Study guide Flashcards
Benefits that humans receive from ecosystems, like clean water, air, and pollination. Example: Bees pollinating crops.
Ecosystem Services
The interest rate used to determine the present value of future cash flows. Example: Evaluating environmental projects’ long-term benefits.
Discount Rate
The minimum population size needed for a species to survive. Example: Minimum viable population of a fish species.
Critical Number
The conflict between improving human well-being and declining ecosystem health. Example: Increased agricultural productivity harming soil health.
The Environmentalist’s Paradox
Beliefs about technology’s ability to solve environmental problems. Example: Optimists believe in renewable energy solutions; pessimists worry about technological limitations.
Technological Optimist/Pessimist
Sustainability, stewardship, and science. Example: Researching sustainable agriculture practices.
Three Themes of Environmental Sciences
Natural, human, and manufactured. Example: Natural capital includes forests; human capital includes skills and education.
Types of Capital
Resources and tools used to produce goods and services. Example: Factories and machinery.
Means of Production
A group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring. Example: Homo sapiens (humans).
Species
Groups of individuals of the same species living in a specific area. Example: A herd of elephants in a savanna.
Populations
Different species living together in the same area. Example: A coral reef community.
Communities
A community of living organisms and their physical environment. Example: A forest ecosystem.
Ecosystem
Stored energy (potential) and energy of motion (kinetic). Example: A wound-up spring (potential) and a moving car (kinetic).
Potential & Kinetic Energy
Atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere. Example: The air we breathe (atmosphere).
4 Spheres of Earth
Carbon, nitrogen, water, and phosphorus cycles. Example: The water cycle includes evaporation and precipitation.
4 Biogeochemical Cycles
A species that has a disproportionate impact on its ecosystem. Example: Sea otters controlling sea urchin populations.
Keystone Species
Different levels in a food chain based on feeding relationships. Example: Primary producers, primary consumers, etc.
Trophic Levels
Net primary productivity, gross primary productivity, and respiration. Example: NPP = GPP - R.
NPP/GPP/R
