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Final Exam Vocab
Vocabulary 1 - 3
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Mass Extinction | when large numbers of entire species become extinct at nearly the same time |
| Evolution | change over time of species of organisms, or Earth |
| Natural Selection | process where members of the species that are best suited to their environment survive and reproduce at a higher rate |
| Adaptation | trait that gives an organism an advantage in its environment and increases its chance or survival |
| Speciation | evolution of a new species from an existing species |
| Ancestor | distant or early form of an organism form which later organisms descend |
| Vestigial Organ | physical structure that was fully developed and functional in an earlier group but is reduced and unused in later species |
| Homologous Structure | physical structure that is similar and used for a similar purpose in different species |
| Mutation | random change to a gene that results in a new trait |
| Population Dynamics | study changes in the number of individuals in a population and the factors that effect those changes |
| Carrying Capacity | maximum size that a population can reach in an ecosystem |
| Population Density | measure of the number of organisms in a given area |
| Immigration | movement of an organism into a range inhabited by the same species |
| Emigration | movement of individuals out of an ecosystem |
| Limiting Factor | factor or condition that prevents the continuing growth of a population in an ecosystem |
| Opportunist | species characterized by a relatively short life span and large quantities of offspring |
| Competitor | species characterized by a relatively long life span with few offspring |
| Fossil | an object that is a trace or remain of living things from the past |
| Original Remains | fossils that are actual bodies or body parts of an organism (ex.Bones) |
| Ice Core | a sample of Earth that is taken in a tube and shows the layers that have built up over thousands of years |
| Relative Age (Dating) | the age of an even or object in relation to other events or objects (younger or older) |
| Absolute Age (Dating) | the actual age in years of an object or event |
| Index Fossil | fossils or organisms that were common, lived in many areas, and existed only during a certain time span |
| Half-Life | the length of time it takes for half of the atoms of a radioactive element to change to another form |
| Uniformitarianism | the theory that Earth is an always changing place and that the same forces of change from the past are at work today |
| Geological Time Scale | the scale that divides Earth's history into intervals that are defined by major events or changes on Earth |
| Lithosphere | the layer of Earth made up of crust and the rigid part of the upper mantle |
| Asthenosphere | layer in Earth's upper mantle that is soft because it is close to melting |
| Tectonic Plate | one of the large moving pieces of Earth's lithosphere (oceanic/continental) |
| Continental Drift | hypothesis that Earth's continents move on Earth's surface |
| Pangaea | hypothetical super continent that included all the land masses of Earth, broke apart 2009 million years ago |
| Theory or Plate Tectonics | theory stating that Earth's lithosphere is broken into huge plates that move and change in size over time |
| Rift Valley | deep valley formed as tectonic plates move apart, such as along a mid-ocean ridge |
| Magnetic Reversal | switch in the direction of the Earth's magnetic field so that magnetic North and South switch |
| Hot Spot | area where a column of hot material rises from deep within the mantle and heats the lithosphere, causing volcanic activity |
| Subduction | when oceanic plate sinks under another plate in Earth;s mantle |
| Habitat | environment that contains most of the necessary requirements for an organism to live |
| Intertidal Zone | the narrow ocean margin between the high tide and the low tide mark |
| Estuaries | where fresh water from rivers mixes with slat water from the ocean |
| Wetland | wet, swampy areas that are often flooded with water (ex. Salt Marshes and Mangrove Forests) |
| Coral Reef | built up limestone deposits formed by large colonies of organisms called coral |
| Kelp Forest | large communities of a seaweed called kelp that attaches to the ocean floor and can grow up to 40 m, in cold water |
| Phytoplankton | microscopic floating organisms that lie at or near the sunlit surface and are able to photosynthesis |
| Hydrothermal Vents | hot water that rises up from cracks in the ocean floor (has lots of chemicals an chemosynthetic bacteria) |
| Overfishing | catching fish at a faster rate than they can reproduce |
| By-Catch | potion of animals that are caught in a net then thrown away |
| Salinity | the amount of dissolved salt in a substance |
| Density | mass divided by volume |
| Continental Shelf | the slope of land that lies under the water at the edge of a continent |
| Sonar | use of sound waves to measure distance and to locate objects |
| Current | mass or moving water |
| Upwelling | movement of deep nutrient water up to the surface |
| El Nino | global weather event caused by changes in air and water movement |
| Longshore Current | movement of water parallel to the shore |
| Rip Current | strong movement of water that breaks through sandbars and moves out to sea |
| Tide | rise and fall of the water level of the ocean due to the moon's gravitational pull |
| Tidal Range | difference between high tide and the next low tide |
| Spring Tide | extreme high and low tide (large tidal bulge) |
| Neap Tide | less extreme high and low tide (small tidal bulge) |
| Irrigation | way that humans apply water to crops |
| Aquaculture | science and process of raising and harvesting fish for food |
| Dam | structure that blocks and controls the flow of water in a river or lake |
| Lock | area of waterway closed off by gates, where water level is raised and lowered to let ships pass |
| Concentration | the amount of substance in another substance |
| Sewage System | system used by cities and towns to collect and treat waste water |
| Septic System | small system used by home or business to treat waste water (usually in remote/country areas) |
| Point-Source Pollution | pollution that enters water from a known source |
| Nonpoint-Source Pollution | pollution that enters water from a source that is hard to find or is scattered |
| Drought | long period of time with little to no rainfall |
| Desalination | process used to remove salt from ocean water |
| Fresh Water | water you can drink, not salty |
| Salt Water | water that has salt and minerals |
| Water Cycle | continuous flow of water from the air to the ground and back |
| Evaporation | water turning to water vapor (gas) |
| Condensation | process of water turning from vapor to liquid |
| Precipitation | water falling from clouds |
| Divide | ridge from which water flows on either side |
| Drainage Basin | area at the bottom of a divide where water flows |
| Turnover | continuous rising and sinking of water in a lake |
| Eutrophication | the increase of nutrients in a lake or pond |
| Iceberg | large mass of frozen water in the ocean |
| Groundwater | water held in the ground |
| Permeable | layer of rock/soil that water CAN flow through |
| Impermeable | layer of rock that water CAN'T flow through |
| Water Table | the highest part of the ground that is completely filled with water |
| Aquifer | underground permeable layer of rock that holds water |
| Spring | water that flows from the ground where the surface of land dips below the water table |
| Artesian Well | well where water flows upward because of pressure |
| Transpiration | water given off by plants |
| Infiltration | water that makes its way into the ground |
| Runoff | water draining from mountains into rivers, lakes, and streams |
| Microorganism | small organism that can only be seen with a microscope |
| Kingdom | 6 large groupings of living organisms that have similar characteristics |
| Algae | protists that live mostly in water and do photosynthesis |
| Plankton | microscope organisms that drift in large numbers through water |
| Protozoa | animal-like protists that are decomposers |
| Virus | non-living, disease causing particles that uses living cells to reproduce |
| Bacteria | group of one-celled organisms that sometimes cause disease |
| Archaea | single-celled organisms without nuclei that can survive in extreme enviroments |
| Decomposer | organism that feeds on or breaks down dead plant and animal matter |
| Parasite | organism that uses another organism for its nutrients, it often harms the host organism in the process |
| Host Cell | cell that a virus infects and uses to make copies of itself |
| Carbohydrate | sugar molecule used for energy |
| Lipid | organic compound that makes up fats and oils in living things |
| Protein | org. compound made of amino acids, that does the work in a cell |
| Nucleic Acid | molecules that carry the instructions for the cell (RNA and DNA) |
| Glucose | sugar made form carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen |
| Photosynthesis | process plant cells use to make glucose |
| Chlorophyll | pigment |
Created by:
ThompsonML
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