unit 1
What are primary consumers?
Animals that eat only plants.
What is climate change?
Long-term shifts in temperature or precipitation patterns that can alter ecosystems.
What is exponential growth?
This type of growth occurs when resources are unlimited.
What is population growth?
The number of people added to a population in a given time period.
What is subsurface mining?
This type of mining involves digging tunnels underground.
What is the 10% Rule?
This rule explains why only about 10% of energy moves from one trophic level to the next.
What is genetic diversity?
The variety of genes within a population
What is overshoot?
This occurs when a population exceeds its carrying capacity.
What is the amount of land and water(resources) needed to support a person’s lifestyle?
Avg ecological footprint
What is the crust?
This is the Earth's outermost layer, consisting of solid rock.
What is an apex predator?
The top predator in an ecosystem with no natural enemies.
What is a generalist species?
A species with a wide range of tolerance for conditions and resources.
What is population density?
The number of individuals per unit area.
What are nonrenewable resources?
Resources that are limited.
What is a divergent boundary?
This type of plate boundary occurs when two plates move away from each other.
What is nitrogen fixation?
This process is how plants use nitrogen from the atmosphere to become usable.
What is secondary succession?
The recovery of an ecosystem where soil remains intact, such as after a forest fire.
What is total fertility rate (TFR)?
The average number of children a woman will have in her lifetime.
What are the three R's that reduce environmental impact?
Reduce, reuse, and recycle
What is weathering?
The process by which rocks are broken down into smaller particles.
This biome is found in shallow waters off the coastline and is Earth’s most biologically diverse marine biome.
Coral reef
What is the theory of island biogeography?
This principle explains why larger islands closer to the mainland have more biodiversity.
What are r-selected species?
Species that reproduce fast.
What does A stand for in the Ipat formula?
Affluence
What is soil erosion?
This process removes topsoil faster than it can be replaced, causing land degradation.