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117 Cards in this Set
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empirical science |
a scientific approach that investigates the natural world through observation and experimentation |
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applied science |
research that is used to help solve practical problems |
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environmental literacy |
the understanding of how ecosystems function and the impact of our choices on the environment |
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trade-offs |
a compromise to something |
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triple bottom line |
the combination of environmental, social, and economic impacts of our choices |
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sustainable development |
development that meets present needs without harming the ability of future generations to do the same |
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carrying capacity |
the population size that a particular environment can support indefinitely |
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ecological footprint |
the land needed to provide resources and dispose waste of a person or population |
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anthropogenic
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caused by or related to human action
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sustainable
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a method of using resources in a way to use them indefinitely
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renewable energy |
energy that comes from an indefinitely or easily replenished source |
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biodiversity |
the variety of species on Earth |
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social traps |
decisions that seem good at the time and produce short-term benefit but hurt in the long run |
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tragedy of commons |
the tendency of an individual to abuse commonly held resources in order to please his/her own interest |
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time delay |
actions that produce benefits today but set a chain of events to cause problems later on -similar to sliding reinforcer |
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anthropocentric worldview |
a human-centered view that assigns intrinsic value (currency) only to humans |
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inferences |
conclusions we draw based on observations |
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atmosphere troposphere stratosphere |
-the blanket of gases that surrounds planets -lowest level of the atmosphere (the air we breathe and where weather occurs) -above the troposphere and less dense than it |
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ozone |
a molecule with three oxygen atoms that absorbs UV radiation in the stratosphere |
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scientific method |
the procedure scientists used to empirically test a hypothesis |
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hypothesis |
1)Ask a Question 2)Do Background Research 3)Construct a Hypothesis 4)Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment 5)Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion 6)Communicate Your Results -a possible explanation from observation based on previous knowledge |
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falsifiable |
being capable of being proved wrong by evidence |
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observational v experimental study |
-research that gathers data in a real-world setting -research that manipulates a variable in a test group and compares the response of a control group who ere not exposed to the variable |
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control v test group |
-the group where test group's results are compared -a group in an experimental study that is manipulated |
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independent variable |
the variable in an experiment that a researcher manipulates to see if the change produces an effect |
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dependent variable |
the variable in an experiment that is evaluated to see if it changes due to the conditions of the experiment |
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Montreal Protocol |
an international treaty that laid out plans to phase out ozone-depleting chemicals such as CFC's |
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precautionary principle |
acting in a way that leaves a knowledge of safety when there is a potential for serious harm |
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adaptive management |
a plan that allows room for altering strategies as new information becomes available |
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population growth rate |
the change in population size over time *number of birth and death rates, immigration, and emigration |
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life expectancy |
the number of years an individual is expected to live |
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crude death rate |
the number of deaths per 1,000 individuals per year |
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crude birth rate |
the number of offspring per 1,000 individuals per year |
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population density |
the number of people per area unit |
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immigration |
the movement of people into a given population |
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emigration |
the movement of people out of a given population |
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age structure |
the percentage of the population that is distributed into various age groups |
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sex ratio |
number of males/number of females |
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age structure diagram |
a graphic that displays the relative sizes of various age groups |
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population momentum |
the continuation of growth the younger population generates even after birth rates drop |
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infant mortality rate |
the number of infants who die their first year of life per every1,000 live births in that year |
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total fertility rate (TFR) |
the number of children the average woman has in her lifetime |
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demographic factors |
population characteristics, such as birth rate, influence how a population changes in size |
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demographic transition |
when an economy changes from preindustrial to postindustrial, low birth and death rates replace high birth and death rates |
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zero population growth |
when birth rates equal death rates |
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replacement fertility rate |
when children must be born to replace the dying |
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natural capital |
the wealth of resources on Earth |
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natural interest |
resources that we could use and still leave behind |
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IPAT Model (I=PxAxT) |
measures human impact (I) on three factors: population (P), affluence (A), and technology (T) |
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internal costs |
taxes, utilities, insurance, labor, manufacturing costs, or rent |
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external costs |
pollution, health related problems |
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true cost |
the sum of both external and internal costs of a good or service |
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ecological economics |
considers the long-term impact of our choices on people and the environment |
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closed-loop system |
a production system where a used product is returned to the resource stream or decomposed |
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cradle-to-cradle |
management of a resource that considers its impact at every stage |
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discounting future value |
leaned more towards short-term benefits and costs than long-term |
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service economy |
focuses on selling a service rather than a product |
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ecolabeling |
labeled information about where it comes from and how it's made |
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leachate |
water that carries dissolved substances that percolate through soil |
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The Four R's |
refuse reduce reuse recycle |
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species |
a group of plants or animals that have high similarities and can interbreed among themselves |
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biosphere |
all of Earth's ecosystems |
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ecosystem |
all the organisms and the physical environment in which they interact in |
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habitat |
the environment in which a particular species can be found |
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community |
all the populations living and interacting in an area |
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population |
all the individuals that live in the same geographic location |
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niche |
the role a species plays in its community |
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energy flow |
the one-way passage of energy through an ecosystem |
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nutrient cycles |
movement of chemicals and nutrients through an ecosystem |
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biome |
are specific portions of the biosphere determined by climate and identified by predominant vegetation and organisms adapted to live there |
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limiting factor |
the critical resource that determines the population size in a given ecosystem |
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range of tolerance |
the range of a limiting factor that allows a species to survive and reproduce |
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reservoirs |
abiotic or biotic components of the environment that help cycle nutrients |
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producer |
converts solar energy to chemical energy via photosynthesis |
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consumer |
gets energy from eating other organsims |
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cellular respiration |
where organsims break down sugar to release energy |
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carbon cycle |
movement of carbon through abiotic and biotic parts of the ecosystem |
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nitrogen cycle |
where nitrogen passes the air to the soil, to organisms, and then returns back to the air or soil |
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nitrogen fixation |
conversion of nitrogen into a biologically usable form |
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phosphorous cycle |
where nutrient phosphorous passes rock to soil or water, to organisms, and then returns back to the soil |
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population dynamics |
changes over time in population size or composition |
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minimum viable population |
the smallest number of individuals that can allow a population to persist or grow, ensuring long-term survival |
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population distribution |
the number of individuals per area unit |
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the 3 types of population distribution |
clumped: found in groups or patches random:found spread out and irregular placement uniform: found spaced evenly |
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resistance factors |
things that reduce population size *predators, disease |
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biotic potential (r) |
the maximum rate at which the population can grow due to its birth rate if each member reproduces and survives |
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exponential growth |
the maximum rate at which the population can grow due to its birth rate if each member of the population survives and reproduces *produces a J curve |
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logistic growth |
the kind of growth in which population size increases rapidly at first but then slows as the population becomes larger *produces an S curve |
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carrying capacity (K) |
the maximum population size that a particular environment can support indefinitely |
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density-dependent factors |
factors whose impact on a population increases as population size goes up *predation, disease |
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density-independent factors |
factors whose impact on a population is not related to population size *storm, avalanche |
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r-selected species |
species that have a high biotic potential and that share other characteristics such as short lifespan, early maturity, and high fecundity |
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K-selected species |
species that have a low biotic potential and that share characteristics such as long life span, late maturity, and low fecundity |
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boom-and-bust cycles |
when population size increases then decreases drastically consistently |
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top-down regulation |
the control of population size by resistance factors (predation, disease, competition) |
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bottom-up regulation |
the control of population size by growth factors (nutrients, water, habitat) |
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indicator species |
a species that is vulnerable in an ecosystem and can give us advanced warnings of a problem |
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trophic levels |
feeding levels in a food chain |
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detritivores |
consumers that eat dead organic material |
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gross primary productivity |
the measure of the amount of photosynthesis (energy) transferred to organic molecules |
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net primary productivity (NPP) |
a measure of the amount of photosynthesis (energy) stored in a photosynthetic organism |
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species evenness |
the abundance of each species in a community |
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species diversity |
the variety of species in an area *measures species richness and evenness |
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species richness |
the total number of different species in a community |
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ecotones |
boundaries between different communities |
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edge effects |
the different makeup of an ecotone that creates conditions that either attract or repel certain species |
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edge species |
species that prefer to live close to the edges of two different habitats |
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core species |
species that prefer core areas of a habitat |
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keystone species |
a species that many other species depend on and whose loss would disrupt the ecosystem |
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symbiosis |
a close biological or ecological relationship between two species |
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mutualism |
between two individuals who both benefit |
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commensalism |
between two individuals where one benefits and the other is unaffected |
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parasitism |
between two individuals where one benefits and the other is negatively affected |
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selective pressure |
a nonrandom influence that affects who lives and reproduces |
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adaptation |
a trait that helps an individual survive or reproduce |
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natural selection |
the process that the fittest survive and reproduce, leaving more offspring than less-adapted individuals |
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coevolution |
when two species provide the selective pressure that determines which traits are favored by natural selection |
