Environmental Science - Exam 1

Front 1

Humans have surpassed the Earth’s capacity to support us.

Back 1

Overshoot

- We are using 30% more of the planet’s resources than are available on a sustainable basis.

Front 2

Scientists gather information about something not well known or that cannot be manipulated in experiments.

Back 2

Observational (descriptive) science

Front 3

Research that proceeds in a structured manner using experiments to test hypotheses through the scientific method.

Back 3

Hypothesis-driven science

Front 4

This type of experiment yield the strongest evidence.

Back 4

Manipulative experiments

Front 5

This type of experiment shows real-world complexity.

Back 5

Natural experiments

Front 6

A widely accepted explanation of one or more cause-and-effect relationships.

Back 6

Theory

Front 7

The study of good and bad, right and wrong.

Back 7

Ethics

- Relativists: ethics vary with social context.

- Universalists: right and wrong remains the same across cultures and situations.

Front 8

Application of ethical standards to relationships between human and non-human entities.

Back 8

Environmental ethics

Front 9

Involves the fair treatment of all people with respect to the environment, regardless of race, income, or ethnicity.

Back 9

Environmental Justice

Front 10

The accumulated wealth of Earth.

Back 10

Natural capital

Front 11

Which nation has the largest ecological footprint?

Back 11

U.S.A.

Front 12

What is the fastest growing cause that leads to a large ecological footprint?

Back 12

The burning of fossil fuels to release carbon dioxide.

Front 13

Do vegetarians have a smaller ecological footprint than meat eaters?

Back 13

Yes; Animals use the energy in their food for their metabolism, so only 10% of the calories they eat are available to the meat eater.

Front 14

Model that measures the impact in terms of pollution or resource consumption.

Back 14

IPAT model

Front 15

What is the hardest part of challenge of sustaining human well‐being?

Back 15

Resolving the energy-economy-environment dilemma

Front 16

Name three options to address climate change.

Back 16

1.Mitigation: reduce pace and magnitude of climate change.

2.Adaptation: reduce adverse impacts of changes.

3. Suffer the consequences.

Front 17

Rank in the feeding hierarchy.

Back 17

Trophic levels

Front 18

Scavenge waste products or dead bodies.

Back 18

Detritivores

Front 19

Break down leaf litter and other non-living material.

Back 19

Decomposers

Front 20

A species with a strong or wide-reaching impact far out of proportion to its abundance.

Back 20

Keystone species

Front 21

A community changes in response to a disturbance, but later returns to its original state.

Back 21

Resilience

Front 22

The application of population ecology to the study of human populations

Back 22

Demography

Front 23

Less dense ice floats on liquid water which does what to aquatic species?

Back 23

Insulates water from cold so aquatic species can survive winter.

Front 24

Energy needed to change substance to higher energy state (calories/gram).

Back 24

Latent heat

Front 25

Name three types of polymers that are essential to life.

Back 25

1. Proteins
2. Nucleic acids
3. Carbohydrates

- Lipids are not polymers, but are also essential.

Front 26

Produce tissues, provide structural support, store energy, and transport substances.

Back 26

Proteins

- Can serve as enzyme: molecules that promote chemical reactions.

Front 27

A chemically diverse group of compounds grouped together because they don’t dissolve in water.

Back 27

Lipids

Front 28

Energy can change forms, but cannot be created or destroyed.

Back 28

First Law of Thermodynamics

Front 29

The nature of energy changes from a more-ordered to a less-ordered state.

Back 29

Second Law of Thermodynamics

Front 30

Output resulting from a system moving in one direction acts as an input that moves the system in the other direction.

Back 30

Negative feedback loop

- Body temperature

Front 31

Instead of stabilizing a system, it drives it further toward an extreme

Back 31

Positive feedback loop

Front 32

Where nutrients remain for varying amounts of time

Back 32

Pools (reservoirs)

Front 33

Movement of nutrients among pools.

Back 33

Flux

Front 34

Conversion of solar energy to chemical energy by autotrophs.

Back 34

Primary production

Front 35

Energy remaining after respiration, used to generate biomass.

Back 35

Net primary production

Front 36

Ecosystems whose plants rapidly convert solar energy to biomass.

Back 36

High net primary productivity

Front 37

Organisms that gain energy by feeding on others.

Back 37

Heterotrophs (consumers)

Front 38

Nitrogen gas is combined (fixed) with hydrogen by nitrogen-fixing bacteria or lightning to become ammonium.

Back 38

Nitrogen fixation

Front 39

Bacteria that convert ammonium ions first into nitrite ions then into nitrate ions.

Back 39

Nitrification

- Animals obtain nitrogen by eating plants or other animals.