Environmental Science Study Guide Essay

Environment- anything around us. Including non backing things (air, water, and postcode) milieual science- an interdisciplinary study of how humans move with the lifespan and non lifespan parts of their surround. Ecology- the biologic science that studies how beingnesss or sustainment things interact with 1 another. Ecosystem- A set of organisms within a delimitate study or volume that interact with bingle another and with their environment of nonliving matter and verve. Natural capital- the immanent resources and natural services that withhold us and other forms of life alive and support our human economies. Resource- anything that we puke obtain the environment to meet our needs and wants. Perpetual resource- is a sustained supply of solar energy.Re spic-and-spanable resource- a resource that takes anywhere from several(prenominal) days to several hundred years to be replenished through natural offshootes. Sustainable yield- the highest rate at which we base use a renewable resource with prohibited reducing its available supply. Reuse- involves using a resource everyplace and over in the alike form. Recycling- involves collecting waste materials and processing them into new materials. Economic growth- is an increase in a nations product of goods and services. Gross domestic product (GDP) the annual market value of on the whole goods and services produced by all businesses, foreign and domestic, operating within a country. Economic development- an cause to use economic growth to improve living standards. More-developed countries- those with high fair(a) income and they include the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and most European countries. Less-developed countries- (opposite of well-developed countries) contamination- any presence within the environment of a chemic or other agent such as noise or estrus at a level that is harmful to the health, survival, or activities of humans or other organisms. Point sour ces- single, identifiable sources. Ex. Smokestack of a coal-burning power or industrial form.Non-point sources- are dispersed and often difficult to identify. Ex. Pesticides & most trash. Pollution cleanup/output pollution control- Involves cleaning up or diluting pollutants afterward(prenominal) we have produced them. Pollution prevention/pollution control- reduces or eliminates the production of pollutants. bionomic stair- the amount of biologically productive land and water needed to contribute the people in a feature country or area with an indefinite supply of renewable resources and to absorb and recycle wastes. Affluence- consuming big(a) amounts of resources far beyond basic needs. Per capita bionomic footprint- the average ecological footprint of an individual in a given country or area. bionomic tipping point- an irreversible shift in the port of a natural system. exponential growth- occurs when a quantity such as the human population increases at a fixed percen tage per unit of time, such as 2% per year.Poverty- occurs when people are unable to fulfill their basic needs for food, water, shelter, health, and education. Environmental worldview- your set of assumptions and values reflecting how you think the world works and what your role in the world should be. Environmental ethics- are beliefs about what is right and wrong with how we work on the environment. Planetary management worldview- the view that we are separate from and in kick of temperament. Stewardship worldview- holds that we can and should manage the commonwealth for our benefit, but that we have an ethical responsibility to be caring managers or stewards of the earth. Environmentally sustainable society- one that meets the stopover and future basic resource needs of its people in a just and future basic resource needs of its people in a just and equitable manner. Natural income- living sustainabilitySocial capital- qualification the shift to more(prenominal) sustaina ble societies and economies.Chapter 2Science- a human effort to discover how the physical world works by making observations and measurements, and carrying out experiments. Model- an approximate representation or simulation of a system. Peer Review- involves scientists openly publishing details of the methods and models they used. Scientific Law/law of nature- a well-tested and astray accepted description of what we find happening repeatedly in nature in the same counselling. Unreliable science- (opposite of scientific law and reliable science) provisional/frontier science- some of the scientific results are validated and reliable, and some are not. Matter- anything that has caboodle and takes up space.Atomic theory- the image that all elements are do up of atoms. Neurons- no galvanising flushProtons- positive electrical chargeElectrons- negative electrical chargeNucleus- extremely small center of the atom, containing one or more protons/neurons. Atomic Number- equal to the name of protons in the essence of its atom. Mass spot- the total number or neutrons and protons in its nucleus. Isotopes- the forms of an element having the same atomic number but unlike mass numbers. Molecule- a confederacy of two or more atoms of the same or different elements held unneurotic by forces called chemic bounds. Ion- an atom or a group of atoms with one or more net positive or negative electrical charges. Acidity- a chemic feature film that helps determine how a substance dissolve in water will interact with and affect its environment. pH- used as a measure of acidityChemical formula- chemists use this to show the number of each type of atom or ion in a compound. organic fertilizer compounds- contains at least two ascorbic acid atoms combined with atoms of another element. inorganic compounds- (opposite of organic compounds)Genes- certain sequences of nucleotides.Chromosome- a double helix DNA blood cell wrapped around some proteins.Chapter 3Abiotic- Nonlivin gAerobic respiration- intellectual nourishment organic molecules such as glucose combine with oxygen to support carbon dioxide, water, & energy. Anaerobic respiration- form of cellular respiration in which some decomposers pull out the energy they need through the breakdown of glucose in the absence of oxygen. Atmosphere- mass of air surrounding the earth.Autotrophs- (same as producer)Biogeo chemic cycles- processes that recycle nutrients in various chemical forms (include carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, friction match, sulfur, and hydrologic cycles) Biomass- organic matter produced by plants & other photosynthetic produces total change weight of all organisms. Biosphere- zone of the earth where life is found.Biotic- living organisms. ascorbic acid cycle- cyclic movement of carbon in different chemical forms from the environment to the organ. Chemosynthesis- process in which certain organisms extract inorganic compounds from their environment and convert them into organic compounds w ithout sunlight. Community- populations of all species living and interacting in an area at a occurrence time. Consumers- organism that cannot synthesize the organic nutrients it needs and gets its organic nutrients by feeding on the tissue of others. Decomposers- organisms that digest parts of dead organisms. Ecology- biological science that studies the relationships between living organisms and their environment. Ecosystem- one or more communities of different species interacting with one another and with chemical & physical grammatical constituents making up the environment. Fermentation- (same as anaerobic respiration)Food chain of mountains- series of organisms in which each eats or decomposes the preceding one. Food web- complex network of some(prenominal) inter-connected food shackles and feeding relationships. Greenhouse gases- gases in the earths lower aviation that cause the greenhouse effect. Gross Primary productivity (GPP) rate at which ecosystems producers captu re and store a given amount of chemical energy as biomass in a given length of time. Herbivores- plant consume organisms.Heterotrophs- (same as consumer)Hydrologic (water cycles) biogeochemical cycle that collects, purifies, and disturbs the earths fixed supply of water. Hydrosphere- earths liquid water. Natural greenhouse effect- natural effect that releases raise up in the atmosphere, near the earths surface. Net Primary Productivity (NPP) rate at which all the plants in an ecosystem produce net useful energy. Nitrogen cycle- cyclic movement of nitrogen in different chemical forms. Nutrient cycles- the circulation of chemicals necessary for life. Omnivores- animal that can use both plant and other animals as food sources. Organisms- any form of life.Photosynthesis- complex process that takes place in cells of green plants. Phosphorous cycle- cyclic movement of phosphorus in different chemical forms. Population- group of individual organisms of the same species living in a fa ct area. Primary consumers- organism that feeds on some or all parts of plants. Producers- organism that uses solar energy/chemical energy to manufacture nutrients. Pyramid of energy flow- diagram representing the flow of energy through each level in a food chain/web. unoriginal consumers- organism that feeds notwithstanding on primary consumers. Stratosphere- 2nd form of the atmosphere.Sulfur cycle- cyclic movement of sulfur in various chemical forms. Tertiary consumers- animals that feed on animal-eating animals. Ex.shark, lion, bear. Trophic level- all organisms that are the same number of energy transfers away from the original source of energy. Troposphere- Innermost layer of the atmosphere.Chapter 4Adaptation- any genetically controlled structural, physiological or behavior characteristic that helps an organism to survive or reproduce. Adaptive trait- (same as adaptation)Background extinction- familiar extinction of various species as a result of changes in environmental conditions. Biological diversity- variety of different speciesBiological evolution- change in the generic wine makeup of a population of species in successive generations. Differential reproduction- phenomenon in which individuals with adaptive generic traits produce more living offspring than those without trait. ecological niche- total way of life of a species.Endemic species- species found only in one area likely to be extinct. Extinction- complete disappearing of a species. Fossils- skeletons, bones, shells, body parts, leaves, seeds or impressions of such items that provide evidence of organisms. psychiatric hospital species- species that play a major role in shaping a community. Generalist species- species with abroad ecological niche. (Can live/adapt in many places) ex humans Geographic isolation- separation of populations of a species into different areas for keen-sighted periods of time. Indicator species- species whose decline serves as early warnings that community is being biodegraded. samara species- (foundation species)Mass extinction- widespread, global extinction over a short period of time. Mutations- random change in DNA molecules that can alter behavior/anatomy in offspring. Native species- species that live or thrive in a particular ecosystem. Natural weft- process in which a particular set of genes is produced in succeeding generations more than other genes. Niche- total way of life or role of a species in an ecosystem. Nonnative species- species that into reincarnate into an ecosystem or are deliberately/accidently introduced into an ecosystem. Reproductive Isolation- long term geographic separation of members of a particular sexually reproducing species. Specialist species-species with a finalise ecological niche.Speciation- formation of two species forms one species because of divergent natural selection in response to change in environmental conditions. Species- group of resembling organisms.Species diversity- number of differ ent species.Theory of evolution- widely accepted scientific idea that all life forms developed from earlier life forms.Chapter 5 years structure- percentage of the population of each age level in a population. Carrying Capacity- maximum population of a particular species that a given clothes can support over a given period. Coevolution- evolution in which two or more species interact and exert selective pull on each other that can lead each species to put up with adaptations. Commensalism- an fundamental interaction between organisms of different species in which one type of organism benefits and the other type is neither helped nor harmed to any degree. Environmental resistance- all of the check factors that act together to limit the growth of the population.Inertia- the ability of a living system to be restored through secondary succession after a more serious disturbance. Interspecific competition- attempts by members of two or more species to use the same limited resources i n an ecosystem. Limiting factor- single factor that limits the growth abundance or distribution of the population of a species in an ecosystem. Mutualism- type of species interaction in which both participating species generally benefit. Parasitism- interaction between species in which one organism preys on another organism. Persistence- (same as inertia)Population-group of individuals organisms of the same species living in a particular area. Population crush- dieback of a population exceeded carrying capacity. Population density- of organisms in a particular populations found in a specified area/volume. Predation- when an organism feeds on another.Predator- prey relationship relationship predator VS. Prey. Primary ecological succession- ecological succession in an area without soil or bottom sediments. double of tolerance- range of chemical & physical conditions that must be maintained. Resilience- the ability of a living system to be restored through secondary succession after a severe disturbance. Resource partitioning- process of diving up resources.Secondary ecological succession- succession in which natural vegetation has been removed or destroyed but the soil hasnt.Chapter 6Cultural carrying capacity- the maximum number of people who could live in reasonable freedom and comfort. Crude endure rate- the number of live births per 1,000 people in a population in a given year. Crude Death rate- the number of deaths per 1,000 people in a population in given year. Fertility rate- the number of children innate(p) to a woman during her lifetime. Replacement-level fertility rare- is the average number of children that couples in a population must bear to replace themselves.Total fertility rate- the average number of children born to women in a population during their reproductive years. look expectancy- the average number of years a newborn infant can be expected to live. Infant mortality rate- the number of babies out of every 1,000 born who die before thei r first birthday. Demographic transition- when countries become industrialised and economically developed, death rates and birth rates decline. Family planning- provides educational and clinical services that help couples chose how many children to have and when to have them.