Esrm Chapter 1-5 Vocab

Front 1

analytical thinking

Back 1

how can i break this problem down into its constituent parts

Front 2

biocentric preservation

Back 2

emphasize the fundamental right of other organisms to exist and to pursue their own interests

Front 3

inductive reasoning

Back 3

study specific examples and try to discover patterna and derive general explanations from collected observations

Front 4

controlled studies

Back 4

comparisons are made between experimental and control populations that are identical in every factor except the one being studied

Front 5

creative thinking

Back 5

how might i approach this problem in new and inventive ways

Front 6

critical thinking

Back 6

what am i trying to accomplish here, and how will i know when ive succeeded

Front 7

deductive thinking

Back 7

series of logical thinking starting with a gerneral principle, a testable prediction is derived about a specific case

Front 8

logical thinking

Back 8

how can orderly, deductive reasoning help me think clearly

Front 9

environment

Back 9

1. circumstances and conditiions that surround an organism or a group of organisms
2. the social and cultural conditions that affect an individual or a community

Front 10

environmental science

Back 10

systematic study of our environment and our place in it
biology, chemisty, geography, agriculture

Front 11

global environmentalism

Back 11

extention of modern environmental concerns to global issues

Front 12

modern environmentalism

Back 12

a fusion of conservation of natural resources and preservation of nature with concern about pollution, environmental health, and social justice

Front 13

paradigm

Back 13

overarching models of the world that guide our interpretation of events

Front 14

parsimony

Back 14

a principle that says where two equally plausible explanations for a phenomenon are possible, we should choose the simpler one

Front 15

reflective thinking

Back 15

what does it all mean

Front 16

reproducibility

Back 16

making an observation or obtaining a particular result consistently

Front 17

scientific theory

Back 17

when a large number of tests supports an explanation and a majority of experts in a given field have reached a general consensus that it is the best description or explanation available

Front 18

significant numbers

Back 18

meaningful data that can be measured accurately and reproducibly

Front 19

statistics

Back 19

mathematical analysis of the collectioon, organization, and interpretation or numerical data

Front 20

sustainability

Back 20

ecological, social, and economic systems that can last over the long term

Front 21

sustainable development

Back 21

a real increase in wellbeing and standard of life for the average person that can be maintained over the long term without degrading the environment or compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

Front 22

utilitarian conservation

Back 22

the philosophyh that resources should be used for the greatest good for the greatest number for the long run

Front 23

acids

Back 23

substances that release hydrogen atoms in water

Front 24

atom

Back 24

smallest particle that exhibits the characteristics or an element

Front 25

bases

Back 25

substances that readily bond with hydrogen ions in an aqueous solution

Front 26

biological community

Back 26

the population of plants, animals, and microorganisms living and interacting in a certain area at a given time

Front 27

biomass

Back 27

the accumulated biological material produced by living organisms

Front 28

carbon cycle

Back 28

circulation and reutilization of carbon atoms, especially viw the process of photosynthesis and respiration

Front 29

cellular respiration

Back 29

process in which a cell breaks down sugar or other organic compounds to release energy used for cellular work; may be anaerobic or aerobic, depending on the availablity of oxygen

Front 30

chemical compounds

Back 30

molecules made up of two or more kinds of atoms held together by chemical bonds

Front 31

conservation of matter

Back 31

in any chemical reaction, katter changes form; it is neither created nor destroyed

Front 32

consumer

Back 32

organisms that obtain energy and nutrients by feeding on other organisms or their remains

Front 33

decomposers

Back 33

fungus or bacterium that breaks complex organic material into smaller molecules

Front 34

ecology

Back 34

scientific study of relationships between organisms and their environment. it is concerned with the life histories, distribution, and behavior of infivifual species as well as the structure and funtion of natural systems at the level of populations, communities, and ecosystems

Front 35

ecosystem

Back 35

specific biological community and its physical environment interacting in an exchange of matter and energy

Front 36

energy

Back 36

capacity to do work, such as moving matter over a distance

Front 37

first law of thermodynamics

Back 37

energy is conserved; it is neither created nor destroyed under normal conditions

Front 38

food web

Back 38

a complex, interlocking series of individual food chains in an ecosystem

Front 39

ions

Back 39

electrically charged atoms that have gained or lost electrons

Front 40

kinetic energy

Back 40

energy contained in moving objects, such as a rock rolling down a hill, the wind blowing through the trees, or water flowing over a dam

Front 41

matter

Back 41

anything that takes up space and has mass

Front 42

metabolism

Back 42

all the energy and matter exchanges that occur within a living cell or organism; collectively, the life processes

Front 43

molecules

Back 43

combinations of two or more atoms

Front 44

nitrogen cycle

Back 44

circulation and reutilization of nitrogen in both inorganic and organic phases

Front 45

organic compounds

Back 45

complex molecules organized around skeletons of carbon atims arranged in rings or chains; includes biomolecules, molecules synthesized by living organisms

Front 46

pH

Back 46

value that indicates the acidity or alkalinity of a solution on a scale of 0 to 14, based on teh proportion of H+ ions present

Front 47

photosynthesis

Back 47

biochemical process by which green plants and some bacteria capture light energy and use it to produce chemical bonds. carbon dioxide and water are consumed while oxygen and simple sugars are produced

Front 48

potential energy

Back 48

stored energy that is latent but available for use. a rock poised at the top of a hill or water stored behind a dam are examples or potential energy

Front 49

primary producers

Back 49

photosynthesizing organisms

Front 50

productivity

Back 50

amount of biomass produced in a given area during a given period of time

Front 51

second law of thermodynamics

Back 51

with each successive energy transfer or transformation in a system, less energy is available to do work

Front 52

tropic level

Back 52

step in the movement of energy through an ecosystem; an organism's feeding status in an ecosystem

Front 53

adaptation

Back 53

physical changes that allow organisms to survive in a given environment

Front 54

Batesian mimicry

Back 54

evolution by one speicies to resemble another speicies that is protects from predetors by a venomous stinger, bad taste, or some other defensive adaptation

Front 55

biotic potential

Back 55

maximum reproductive rate of an organism, given unlimited resources and ideal environmental conditions

Front 56

carrying capacity

Back 56

maximum number of individuals of any species that can be supported by a particular ecosystem on a long-term basis

Front 57

coevolution

Back 57

process in which species exert selective pressure on each other and gradually evolve new features or behaviors as a result of those pressures

Front 58

commensalism

Back 58

symbolic relationship in which one member is benefited and the second is neither harmed nor benefited

Front 59

complexity

Back 59

number of species at each tropic level and the number of tropic levels in a community

Front 60

convergent evolution

Back 60

species evolve from different origins but under similar environmental conditions to havae similar traits

Front 61

divergent evolution

Back 61

separation of a species into new types

Front 62

diversity

Back 62

number of species present in a community as well as the relative abundance of each species

Front 63

ecological development

Back 63

gradual precess of environmental modification by organisms

Front 64

ecological niche

Back 64

functional role and position of a species in its ecosystem, including what resources it uses how and when it uses the resources, and how it interacts with other species

Front 65

ecotones

Back 65

boundaries between two types of ecological communities

Front 66

edge effects

Back 66

change in species composition, physical conditions, or other ecological factors at the boundary between two ecosystems

Front 67

environmental resistance

Back 67

all the limiting factors that tend to reduce population growth rates and set the maximum allowable population size or carrying capacity of an ecosystem

Front 68

evolution

Back 68

theory that explains how random changes in genetic materiall and competition for scarce resources cause species to change gradually

Front 69

exponential growth

Back 69

growth at a constant rate of increase per unit of time; can be expressed as a constant fraction or exponent

Front 70

habitat

Back 70

place or set of environmental conditions in which a particular organism lives

Front 71

J curve

Back 71

growth curve that depicts exponential growth
chape = J

Front 72

K-adapted species

Back 72

organisms whose population growth is regulated by internal as well as external factors.
whales, elephants, top predators

Front 73

keystone species

Back 73

species whose impacts on its community or ecosystem are much larger and more influential than would be expected from mere abundance

Front 74

logistic growth

Back 74

growth rates regulated by internal and external factors that establish an equilibrium with environmental resources

Front 75

Mullerian mimicry

Back 75

evolution of two species, both of which are unpalatable and have poisonous stingers or some other defense mechanism, to resemble each other

Front 76

mutualism

Back 76

a change, either spontaneous or by external factors, in the genetic material of a cell; mutations in the gametes can be inherited by future generations or organisms

Front 77

natural selection

Back 77

mechanism for evolutionary change in which environmental pressures cause certain genetic combinations in a population to become more abundant; genetic combinations best adapted for present environmental conditions tend to become predominant

Front 78

overshoots

Back 78

extent to which a population exceeds the carrying capacity of its environment

Front 79

pioneer species

Back 79

in primary successionon a terrestial site, the plants, lichens, and microbes that firsts colonize the site

Front 80

predator

Back 80

an organism that feeds directly on other organisms in order to survive; live-feeders, such as herbivores and carnivores

Front 81

primary productivity

Back 81

synthesis of organic materials by green plants using the energy captured in photosynthesis

Front 82

primary succession

Back 82

ecological succession that begins in an area where no biotic community previously existed

Front 83

r-adapted species

Back 83

organisms whose population growth is regulated mainly by external factors.
they tend to have rapid reproduction and high mortality of offspring

Front 84

resource partitioning

Back 84

in a biological community, various populations sharing environmental resources through specialization, thereby reducing direct competition

Front 85

S-curve

Back 85

a curve that depicts logistic growth
shape = S

Front 86

secondary succession

Back 86

succession on a site where an existing community has been disrupted

Front 87

selective pressure

Back 87

limited resources or adverse environmental conditions that tend to favor certain adaptations in a population. can lead to evolution

Front 88

symbiosis

Back 88

the intimate living together of members of two species; including mutuualism, commensalism and parasitism

Front 89

tolerance limits

Back 89

chemical or physical factors that limit the existance, growth, abundance, or distribution or an organism

Front 90

crude birth rate

Back 90

number of births in a year divided by the midyear population

Front 91

crude death (mortality) rate

Back 91

number of deaths per thousand persons in a given year

Front 92

demographic transition

Back 92

pattern of falling death rates and birth rates in response to improved living conditions; could be reversed in deteriorating conditions

Front 93

demography

Back 93

statistical study of human populations relating to growth rate, age structure, geographic distribution, and their effects on social, economic, and environmental conditions

Front 94

dependency ratio

Back 94

number of nonworking members compared with working members for a given population

Front 95

family planning

Back 95

controlling reproduction; planning the timing of birth and having only as many babies as are wanted and can be supported

Front 96

life expectancy

Back 96

average age that a newborn infant can expect to attain in a particular time and place

Front 97

neo-Mathusians

Back 97

believe that the world is characterized by scarcity and competition in which too many people fight for too few resources
thomas malthus predicted a dismisal cycle of misery, vice, and starvation as a result of human overpopulation

Front 98

pronatalist pressures

Back 98

influences that encourage people to have children

Front 99

total fertility rate

Back 99

number of children born to an average woman in a population during her entire reproductive life

Front 100

zero population growth

Back 100

B+I = D+E