Astronomy & stellar evolution
This term refers to the apparent shift of light toward longer wavelengths, which Edwin Hubble used to prove the universe is expanding
Redshift
This rigid outer layer of the Earth includes both the crust
Lithosphere
This fundamental geologic law states that in an undisturbed sequence of rocks, the oldest layers are at the bottom
Law of superposition
This property of water allows it to dissolve a wide variety of substances, more than any other liquid
Universal solvent
This level of ecological organization includes all the different populations of various species living and interacting in a single area
Community
Johannes Kepler discovered that planets do not move in perfect circles, but rather in this specific oval-shaped path
Ellipse
Alfred Wegener proposed that all continents were once part of this single, massive supercontinent
Pangaea
This is the name given to the "new" isotopes that result after an unstable parent isotope undergoes radioactive decay
Daughter isotopes
This part of the water cycle involves water vapor being released into the atmosphere specifically through the pores of plant leaves
Transpiration
This term describes a species, like the beaver or wolf, that has an unusually large impact on the health and structure of its entire ecosystem
Keystone species
This is the process occurring in the cores of stars where smaller atomic nuclei combine to create heavier elements
Nuclear Fusion
This is the specific type of tectonic boundary where two plates push apart from eachother
Divergent
This is the specific amount of time required for 50% of a radioactive isotope sample to decay
half life
This process involves soil bacteria converting atmospheric nitrogen into a chemical form that plants can actually absorb and use
Nitrogen fixation
This strategy allows similar species to coexist in the same habitat by using different parts of a resource to avoid direct competition
resource partitioning
This is the specific stage of a star’s life cycle characterized by steady hydrogen fusion
Main Sequence Stage
This process occurs at divergent boundaries, where new oceanic crust is formed and moves away from the ridge
Seafloor Spreading
These types of atoms have the same number of protons but differ in their number of neutron
Isotopes
This environmental phenomenon occurs when excess nutrient runoff (like phosphorus or nitrogen) causes an explosive growth of algae in water
Eutrophication
This type of symbiotic relationship occurs when one organism benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed
Commensalism
This "leftover" heat or radiation from the early universe serves as primary evidence for the Big Bang theory
Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation
These are the circular movements of molten rock within the mantle that serve as the "engine" driving plate tectonics
Convection Currents
This geologic principle explains that a fault or an igneous intrusion must be younger than the rock layers it breaks through
Principle of cross cutting relationships
Unlike the carbon or nitrogen cycles, this nutrient cycle is unique because it does not involve a significant atmospheric (gas) phase
Phosphorous cycle
This is the type of ecological succession that begins in a completely barren area, such as a lava flow, where no soil previously existed
Primary succession