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AP Environmental Science: Basics Flashcards

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6471112006InorganicNot formed from living things or the remains of living things0
6471112007Organicof, relating to, or derived from living matter and Carbon-containing1
6471112008NaturalFixed or determined by nature; pertaining to the constitution of a thing2
6471112009SyntheticArtificial3
6471112010KineticEnergy of motion4
6471112011Potential EnergyStored Energy5
6471112012Radioactive decayA spontaneous process in which unstable nuclei lose energy by emitting radiation6
6471112013Half lifethe time required for something to fall to half its initial value (in particular, the time for half the atoms in a radioactive substance to disintegrate)7
6471112014Law of Conservation of MatterThe principle that the total amount of matter is constant during any physical or chemical change (matter is neither created nor destroyed during these types of changes).8
64711120151st Law of ThermodynamicsThe principle of conservation of energy. Energy can be transferred and transformed, but it cannot be created or destroyed.9
64711120162nd Law of ThermodynamicsEvery energy transfer or transformation increases the entropy of the universe.10
6471112017EntropyA measure of disorder or randomness and a function of thermodynamic variables, as temperature, pressure, or composition, that is a measure of the energy that is not available for work during a thermodynamic process11
6471112018OrganismA living thing12
6471112019SpeciesComprising related organisms that share common characteristics and are capable of interbreeding.13
6471112020PopulationA group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area14
6471112021Communityan interacting group of various species in a common location. For example, a forest of trees and undergrowth plants, inhabited by animals and rooted in soil containing bacteria and fungi15
6471112022EcosystemA biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.16
6471112023ProducersMake their own food17
6471112024Autotrophsany organism capable of self-nourishment by using inorganic materials as a source of nutrients and using photosynthesis or chemosynthesis as a source of energy, as most plants and certain bacteria and protists.18
6471112025ConsumersAn organism that obtains energy and nutrients by feeding on other organisms or their remains.19
6471112026HeterotrophsAn organism that obtains organic food molecules by eating other organisms or their by-products.20
6471112027DecomposersBreak down organic matter21
6471112028Photosynthesiscarbon dioxide and water --> Glucose and oxygen Conversion of light energy from the sun into chemical energy.22
6471112029Cellular Respiration (reactants and products)C6H12O6 (Glucose) + 6O2--> 6CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) + 6H20 (Water) + ATP (Energy)23
6471112030AerobicProcess that requires oxygen24
6471112031AnaerobicDescribes a process that does not require oxygen.25
6471112032AdaptationA trait that helps an organism survive and reproduce26
6471112033MutationA rare change in the DNA of a gene, ultimately creating genetic diversity.27
6471112034Gene TraitRepresented in pairs with an upper case letter for the dominant (A) and a lower case letter for the recessive (a). Since half the genetic material is from each parent, the offspring's traits are represented as a combination of these.28
6471112035ChromosomeA threadlike, gene-carrying structure found in the nucleus. Each _____ consists of one very long DNA molecule and associated proteins.29
6471112036Gene poolCombined genetic information of all the members of a particular population30
6471112037Natural SelectionA process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits.31
6471112038ExtinctionA term that typically describes a species that no longer has any known living individuals.32
6471112039Plate TectonicsA theory stating that the earth's surface is broken into plates that move. Geological processes, such as continental drift, volcanoes, and earthquakes, resulting from plate movement33
6471112040WeatheringThe breaking down of rocks and other materials on the Earth's surface.34
6471112041Climate ChangeChange in the statistical properties of the climate system when considered over periods of decades35
6471112042RocksA naturally formed aggregate, or mixture, of minerals; have varied chemical compositions36
6471112043MineralsA solid inorganic substance of natural occurrence.37
6471112044ClimateOverall weather in an area over a long period of time38
6471112045WeatherThe condition of Earth's atmosphere at a particular time and place.39
6471112046CO2carbon dioxide40
6471112047COCarbon Monoxide41
6471112048C6H12O6glucose42
6471112049CH4methane43
6471112050H2hydrogen44
6471112051H2Ooxidane/water45
6471112052N2nitrogen gas46
6471112053NOxnitrogen oxide47
6471112054NO3-nitrate48
6471112055NH3ammonia49
6471112056O2dioxide50
6471112057O3trioxygen51
6471112058Pphosphorous52
6471112059PO4phosphate53
6471112060Ssulfur54
6471112061SO2sulfur dioxide55
6471112062CLchloride56
6471112063Kpotassium57
6471112064NaClsodium chloride58
6471112065Pblead59
6471112066Hgmercury60
6471112067Rnradon61
6471112068Uuranium62
6471112069Richter scaleA scale that rates an earthquake's magnitude based on the size of its seismic waves.63
6471112070BiodiversityThe amount of biological or living diversity per unit area. It includes the concepts of species diversity, habitat diversity and genetic diversity.64
6471112071GeneA segment of DNA on a chromosome that codes for a specific trait65
6471112072TraitA characteristic that an organism can pass on to its offspring through its genes.66
6471112073TranspirationEvaporation of water from the leaves of a plant67
6471112074FermentationA catabolic process that makes a limited amount of ATP from glucose without an electron transport chain and that produces a characteristic end product, such as ethyl alcohol or lactic acid. Process by which cells release energy in the absence of oxygen68
6471112075ChemosynthesisProcess by which some organisms, such as certain bacteria, use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates69

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