Ecosystems Interactions & Interdependency (Unit 1)
These are the nonliving parts of an ecosystem, such as rainfall and temperature, that dictate where animals can live.
Abiotic Factors
These "undead" fires smolder underground in carbon-rich soil during the winter.
Zombie Fire
Biologically, this condition is defined as uncontrolled cell division resulting from genetic mutations
Cancer
In an evolutionary context, this term describes an organism’s ability to survive and produce offspring in a specific environment
Fitness
This biological process involves the formation of new and distinct species through evolution
Speciation
The population sizes of herbivores and carnivores are primarily influenced by the availability of these two critical resources
Food and Water
This is the specific "soil" material in the Arctic made of partially decomposed organic matter that stores massive amounts of carbon.
Peat
This specific protein acts as a "guardian" by repairing DNA or triggering cell death (apoptosis) in damaged cells
p53 Protein
This phenomenon, often caused by man-made structures like roads, restricts movement and can reduce a population’s genetic diversity
Habitat Fragmentation
Scientists determine that two groups belong to the same species if they can interbreed and produce these types of offspring
Fertile offspring
This term describes the maximum number of individuals an environment can support without the ecosystem collapsing
Carrying Capacity
This biological process supports life after a fire by transforming light energy into chemical energy, forming the basis of the food web
Photosynthesis
If these specific types of errors during DNA replication are not fixed, they are passed on as mutations to daughter cells
Mutations
Natural selection requires variation in traits that can be inherited and that directly affect an organism's chances of these two things
Survival and Reproduction
This type of evidence is used to show common ancestry, as more closely related species share more similar sequences
DNA sequences
When water availability decreases in the Serengeti, this specific biological group is the first to decline, causing a "bottom-up" crash.
Producers
This chemical process rearranges matter from organic plant tissue into CO2 gas and heat energy (and light energy).
Combustion
For a mutation to be passed down to offspring and potentially affect future generations, it must occur in these specialized cells
Germ Cells (sperm/egg)
This modern process acts as a selective pressure by introducing new environmental factors like light pollution, noise, and heat
Urbanization
On a phylogenetic tree, this specific feature represents a common ancestor shared by two different lineages
Branching Points (node)
This type of species, like the wildebeest, has an outsized impact on its environment; if removed, the entire food web may collapse.
Keystone Species
This modern human activity increases global temperatures and creates drier conditions, leading to more frequent and intense wildfires
Burning Fossil Fuels
A mutation in this specific gene leads to cancer because it prevents the protein from halting the cell cycle to monitor DNA integrity at checkpoints
p53 gene
If a specific trait provides a survival advantage, natural selection leads to this change in the population over generations
Increase in trait frequency
Rapid climate change poses a major risk to specialized species like polar bears because they may not be able to adapt or migrate fast enough to avoid this
Extinction