Guide 1 Flashcards
hydraulic fracturing, method of oil & gas extraction that uses high-pressure fluids to force open cracks in rocks deep underground
fracking
the sum of all the conditions surrounding us that influence life
environment
field of study that looks at interactions among human systems & those found in nature
environmental science
a particular location on Earth with interacting biotic & abiotic components
ecosystem
living
biotic
nonliving
abiotic
a person involved with the social movement seeking to protect the environment through lobbying, activism, & education
environmentalist
an indicator that describes the current state of an environmental system
environmental indicator
the processes by which life-supporting resources such as clean water, timber, fisheries, & agricultural crops are produced
ecosystem services
diversity of life forms in an environment
biodiversity
measure of genetic variation among individuals in a population
genetic diversity
a group of organisms that is distinct from other groups in its morphology, behavior, or biochemical properties
species
the number of species in a region or in a particular ecosystem
species diversity
the evolution of new species; happens very slowly
speciation
average rate at which species become extinct over the long term
background extinction rate
gases in Earth’s atmosphere that traps heat near the surface
greenhouse gases
derived from human activities
anthropogenic
improvement in human well-being through economic advancement
development
living on Earth in a way that allows humans to use its resources
sustainability
development that balances current human well-being & economic advancement with resource management for the benefit of future generations
sustainable development
love of life
biophilia
a measure of how much an individual consumes, expressed in area of land
ecological footprint
an objective method to explore the natural world, draw inferences from it, & predict the outcome of certain events, processes, or changes- generally accepted
scientific method
a testable conjecture about how something works
hypothesis
data collection procedure of taking repeated measurements
replication
number of times a measurement is replicated in data collection
sample size (n)
a hypothesis that has been repeatedly tested & confirmed by multiple groups of researchers & has reached wide acceptance
theory
a group that experiences exactly the same conditions as the experimental group except for the single variable under study
control group
a natural event that acts as an experimental treatment in an ecosystem
natural experiment
