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Environmental Biology
Environmental Biology test 2
40
Environmental Studies
Not Applicable
10/19/2007

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Cards

Term
fossil fuels
Definition
non-renewable
petroleum, natural gas, and coal created by geologic forces from organic wastes and dead bodies of formerly living biological organisms.
Term
name the types of fuel in order
Definition
wood
coal
crude oil
natural gas
Term
what are the 3 seral stages and what makes the differences between them?
Definition
pioneer stage
intermediate stage
climax community stage

water and temperature make the differences
Term
intermediate stage
Definition
grasses, shrubs, shade tolerant trees (pines)
Term
pioneer stage
Definition
the plants, lichens, and microbes that first colonize the site.
Term
climax community stage
Definition
shade tolerant trees (maples)
Term
reserves
Definition
known deposits that can be extracted but only under certain economic conditions. (only profitable when the price goes up)
Term
resource
Definition
naturally occurring substance that can be extracted using available technology
Term
primary succession
Definition
an area where no biotic community previously existed
Term
secondary succession
Definition
all living things are gone and new living things need to repopulate
Term
hydroelectric resource
Definition
damming
Term
geothermal
Definition
energy drawn from the internal heat of the earth, either through geysers, fumaroles, hot springs, or other natural geotherm features or through deep wells that pump heated ground water.
Term
photovoltaic cell
Definition
an energy conversion device that captures solar energy and directly converts it to electrical current.
Term
nuclear energy
Definition
involves splitting the core of an atom
Term
biomes
Definition
areas with similar climate,  topography, soil conditions and communities
Term
tropical rainforests
Definition
near the equator
lots of rainfall
hot year round
Term
temperate forest
Definition
deciduous; drops leaves in winter (to hold in moisture)
Term
estuaries
Definition
bays where rivers empty into the sea
Term
mangroves
Definition
salt tolerant trees that grow along warm coasts. they help stabilize shorelines
Term
tide pools
Definition
are flooded at high tide but retain some water at low tide
Term
bogs
Definition
saturated wetlands composed of deep layers of undecayed vegetation
Term
grasslands
Definition
dominated by grass and plants
good soils
Term
pros and cons of burning natural gas
Definition
pros; burns very clean

cons; not easy to capture and transport
Term
pros and cons of burning crude oil
Definition
pros; burns cleaner than coal, easier to transport

cons; not many resources
Term
pros and cons of burning coal
Definition
cons; lots of pollution, black lung disease

pros; significant resources
Term
pros and cons of burning wood
Definition
cons; pollution, overharvesting

pros; renewable
Term
non-renewable resources
Definition
minerals, fossil fuels, and other materials present in essentially fixed amounts (within human time scales) in our environment
Term
renewable resources
Definition
resources normally replaced or replenished by natural processes
Term
passive
Definition
the use of normal materials or absorptive structures without moving parts to gather and hold heat
Term
active
Definition
mechanical systems that use moving substances to collect and transfer solar energy
Term
humus
Definition
organic material from decaying plants. major source of plant nutrients
Term
mulch tillage
Definition
only plowing immediately before planting
Term
ridge tilling
Definition
only tilling wide enough to insert seeds
Term
no-till
Definition
not tilling before planting
Term
monoculture
Definition
need lots of transportation, planting a single species, lacking biodiversity. not labor intensive (is machine labored)
Term
polyculture
Definition
smaller gardens with a variety of plants. more people labor, not machine labored.
Term
green revolution
Definition
dramatically increased agricultural production. requires high inputs of water, plant nutrients, and pesticides. (used to keep the pace with growing human populations)
Term
desertification
Definition
converting once fertile land to desert
Term
symbiosis
Definition
close physical interaction between 2 individuals of different species
Term
what are the 3 types of symbiosis and what do they mean?
Definition
parasitism- living on or in another organism and causes harm

commensalism- one organism may benefit, but no harm is caused

mutualism- both species benefit from the relationship
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