Systems & Feedback
This type of system exchanges no energy or matter with its surroundings
Closed System
Anything that takes up space and has mass
Matter
All organisms of the same kind that are genetically similar enough to breed in nature and produce live, fertile offspring.
Species
The process of photosynthetic organisms taking up carbon dioxide and changing it from a gas to an organic molecule. (Hint: The answer is NOT photosynthesis)
Carbon fixation
A solution with a pH of exactly 7.
Neutral
This Jamaican sprinter, whose nickname is "Lightning Bolt," holds the world record for the 100-meter dash.
Usain Bolt
Flows
The energy contained in moving objects.
Kinetic Energy
An organisms feeding status in an ecosystem.
Trophic Level
This biogeochemical cycle is dependent upon the work of bacteria to convert N2 gas into usable forms.
Nitrogen Cycle
The prefix that means "under" or "below".
hypo-
This Dr. Seuss character "speaks for the trees" and serves as a classic example of what happens when an ecosystem's resources are completely depleted.
The Lorax
This type of feedback tends to increase a process or component
Positive Feedback
Stored energy that is available for use, such as the chemical energy stored in food.
These consumers, also known as plant eaters, are herbivores.
Primary Consumers
This biogeochemical cycle, which takes millions of years, does NOT have a major atmospheric component.
Phosphorus Cycle
A massive increase in algae growth
Eutrophication
The chemical formula CH4, this potent greenhouse gas is famously released by cattle, landfills, and melting permafrost.
Methane
In the nitrogen cycle, this is the process where bacteria break down nitrates into N2 and nitrous oxide (N2O) gases, which then return to the atmosphere.
Denitrification
This type of feedback tends to diminish a process or component, stabilizing the system.
Negative Feedback
Charged atoms (or combinations of atoms) that have gained or lost electrons
Ions
A biological community and its physical environment.
Ecosystem
Human activities, primarily burning fossil fuels, release large quantities of this element, contributing to acid precipitation
Sulfur Cycle
The process used by organisms in deep sea vents to extract energy from inorganic chemical compounds.
Chemosynthesis
In geography, this "Point" is the place on Earth that is farthest from any land, located in the remote South Pacific Ocean.
Point Nemo
This term describes when the characteristics of a whole system are greater than the sum of its parts.
Emergent Properties
This law states that with each successive energy transfer or transformation, less energy is available to do work.
2nd Law of Thermodynamics
Organisms like fungi and bacteria that complete the final breakdown and recycling of organic materials.
Decomposers
These two nutrients, often from fertilizer, cause runaway growth of algae and phytoplankton in the Gulf of Mexico.
Nitrogen and Phosphorus
The case study "Death by Fertilizer" focused on this condition of low oxygen in the Gulf of Mexico.
Hypoxia
This 14th-century West African ruler of the Mali Empire is often considered the wealthiest person in all of history, primarily due to his control of the gold and salt trade.
Mansa Musa