NS Intro Flashcards
Scientific study of the distribution and abundance of organisms and their interactions with their environment
Ecology
Encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally in Earth or some region thereof
Environment
Scientific discipline that need to be brought together to understand and manage the natural environment and the many interactions among the physical, biological, and chemical components
Environmental Science
Systematic study of human interaction with their environment
Environmental Studies
Three divisions of environmental studies
Natural Environment
Built Environment
Social Environment
Sets of relationships between them and the interactions of human beings and nature
It is naturally occurring; no intervention with man
Natural Environment
Environment made by man
Built Environment
Environment wherein the man is the integral component
Social Environment
Environmental Science encompasses study in the basic principles of:
Policy Politics Law Economics Social Aspects Planning Pollution control Natural resources
System of interdependent organisms which share the same habitat in an area functioning together with all of the physical factors of the environment
Ecosystem
Ecologically similar climate such as communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms and are often referred to as ecosystem
Biomes
Four factors in Biomes
Plant Structures
Leaf Type
Plant Spacing
Climate
Two types of leaf structures
Broadleaf - warm place
Needle leaf - cold place
An ecosystem usually found in the equator; common in Asia, Australia, Africa, South America, Central America, Mexico & Pacific Islands; high rainfall
Tropical Rainforest
Plants that live suspended on sturdier plants; do not take nourishments from hosts
Epiphytes
What is Bromeliads
“Spanish Moss” / Pineapple Family
Biome that occupies the eastern half of the United States and a large portion of Europe; shed leaves in the autumn
Temperate Deciduous Forest
Named after the biome in Russia; dominated by conifers; abundant with lake boys and marshes; mammals hibernate
Taiga
Biome that has high annual rainfall with a temperate climate; wildfires are uncommon because of high moisture content in forest
Temperate Rain Forest
Biome that is so cold in winter that sunlight won’t thaw the ice even if it’s summer; moss, some grasses dominate the landscape during short growing season
Tundra
Promotes a vigorous growth of perennial grasses and herbs
Grasslands
Annual rainfall here is less than 1 in or zero in some years; cacti, sagebrush, and mesquite survive because they conserve water for a long time
Desert
Oaks and evergreen trees; used in Wild West movies; very hot and dry
Chaparral
