Asked by ghiu

Scientific method



Water cycle



Nitrogen cycle



Carbon cycle



Geosphere



Hydrosphere



Biosphere



Evaporation



Condensation



Precipitation



Plate tectonics



Ring of Fire



Volcano



What is the biggest influence on climates?



What are the three types of volcanoes?







What are the three classifications of volcanoes?







Unit 2:

Biodiversity



Biome



Latitude



Longitude



Altitude



Phylogenetic tree



Endemic species



Threatened species



Endangered species



Invasive species



Biotic factors



Abiotic factors



Invertebrates



Vertebrates



Eutrophication



Endangered Species Act



List the order of classification of organisms from largest (domain) to smallest (species).



Unit 3:

Primary succession



Secondary succession



Climax community



Autotrophs



Heterotrophs



Food chain



Food web



Niche



Mutualism



Predation/parasitism



Competition



Commensalism



Symbiosis



Demography



Fertility rate



Life expectancy



Immigration



Emigration



What are the four factors used in forecasting population sizes?

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Here are concise definitions and answers for the listed terms and questions, organized by unit.

Unit 1 — Earth systems, cycles & geology
- Scientific method: Systematic steps (question, hypothesis, experiment, data, conclusion) used to test ideas and build scientific knowledge.
- Water cycle: Movement of water through evaporation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, runoff and transpiration.
- Nitrogen cycle: Movement of nitrogen through atmospheric N2, fixation (biological/industrial), nitrification, assimilation, ammonification and denitrification.
- Carbon cycle: Movement of carbon among atmosphere (CO2), biosphere, oceans and geosphere through photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition and combustion.
- Geosphere: The solid Earth — rocks, minerals, crust, mantle and core.
- Hydrosphere: All Earth’s water (oceans, lakes, rivers, groundwater, ice).
- Biosphere: All living organisms and the ecosystems they form.
- Evaporation: Liquid water changing to water vapor (usually from surface heating).
- Condensation: Water vapor cooling and turning into liquid droplets (forms clouds).
- Precipitation: Water released from clouds as rain, snow, sleet or hail.
- Plate tectonics: Theory that Earth’s lithosphere is divided into moving plates whose interactions cause earthquakes, volcanoes, mountain building and seafloor spreading.
- Ring of Fire: Major zone around the Pacific Ocean with many active volcanoes and earthquakes, associated with plate boundaries.
- Volcano: A vent where magma, ash and gases erupt from inside Earth onto the surface.

Q: What is the biggest influence on climates?
- Latitude (solar insolation) is the primary influence on climate — it largely determines average temperature and seasonality. Other important influences include altitude, ocean currents, continentality, prevailing winds and topography.

Q: What are the three types of volcanoes?
- Shield volcano, stratovolcano (composite), and cinder cone.

Q: What are the three classifications of volcanoes?
- Active (erupting or likely to erupt), dormant (not currently erupting but could again), extinct (not expected to erupt again).

Unit 2 — Biodiversity & biogeography
- Biodiversity: Variety of life at genetic, species and ecosystem levels.
- Biome: Large region defined by climate and dominant vegetation (e.g., tundra, rainforest).
- Latitude: Distance north or south of the equator; affects climate and day length.
- Longitude: Distance east or west of the prime meridian; used to locate positions on Earth.
- Altitude (elevation): Height above sea level; affects temperature and oxygen levels.
- Phylogenetic tree: Diagram showing evolutionary relationships among species or groups.
- Endemic species: Species found naturally only in a specific geographic area.
- Threatened species: Species likely to become endangered in the near future.
- Endangered species: Species at high risk of extinction in the wild.
- Invasive species: Non-native species that spread and cause harm to ecosystems, economies or human health.
- Biotic factors: Living components of an ecosystem (plants, animals, microbes).
- Abiotic factors: Nonliving environmental factors (temperature, water, soil, sunlight).
- Invertebrates: Animals without a backbone (insects, mollusks, worms, etc.).
- Vertebrates: Animals with a backbone (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals).
- Eutrophication: Nutrient enrichment (often nitrogen/phosphorus) of water bodies leading to algal blooms and oxygen depletion.
- Endangered Species Act (ESA): U.S. federal law that provides for conservation of threatened and endangered species and their habitats.

Q: List the order of classification of organisms from largest (domain) to smallest (species).
- Domain > Kingdom > Phylum > Class > Order > Family > Genus > Species

Unit 3 — Ecology, succession & population dynamics
- Primary succession: Ecological succession on newly exposed surfaces with no soil (e.g., lava, glacial rock).
- Secondary succession: Succession in areas where a disturbance removed organisms but left soil intact (e.g., after fire, farming).
- Climax community: A (historically proposed) relatively stable, mature community at the end of succession — modern ecology recognizes dynamic equilibria rather than fixed endpoints.
- Autotrophs: Producers that make organic carbon from inorganic sources (photosynthesis or chemosynthesis).
- Heterotrophs: Consumers that obtain organic carbon by eating other organisms.
- Food chain: Linear sequence showing who eats whom.
- Food web: Interconnected network of multiple food chains showing complex feeding relationships.
- Niche: The role, habitat, resource use and interactions of a species within an ecosystem.
- Mutualism: Interaction where both species benefit.
- Predation/parasitism: Predation — one organism kills and eats another; parasitism — one organism benefits (parasite) while the host is harmed, usually not immediately killed.
- Competition: Interaction where species or individuals vie for the same limited resources, harming both.
- Commensalism: Interaction where one species benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed.
- Symbiosis: Close, long-term biological interaction between two species (can be mutualism, commensalism, or parasitism).
- Demography: Statistical study of populations (size, structure, distribution, and changes).
- Fertility rate: Average number of offspring produced per individual or per female (often total fertility rate per woman).
- Life expectancy: Average expected lifespan for individuals in a population.
- Immigration: Movement of individuals into a population from elsewhere.
- Emigration: Movement of individuals out of a population to elsewhere.

Q: What are the four factors used in forecasting population sizes?
- Births (birth rate/fertility), deaths (mortality), immigration, and emigration.

If you want, I can make flashcards, a printable study sheet, or quiz questions from these terms.