Chapter 1 Flashcards
Fossil fuel
Energy sources formed from the remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years ago.
Ex: Coal, oil, natural gas
Fracking
A method of oil and gas extractions that uses high pressure fluids like a mix of water, sand, and chemicals to force open cracks in rocks deep ground. (Hydraulic fracturing)
Ex: oil well, water pump to bring water up from the ground
Environment
Everything around us, including living things, air, water, and land.
Ex: Forests, rivers, and animals
Environmental Science
Field of study that looks at interaction among human systems and those found in nature
Ex: Researching how pollution affects ocean life.
Ecosystem
A community of living things interacting with each other and their environment.
Ex: A pond with fish, plants, and insects
Biotic
Living components in an ecosystem, like plants and animals
Ex: Trees, birds, and bacteria
Abiotic
Non-living components in an ecosystem, like water and sunlight.
Ex: Rocks, air, and temperature
Environmentalism
A movement focused on protecting the environment.
Ex: Joining a group that cleans up beaches
Environmental studies
The academic field that studies environmental issues using various perspectives like science, policy, and ethics.
Ex: Pollution, climate change, and conservation to find ways to make the world a better place to live
Ecosystem services
The benefits that humans receive from ecosystems, such as clean water, air, and pollination of crops.
Ex: The trees in the forest clean the air we breathe, provide wood for building, and give a home to animals
Environmental indicator
A sign that shows the condition of the environment, like air quality or species diversity.
Ex: Air quality, the number of trees in a forest, or the population of certain animals
Biodiversity
The variety of life in an area, including different species of plants, animals, and microorganisms.
Ex: In a rainforest, there are thousands of different kinds of plants, insects, birds, and animals
Genetic diversity
The variety of genes within a species.
Ex: Different breeds of dogs
Species
A group of living organisms that can breed and produce offspring.
Ex: Dogs, oak trees, butterflies
Species diversity
The number of different species in an ecosystem.
Ex: A coral reef has high species diversity with many types of fish and coral
Ex: Many kinds of colorful birds, monkeys, insects, and even snakes
Speciation
The process by which new species evolve from existing ones.
Ex: Darwin’s finches evolved into different species on the Galápagos Islands
Ex:
Background extinction rate
The natural rate at which species become extinct over time.
Ex:
Green house gasses
Gases like carbon dioxide that trap heat in the atmosphere, leading to global warming.
Ex: Carbon dioxide from car exhaust
Ex:
Anthropogenic
Something caused by human activity.
Ex: Pollution from factories is an anthropogenic effect on the environment
Per capita
Per person; usually used in statistics to measure something for each individual in a population.
Ex: The average amount of water used per person in a city
Development
The process of building or improving structures, industries, and living conditions.
Ex: Building new roads and houses is part of urban development,
Sustainability
The ability to maintain something over the long term without depleting resources.
Ex: solar energy,
Sustainable development
Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising future generations.
Ex: Building energy-efficient homes,
Biophilia
The innate love for nature and living things.
Ex: Enjoying spending time in the forest
Ecological footprint
A measure of how much impact a person or community has on the environment.
Ex:
Scientific method
A systematic approach to research and experimentation, including making observations, forming a hypothesis, and testing it.
Ex: Testing how sunlight affects plant growth,
Hypothesis
An educated guess or prediction that can be tested through experiments.
Ex: “If plants are watered with salt water, they will not grow as well”
Variable
Something that can change or be changed in an experiment.
Ex: The amount of water given to plants,
Independent variable
The variable that is changed by the scientist to see its effects.
Ex: The amount of sunlight given to plants in an experiment
Dependent variable
The variable that is measured in the experiment; it’s affected by the independent variable.
Ex: The height of plants after receiving different amounts of sunlight
Null hypothesis
A hypothesis that suggests there is no effect or relationship between variables.
Ex: “Changing the amount of sunlight has no effect on plant growth”
Replication
Repeating an experiment to ensure accuracy and reliability.
Ex: Conducting the same plant growth experiment multiple times
Sample size (n)
The number of subjects or items tested in an experiment.
Ex: Testing 100 plants rather than just 10 gives a more reliable result due to larger sample size
Accuracy
How close a measurement is to the true value.
Ex: If you measure the length of a table as 2 meters, and it is actually 2 meters
Precision
How close repeated measurements are to each other, regardless of accuracy.
Ex: Measuring a table’s length as 2.01 meters, 2.02 meters, and 2.01 meters shows high precision
Uncertainty
The degree to which a measurement might be off, indicating potential errors.
Ex: If you estimate a temperature as 20°C ± 2°C, the uncertainty is 2°C
Theory
A well-supported explanation of some aspect of the natural world based on a body of evidence.
Ex: The theory of evolution explains how species change over time
Control group
The group in an experiment that does not receive the experimental treatment and is used for comparison.
Ex: In a drug test, the group not receiving the drug
Natural experiment
An experiment where the researcher observes without manipulating the situation.
Ex: Studying the effects of a natural disaster on wildlife without interfering
