CH. 1 Vocab Flashcards
Environment
all of the physical, chemical, and biological factors and processes that determine the growth and survival of an organism or a community of organisms.
Environmental science
The study of all aspects of the environment, including physical, chemical, and biological factors.
Ecology
The branch of environmental science that focuses on the abundance and distribution of organisms in relation to their environment
Human well-being
A multifaceted concept that includes life’s basic necessities, such as food and shelter, as well as good health, social stability, and personal freedom
Sustainability
Meeting the needs of the present in an equitable and fair fashion without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
Triple Bottom Line (TBL)
An accounting framework in which sustainability is assessed by environmental, social, and economic outcomes
Ecosystem
All of the organisms and their physical and chemical environment within a specific area
Biota
Elements in the ecosystem that are living organisms
Abiotic
Nonliving elements in an ecosystem
Ecosystem functions
The flow of matter and energy and the processes influencing the distribution and abundance of organisms
Ecosystem integrity
The web of interactions that regulate ecosystem functions and ecosystem services.
Ecosystem services
The multitude of resources and processes that ecosystems supply to humans.
Provisioning services
Ecosystem services that supply humans with resources, such as food, water, and air.
Regulating services
The ways that ecosystems control important conditions and processes, such as climate, the flow of water, and the absorption of pollutants
Cultural services
The spiritual and recreational benefits that ecosystems provide.
Supporting services
The basic ecosystem processes, such as nutrient cycles and soil formation, that are needed to maintain other services
Dynamic homeostasis
The process by which systems adjust to changes in ways that minimize how much features or processes vary from their normal values
Negative feedback
Directional change in a process that alters the ecosystem in a way that counteracts or reduces the initial change, helping to maintain stability.
Positive feedback
Directional change in a process that alters the ecosystem to reinforce the change.
Nonrenewable
The amount a resource in an ecosystem declines with virtually any level of use
Science
A process that poses and answers questions objectively in order to increase knowledge and lessen uncertainty by using careful observation, experimentation, and synthesis to produce results that can be duplicated by others.
Hypotheses
A proposition that can be tested by careful observation or experimentation
Treatment group
Refers to those subjects in an experiment that are subjected to a treatment
Predictions
In science, if, then statements that forecast the outcome of a test of a hypothesis
Control group
Refers to those subjects in an experiment that are not subjected to a treatment.
Precision
Refers to the likelihood that estimates derived by sampling a subset of a population are representative of the actual values for the entire population
Bias
Refers to estimates of a parameter that are skewed in some particular direction
Observation
Act of viewing or noting a fact or occurrence for a scientific purpose; the information or record obtained by such an act
Variables
The properties being measured in scientific observations and experiments.
Correlations
Quantitative relationships between different variables
Experimentation
Scientific investigation using experiments with treatments and controls
Experiment
Scientific investigation in which groups of subjects are subjected to a specific treatment and compared to a control group of untreated subjects
Synthesis
The development of concepts and theories based on connections among numerous facts and sources
Theory
Principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomena
