Things I Need To Know For Final Exam Sem 1 Flashcards
Exponential growth
Growth in which the rate of increase is a constant percentage of the current size, or the growth occurs at a constant rate per time.
6 Themes of Environmental Science
- Human Population Growth
- Sustainability of the human population and nature
- The global perspective
- An Urbanizing world
- The connections between people and nature
- Science and Values
Environmental Unity
A principle of environmental sciences that states that everything affects everything else mean that a particular course of action could lead to a string of events, or you can’t do only one thing
Uniformitarianism
The principal stating that processes operate today operated in the past, therefore observations of processes today can explain events that occurred in the past and leave evidence
Gaia Hypothesis
A hypothesis that states that life has greatly altered the earths environment globally for more than 3 billion years and continues to do so and that these changes benefit life
Homeostasis
The ability of a cell or organism to maintain a constant environment. Resulting in a state of dynamic equilibrium
Plate Tectonics
A model of global tectonics that suggests that the outer layer of the earth or lithosphere is composed of several large plates that move relative to one another
Demography
The study of populations, especially their patterns in space and time
Population Dynamics
The causes of changes in population size
Carrying Capacity
The maximum population that can be maintained by a certain habitat
Overshoot
When one part of a system exceeds the carrying capacity
Logistic Growth
S-shaped curve, a small population grows rapidly, but the growth rate slows down, and the population eventually remains constant.
Density Dependent Factors
Factors whose effects on a population change with population density
Density Independent Factor
Changes in the size of a population due to factors that are independent of the population size
Limiting Factors
The single requirement for growth available in the least supply in comparison to the need of an organism
Biotic
Living
Abiotic
Non living
Niche
The role of an organism
Trophic Levels
Producers , primary, secondary, tertiary consumers, (decomposers)
Food chain
The linkage of who feeds on whom
Food web
A network of who feeds on whom/diagram
Species
A group of individuals that share from a common gene pool
Genetic drift
A Change in the gene frequency that is not caused by natural selection
7 Justifications when placing value on an environment
Utilitarian Ecological Aesthetic Recreational Inspirational Creative Moral
Utilitarian
Aspects of the environment are value able because it benefits people
Ecological
An ecosystem is necessary for species survival
Aesthetic
Appreciation of beauty in nature
Recreational
Appreciation of beauty in nature
Inspirational
Widespread reason people love nature
Creative
Nature is often an aid to human creativity
Moral
Various aspects of the environment have the right to exist
Gene
A single unit of genetic information
Natural Selection
A process by which organisms whose biological characteristics better fit them to the environment are represented by more descendents in future generations than those whose characteristics are less fit for the environment
Evolution
The peritibal changes that shape the appearance and functions of organisms over time
Biodiversity
The variety of living organisms in an area
