enviro chapt 3 Flashcards

32500384	cellular respiration	involves splitting carbon and hydrogen atoms from the sugar molecule and recombining them with oxygen
32500385	chemical energy	type of potential energy stored in food and gasoline
32500386	compound	substance composed of different kinds of atoms
32500387	conservation of matter	matter cannot be created or destroyed
32500388	consumers	consume chemical energy harnessed by the producers
32500389	decomposer	organism such as fungi and bacteria that complete the final breakdown and recycling of organic materials
32500390	detritivores	such as ants and beetles consume litter, debris, and dung
32500391	ecology	the scientific study of relationships between organisms and their environment
32500392	ecosystem	composed of a biological community and its physical environment including abiotic factors
32500393	elements	substances that cannot be broken down into simpler forms by ordinary chemical reactions
32500394	energy	the ability to do work
32500395	entropy	disorder
32500396	enzymes	regulate chemical reactions without being consumed or damaged as they work
32500397	first law of thermodynamics	energy is conserved it is neither created nor destroyed under normal conditions
32500398	food chain	a linked feeding series
32500399	food web	individual food chains that become interconnected
32500400	heat	energy that can be transferred between objects of different temperature
32500401	herbivores	plant eaters
32500402	hydrologic cycle	the path of water through the environment
32500403	ions	charged atoms
32500404	isotopes	forms of a single element that differ in atomic mass
32500405	kinetic energy	energy contained in a moving object
32500406	matter	everything that takes up space and has mass
32500407	metabolism	the multitude of enzymatic reactions performed by an organism
32500408	molecule	a pair or group of atoms that can exist as a single unit
32500409	nitrogen cycle	the key natural process that makes nitrogen available and takes it back to be reused
32500410	omnivores	eat both plants and animals
32500411	organic compounds	the material out of which living organisms are made
32500412	pH	how we describe the strength of an acid
32500413	phosphorous cycle	how phosphorous is taken in and out of the environment
32500414	photosynthesis	converts radiant energy into useful chemical energy in the bonds that hold together the molecules
32500415	population	consists of all the members of a species living in a given area at a given time
32500416	potential energy	stored energy ex) water behind a dam
32500417	producer	organisms that photosynthesize
32500418	productivity	the amount of biomass produced in a given area at a given time
32500419	scavengers	clean up dead carcasses of larger animals
32500420	second law of thermodynamics	with each successive energy transfer or transformation in a system, less energy is available to do work
32500421	species	refers to all organisms of the same kind that are genetically similar enough to breed in nature and produce live, fertile offspring
32500422	sulfur cycle	how sulfur travels in and out of the environment
32500423	trophic level	organism's feeding status in an ecosystem