Environment

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adaptation

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evolutionary modification that improves the chances of survival and reproductive success of a population in a given environment

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aquaculture

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the rearing of aquatic organisms (fishes, seaweeds, and shellfish), either freshwater or marine, for human consumption

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aquifer

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underground caverns and porous layers of underground rock in which groundwater is stored

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Atmosphere

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The gaseous envelop surrunding the Earth

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Autotroph (producer)

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An organism (such as a chlorophyll containing plant) that manufactures complex organic molecules from simple inorganic substances. In most exosystems, producers are photosyntethic organisms

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Biodiversity (biological diversity)

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The number and variety of organisms; includes genetic diversity, species richness, and ecosystem diversity

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Biological Magnification

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The increased concentration of toxic chemicals such as PCB's, heavy metals and certain pesticides in the tissues of organisms at higher trophic levels in food webs (also biological amplification)

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Biomass

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1) A quantitative estimate of the total mass or amount, of living material. Often expressed as the dry wieght of all the organic material that comprimes orgaisms in a particualr ecosystem 2)Plant and animal Materials used as fuel.

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Biome

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A large, relatively distinct terrestrial region characterized by a similar climate, soil, plants, and animas, regardless of where it occurs on Earth; because it is so large in area, a biome encompasses many interacting ecosystems.

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Biosphere

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All of Earth's organisms and their interactions with each other, the land, the water, and the atmosphere

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Birth Rate

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The number or berths per 1000 per year, Also called crude birth rate and natality

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Carrying capacity (K)

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The maximum number of individuals of a given species that a particular environment can support sustainably (long term), assuming there are no changes in that environment. Example, the Carrying capacity of a rangeland is the maximum number of animals the rangeland plants can sustain over an indefinite period without deterioration of the rangeland.

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CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons)

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Human made organic compounds composed of carbon, chlorine, and fluorine that had many industrial and comercial applications but were banned because they attack the stratospheric ozone layer

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Clean Air Act

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1977 required coal-burning power plants to outfit their smokestacks with expensive scrubbers to remove sulfur dioxide from their emissions but make an exemption for tall smokestacks

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Clean Water Act

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Originally called Water Pollution Control Act of 1972 has two goals 1)to eliminate de discharge of pollutants in US waterways and to attain water quality levels that make these waterways safe for fishing and swimming.

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Clear Skies Initiative

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Clear Skies legislation would create a mandatory program that would dramatically reduce power plant emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and mercury by setting a national cap on each pollutant.

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climate

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The average weather conditions that occur in a place over a period of years, includes temperature and precitipations

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competition

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The interaction among organisms that vie for the same resources in an exosystem (such as food, living space or other resources) (see interspecific or intraspecific competition)

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conservation

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The sensible and careful management of natural resources

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Death rate

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The number of deaths per 1000 people per year. Also called crud death rate and mortality

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Decomposers

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A heterotroph that breaks down organic material and uses the decomposition products to supply it with energy. Decomposers are microorganisms of decay. Also called saprotroph

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Deforestation

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The temporary or permanent clearance of large expanses of forests for agriculture or other uses

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Desertification

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Degradation of once-fertile rangeland (or tropical dry forest) into nonproductive desert. Caused party by soil erosion, deforestation, and overgrazing.

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Ecological community

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refers to all the interacting organisms living together in a specific habitat.

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ecology

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A discipline of biology that studies the interrelationships between organisms and among organisms and their environment

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ecosystem

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The interacting system that encompasses a community and its nonliving, physical envorinment. In an ecosystem, all of the biological, physical, and chemical components of an area form a complex interacting network of energy flow and materiasl cycling.

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endangered species

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A species that faces threats that may cause it to become extinct within a shor perior

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energy

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The capacity or ability to do work

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environment

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All the external conditions, both abiotic and biotic, that affect an organism or group of organisms

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environmental ethics

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A field of applied ethics that considers the moral basis of environmental responsibility and how far this responsibility extends; environmental ethicists try to determine how we humans should relate to nature

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eutrophic

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Having waters rich in mineral and organic nutrients that promote a proliferation of plant life, especially algae, which reduces the dissolved oxygen content and often causes the extinction of other organisms. Used of a lake or pond.

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eutrophication

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the enrichment of a lake, estuary, or slow flowing stream by nutrients that cause increased photosynthetic productivity. Eutrophication that occurs naturally is a very slow process in which the body of water gradually fills in and converts to a marsh, eventually disappearing.

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evolution

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cumulative genetic changes in populations that occur during successive generations. Evolution explains the origin of all the organisms that exist today or have ever existed.

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exotic (alien) species

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also called biotic pollution, the accidental or intentional introduction of a foreign, or exotic, species into an area where it is not native.

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exponential growth

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accelerating population growth that occurs when optimal conditions allow a constant rate of increase over a period of time. When plotted on a graph, the line is a "J" shape.

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food chain

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the successive series of organisms through which energy flows in an ecosystem. Each organism in the series eats or decomposes the preceding organism in the chain.

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food web

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a complex interconnection of all the food chains in an ecosystem

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fossil fuels

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combustible deposits in the Earth's crust. Fossil fuels are composed of the remnants of prehistoric organisms that existed millions of years ago, i.e., oil, natural gas, and coal.

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Gaia hypothesis

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states that the Earth's organisms adjust the environment to keep it habitable for life

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genetic engineering

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the ability to take a specific gene from one cell and place it into another cell where it is expressed

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genetically-modified organisms (GMO)

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an organisms that has had its genes intentionally manipulated

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global commons

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those resources of our environment that are available to everyone but for which no single individual has responsibility

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global warming

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=greenhouse effect: natural warming of our atmosphere caused by the presence of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, which trap the sun's radiation. The additional warming that may be produced by increased levels of greenhouse gases that absorb infrared radiation is know as the enhanced greenhouse effect

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Green Revolution

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A variety of agricultural systems developed for application in developing countries, involving the introduction of improved seed varieties, fertilizers, and irrigation systems

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greenhouse effect

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=global warming: natural warming of our atmosphere caused by the presence of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, which trap the sun's radiation. The additional warming that may be produced by increased levels of greenhouse gases that absorb infrared radiation is know as the enhanced greenhouse effect

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greenhouse gases

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the gases that absorb infrared radiation, which include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and tropospheric ozone, all of which are accumulating in the atmosphere as a result of human activities

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groundwater

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supply of fresh water under Earth's surface. Groundwater is stored in underground caverns and porous layers of underground rock called aquifers.

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growth rate

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thre rate of change of a population's size, expressed in percent per year. In populations with little or no dispersal, it is calculated by subtracting the death rate from the birth rate. Also called natural increase in human population

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habitat

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local environment in which an organism, population, or species lives

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half-life

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period of time required for one-half of a radioactive substance to change into a different material

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herbivores

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animals that feed on plants or algae

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heterotrophs

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organism that cannot synthesize its own food from inorganic materials and therefore must use the bodies of other organisms as sources of energy and body-building materials (also called consumer)

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hydrologic cycle

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water cycle, which includes evaporation, precipitation, and flow to the seas. The hyrdrologic cycle supplies terrestrial organisms with a continual supply of fresh water

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hydrocarbons

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diverse group of organic compounds that contain only hydrogen and carbon

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Integrated Pest Management

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combination of pest control methods (biological, chemical, and cultivation) that, if used in the proper order and at the proper times, keep the size of a pest population low enough that it does not cuase substantial economic loss

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IPCC

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The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a scientific body tasked to evaluate the risk of climate change caused by human activity.

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keystone species

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species that is crucial in determining the nature and structure of the entire ecosystem in which it lives; other species of a community depend on or are greatly affected by the keystone species, whose influence is much greater than would be expected by is relative abundance

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limiting factor

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any environmental resource that, because it is scarce or at unfavorable levels, restricts the ecological niche of an organism

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logistic population growth

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As the population grows, the population growth become slower due to factors that limit it: food, shelter, carrying capacity of land, etc…

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migration

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The movement of people from one area to another in response to warfare, environmental degradation or perceived better opportunities

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mutation

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change in the DNA of an organism. A mutation in reproductive cells may be passed on to the next generation, where it may result in birth defects of genetic disease

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natural selection

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tendency of organisms that possess favorable adaptations to their environment to survive and become the parents of the next generation--Charles Darwin

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nitrogen cycle

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worldwide circulation of nitrogen from the abiotic environment into organisms and back into the abiotic environment

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non-point sources of pollution

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pollutants that enter bodies of water over large areas rather than being concentrated at a single point of entry. Examples: agricultural fertilizer runoff and sediments from construction

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non-renewable energy resources

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natural resources that are present in limited supplies and are depleted by use; include minerals such as copper and tin and fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas

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nuclear fission reactors

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reactor that uses a reaction in which large atoms of certain elements are each split into two smaller atoms with the release of a large amount of energy

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oligotrophic

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a deep, clear lake that has minimual nutrients. Water in an oligotrophic lake contains a high level of dissolved oxygen.

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omnivores

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animal that eats a variety of plant and animal material

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ozone hole

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A semi-permanent depletion in stratospheric ozone concentration over a polar region. Most prominent over the South Pole

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ozone layer

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Layer of gaseous ozone in the stratospheric atmosphere that protects life on earth by filtering out harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun

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parasitism

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symbiotic relationship in which one member (the parasite) benefits and the other (the host) is adversely affected

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phosphorus cycle

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worldwide circulation of phosphorus from the abiotic environment into organisms and back into the abiotic environment

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point sources of pollution

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water pollution that can be traced to a specific spot (such as a factory) because it is dischared into the environment through pipes, sewers, or ditches

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population age structure

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The distribution of the population by age, used in analysis of demographic trends.

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population growth rate

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is the fractional rate at which the number of individuals in a population increases. Specifically, PGR ordinarily refers to the change in population over a specific time period expressed as a percentage of the number of individuals in the population at the beginning of that period.

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predator

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an animal that eats other animals or plants (the other animal/plant is called the prey)

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preservation

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setting aside undisturbed areas, maintaining them in a pristine state, and protecting them from human activities that might alter the natural state

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primary air pollutants

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harmful chemical that enters directly into the atmosphere from either human activities or natural processes (volcanic eruption, etc)

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primary production

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organic material produced by plants from inorganic material and sunlight

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primary succession

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ecological succession that occurs on land that has not previously been inhabitied by plants; no soil is present initially

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producers

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an organism that manufactures complex organic molecules from simple inorganic substances. In most ecosystems, producers are photosynthetic organisms.

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renewable energy resources

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resources that are replaced by natural processes and can be used forever, provided they are not overexploited in the short term. (trees, water in rivers, etc)

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risk assessment

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using statistical methods to quantify the harmful effects on human health or the environment of exposure to a particular danger. Rick assessments are most useful when they are compared with one another

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runoff

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movement of fresh water from precipitation and snowmelt to rivers, lakes, wetlands, and ultimately, the ocean

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secondary air pollutants

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A Harmfull chemical that forms in the atmoshpere when a primary air pollutant reacts chemically with othe r air pollutants or natural components of the atmosphere

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secondary consumers

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An organismthat consumes primary consumers Also called carnivore

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secondary production

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The biomass production resulting from the assimilation of organic matter produced by a primary consumer; production by organisms (mainly animals) which consume primary producers (mainly plants)

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secondary succession

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An ecological succession that takes place after some disturbance destroys the existing vegetation; soil is already present

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smog

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A noxious mixture of air pollutants that can often be seen as a haze in the air. Two main components of smog are airborne particulate matter and ground level ozone.

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species

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A group of similar organisms that are able to interbreed with one another but unable to interbreed with other sorts of organisms

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stratospheric ozone depletion

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depletion of ozone in stratosphere, a concern because the ozone layer in the stratosphere keeps 95-99% of the suns ultraviolet radiation from striking the earth

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surface water

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Fresh water found on Earth's surface in streams and rivers, lakes, ponds, reservoirs, and wetlands.

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sustainability

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The ability to meet humanity's current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs; the concept of sustinability assumes the environment can function indefinitely without going into a decine from the stresses imposed by human society on natural systems such as fertile soi. water, and air. Also called environmental sustainability.

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sustainable agriculture

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Agricultural methods that rely on beneficial biological processes and environmentally friendly chemicals rather than conventional agricultural techniques.

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sustainable energy

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Energy which is replenishable within a human lifetime and causes no long-term damage to the environment

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sustainable water use

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The wise use of water resources, without harming the essential functioning of the hydrologic cycle or the ecosystems on which humans depend so that water is available for future generations

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symbiosis

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An intimate relationship bestween two or more organisms of different species.

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temperature inversion

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A deviation from the normal temperature distribution in the atmosphere, resulting in a layer of cold air temporarily trapped near the ground by a warmer, upper layer, also called thermal inversion

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threatened species

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A species in which the population is low enough for it bo be at risk of becoming endangered in the foreseeable future ghrout all or a significant portion of its range

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toxicology

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The study of harmful chemicals , tocicants, that have adverse effects on health, as well as ways to counteract their toxicity

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trophic level

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Each level in a food chain. All producers belong to the first throphic level, all herbivores belong to the second trophic level, and so on

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primary wastewater treatment

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The first step in sewage treatment to remove large solid objects by screens (filters) and sediment and organic matter in settling chambers

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secondary wastewater treatment

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After primary wastewater treatment, removal of biodegradable organic matter from sewage using bacteria and other microorganisms, inactivated sludge, or trickle filters.

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tertiary wastewater treatment

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Advanced level of treatment to remove constituents of concern including nutrients, toxic compounds, and increased amounts of organic matter and suspended solids. This level of treatment is utilized when the effluent is discharged to a sensitive receiving environment or in water reuse applications. The process can be accomplished using a variety of physical, chemical, or biological treatment processes to remove targeted pollutants.

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water conservation

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The wise use of water with methods ranging from more efficient practices in farm, home and industry to capturing water for use through water storage or conservation projects

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wetlands

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Lands where water saturation is the dominant factor determining the nature of soil development and the types of plant and animal communities living in the surrounding environment. Other common names for wetlands are bogs, ponds, estuaries, and marshes.