Exam Study Guide with complete solution
Altimeter
An instrument that uses air pressure to record height, such as the height of an airplane.
Anemometer
An instrument to measure wind speed.
Angiosperm
A group of plants that produce seeds enclosed within an ovary, which may mature into a
fruit.
Annuals
Plants that die after one growing season.
Asexual Reproduction
Reproduction involving ONE parent only.
Atmosphere
The Earth's atmosphere is primarily nitrogen and oxygen.
- atmosphere extends to the surface of about 10km.
- stratosphere extends from 10km to 50km
- mesosphere extends from 50km to 80km
- thermosphere extends beyond 80km
Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights)
Light emission from the upper atmosphere that appear in many shapes and colors.
Bacillus
a rod-shaped bacteria.
Blood
Fluid that circulates throughout the body of an animal, distributing nutrients (usually
oxygen).
Canopy
A layer of tree branches and other vegetation elevated above the ground.
Carbon Dioxide (C02)
A colorless, odorless gas that is important in the Earth's atmospheric greenhouse effect.
Carcinogen
A substance that can lead to cancer.
Carcinoma
A malignant (infectious) tumor, which forms in the skin and outside of internal organs.
Carnivore
An organism that eats meat, which includes animals, fungi, and plants.
Ceilometer
An instrument that measures cloud height.
Cell
A fundamental unit of all light. The cell consists of an outer plasma membrane, the
cytoplasm, and genetic material (DNA).
Celsius
A temperature scale which freezes at 0 degrees and boils at 100 degrees.
Chemical Properties
, Properties that do change the chemical nature of matter.
- change results in an entirely different kind of matter.
- burning, tarnishing, rusting, decomposing
Chemotherapy
A cancer treatment that includes chemicals toxic to malignant (infected) cells.
Chinook Wind
A warm, dry wind on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains.
Chlorophyll
The green substance that absorbs light during photosynthesis.
Chromosome
A single DNA molecule, a tightly coiled strand of DNA, condensed into a compact
structure.
Clone
An identical copy of an organism.
Cloud
A visible group of water or ice particles in the atmosphere.
Commensalism
A relationship between two organisms where one organism benefits from the other
without affecting it.
Continental Divide
In the United States, the part of the western mountains that separates water flowing
toward opposite side of the country.
Convection
The movement up in the atmosphere of heated moisture. Thunderstorms are often
caused by convection.
Core
The portion of the Earth from beneath the mantle of the Earth's center.
Cross-Pollination
Fertilization of one plant by pollen from a different plant.
Diabetes
A disease related to lowered levels of insulin.
Diploid Cell
A cell with TWO copies of each chromosome.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)
This primary component of chromosomes carries an organisms genetic code.
Double Helix
A term used to describe the coiling strands of DNA molecules that resembles a spiral
staircase.
Ecology
The study of interactions of organisms with their environment and with each other.
El Nino
Warming of the Pacific Ocean seawater along the coast of South America that leads to
significant weather changes in the United States.
Embryo
The stage of cellular division that develops from a zygote
Enzyme