Abiota
nonliving physical surroundings
Biota
living organisms in the surroundings
Evolution
the process of change with continuity in successive generations of organisms
Big-Bang Theory
a theory that deduces a cataclysmic birth of the universe (bigbang) from the observed expansion of the universe, cosmicbackground radiation, abundance of the elements, and the laws ofphysics.
Mutation
a random change within the genetic material of an individual that is passed on to their offspring
Natural Selection
the process by which forms of life having traits that better enable them to adapt to specific environmental pressures, as predators,changes in climate, or competition for food or mates, will tend tosurvive and reproduce in greater numbers than others of theirkind, thus ensuring the perpetuation of those favorable traits insucceeding generations.
Speciation
the separation of populations of organisms originally able to interbreed into independent evolutionary units that cant interbreed anymore.
3 causes of environmental problems
population growth, abuse of resources, and pollution
Linear growth
occurs when a quantity is increased by a fixed number over a certain period of time.
Exponential growth
occurs when a quantity is increased by a fixed percentage over a period of time
Resource
Anything that serves a need
Perpetual Resource
is one that originates from a source which is essentially exhaustible like solar energy.
Renewable resource
can be replaced by the environment as long as they are not used as quickly as the environment can create them.
Nonrenewable resource
exists in finite supply, like coal, oil and fossil fuels.
Net Primary Productivity
the total amount of solar energy fixed biologically through the process of photosynthesis---the amount of energy that plants use for their own needs
Pollutant
a substance of energy such as heat that adversely alters the physical , chemical , or biological quality of natural systems
Ecology
the study of the structure function and behavior of the natural systems that are the biosphere
Scientific Method
a process of observation, hypothesis, and experimentation.
Environmental Science
the study of the human impact on the environment
Religion
the expression of human belief in a super human power that controls everything.
Pantheism
Belief in multiple Gods
Monotheisn
belief in a single God
Anthropocentric worldview
a way of perceiving reality that places humans at the top and the rest of nature underneath it.
Biocentric worldview
both humans and other parts of creation are equal
Frontier Ethic
a code of conduct based on the premises that resources are essentially unlimited
Stewardship worldview
the earth is at the top of concerns and the humans are below
Ethics
the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particularclass of human actions or a particular group
Morals
the principles that help distinguish between good and evil . Usually based on a faith component
Environmental Ethics
principles of respect and care for the natural world
Land ethic
principle of cooperation between humans and other biospheric components
Stewardship Ethic
a guide for behavior based on the belief that humans should act as caretakers and nurturers of the nature world
Natural Capital
natural resources
human capitals
skill and labor
manufactured capital
clothing and appliances
traditional economy
a self-sufficient economic system where people grow their own food and make their own goods.
Pure command economy
the government makes all economic decisions.
Pure market economy
economic decisions are made by buyers and sellers in a marketplace. Supply/demand.
Economic growth
an increase in the capacity of the economy to produce goods and services
GNP
gross national product. The total national output of all goods and services valued at market prices
NNP
net national product. Based on GNP but factors in depletion of natural resources
Human development Index
Uses three indictators to estimate the average quality of life in a country:
LIfe expectancy, literacy rates, and real GNP per capita
ISEW
index of sustainable economic welfare. Adjusts GNP according to inequalities in income, resource depletion, loss of wetlands and farmland and cost of pollution
Internal Costs
direct costs of production
External costs
Harmful social or environmental effects of the production and consumption of a good.
cost-benefit analysis
a technique used to compare the estimated costs
Sustainability
The relationship between dynamic human economic systems and larger dynamics
steady-state economy
an economy characterized by a constant level of human population and a constant level of artifacts
sustainable development
Improving quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of ecosystems
Green taxes
Fees assessed to discourage the use of environmentally harmful practices
Environmental Law
an organized way of using all the laws in the legal system to prevent the actions that damage the environment
Common Law
a body of written and unwritten rules based on precedent
Nuisance
the most common cause of action in the field of environmental law
Trespass
the unwarranted entry upon another's property
Statutory Law
the body of facts passed by a local legislature or congress
Environmental Education
the process of learning about the biosphere , its problems, and the human role in causing and resolving there problems.
Species
all organisms of a particular kind that re capable of producing viable offspring
Population
a distinct group of individuals that live, interbreed, and interact in the same geographic area.
Energy
the ability to do work.
first law of thermo
during a physical or chemical reaction, energy is neither created nor destroyed
second law of thermo
with each change in form energy is degraded to a less useful form, like heat.
Entropy
where energy constantly flows from a high quality, organized form to a low-quality, dispersed form.
Macronutrients
chemicals needed to by living organisms in a large quantity to construct proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.
Micronutrients
substances needed in trace amounts
Phototrophs
organisms containing chlorophyll that produces complex chemical compounds by photosynthesis
Photosynthesis
When plants make the food they need from sunlight
Chemotrophs
autotrophs that use energy found in inorganic chemical compounds
Phytoplankton
microscopic floating plants and algae. Major producers
heterotrophs
consumers. con only consume items cant produce food.
Herbivores
primary consumers. Eat producers directly
carnivores
secondary consumers. eat both plants and animals
Omnivores
Carnivores that eat secondary consumers also. Tertiary consumers
Scavengers
consume dead organisms
Decomposers
digest materials outside of their cell through enzymes
eutrophication
the natural aging of a lake
Indicator Species
a species that indicates by either its presence or absence, certain environmental conditions.
keystone species
a species that has a significant role in community organization due to its impact on other species.
NPP
net primary productivity.
GPP-R=NPP
Aerobic Respiration
plants and animals require oxygen to release energy
Anaerobic Respiration
dont require oxygen to obtain energy from fuel molecules
Estuary
a semi enclosed coastal body of water composed of salt and fresh water
Trophic levels
the producers and successive steps removed from the producers
Detritus Food Web
based on decomposing plants and animal material or animal waste products
Pyramid of Energy
depicts, the production, use, and transfer of energy from one trophic level to another
10 percent rule
explains why food chains are generally short and why pyramidal relationships exist
Pyramid of biomass
depicts the total amount of living material at each trophic level
Pyramid of numbers
depicts the relative abundance of organisms at each trophic level
biochemical cycle
a series of processes by which materials cycle through ecosystems
hydrologic cycle
includes al the processes that are involves in circulation of water bodies of air land and water
Gaseous Cycle
as materials circulate from air t, through land, and water and back again. Carbon and nitrogen cycles are common gaseous cycles.
nitrogen fixation
the process by which certain kinds of bacteria convent to ammonia
sedimentary cycles
involves material that move primary from land to oceans and back to land
Ecosystem services
functions of a natural ecosystem that provide benefits to human society
ecological succession
the process by which the ecosystem matures
Ecosystem Development
takes into account the accompanying modifications in the physical environment brought about by organisms
Pioneer Species
Hardy organisms such as lichens and microbes that can become established on bare rocks and start soil building
Ecotone
edge community
Dynamic equilibrium
property of constant adjustment to change, maintaining an overall balance
Inertia
refers to the ability of an ecosystem to resist change
Resiliency
refers to the capacity of an ecosystem to undergo change and return to a similar system configuration.
Intraspecific competition
competition between members of the same species
Interspecific competition
competition between members of different species
Niche
the complete ecological description of an individual species including all factors
competitive exclusion principle
different species with similar requirements sometimes compete to the elimination of one of them
Symbiosis
The intimate association of two dissimilar species, regardless of the benefits or lack of them to both species
Mutualism
is an association of two species in which both benefit
Commensalism
an association of two species in which on benefits and the other neither benefits nor is harmed
Parasitism
an association of two species in which one benefits and the other is harmed
predation
when one species consumes another
Biotic Potential
the max. growth rate that a population could achieve, given unlimited resources and ideal environment conditions
Environmental resistance
exerts a controlling influence on the population size
Carrying capacity
the population size that can best be supported by the environment over time
Density-Dependent factors
biotic. their effect is greater when the population density is high
Density-independent factors
tend to set upper limits on the population
diversity-stability hypothesis
suggests the biodiversity promotes resistance to disturbance bc species differ in their traits
Rivet Hypothesis
likens species in an ecosystem to the rivets that hold together on airplane
Redundancy Hypothesis
contends that there is considerable overlap in the roles that species play within an ecosystem
Null hypothesis
ecosystem functions or processes are insensitive to the addition or deletion of species
Anthropogenic
Ecosystem degradation
Acute pollution effects
occur immediately upon or shortly after the introduction of a pollutant and they are readily detected
Chronic pollution effects
act in the long term. they arent noticed until years after the introduction of the pollutant
Phototoxicity
in the presence of sunlight , the damage caused by such pollutants increases
Synergistic Effects
their combined effect is greater or more harmful than the sum of their individual effects.
Bioaccumulation
the storage of chemicals in an organism in higher concentrations than are normally found in the environment
biomagnification
the accumulation of chemicals in organisms in increasingly higher concentrations at successive trophic levels
Point-source pollution
emitted from an identifiable specific source or point
Nonpoint source pollution
cannot be traced to a specific source but rather comes from multiple generalized sources in a wide area
Cross-media pollutant
affect an ecosystem by moving from one medium to another
Biodegradable
Materials that can be broken down and rendered harmless by living systems
Nonbiodegradable
unusable by the organisms present in that system
Persistent pollutant
a pollutant that accumulates in a natural system over time
Ecosystem disruption
the rapid change in the species composition of a community that can be traced directly to a specific human activity
Ecosystem destruction
the conversion of a natural system, such as wetland, to a less complex human system, such as a farm.
Desertification
land degradation in arid, and dry sub-humid regions resulting mainly from adverse human impact
Salinization
the build-up of salts in the soil
Deforestation
the cutting down and clearing away of forests
Siltation
the process by which soil erodes from land surfaces and accumulates in streams and lakes
Frontier forests
Expansive tracts of contiguous forest largely untouched by human activities
Fragmentation
a patchwork of cropland, logging roads, and smaller discrete forest areas
About this deck
By: Danielle Lefevers
Created: 2011-02-01
Size: 140 flashcards
Views: 100
Created: 2011-02-01
Size: 140 flashcards
Views: 100
About StudyBlue
STUDYBLUE makes things that make you better at school.
Things like online flashcards with photos and audio.
Things like personalized quizzes and friendly reminders about when (and what) to study next.
Think of it as a digital backpack™: access to all of your study materials online and on your phone.
STUDYBLUE exists to make studying efficient and effective for every student, for free. Join us.
“I have been getting MUCH better grades on all my tests for school. Flash cards, notes, and quizzes are great on here. Thanks!”
Kathy
Kathy