exam1- chap 1, 4, 5 Flashcards
environment
the sum of all the conditions surrounding us that influence life
environmental science
the field of study that looks at interactions among human systems and those found in nature
ecosystem
a particular location on earth distinguished by its mix of interacting biotic and abiotic components
environmentalism
concern about and action aimed at protecting the environment
environmental studies
the field of study that includes environmental science, environmental policy, economics, literature, and ethics, among others
environmental indicators
describe the current state of an environmental system:
- biological diversity
- food production
- avg. global surface temp and CO2 concentrations
- human population
- resource depletion
sustainablity
living on earth in a way that allows humans to use its resources without depriving future generations of those resources
biodiversity
the diversity of life forms in an environment
background extinction rate
the average rate at which species become extinct over the long-term
greenhouse gas
a gas in earths atmosphere that traps heat near the surface
anthropogenic
derived from human activities
ecological footprint
a measure of how much an individual consumes, expressed in area of land
scientific method
an objective method to explore the natural world, draw inferences from it, and predict the outcome of certain events, processes, or changes: observe > hypothesis > test > interpret > disseminate
hypothesis
a testable theory or supposition about how something works
theory
explanation as to why something happened or happens: not equal to a hypothesis, belief, or guess in that the theory has been repeatedly tested and confirmed by multiple groups of researchers and has reached wide acceptance
environmental justice
a social movement and field of study that focuses an equal enforcement of environmental laws and eliminating disparities in the exposure of environmental harms to different ethnic and socioeconomic groups within a society
three components of biodiversity
genetic, species, ecosystem
ecosystem diversity
the variety of ecosystems within a given region
species diversity
the variety of species within a given ecosystem
genetic diverstiy
the variety of genes within a given species
species richness
the number of species in a given area
species evenness
the relative proportion of different species in a given area
evolution
a change in the genetic composition of a population over time
genotype
the complete set of genes in an individual
phenotype
a set of traits expressed by an individual
mutation
a random change in the genetic code produced by a mistake in the copying process
adaptation
a trait that improves an individuals’ fitness
distribution
areas of the world in which a species lives
mass extinction
a large extinction of species in a relatively short period of time
population
the individuals that belong to the same species and live in a given area at a given time
community
all of the populations of organisms within a given area
limiting resources
a resource that a population cannot live without and that occurs in quantities lower than the population would require to increase in size
carrying capacity (K)
the limit of how many individuals in a population the food supply can sustain
overshoot
where the population is larger than the carrying capacity (K)
die-off
population crash as a result of overshoot
competition
the struggle of individuals to obtain a limiting resource
true predator
a predator that typically kills its prey and consumes most of what it kills
herbivores
a predator that consumes plants as prey
parasites
a predator that lives on or in the organism it consumes
mutualism
an interaction between species that increases the chances of survival or reproduction for both species
symbiotic relationship
a relationship of two species that live in close association with each other
commensalism
a relationship between species in which one species benefits and the other species is neither harmed nor helped
ecological succession
the replacement of one group of species by another group of species over time
population charactierstics
size, density, distribution, sex ratio, age structure
immigration
the movement of people into a country or region, having come from another country or region
emigration
the movement of people out of a country or region, to settle in another country or region
crude birth rate
CBR: the number of births per 1,000 individuals per year
crude death rate
CDR: the number of deaths per 1,000 individuals per year
developed country
a country with relatively high levels of industrialization and income
developing country
a country with relatively low levels of industrialization and income
life expectancy
the average number of years that an infant born in a particular year in a particular country can be expected to live, given the current average life span and death rate in that country
infant mortality
the number of deaths of children under 1 year of age per 1,000 live births
child mortality
the number of deaths of children under age 5 per 1,000 live births
net migration rate
the difference between immigration and emigration in a given year per 1,000 people in a country
family planning
the practice of regulating the number or spacing of offspring through the use of birth control
affluence
the state of having plentiful wealth; the possession of money, goods, or property
urban area
an area that contains more than 385 people per square kilometer (1,000 people per square mile)
gross domestic product
GDP: a measure of the value of all products and services produced in a country in a year
mechanisms of evolution
artificial solution, natural selection, genetic drift, bottleneck effect, founder effect
scientific law
breakable, typically a mathematical equation
artificial solution
human driven, selective breeding, typically seen in agriculture and show
natural selection
determined by environment, individuals better suited to their environment survive and pass on their genes
genetic drift
random process, not due to fitness, genes passed during reproduction (e.g., dominant v. recessive, siblings)
bottleneck effect
random process, not due to fitness or advantage, dramatic loss of population then built back up (e.g. natural disaster)
founder effect
random process, not due to fitness, accidental colonization (e.g. hurricane bringing up flamingos back into florida, introducing an animal/bug/plant)
intrinsic v. instrumental value
intrinsic: cannot be measured but can still impact environmental decisions; moral, ethical, religious, cultural (keeping a tree for historic significance)
instrumental: necessity for livelihood
keystone species
a species whose function/niche/role is so crucial to an ecosystem that the loss of that one species will result in the collapse of the entire ecosystem
extinct v. extanct
extinct: no longer living
extant: currently living
