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Evs Exam
EVS
85
Science
9th Grade
01/22/2012

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Term
Habitat
Definition
the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism
Term
Biotic
Definition
biotic components are the living things that shape an ecosystem
Exp: Animals, Plants..
Term
Abiotic
Definition
abiotic components are non-living chemical and physical factors in the environment which affect ecosystems.
Exp: Slope, Weather, Sunlight
Term
Organism
Definition
an individual animal, plant, or single-celled life form.
Term
Species
Definition
a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals, capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding
Term
Community
Definition
an interacting group of various species in a common location
Term
Primary Consumers
Definition
any organism that consumes or feeds on plants or decaying matter
Term
Secondary Consumers
Definition
any organism that largely feeds on primary consumers
Term
Producer
Definition
an autotrophic organism capable of doing photosynthesis (using light energy) or through chemosynthesis (using chemical energy)
Term
Decomposer
Definition
an organism whose ecological function involves the recycling of nutrients by performing the natural process of decomposition as it feeds on dead or decaying organisms
Term
Food Chain
Definition
a feeding hierarchy in which organisms in an ecosystem are grouped into trophic (nutritional) levels and are shown in a succession to represent the flow of food energy and the feeding relationships between them
Term
Food Web
Definition
interconnecting food chains in an ecological community
Term
Trophic Levels
Definition
hierarchical levels in an ecosystem, comprising organisms that share the same function in the food chain and the same nutritional relationship to the primary sources of energy.
Term
Carbon Cycle
Definition
the series of processes by which carbon compounds are interconverted in the environment
Term
Nitrogen Cycle
Definition
the series of processes by which nitrogen and its compounds are interconverted in the environment and in living organisms
Term
Phosphorus Cycle
Definition
the cycling of phosphorus between the biotic and abiotic components of the environment
Term
Photosynthesis
Definition
the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water

6 CO2 + 6 H2O → C6H12O6 + 6 O2
Carbon dioxide + Water + Light energy → Glucose + Oxygen
Term
Cellular Respiration
Definition
the series of metabolic processes by which living cells produce energy through the oxidation of organic substances.

C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2O + Energy (as ATP)
Term
Population
Definition
a community of animals, plants, or humans among whose members interbreeding occurs
Term
Biosphere
Definition
the regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth occupied by living organisms
Term
Adaptation
Definition
a change by which an organism or species becomes better suited to its environment
Term
Carrying Capacity
Definition
the number of people, other living organisms, or crops that a region can support without environmental degradation
Term
Logistic Growth
Definition
population growth in which the growth rate decreases with increasing number of individuals until it becomes zero when the population reaches a maximum (S curve)
Term
Dispersion
Definition
the pattern of distribution of individuals within a habitat
Term
Symbiosis
Definition
interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association
Term
Parasitism
Definition
A form of symbiosis in which one organism (parasites) benefits at the expense of another organism usually of different species (called host). The association may also lead to the injury of the host.
Term
Population Density
Definition
the size of the population within a particular unit of space
Term
Exponential Growth
Definition
growth whose rate becomes ever more rapid in proportion to the growing total number or size (J curve)
Term
Competition
Definition
interaction between organisms, populations, or species, in which birth, growth and death depend on gaining a share of a limited environmental resource
Term
Reproductive Potential
Definition
the relative capacity of a species to reproduce itself under optimum conditions
Term
Predation
Definition
the hunting of one animal on others
Term
Death Rate
Definition
the ratio of deaths to the population of a particular area during a particular period of time
Term
Birth Rate
Definition
the number of live births per thousand of population per year
Term
Growth Rate
Definition
how quickly the members of a group increase in number over a set period of time
Term
Survivorship
Definition
number of individuals that reach the next year of life
Term
Mutualism
Definition
both species benefit by each other's presence
Term
Commensalism
Definition
two organisms in which one benefits and the other is not affected
Term
Surface Water
Definition
water that collects on the surface of the ground
Exp: ponds, rivers...
Term
Recharge Zone
Definition
a land area into which water can infiltrate into an Aquifer relatively easily. The infiltration refills the aquifer.
Term
Permeability
Definition
quality of a material or membrane that causes it to allow liquids or gases to pass through it
Term
Irrigation
Definition
supply water to (land or crops) to help growth, typically by means of channels
Term
Water Diversion
Definition
a channel made to divert the flow of water from one course to another or to direct the flow of water draining from a piece of ground
Term
Waste Water
Definition
wastewater is any water that has been adversely affected in quality by human influence
Term
Point Source Pollution
Definition
a point source of pollution is a single identifiable localized source of air, water, thermal, noise or light pollution
Term
Watershed
Definition
an area or region drained by a river, river system, or other body of water
Term
Aquifer
Definition
a body of permeable rock that can contain or transmit groundwater
Term
Percolate
Definition
to cause (liquid, for example) to pass through a porous substance or small holes; filter
Term
Dam
Definition
a barrier constructed to hold back water and raise its level, the resulting reservoir being used in the generation of electricity or as a water supply
Term
Desalination
Definition
a process in which salt gets removed from water
Term
Sludge
Definition
thick, soft, wet mud or a similar viscous mixture of liquid and solid components, esp. the product of an industrial or refining process
Term
Non-point source pollution
Definition
a source of pollution that issues from widely distributed or pervasive environmental elements
Term
Water Cycle
Definition
the cycle of processes by which water circulates between the earth's oceans, atmosphere, and land
Term
Runoff
Definition
the draining away of water (or substances carried in it) from the surface of an area of land
Term
Water Table
Definition
the level below which the ground is saturated with water
Term
Potable
Definition
safe to drink; drinkable liquid
Term
Water Conservation
Definition
reducing the usage of water and recycling of waste water for different purposes such as cleaning, manufacturing, and agricultural irrigation
Term
Thermal Pollution
Definition
degradation of water quality by any process that changes ambient water temperature
Term
River System
Definition
a network of rills gullies streams and rivers in an area.
Term
Groundwater
Definition
water held underground in the soil or in pores and crevices in rock
Term
Porosity
Definition
having spaces or holes through which liquid or air may pass
Term
Pathogen
Definition
a bacterium, virus, or other microorganism that can cause disease
Term
Reservoir
Definition
a large natural or artificial lake used as a source of water supply
Term
Bio-Magnification
Definition
is the increase in concentration of a substance that occurs in a food chain as a consequence of
Term
Primary Pollutant
Definition
a primary pollutant is an air pollutant emitted directly from a source
Term
Secondary Matter
Definition
a secondary pollutant is not directly emitted as such, but forms when other pollutants (primary pollutants) react in the atmosphere
Term
Exhaust Fumes
Definition
exhaust gas is emitted as a result of the combustion of fuels such as natural gas, gasoline/petrol, diesel fuel, fuel oil or coal
Term
NOx
Definition
generic term for the mono-nitrogen oxides NO and NO2

They are produced from the reaction of nitrogen and oxygen gases in the air during combustion, especially at high temperatures
Term
SO2
Definition
Sulfur Dioxide

a poisonous gas that is released by volcanoes and in various industrial processes
Term
Particulate Matter (PM)
Definition
tiny subdivisions of solid matter suspended in a gas or liquid
Term
Ozone
Definition
a colorless unstable toxic gas with a pungent odor and powerful oxidizing properties, formed from oxygen by electrical discharges or ultraviolet light
Term
Photochemical Smog
Definition
haze in the atmosphere accompanied by high levels of ozone and nitrogen oxides, caused by the action of sunlight on pollutants
Term
Volatile Organic Matter
Definition
organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at ordinary, room-temperature conditions
Term
Noise Pollution
Definition
Is a pollutant if it affects health and quality of human life
Term
Light Pollution
Definition
not a direct hazard to humans but can negatively affect our environment
Term
Temperature Inversion
Definition
polluted air which is trapped near the earth’s surface because cold air is above it and it cannot rise
Term
Asbestos
Definition
a heat-resistant mineral that can be woven into fabrics, and is used in fire-resistant and insulating materials such as brake linings

banned in most countries because it can cause cancer
Term
pH
Definition
a figure expressing the acidity or alkalinity of a solution
Term
pH Scale
Definition
The pH scale measures how acidic or basic a substance is. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. A pH of 7 is neutral. A pH less than 7 is acidic. A pH greater than 7 is basic.
Term
Acid Shock
Definition
when acidic snow melts and huge amounts of acidic water floods lakes and rivers causes a rapid change in pH that shocks the organisms and kills many
Term
Radon
Definition
the chemical element of atomic number 86, a rare radioactive gas
Term
CO2
Definition
a heavy odorless gas formed during respiration and by the combustion or decomposition of organic substances
Term
Acid Rain
Definition
• fossil fuel combustion releases oxides
• oxides mix with H2o and form mild acids and fall as rain
• acid rain flows flows and into the soil and gets into lakes and rivers
• it can affect the pH of the water and kill fish and other aquatic organisms
Term
Decibels
Definition
a unit used to measure the intensity of a sound or the power level of an electrical signal
Term
Neutralize/ Buffer
Definition
make (an acidic or alkaline substance) chemically neutral through adding a chemical with the exact opposite pH
Term
Alkaline
Definition
Bases
- having the properties of an alkali, or containing alkali; having a pH greater than 7
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