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32 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Environmental Science |
The systematic study of our environment and our place in it. |
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Types of environment |
Built & Natural Social Institutions, Artifacts, Culture and Technology Plants, Animals, Soil, Air and Water |
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Persistent Environmental Challenges |
-Climate Change -Hunger -Polluted Water -Burning of fossil fuels -Deforestation -Overfishing |
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Sustainability |
A search for ecological stability and human progress that can last over the long term. |
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Sustainable Development |
Economic improvement (for the world’s poorest populations) is possible without devastating the environment. |
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Systems + characteristics |
A network of interdependent components and processes, with materials and energy flowing throughout. * State variables - Plants -Animals * Resources - Energy - Matter - Water *Flows - The transfer of resources from one state variable to another - Herbivory, photosynthesis, predation |
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Feedback mechanisms |
- Positive: An increase in a state variable → an increase in the same state variable. A new equilibrium is reached - NegativeAn increase in the state variable → a decrease in the same state variable. Returns to original equilibrium |
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Matter & Energy flows |
The material of which everything is made The ability to do work such as moving matter over a distance, or causing heat transfer between objects |
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Food Webs |
a system of interlocking and interdependent food chains. |
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Cycles: Hydrological, Carbon,Phosphorus, Sulfurand Nitrogen |
The elements and compounds that sustain us are cycled endlessly through living things and the environment. |
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Hydrological |
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Carbon |
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Sulfur |
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Phosphorus |
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Nitrogen |
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Evolution |
species change over generations because individuals compete for scarce resources (Charles Darwin) Over generations these traits become common in a population |
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Adaptations |
the acquisition of traits that allow species to survive in their environment Genetic traits passed from generation to generation in a population to live more successfully in an environment |
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Natural Selection |
the fittest individuals passing their traits to the next generation more successfully |
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Species Limits Tolerance Limits |
-Physical Stress (light, temperature, moisture, pH, nutrients) -Competition with other species - Predation (parasites, disease) - Tolerance Limits: environmental factor levels beyond which a particular species cannot survive or is unable to reproduce |
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Ecological Niche |
Habitat: place or environmental conditions in which a certain species lives Niche: the role played by a species in a biological community and the total set of environmental factors that determine a species distribution |
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Diversity |
the number of different species per unit area |
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Communities of Species |
Competition: for resources in limited supply - Intraspecific: Same species - Interspecific: Different species Predation: organisms feed on live prey: Predators, parasites, pathogens Mimicry: species looking like something they are not Symbiosis: two or more species live intimately together, with fates linked: Coevolution Keystone Species: plays a critical role in biological communities that are out of proportion |
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Food Trends |
-Population Increases -Decreases in chronic food shortages -⅛ suffer chronic hunger
-Food Security: the ability to obtain sufficient, healthy food on a day to day basis DroughtsFloodsInsect Outbreaks -Uneven distribution in families |
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Famines |
Famines: large scale food shortages - Armed Conflicts -Political Oppression |
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Deficiencies |
Malnourishment: nutritional imbalances caused by a lack of specific nutrients Deficiencies in Vitamin A, Folic Acid, Iodine Overeating → Obesity Heart attack, stroke, diabetes |
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Green Revolution |
Green Revolution → High yield varieties: Use of fertilizers, irrigation, pesticides Genetic engineering: splicing a gene from one organism into the chromosome of another to increase the quantity and quality of food supply Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO): creation of new organisms 60% of all processed foods Pesticide tolerance |
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Soil |
- A living ecosystem -Components: Sand and gravel Silts and clays Dead organic matter Soil fauna and flora Water Air - 11% of land used for agricultural production |
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Agricultural Inputs |
Irrigation Fertilizer Oil Pesticides |
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Sustainable Farming Methods |
Contour Plowing Strip Farming Terracing Groundcover Small Scale Low input |
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Biomes |
Biodiversity: the variety of living things in an environment |
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Aquatic Biomes |
Terrestrial Biomes |
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Locations of Biomes |
Tropical Moist Forests Tropical Seasonal Forests Tropical Savannas and Grasslands Deserts Temperate Grasslands Temperate Scrublands Temperate Forests Boreal Forests Tundra Open Ocean Tidal Shores |
