Pearson Environmental Science CH 5 Flashcards

8292341239	Evolution	In general terms, change over time	0
8292341240	Gene	A sequence of DNA that codes for a particular trait	1
8292341241	Mutation	An accidental change in DNA	2
8292341242	Genetic drift	Biological evolution that occurs by chance; natural disasters or fishing nets	3
8292341243	Natural selection	The process by which traits that improve an organism`s chances for survival and reproduction are passed on more frequently to offspring than those that do not	4
8292341244	Fitness	the degree to which an organism can reproduce successfully in its environment	5
8292341245	Adaptation	A heritable trial that increases the likelihood of an individual`s survival and reproduction	6
8292341246	Artificial selection	A human-controlled process to produce individuals with certain traits	7
8292341247	Speciation	The process by which new species are generated	8
8292341248	Extinction	The disappearance of a species from Earth	9
8292341249	Niche	An organism's habit, resource use, and fundamental role in a community	10
8292341250	Tolerance	The ability to survive and reproduce under charging environmental conditions	11
8292341251	Resource partitioning	A process that allows different species to share common resources	12
8292341252	Predation	The process by which individuals of one species (the predators) hunt, capture, and feed on individuals of another species (the prey)	13
8292341253	Coevolution	The process by which two species evolve in response to changes in each other	14
8292341254	Parasitism	The relationship between two organisms from different species in which one organism (the parasite) depends on the other (the host) for nourishment or some other benefit	15
8292341255	Symbiosis	A long-term and physically close relationship between two organisms from different species in which at least one organism benefits; commensalism, mutualism, and parasitism are all symbolic relationships	16
8292341256	Herbivory	The act of feeding on a plant	17
8292341257	Mutualism	A relationship between two organisms from different species in which both organisms benefit	18
8292341258	Commensalism	A relationship between two organisms from different species in which one benefits and the other is unaffected	19
8292341259	Primary producer	An organism that can capture energy from the sun or from chemicals and store it; also called autotroph	20
8292341260	Photosynthesis	The process by which primary producers use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugars, releasing oxygen	21
8292341261	Chemosynthesis	The process by which bacteria use energy stored in bonds of hydrogen sulfide to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugars	22
8292341262	Consumer	An organism that relies on other organisms for energy and nutrients; also called heterotroph	23
8292341263	Cellular respiration	The process by which organism use oxygen to release the chemical energy of sugars, producing carbon dioxide and water	24
8292341264	Herbivore	An organism that eats plants	25
8292341265	Carnivore	An animal that kills and eats other animals	26
8292341266	Omnivore	An animal that eats both plants and animals	27
8292341267	Detritivore	An organism that scavenges the waste products or dead bodies of other community members	28
8292341268	Decomposer	An organism that breaks down nonliving matter into simple parts can then be taken up and reused by primary producers	29
8292341269	Trophic level	A rank in a feeding hierarchy	30
8292341270	Biomass	The total amount of living tissue in a trophic level	31
8292341271	Food chain	A linear series of feeding relationships	32
8292341272	Food web	A diagram of feeding relationships and energy flow showing the paths by which nutrients and energy pass from organism to organism as one consumes another	33
8292341273	Keystone species	A species that has a strong or wide-ranging impact on a community	34
8292341274	Succession	A somewhat predictable series of changes over time in a community	35
8292341275	Primary succession	The somewhat predictable series of changes in a community that follows a disturbance so severe that no vegetation or soil life remains	36
8292341276	Pioneer species	One of the first species to colonize newly exposed land	37
8292341277	Secondary succession	The somewhat predictable series of changed in a community that follows a disturbance that dramatically alters the community but does not destroy all vegetation or soil life	38
8292341278	Invasive species	A nonnative species that spreads widely in a community	39
8292341279	migration	immigration into or emigration out of the population that causes change (gene flow)	40