Term
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Definition
Carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Sulfur
Nutrients necessary for life. |
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Term
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Definition
| Life extends down up to 1km into the surface |
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Term
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Definition
| Heterotrophs: Life forms that eat other things for nutrients |
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Term
| Inorganic VS Organic Carbon |
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Definition
Inorganic: Carbon not associatied with compounds formed with living organisms. Found in minerals.
i.e. the shell of a clam
Organic: Carbon that is part of a living organism.
i.e. the inside of a clam |
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Term
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Definition
| When CO2 levels go up so does vegetation which causes more oxygenand organic matter which brings CO2 back down |
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Term
Export Production
Photic Zone
Biological Pump |
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Definition
Export Production: the material that goes through the carbon cycle
Photic Zone: the part of the ocean that light reaches
Biological Pump: the system that brings nutrients into the deep ocean where most of it decays |
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Term
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Definition
106:16:1
C:N:P
Ratio of oceans and organism composition is very similar |
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Term
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Definition
H2CO3 = Carbonic acid
HCO3- = Bicarbonate
CaCO3 = Calcium carbonate
SiO2 = Silicate |
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Term
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Definition
CO2 + H2O = CH2O + O2
CO2 + water = organic matter + oxygen |
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Term
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Definition
CH2O + O2 = CO2 + H2O
Organic matter + oxygen = CO2 + water |
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Term
Inorganic Carbon Cycle Equation #1
CO2 to carbonic acid
Carbonic acid to bicarbonate
Bicarbonate to carbonate |
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Definition
CO2 + H2O = H2CO3 (carbonic acid)
H2CO3 = HCO3- (bicarbonate) + H+
HCO3- = CO32- (Carbonate) + H+ |
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Term
Inorganic Carbon Cycle Equation #2
Formation of calcium carbonate skeletons |
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Definition
Ca2+ + 2HCO3 = CaCO3 + H2CO3
Calcium ions + bicarbonate = calcium carbonate skeletons + carbonic acid |
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Term
Inorganic Carbon Cycle Equation #3
CaCO3 weathering |
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Definition
Brings DOWN CO2 levels
CaCO3 + H2CO3 = Ca2+ + 2HCO3-
Calcium Carbonate + acid in rainwater = 2HCO3- (carbonic acid?) which can reform into CaCO3
Brings DOWN CO2 levels |
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Term
| Inorganic Carbon Cycle Equation #4 |
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Definition
CaCO3 + SiO2 = CaSiO3 + CO2
Brings UP co2 levels
Metamorphism of CaCO3 + silicate rocks |
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Term
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Definition
Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukaryotes
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Term
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Definition
| Fungi, protists, plants, animals |
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Term
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Definition
| 1990, Three domains of life |
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Term
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Definition
| The members of a single species which live in the same area |
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Term
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Definition
| Two or more interactin species within an area (can include animals, plants, fungi, microbes etc) |
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Term
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Definition
| A region with a characteristic plant community |
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Term
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Definition
| A comminuty in combination with its physical environment i.e. temperature, climate, water vs land environment |
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Term
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Definition
| All the ecosystems on Earth, together |
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Term
| Transitional ecosystem/Ecotone |
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Definition
| Overlapping of two adjacent ecosystems, which may have entirely different communities than the ecosystems on either side of it |
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Term
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Definition
Autotrophs = primary producers
Heterotrophs = consumers |
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Term
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Definition
Primary producers
Primary consumers
SEcondary/Higher order consumers
Decomposers |
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Term
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Definition
| Feeding levels within a food web, only four per system |
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Term
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Definition
| Combined weight of organic matter in each trophic level |
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Term
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Definition
| Mutually beneficial relationships in nature between two species |
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Term
| Chemosynthesis (sulfide oxidation) & Chemosymbiosis |
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Definition
| Hydrogen sulfide coming out of black smokers allows chemosynthesizers to survive and other organisms like tube worms live off those bacteria. Chemosymbiosis occurs because the worms allow the chemosynthesizing bacteria to find shelter in the worm's shell, but the worms also benefit because the tube worms eat the bacteria's waste products. |
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Term
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Definition
| Symbiosis restricted to interactions where both partners are entirely dependent on the metabolic functions of the other |
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Term
| Disturbance of an Ecosystem |
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Definition
Response of rebuilding can occur
Follows a succession (predictable pattern) |
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Term
| Opportunistic or Pioneering species |
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Definition
| The species that adapt to a disturbed environment and inherit the land. Fast growing, rapidly reproducing, environmentally tolerant |
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Term
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Definition
Measured by the number of different species in one area rather than the biological productivity
High diversity can be a product either of stable conditions or of environmental disturbances |
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Term
| Eutrophication and biodiversity |
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Definition
| Surplus of nutrients in an area, such as farm areas where fertilizer is put, washes away into lakes and rivers causing algae accumulation. High population but low biodiversity |
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Term
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Definition
Organisms best adapted to a change are going to survive (same as natural selection)
Environmental change (i.e. taller trees) yields diversification (i.e. taller giraffe species) |
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Term
Oparin-Haldane Hypothesis
1920s |
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Definition
| Life arose from Chemical reactions initiated in a strongly reducting early atmosphere (containing much ammonia and methane) and came to completion in the early oceans. |
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Term
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Definition
| In 1953 they mixed methane and ammonia, water vapor and molecular hydrogen. Used electrical charge to simulate lightning and produced amino acids (which create proteins) |
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Term
RNA World theory
Prebiotic Synthesis |
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Definition
Primitive RNA organisms rather than DNA organisms. RNA can split and replicate.
Prebiotic Synthesis: Formation of inorganic compounds into life |
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Term
Panspermia
Black Smokers Theory |
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Definition
Compounds for life were delivered from space by asteroids
Life may have developed in the deep oceans near black smokers, which have the necessary compounds and minerals. |
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Term
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Definition
All organisms near the roots of the tree of life.
Live in extremely hot environments (80 degrees C) |
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Term
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Definition
| 600-700MYA, earth was covered with ice |
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Term
| Requirements for icehouse climates |
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Definition
1) Low CO2 levels
2) Lots of landmass at high latitudes to allow accumulative ice
3) Oceanic circulation |
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Term
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Definition
Last 2 million years are divided into 4 different ice ages
Ice age: Icehouse climate when ice comes down in glaciers over North America
Nebraskan, Kansan, Illinoisian, Wisconsinan
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Term
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Definition
| Atoms with different numbers of neutrons, but the same amount of protons and electrons Different atomic masses |
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Term
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Definition
Came up with 3 properties of Earth's orbit that varied in a very systematic way while in prison camp
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Term
Milankovitch Cycles
Eccentricity |
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Definition
| 1) Eccentricity: The SHAPE of the earth's orbit around the sun. Changes on 2 frequencies: Every 100,000 years and every 400,000 years |
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Term
Milankovitch Cycles
Obliquity |
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Definition
| Obliquity: Tilt of the Earth's axis, causes the variability of the seasons. Tilt changes by 3.5 degrees every 40,000 years |
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Term
Milankovitch Cycles
Precession |
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Definition
| Precession: The earth wobbles on its axis in complete circles every 25,000 years |
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Term
Perihelion
Aphelion
In relation to precession |
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Definition
Perihelion: When Earth is closest to the sun in its orbit
Aphelion: When earth is furthest from the sun in its orbit.
If earth's Northern hemisphere is tilted toward sun at perihelion and away from sun at aphelion this causes cold winters and wam summers, which does not allow preserved ice.
If earth's northern hemisphere is tilded AWAY from the sun at perihelion and toward sun at aphelion, this causes wam winters and cold summers, which allows ice to preserve and makes it possible for an ice age to occur. |
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Term
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Definition
| Ice reflects incoming radiatoin making the world colder and creating more ice |
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Term
Glacial Feedback 1
Shelf-Nutrient Hypothesis |
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Definition
Positive feedback
- Glaciers grow, sea level drops
- Underwater continental shelves are exposed
- Shelf sediments are nutrient rich, nutrients weather into ocean
- Nutrients stimulate life
- Primary production brings down CO2 levels
- Low CO2 makes it colder, lowering sea level again etc.
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Term
Glacial Feedback 2
Iron fertilization |
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Definition
Positive feedback
- Iron, an important nutrient for primary production comes from windblown dust particles
- Increased aridity and wind during glacial times would deliver more dust and iron to the ocean
- This enhances primary production, bringing down CO2
- Temperatures go down and winds go up, causing more iron to come to the oceans, etc
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Term
Glacial Feedback 3
Coral Reef Hypothesis |
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Definition
Positive feedback
- Ice sheets form, sea levels drops
- Carbonate shells are exposed,
- Exposed limestones weather and dissolve when exposed
- Limestone weathering REDUCES CO2
- Low CO2 makes it colder and more glaciers and lower sea level etc
CaCO3 + CO2 + H20 = Ca2 + 2HCO3
Consumes CO2
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Term
Glacial Feedback 4
Terrestrial Biomass |
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Definition
NEGATIVE feedback
- Trees and land life contain a lot of carbon
- During glacial intervals, Northern continents are covered with ice and tropics are arid
- These conditions make it difficult for biomasses and primary producers to flourish
- CO2 increases as a result of less primary production
- Increased CO2 warms the atmosphere, causing greenhouse effect
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