ecology/earth

Question 1

ecology

Answer 1

a biological science concerned with studying the complex relationships among living organisms and their physical environments

Question 2

cultural ecology

Answer 2

the study of the interactions between societies and their local environments

Question 3

ecosystem

Answer 3

a territoriality bound system consisting of the interactions between humans and the environment

Question 4

environmental perception

Answer 4

the mental images that comprise humans’ perception of nature; may be accurate or inaccurate

Question 5

natural hazards

Answer 5

a physical danger present in the environment; such as a flood, hurricane, volcanic eruption, or earthquake.

Question 6

natural resources

Answer 6

materials or substances that occur in nature and can be used for economic gain

Question 7

nonrenewable resources

Answer 7

natural resources that are available on Earth in finite quantities and will eventually be used up

Question 8

renewable resources

Answer 8

natural resources that Earth will naturally replenish over time

Question 9

greenhouse gasses

Answer 9

compound in the atmosphere from fossil-fuel combustion, such as CO2, that absorb and trap heat energy close to Earth’s surface

Question 10

greenhouse effect

Answer 10

the global warming trend caused by rising levels of CO2

Question 11

environmental sustainability

Answer 11

a set of practices that meet the needs of the present without compromising future generations’ ability to meet their needs

Question 12

environmental determinism

Answer 12

the belief that the physical environment is the dominant force shaping culture and that humanity is a passive product of its physical surroundings

Question 13

possibilism

Answer 13

the view that any physical environment offers a number of possible ways for a society to develop