Ecosystems & Biodiversity
What is Biodiversity?
The variety of life in an area
What does carrying capacity mean?
The largest population an environment can support.
What is a renewable resource?
A resource that can naturally be replaced.
What is point-source pollution?
Pollution from one clear source.
What gas is most responsible for human-caused climate change?
Carbon dioxide.
What is species richness?
The number of different species in an area.
What is exponential growth?
Rapid population growth when resources are unlimited.
Which fossil fuel releases the most carbon dioxide?
Coal
What is eutrophication?
Too many nutrients cause algae blooms and low oxygen.
What is the greenhouse effect?
Gases trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere.
What is an invasive species?
A nonnative species that harms an ecosystem.
What is logistic growth?
Growth that slows down as it reaches carrying capacity.
What is the main benefit of solar energy?
It makes electricity without air pollution.
What causes acid rain?
Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.
What is a carbon sink?
Something that absorbs carbon, like forests or oceans.
What is ecological succession?
The gradual change in an ecosystem over time.
What are density-dependent factors?
Factors that affect populations more when the population is larger, like disease or competition.
What is one environmental problem with nuclear energy?
Radioactive waste.
What is biomagnification?
Pollutants increase as they move up the food chain.
How does deforestation affect climate change?
It removes trees that absorb carbon dioxide.
Why are keystone species important?
They have a large effect on the ecosystem even if they are not very common.
What happens during overshoot?
A population goes above carrying capacity and may crash.
Why is energy lost in food chains?
Energy is used by organisms and lost as heat.
Why is DDT harmful?
It builds up in animals and causes eggshell thinning in birds.
What causes sea level rise?
Melting ice and thermal expansion of ocean water.