Ch. 1 Key Terms

Question 1

Environmental Science

Answer 1

an 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 Foot Print

Answer 8

measures how fast we consume resources and generate waste compared to how fast nature can absorb our waste.

Question 9

Sustainability

Answer 9

avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance.