Vocabulary
The biological and physical surroundings in which any given living organizsm exists
What is the environment?
A possible explanation for what we have observed that is based on some previous knowledge.
What is a hypothesis?
A group of plants or animals that have a high degree of similarity and can generally only interbreed among themselves.
What is a species?
The chemical reaction performed by producers that uses the energy of the Sun to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar and oxygen.
What is photosynthesis?
The variety of life on Earth.
What is biodiversity?
A widely accepted explanation of a natural phenomenon that has been extensively and rigorously tested scientifically.
What is a theory?
All of the organisms in a given area plus the physical environment in which, and with which, they interact.
What is an ecosystem?
Abiotic or biotic components of the environment that serve as storage places for cycling nutrients.
What are sinks?
Research who findings are used to hep solve practical problems.
What is applied science?
Research that gathers data in a real-world setting without intentionally manipulating any varibales.
What is an observational study?
The nonliving components of an ecosystem, such as rainfall and mineral composition of the soil.
What is abiotic?
Conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into a biologically usable form, ammonia (NH3), carried out by bacteria found in soil or via lightning.
What is nitrogen fixation?
A scientific approach that investigates the natural world through systematic observation and experimentation.
What is empirical science?
The variable in an experiment that a researcher manipulates or changes to see if the change produces an effect.
What is an independent variable?
All the individuals of a species live in the same geographic area and are able to interact and interbreed.
What is a population?
This nutrient is needed to make important biological molecules like DNA and RNA, and is found only in solid and liquid form on Earth.
What is phosphorous?
Capable of being continued indefinitely.
What is sustainable?
Two things occurring together but not necessisarily having a cause-and-effect relationship.
What is a correlation?
All the populations (plants, animals, and other species) living and interacting in an area.
What is a community?
Different species of bacteria are responsible for this step of the nitrogen cycle, the conversion of ammonia to nitrate (NO3-) -which is another form that can be directly used by bacteria or taken up by plants.
What is nitrification?