the study of how humans interact with the environment.

is the study of how living things interact with each other and with their nonliving environment.

is the study of animals.

is the study of plants.

is the study of microorganisms.

is the study of how organisms interact with their environment and each other

is the study of the Earth's surface, interior processes, and history.

is the study of fossils and ancient life.

is the study of the Earth's atmosphere and climate.

is the study of Earth's water resources.

is the study of the chemistry of living things.

a branch of geology, is the study of the chemistry of materials such as rocks, soil, and water

is the study of the relationship between human populations and Earth's features.

is the study of the interactions of the biological, cultural, geographical, and historical aspects of humankind.

is the study of human population dynamics and statistics.

people who obtain food by collecting plants and by hunting wild animals or scavenging their remains

Any natural material that is used by humans

is a resource that forms at a much slower rate than the rate that it is consumed.

is an undesired change in air, water, or soil that adversely affects the health, survival, or activities of humans or other organisms.

are pollutants that can be broken down by natural processes.

Pollutants that cannot be broken down by natural processes, such as mercury, lead, and some types of plastic.

refers to the number and variety of species that live in an area

is a natural process, and several large-scale extinctions, or mass extinctions, have occurred throughout Earth's history.

is the condition in which human needs are met in such a way that a human population can survive indefinitely.

shows the productive area of Earth needed to support one person in a particular country.

have higher average incomes, slower population growth, diverse industrial economies, and stronger social support systems

have lower average incomes, simple and agriculturebased economies, and rapid population growth.

which states that the greater the demand for a limited supply of something, the more that thing is worth.

balances the cost of the action against the benefits one expects from it

This method consists of a series of steps that scientists worldwide use to identify and answer questions.

is a piece of information we gather using our senses— our sight, hearing, smell, and touch.

is a testable explanation for an observation.

a logical statement about what will happen if the hypothesis is correct

is a procedure designed to test a hypothesis under controlled conditions

The group that receives the experimental treatment.

The group that does not receive the experimental treatment.

The information that a scientist gathers during an experiment, which is often in numeric form.

is the collection and classification of data that are in the form of numbers.

is a group of similar things that a scientist is interested in learning about.

is the number obtained by adding up the data for a given characteristic and dividing this sum by the number of individuals.

is the relative arrangement of the members of a statistical population

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is the group of individuals or events selected to represent the population.

are representations of objects or systems

is a verbal or graphical explanation for how a system works or is organized.

is one or more equations that represents the way a system or process works.

The solid part of the Earth that consists of all rock, and the soils and sediments on Earth's surface

the rigid, outermost layer of the Earth—is divided into pieces.

is a break in the Earth's crust along which blocks of the crust slide relative to one another.

The measure of the energy released by an earthquake

is a mountain built from magma—melted rock—that rises from the Earth's interior to the surface.

The removal and transport of surface material

is a molecule that is made up of three oxygen atoms

is the transfer of energy across space and in the atmosphere

is the flow of heat from a warmer object to a colder object when the objects are placed in direct physical contact.

is the transfer of heat by air currents.

The continual process of warm air rising and cool air sinking moves air in a circular motion

The gases in our atmosphere that trap and radiate heat.

the process, in which gases trap heat near the Earth

The continuous movement of water into the air, onto land, and then back to water sources.

is the process by which liquid water is heated by the sun and then rises into the atmosphere as water vapor.

the process of water vapor forms water droplets on dust particles.

The process in which larger droplets fall from clouds as rain

stream like movements of water that occur at or near the surface of the ocean.

are smaller streams or rivers that flow into larger ones.

A rock layer that stores and allows the flow of groundwater.

The surface of the land where water enters an aquifer

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is all of the organisms living in an area together with their physical environment.

are the living and once living parts of an ecosystem, including all of the plants and animals.

the nonliving parts of the ecosystem.

is an individual living thing.

is a group of organisms that are closely related and that can mate to produce fertile offspring.

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a group of various species that live in the same place and interact with each other.

The place an organism lives

the unequal survival and reproduction that results from the presence or absence of particular traits.

A change in the genetic characteristics of a population from one generation to the next

The process of two species evolving in response to long-term interactions with each other

The selective breeding of organisms by humans for specific characteristics

is the ability of one or more organisms to tolerate a particular chemical designed to kill it.

are microscopic, single-celled organisms that usually have cell walls and reproduce by dividing in half.

is an organism whose cells have nuclei, cell walls, and no chlorophyll (the pigment that makes plants green).

are a diverse group of organisms that belong to the kingdom Protista.

are woody plants whose seeds are not enclosed in fruits.

flowering plants that produce seeds in fruit.

Animals that lack backbones

Animals that have backbones

are warm-blooded vertebrates that have fur and feed their young milk.

a process to where the energy from the sun enters an ecosystem when a plant uses sunlight to make sugar molecules

The result of photosynthesis is the production of sugar molecules

is an organism that makes its own food also called autotrophs, self-feeders.

organisms that get their energy by eating other organisms also called heterotrophs, other-feeders.

Consumers that eat only producers

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eaters of all.

Some consumers get their food by breaking down dead organisms

The process of breaking down food to yield energy

is a sequence in which energy is transferred from one organism to the next as each organism eats another organism

shows many feeding relationships that are possible in an ecosystem.

Each step in the transfer of energy through a food chain or food web in an ecosystem

is an essential component of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, which make up all organism

The only organisms that can fix atmospheric nitrogen into chemical compounds are a few species of bacteria.

a process in which nitrogen is cycled between the atmosphere, bacteria, and other organisms.

is the movement of phosphorus from the environment to organisms and then back to the environment.

is a dense, visible patch of algae that occurs near the surface of water.

is a gradual process of change and replacement of the types of species in a community. In nature, the process of ecological succession may take hundreds or thousands of years.

is a type of succession that occurs on a surface where no ecosystem existed before.

the more common type of succession, occurs on a surface where an ecosystem has previously existed.

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a final and stable community.

is a large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plants and animal communities.

refers to the weather conditions, such as temperature, precipitation, humidity, and winds, in an area over a long period of time.

is the distance north or south of the equator and is measured in degrees

is the height of an object above sea level

are located in a belt around the Earth near the equator

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considered the primary layer of the rain forest

Below the canopy very little light reaches the next layer.

have large amounts of precipitation, high humidity, and moderate temperatures.

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is the northern coniferous forest that stretches in a broad band across the Northern Hemisphere just below the Arctic Circle

is a tree that has seeds that develop in cones.

are located in tropical and subtropical areas near the equator and between tropical rain forest and desert biomes.

is a biome that is dominated by grasses and that has very few trees.

is a type of temperate woodland biome that is dominated by more broad-leafed evergreen shrubs than by evergreen trees

are areas that receive less than 25 cm of precipitation a year and have little or no vegetation.

is a biome that is dominated by grasses, lichens, and herbs and that is located primarily north of the Arctic Circle

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are the organisms that float near the surface of the water.

are free-swimming organisms, such as fish, turtles, and whales.

are bottom-dwelling organisms, such as mussels, worms, and barnacles

the bottom of a pond or lake, which is inhabited by decomposers, insect larvae, and clams.

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are areas of land that are covered with fresh water for at least part of the year

contain nonwoody plants, such as cattails

are dominated by woody plants, such as trees and shrubs.

Coastal land areas that are covered by salt water for all or part of the time

is an area in which fresh water from a river mixes with salt water from the ocean.

develop in estuaries where rivers deposit their load of mineral-rich mud

Swamps located along coastal areas of tropical and subtropical zones

are limestone ridges built by tiny coral animals called coral polyps

is the fastest rate at which its populations can grow

Populations grow faster and faster

the maximum population that the ecosystem can support indefinitely.

is an area defended by one or more individuals against other individuals.

deaths occur more quickly in a crowded population than in a sparse population

a certain proportion of a population may die regardless of the population's density

includes the species' physical home, the environmental factors necessary for the species' survival, and all of the species' interactions with other organisms

is a location

is a relationship in which different individuals or populations attempt to use the same limited resource

is when each species uses less of the niche than they are capable of using.

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An organism that lives in or on another organism and feeds on the other organism

The relationship between the parasite and its host

A close relationship between two species in which each species provides a benefit to the other.

A relationship in which one species benefits and the other species is neither harmed nor helped

A relationship in which two organisms live in close association.

is the study of populations, but most often refers to the study of human populations.

the death rate of infants less than a year old

have higher average incomes, slower population growth, diverse industrial economies, and stronger social support systems

have lower average incomes, simple and agriculture-based economies, and rapid population growth

the distribution of ages in a specific population at a certain time.

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The number of babies born each year per 1,000 women in a population

the average number of children a woman gives birth to in her lifetime.

is the average number of children each parent must have in order to "replace" themselves in the population.

The movement of individuals between areas

Movement into an area

movement out of an area

The average number of years a person is likely to live.

is a model that describes how these changes can occur

is the basic facilities and services that support a community, such as public water supplies, sewer lines, power plants, roads, subways, schools, and hospitals.

more people are living in cities than in rural areas.

short for "biological diversity," usually refers to the number and variety of different species in a given area.

refers to all the differences between populations of species, as well as between different species

refers to the variety of habitats, communities, and ecological processes within and between ecosystems.

refers to all the different genes contained within all members of a population.

a piece of DNA that codes for a specific trait that can be inherited by an organism's offspring.

The extinction of many species in a relatively short period of time

is a species that is likely to become extinct if protective measures are not taken immediately

is a species that has a declining population and that is likely to become endangered if it is not protected

is a species that is not native to a particular region

meaning species that are native to and found only within a limited area

These programs involve breeding species in captivity, with the hope of reintroducing populations to their natural habitats.

any form of genetic material, such as that contained within the reproductive, or germ, cells of plants and animals.

is designed to protect plant and animal species in danger of extinction.

a plan that attempts to protect one or more species across large areas of land through trade-offs or cooperative agreements

The goal is to preserve biodiversity and ensure the sustainable and fair use of genetic resources in all countries.