Exam 1 Flashcards
mitigation/climate change
now: reduce CO2 emissions/future: countries act together and independently
what can environmental resistance cause
a population to decline due to lack of food, water, habitat, weather, predators, disease, competitors
can matter be recycled?
Yes. it is the only way to maintain a dynamic system
top-down regulation
control of population by predation
species vs population
species:individuals that share certain characteristics/can produce fertile offspring (biological) population: individuals of a species living in a certain area (geographical)
GPD measures
all goods and services produced and consumed by a country minus net income fro abroad - compares rich & poor countries/assesses economic progress
non-reactive-N2 vs reactive nitrogen-Nr
non-reactive in the air and can’t be used by most organisms (about 78%). reactive nitrogen can be used by organisms in chemical reactions
resource partitioning
different species of birds utilizing different areas of a tree/short roots and long roots use different parts of the soil
ecology
processes influencing the distribution and abundance of organisms and the interactions between living things and their environment
greenhouse effect
CO2 absorbs infrared energy/greenhouse gases trap heat which warms the earth
the scientific method
a way to gain knowledge
ecosystem services
supports life and economic well being/waste decomposition/climate regulation/nutrient cycles/oxygen production
environmental paradox
statement exhibiting contradictory aspects or ideas/over last 40 yrs human well being improved while the our ecosystem’s good and services has declined
character displacement
a physical change occurs in one or both competing species that lessens competition when the two species co-occur
environmental science
study of how the world works/multidisciplinary
keystone species
crucial-prevent another species from taking over an area/allows less-competitive species to flourish/if removed, an entire ecosystem could collaspe
highest level dissension/policy life cycle
dissension highest at formulation & implementation because public arousal, political battles ensue,high media coverage
hypothesis vs. theory
hypothesis: educated guess/one observation. theory: evidence based/many observations (overarching conceptual framework)
natural selection
the process of specific traits favoring the survival of certain individuals. Acts on existing traits. The ones that help survival means those that survive are able to reproduce and carry on those traits.
Hypoxia by eutrophication
hypoxia or dead zones occur because of eutrophication (nutrient-rich water) which is a coastal area where oxygen is low or absent from the bottom up well into the water column
competition exlcusion
when two species compete very directly for resources, one eventually excludes the other from the area
importance of biodiversity
helps maintain stability of natural systems/foundation of ag crops & medicines/provides essential goods & services (especially to the poor)/moral (once gone, gone forever)
optimal range
the range over which the best response occurs
global climate change cause
increase in CO2/risen 45% since 1750 (industrial revolution)
policy life cycle
predictable course of policy development in a democratic society:recognition/formulation/implementation/control
what does GPD not measure
goods & services by families (subsistence farming), omits natural services provided by ecosystems, depreciation of natural resouces
eutrophication
nutrient-rich water supporting an abundant growth of algae or other aquatic plants at the surface
evolution
all species on earth descended from acestral species thru gradual change brought on by natural selection
bottom up regulation
occurs as a result of scarcity of a resource (food)
biodiversity
variability among living organisms within species and ecosystems
multidisciplinary science
includes many different sciences (history, engineering,geology,physics,biology,sociology)
habitat vs niche
habitat: place defined by type of plants & physical environment. niche: the sum of all the conditions and resources under which a species can live (help reduce competition)
an ecotone contains
many species common to both systems but in lower numbers/may also create a unique habitat that has specialized species not found in either bordering ecosystems
r-stategist
produce a lot of young very quickly/leave survival to nature/short life span
steps of the scientific method
phenomena/observations/questions/hypothesis/experiment/supported or not supported either find new hypothesis or if supported peer review/replication
limits of tolerance
the points at the high and low ends of the range of tolerance
economic activity/classical view
factors: land, labor, and capital
is energy recyclable?
No. flows in a one-way direction thru ecosystems
why does GPD NOT measure true economic progress
it doesn’t include environmental & social costs
range of tolerance
the entire span that allows any growth at all
density-independent factors
fire, storms (is not involved in maintaining population equalibrium)
k-strategist
lower reproductive rate/but care for and protect young/longer life/stable environment. elephants/humans/whales
economic activity/for ecological economists
the environmental encompasses the economy (without the environment there is not economy) process-resources & ecosystem turned into goods-wastes are returned to the ecosystem
wealth and policies
as income levels rise so do environmental problems/unsanitary water decline w/effective policies/SO2 & CO air pollution rise then decline/CO2 emissions & suburban sprawl rise
the environment encapsulates?
combination of all things and factors external to an individual or population of organisms in question
density-dependent factors
disease, predation, food shortages (increases mortality)
ecotone
transitional regions between ecosystems-shares many of the species/characteristics of both ecosystems it passes through
