Earth Basics
Earth is the only known planet in our solar system with _______ on the surface and an atmosphere that contains a large proportion of oxygen.
liquid water
Scientists have determined that Earth is made up of _____ major compositional zones and _____ major structural zones.
3 compositional and 5 structural
The water that covers the Earth’s surface
hydrosphere
Consumers that get energy by breaking down dead organisms are called
Decomposers
The ultimate source of energy in almost every ecosystem.
Sun
Earth appears to be a perfect sphere, but it is actually an _________
oblate spheroid, or slightly flattened sphere.
What are the 3 compositional zones?
Core, Crust, and Mantle.
The mostly solid part of Earth and includes all of the rock and soil on the surface of continents and on the ocean floor and the molten interior of Earth as well.
Geosphere
Organisms, like plants, that are able to make their own food are called
Producers
The process by which plants capture solar energy and store it.
Photosynthesis
Approximately _______% of Earth’s surface is covered by a relatively thin layer of salt water called the global ocean.
71%
What are the 5 structural zones?
Lithosphere, Asthenosphere, Mesosphere, Inner core and Outer core.
All of the forms of life in the geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere. This also includes organic matter that is not decomposed. Once decomposed, matter becomes part of the other three spheres.
Biosphere
Organisms that get their energy from eating other organisms.
Consumers
The base of the energy pyramid is for
Producers
The difference between the height of the tallest mountain and the depth of the deepest ocean trench is about ___ km
20
The mantle is approximately ______ km thick and makes up about two-thirds of Earth’s mass.
2900
The blanket of gases that surrounds Earth’s surface and provides the air you breathe and acts as a shield from the sun’s harmful radiation. The atmosphere is made of 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen
Atmosphere
The study of the complex relationships between living things and their nonliving, or abiotic, environment.
Ecology
The sequence by which organisms consume other organisms is generally represented by a
Food chain
Earth’s circumference from pole to pole is _______ The equatorial circumference is 40,074 km.
40,007 km.
At the center of the earth is a sphere, called the core. It is composed mainly of ______ and _____.
Iron and Nickel
Salt water makes up ___% of the water on earth.
97%
Because of the limited flow, the environment can only support a certain population size at any given time called the
Carrying capacity.
In ecosystems, however, there are more complex feeding relationships which are shown in a
Food web