STAAR Review: Reporting Category 4 Vocab

Combustion

• A process that occurs in living organisms to produce energy.

• A chemical process that occurs outside of living systems when a fuel combines with oxygen to release energy.

• A method of cooling substances by removing heat.

• A reaction that only occurs in the presence of water.

Cellular Respiration

• The process where organisms convert glucose and oxygen into ATP and release carbon dioxide and water as waste.

• The process of photosynthesis where plants convert sunlight into glucose.

• The breakdown of ATP into ADP and phosphate to release energy.

• The conversion of carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.

Eutrophication

• A process that occurs when nutrients build up in a body of water, causing an increase in microorganisms that can deplete the water's oxygen.

• A method of water purification that removes all nutrients from water bodies.

• A phenomenon where water bodies become too cold for aquatic life.

• A technique used to increase the oxygen levels in polluted water.

Deforestation

• Human destruction of natural forested areas.

• The process of planting new trees in a forest.

• The natural cycle of forest growth and decay.

• A method of sustainable forestry management.

Environmental Resistance

• Factors that promote population growth

• Things that limit the growth of a population; abiotic or biotic.

• Elements that have no effect on population dynamics

• Conditions that only affect biotic factors

Biodiversity

• A measure of the number of species in a given area.

• A variety of organisms in an ecosystem or biome.

• The total biomass of all organisms in an ecosystem.

• The genetic variation within a single species.

Ecosystem Stability

• The ability of an ecosystem to be resistant to change and able to return to equilibrium after a disturbance.

• The total number of species in an ecosystem.

• The variety of habitats within a given ecosystem.

• The process by which ecosystems evolve over time.

Ecological Pyramid

• Show the relative amounts of organisms, energy, and biomass across trophic levels.

• Illustrate the food chain in a specific ecosystem.

• Depict the distribution of water in an ecosystem.

• Represent the population dynamics of a species over time.

Carbon Sink

• An entity that absorbs more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases; example: forest.

• A process that releases carbon into the atmosphere; example: burning fossil fuels.

• A type of renewable energy source; example: solar panels.

• A natural disaster that increases carbon emissions; example: wildfires.

10% Rule

• Each trophic level can only give 10% of its energy to the next level.

• Each trophic level can give 50% of its energy to the next level.

• Each trophic level can give 25% of its energy to the next level.

• Each trophic level can give 75% of its energy to the next level.