Ch. 1 Key Terms Flashcards
Ecology
The branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.
Agriculture
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
Natural Resources
Materials or substances such as minerals, forests, water, and fertile land that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain.
Pollution
The presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance or thing that has harmful or poisonous effects.
Biodiversity
The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
Law of supply and demand
A theory that explains the interaction between the sellers of a resource and the buyers for that resource.
Ecological Footprint
The impact of a person or community on the environment, expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resources.
Sustainability
Avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance.
Environmental Systems
As a system where life interacts with the various abiotic components found in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, and lithosphere.
