Ch. 1 Key Terms

Question 1

environmental science

Answer 1

interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical, biological and information sciences to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems

Question 2

ecology

Answer 2

the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings

Question 3

agriculture

Answer 3

the science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool, and other products

Question 4

natural resource

Answer 4

materials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, and fertile land that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain

Question 5

pollution

Answer 5

the presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance or thing that has harmful or poisonous effects

Question 6

biodiversity

Answer 6

the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem

Question 7

law of supply and demand

Answer 7

a theory that explains the interaction between the sellers of a resource and the buyers for that resource

Question 8

ecological footprint

Answer 8

the impact of a person or community on the environment, expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resources

Question 9

sustainability

Answer 9

the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level