Geologic time
How many mass extinction events occurred on planet Earth before humans appeared?
5
In what molecule is carbon mainly stored in the atmosphere?
CO2
Carbon dioxide
Gasses like CO2 trap heat from the sun in the Earth's atmosphere. What do we call this effect that keeps Earth warm?
The greenhouse effect
What is the different between a niche and a habitat?
Niche: What an organism does; its role in an ecosystem
Habitat: Where an organism lives
What do MYA and BYA stand for?
Million years ago
Billion years ago
What type of organisms remove carbon from the atmosphere?
Photosynthesizers like plants
(They absorb CO2)
Who is currently causing climate change?
Humans
Identify this process:
The sun heats water and gives its molecules enough energy to escape into the atmosphere as water vapor.
Evaporation
How old is planet Earth?
4.6 billion years old
What process do plants perform that removes carbon from the atmosphere?
Photosynthesis
What is released into the atmosphere when humans burn fossil fuels?
(that we talked about a lot)
Carbon dioxide (other things also)
Name 3 limiting factors for a population
Any natural disaster (tornado, flood, etc.)
Any resource (food, water, shelter, space)
Not enough mates
Disease
Define a mass extinction event.
75% or more of species go extinct in a "short" geologic time period
Name the three elements that we learned must cycle through biotic and abiotic components in an ecosystem.
Carbon
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Name a human activity that releases carbon into the atmosphere.
Burning fossil fuels
Respiration (exhaling CO2)
Deforestation
Burning campfires
The greatest number of individuals of one species that an area can support over time is called its...
Carrying capacity
What were the first living organisms on planet Earth like?
Single celled prokaryotes
Name the process that converts atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into a form that plants can use in the nitrogen cycle?
Nitrogen Fixation
Name 2 effects of climate change that we learned about...
Sea level rise
Loss of sea ice
Global warming
Mass extinction
(Also ocean acidifcation)
When an ecosystem changes over time following a disturbance.
AND
The name for the first species to colonize a new area.
Ecological succession and pioneer species