Es

Front 1

biosphere?

Back 1

Is that part of a planet where life exists. On earth it extends from the depths of the oceans to the summit of mountains, but most life exists within a few meters of the surface. A second meaning is: the planetary system that includes and sustains life, and therefore is made up of the atmosphere, oceans, soils, upper bedrock and all life.

Front 2

biota?

Back 2

all the organisms of all species living in an area or region up to and including the biosphere, as in the "biota of the Mojave Desert" or "the biota in that aquarium".

Front 3

carrying capacity?

Back 3

the maximu number of individuals of a species thata can be sustained by an eneviroment without lessening the enviroments ability to sustain that same number of indiviudals in the future.

Front 4

doublind time?

Back 4

the time necessary for a quantity of whever is being measured to double. dt=70/growth rate.

Front 5

dynamic equilibrium?

Back 5

an equilibrium is a condition of constancy for a system, also referred to as the "rest state" changes somewhat and slowly over time.

Front 6

ecological footprint?

Back 6

measure of the total impact a person or society has on the enviroment. Based on resource use and waste produced.

Front 7

ecosystem?

Back 7

an ecological community and its local, nonbiological community. An ecosystem is the minimum system that includes and sustains life. It must include at least an autotroph, a decomposer, a liquid medium, a source and sink of energy, and all the chemical elements required by the autotroph and the decomposer.

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enviromental untiy?

Back 8

a principle of enviromental sciences that states that everything affects everything else, meaning that a particular course of action leads to an entire potential string of events. Another way of stating this idea is that you cant only do one thing.

Front 9

exponential growth?

Back 9

growth in which the rate increase is a constant percentage of the current size; that is, the growth occurs at a constant rate per time period.

Front 10

feedback?

Back 10

a kind of system response that occurs when output of the system also serves as input leading to changes in the system.

Front 11

gaia hypothesis?

Back 11

That the surface enviroeent of Eartyh, with respect to such factors as the atmospheric composition of reactive gases, the acidity-alkalinity of waters, and the surgace temperature, are actively regulated by the sensing, growth, metabolism and other activites of the biota. Interactio between the physical and biological system on Earths syrace has led to a planetwide physiology that began mmore that 3 billion years ago and the evolution of which can be detected in the fossil record.

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overshoot?

Back 12

occurs when growth in one part of a system over time exceeds carrying capacity, resulting in sudden decline in one or both parts of the system.

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precautionary principle?

Back 13

the idae that in spite of the fact that full scientific certainty is often not avaiable to prove cause and effect, we should still take costeffective precautions to solve enviromental problems when there exists a threat of potential serious and or irrversible enviromental changes.

Front 14

steady state?

Back 14

when input equals output in a system, there is no net change and the system is said to be in a steady state. A bathtub with water flowing in and out at the same rate maintains the same water level and is in a stedy state.

Front 15

sustainability?

Back 15

managment of natural resources and the enviroment with the goals of allowing the harvest of resources to remain at or above some specified level, and the ecosystem to retain its functions and structure.

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system?

Back 16

a set of components that are linked and interact to produce a whole. For example, the river as a system is composed of sediment, water, bank, vegitation, fish, and other living things that all together produce the river.

Front 17

4 main problems for solving probles?

Back 17

1= exponential growth 2= long lag time 3= irreverible consequences 4= chain of linked events (enviromental unity)

Front 18

in 20th cent?

Back 18

pop grew very fast. pop is the underlying enviromental problem.

Front 19

sciences goal?

Back 19

to understand how nature works. decsisions must begin with an examination of the sceintfic evidence.

Front 20

scientific method?

Back 20

- hypothesis- tesing hypothesis- multiple hypothesis= a very strong theory

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methods of studying global change?

Back 21

1- monitoring 2- geologic history 3- modeling

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positive feedback?

Back 22

self enhancing

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negative feedback?

Back 23

self regulating

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average rsidence time?

Back 24

ratio of size of pool to rate of throughput

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birth rate?

Back 25

the rate at which births occur in a population, measured either as the number of individuals born per unit of time or as the percentage of births per unit of time compared with the total population.

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carrying capacity?

Back 26

the maximum abundance of a population or species that can be maintained by a habitat or ecosystem without degrading the ability of that habitat or ecoosystem to maintain that abundance in the future.

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death rate?

Back 27

the rate at which deaths occur in a population, measured either as the number of individuals dying per unit time or as the percentage of a population dying per unit time.

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demographic transition?

Back 28

the pattern of change in birth and death rates as a country is transformed from undeveloped to developed. There are three stages: 1=in an undeveloped country, birth and death rates are high and the growth rate low 2=the death rate decrases, but the birth rate remains high and the growth rate is high; 3=the birth rate drops toward the death rate and the growth rate therefore also decreases.

Front 29

exponential growth?

Back 29

growth in which the rate of increase is a constant percentage of the current size; that is, the growth occurs at a constant rate per time period.

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growth rate?

Back 30

the net increase in some factor per unit time. In ecology, the growth rate of a population, sometimes measured as the increase in numbers of individuals or biomass per unit time and sometimes as a percentge increase in numbers or biomass per unit time.

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life expectancy?

Back 31

the estimated average number of years (or other time period used as a measure) that an individual of a specific age can expect to live.

Front 32

logisitc carrying capacity?

Back 32

in terms of the logistic curve, the population size at which births equal deaths and there is no net change in the population.

Front 33

logisitc growth curve?

Back 33

the s-shaped growth curve that is generated by the logistic growth equation. in the logistic, a small population growth rapidly, but the growth rate slows down, and the population grows rapidly, but the growth rate slows down, and the population eventually reaches a constant size.

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longevity?

Back 34

how long an organism or species generally lives. similar to life expectancy.

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maximum lifetime?

Back 35

genetically determined maximum possible age to which an individual of a species can live.

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population?

Back 36

a group of individuals of the same species living in the same area or interbreeding and sharing genetic information.

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population age structure?

Back 37

the number of individuals or proprtion of the population in each age class.

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population dynamics?

Back 38

the study of changes in population sizes and the causes of these changes.

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species?

Back 39

a group of individuals capable of interbreading.

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sulfur cycle?

Back 40

the biogeochemical cycle of the sources, flux and sink for sulfur at the local to global scale.

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sink?

Back 41

the location where a chemical that is transferred from one part of a biogeochemical cucle to another ends up being stored.

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source?

Back 42

is a storage compartment that releases a chemical to another location.

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biological production?

Back 43

the capture of usable energy from the enviroment to produce organic compounds in which that energy is stored.

Front 44

community-level interactions?

Back 44

when the interaction between two species leads to changes in the presence or absence of other species or in a large change in abundance of other species, then a community effect is said to have occurred.

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competition?

Back 45

the situation that exists when different individuals, populations, or species compete for the same resource (s) and the presence of one has a detrimental effect on the other. Sheep and cows eating grass in the same field are competitors.

Front 46

competitive exclusion principle?

Back 46

the idea that two populations of different species with exactly the same requirments cannot persist indefinitely int he same habitat- one will always win out and the other will become extinct.

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ecological community?

Back 47

this term has two meanings (1) a conceptual or functional meaning: a set of interacting species that occur int he same place (sometimes extended to mean a set that interacts in a way to sustain life) (2) an operational meaning: a set of species found in an area, whether or not they are interacting.

Front 48

ecological niche?

Back 48

the general concept is that the niche is a species "prodession"- what it does to make a living. The term is also used to refer to a set of environmental conditions within which a species is able to persist.

Front 49

ecosystem?

Back 49

an ecological community and its local, nonbiological community. an ecosystem is the minimum system that incles and sustains life. It must include at least an autotroph, a decomposer, a liquid medium, a source and sink of energy, and all the chemical elements required by the autotroph and the decomposer.

Front 50

energy flow?

Back 50

the movement of energy thruogh an ecosystem from the external enviroment through a series of organisms and back to the external environment. it is one of the fundamental processes common to all ecosystems.

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food web?

Back 51

a network of who feeds on whom or a diagram showing who feeds on whom. is it sunonymous with food chain.

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habitat?

Back 52

where an individual, population, or species exists or can exist. for example, the habitat of the joshua tree is the mojave desert of north america.

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keystone species?

Back 53

a species, such as the sea otter, that has a large efffect on its community or ecosystem so that its removal or addition to the community leads to major changes in the abundance of many or all other species.

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parasitism?

Back 54

an interaction between species that is beneficial to one and generally harmful to the other.

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predation?

Back 55

inderaction between individuals of two species in which the outcome benefits one and is detrimental to the other.

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symbiosis?

Back 56

an interaction between individuals of two different speceies thata benefits both. For example, lichens contain an alga and a fungus that require ech other to persist. sometimes this term is used broadly, so that domestic corn and people could be said to have a symbiotic relationship-domestic corn cannot reproduce without the aid of epopel, and some people survive because they have corn to eat.

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sybionts?

Back 57

each partner in symbiosis.

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trophic level?

Back 58

in a n ecological community, all the organisms that are the same number of food-chain steps from the primary source of energy. for example, in a grassland the greeen grasses are ont he first trophic level, grasshoppers on the second, birds that feeed grasshopppers are on the third, and so forth.

Front 59

prophecy of malthus 200 years ago?

Back 59

• Food is necessary for people to survive
• Passion between sexes will remain (children
will result)
• Power of population growth is greater than
power of Earth to produce subsistence
• Impossible to maintain ever growing
population on finite resource base

Front 60

Logistic Growth
Curve:Assumptions

Back 60

• Constant environment
• Constant carrying capacity
• Homogeneous population

Front 61

Demography

Back 61

• Age Structure
• Growth Rate
• Demographic Transition
• Total Fertility
• Population Momentum

Front 62

Population age structure:

Back 62

– The proportion of the population in each age
class
– Affects current and future birth rates, death
rates and growth rates
– Has an impact on the environment
– Has complications for current and future social
and economic status.

Front 63

Tragedy of the Commons:
Garrett Hardin,1968

Back 63

• One of most cited articles ever.
• Widely applicable to
environmental problems.
• Based on logic al argument.

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TOTC Management Strategies

Back 64

• Working in small groups
• Establish rules & laws
• Economic incentives and
mediation
• Education

Front 65

Limiting Factors in Population Growth

Back 65

1. Short-term factors
• Those that affect a population during the year in which they
become limiting
2. Intermediate-term factors
• Those whose effects are apparent after one year but before ten
years
3. Long-term factors
• Those whose effects are not apparent for ten years

Front 66

How Can We Achieve
Zero Population Growth?

Back 66

• Delay the age of first childbearing by women
• Birth control
– Biological and Social
• Breast-feeding, which can delay resumption of ovulation
• Abstinence
• Contraceptive devices
– National Programs to Reduce Birth Rates
• Formal family planning programs to
– explain the problems arising from rapid population growth
– Describe the benefits to individuals of reduced population
growth.
**All the above are possible,but education is the key

Front 67

primary production?

Back 67

some organisms make their own organic matter from a source of energy and inorganic compounds. the production carred out by autotrophs is primary production.

Front 68

secondary prodcution?

Back 68

it depends on production by autotrophic organisms.

Front 69

adaptive radiation?

Back 69

the process that occurs when a species enters a new habitat that has unoccupied niches and evolves into a group of new species, each adapted to one of these niches.

Front 70

biological diversity?

Back 70

Used loosely to mean the variety of life on Earth, but scientifically typically used to consist of three components 1- genetic diversity- the total number of fenetic characteristics, 2- species diversity, and 3- habitat or ecosystem diversity- the number of kinds of habitats or ecosystems in a given unit area. Species diversity in turn includes three concepts: species, richness, evenness, and dominance.

Front 71

biological evolution?

Back 71

the change in inherited characteristics of a population from generation to genertaion, which can result in new species.

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competitive exclusion principle?

Back 72

the idea that two populations of different species with exactly the same requirements cannot persist indefinitely in the same habitat- one will always win out and the other will become extinct.

Front 73

deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)?

Back 73

complex chemical compound that contains the building blocks that carry the genetic code and genes.

Front 74

divergent evolution?

Back 74

organisms with the same ancestral genetic heritage migrate to different habitats and evolve into species with different external forms and structures, but typically continue to use the same kind of habitats. The ostrich and the emu are belived to be examples of divergetn evolution.

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ecological gradient?

Back 75

a change in the relative abundance of a species or group of species along a line or over an area.

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ecological island?

Back 76

an area that is biologically isolated so that a species occuring within the area cannot miz (or only rarely mixes) with any other population of the same species.

Front 77

ecological niche?

Back 77

the general concept is that the niche is a species' "profession"- what it does to make a living. the term is also used to refer to a set of environmental conditions within which a species is able to persist.

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endangered species?

Back 78

a soecues tgat faces threats that might lead to its extinction in a short time.

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extinction?

Back 79

disappearance of a life-form from existence, usually applied to a species.

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gene?

Back 80

a single unit of genetic information comprised of a complex segment of the four DNA- nase-pair compounds.

Front 81

genetic diversity?

Back 81

the diversity of the genetic pool, literally the number of different forms of DNA that are found. the term usually refers to a single species or population, but is also used to refer to the total genetic diversity of the many species that form an ecological community or ecosystem.

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genetic drift?

Back 82

changes in the frquency of a gene in a population as a result of chance rather than of mutation, selection, or migration.

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habitat?

Back 83

where an individual, population, or species exists or can exist. For example, the habitat of the Joshua tree is the Mojave desert of north america

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habitat diversity?

Back 84

the number of kinds of habitats in an area.

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island biogeography?

Back 85

the study of geographical principles of islands.

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landscape perspective?

Back 86

the concept that effective management and conservation recognizes that ecosystems, populations, and species are interconnected across large geographic areas.

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logisitc carrying capacity?

Back 87

in terms of the logistic curve, the population size at which births equal deaths and there is no net change in the population.

Front 88

mass extinction?

Back 88

event that causes the extinction of many forms of life on a global scale.

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mutation?

Back 89

stated most simply, a chemical change in a DNA molecule. It means that the dna carres a different message than it did before, and this change can affect the expressed characteristics when cells or individual organisms reproduce.

Front 90

natural selection?

Back 90

a process by which organisms whose biological characteristics better fit them to the environment are represented by more descendants in future generations than those whose characteristics are less fit for the environment.

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species diversity?

Back 91

the variety of species in an area or on earth. includes factors such as abundance and dominance of species.

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threatened species?

Back 92

species experiencing a decline in the number of individuals to the degree that a concern is raised about the possibility of extinction of that species.

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primary production?

Back 93

some organisms make their own organic matter from a source of energy and inorganic compounds. the production carred out by autotrophs is primary production.

Front 94

secondary prodcution?

Back 94

it depends on production by autotrophic organisms.

Front 95

primary production?

Back 95

some organisms make their own organic matter from a source of energy and inorganic compounds. the production carred out by autotrophs is primary production.

Front 96

secondary prodcution?

Back 96

it depends on production by autotrophic organisms.

Front 97

balance of nature

Back 97

an environmental myth that states that the natural environment, when not influenced by human activity, will reach a constant status, unchanging over time, referred to as an equilibrium state.

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chronic patchiness

Back 98

a situation where ecological successional does not occur. one species may replace another, or an indiviual of the first spcies may replace it, but no overall general temporal pattern is established. characteristic of harsh environments such as deserts.

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early-succesional species

Back 99

species that occur only or primarily during early stages of succession

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ecological restoration

Back 100

restoration of the land and water (river, wetlands, beaches, prairie, etc. ) that utilizes ecologic principls.

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ecological succession

Back 101

the process of the development an ecological community or ecosystem, usually viewed as a series of stages, early, middle late, mature (or climax) and sometimes postclimax. primary succession is an original esetablishment, secondary succession is a reestabilishment

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facilitation

Back 102

during succession, one species prepares the way for next (and may even be necessary for the occurance of the next)

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interference

Back 103

during succesion, one species prevents the entrance of later successional species into an ecosystem. for exaple, some grasses produce such dense and thick mats that seeds of trees cannot reach the soil to germinate. as long as these grasses persist, the trees thtat characterize later stages of succession cannot enter the ecosystem.

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late-succesional species

Back 104

species that occur only or primary in, or are dominant in, late stages in succession.

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life history differencee

Back 105

allows some to arrive first and grow quickly, while others arrive later and grow more slowly.

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nitrogen fixation

Back 106

the process by which atmospheric nitrogen is converted to ammonia, nitrate ion, or amino acids. microorganisms perform most of the conversion, butt a small amount it also converted by lightnign.

Front 107

primary succession

Back 107

the intial establishment and development of an ecosystem.

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restoration ecology

Back 108

the field within the science of ecoogoy with the goal to return damaged ecosystems to ones that are function, sustainable, and more natural in some meaning of this word.

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secondary succession

Back 109

the reestablishment of an ecosystem where there re remnants of a pervious biological community.

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succesional stages?

Back 110

the process of establishment and development of an ecosystem

Front 111

Golden Rule of the
Environment

Back 111

• Stephen J.Gould 1993
• Earth time and human time
• Need an appropriate environmental
ethic

Front 112

Fundamental
Characteristics of an
Ecosystem

Back 112

• Structure -- living and non-living
• Process -- cycling of chemicals,flow
of energy
• Function -- Rates of energy flow and
cycling of chemicals
• Change -- succession

Front 113

Minimum System
(Ecosystem) That Can
Sustains Life

Back 113

• At least one autotroph
• At least one decomposer
• A liquid medium
• Source and sink of energy
• All chemicals required by autotroph

Front 114

American Bison

Back 114

as a keystone species

Front 115

1) Short term factors:

Back 115

those that affect a population during the year in which they become limiting

Front 116

2) Intermediate-term factors:

Back 116

Those whose effects are apparent after one year but before ten years

Front 117

3) Long-term factors:

Back 117

those whose effects are not apparent for ten years

Front 118

White footed mouse:

Back 118

eat acorns, carry Lyme Disease in their blood

Front 119

Fundamental Characteristics of an Ecosystem

Back 119

- Structure: living and non-living
- Process: cycling of chemicals, flow of energy
- Function: Rates of energy flow and cycling of chemicals
- Change: succession

Front 120

Minimum System (Ecosystem) That Can sustains Life

Back 120

- At least one autotrophic
- At least one decomposer
- A liquid medium
- Source and sick of energy
- All chemicals required by autotrophic

Front 121

American Bald Eagle (

Back 121

YES)

Front 122

Condor

Back 122

no

Front 123

TWO CONCEPTS OF ENERGY

Back 123

1. Energy- is always conserved
2. Energy is transformed into a less usable form when we use it.

Front 124

Four Processes of Evolution

Back 124

- Mutation
- Migration
- Genetic drift
- Natural selection- when you have change in the environment, those who can adapt are the ones who can survive and reproduce