Earth system Flashcards
system
a set of things working together as parts of a mechanism or an interconnecting network.
“the state railroad system”
Feedback
information about reactions to a product, a person’s performance of a task, etc. which is used as a basis for improvement.
model
a three-dimensional representation of a person or thing or of a proposed structure, typically on a smaller scale than the original.
biosphere
the regions of the surface, atmosphere, and hydrosphere of the earth (or analogous parts of other planets) occupied by living organisms.
ecosystem
a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
biome
a large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, e.g. forest or tundra.
Organism
an individual animal, plant, or single-celled life form.
Population
all the inhabitants of a particular town, area, or country.
Biotic Factor
a living organism that shapes its environment
Abiotic Factor
a non-living part of an ecosystem that shapes its environment.
Community
a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common.
Habitat
the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.
Niche
a comfortable or suitable position in life or employment.
Biodiversity
the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.
Keystone Species
A species whose presence and role within an ecosystem has a disproportionate effect on other organisms within the system.
exponential growth
growth whose rate becomes ever more rapid in proportion to the growing total number or size.
“the exponential growth of the world’s population”
logistic growth
a population’s per capita growth rate gets smaller and smaller as population size approaches a maximum imposed by limited resources in the environment, known as the carrying capacity ( K)
carrying capacity
a species’ average population size in a particular habitat
density dependent
a factor whose effects on the size or growth of a population vary with the population density
density independent
any force that affects the size of a population of living things regardless of the density of the population
population density
the concentration of individuals within a species in a specific geographic locale
emigration
The act of leaving a habitat or place with the intent of moving to a different habitat or place
disturbance
any relatively discrete event in time that disrupts ecosystem, community, or population structure, and changes resources, substrate availability, or physical environment
