unit 2 sac 2 Flashcards
define sustainable development
development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet there own needs
define renewable energy
energy that can be obtained from natural resources that can be constantly replenished
define ecosystem
a community of interdependent species and their environment
define greenhouse gas
a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone. created from fossil fuels and realised into the atmosphere, heating it up and causes issues such as global warming.
biotic
a living organsim, such as plants, animals, fungi, bacteria.
abiotic
a non living feature of the environment such as water, sunlight, soil, air.
components of the ecosystem
organism, species, population, community
community
consists of a number of populations of different species living together in an environment
population
a group of organisms of the same species living together in one area
species
is a group of organisms of the same type which are capable of interacting
organsim
refers to single living things
producer
plants
consumer
animals
decomposers
breakdown organic material and use the decomposition products to supply themselves with energy e.g; fungi
why are decomposers important
without decomposers, important elements would remain permanently in dead organisms and therefore remain unavailable for use by new generations of organisms
food chain
follows a simple path as animals eat each other
food web
shows how plants and animals are interconnected by different paths (many connections)
the atmosphere
the gas that surrounds the earth. we reply on this for o2 and nitrogen. o2 only exists at levels that can sustain us in a 4km band
closest link to global warming, green house gases
humans have the most impact on the atmosphere - fossil fuels
precipiation
water released from clouds in the form of rain snow or hail
evaporation
the process of a liquids surface changing into gas
condensation
the formation of clouds
transpiration
the discharge of water into the atmosphere from the leaves and stems of plants
infiltration
the process by which precipitation or water soaks into the subsurface soils and move into rocks through cracks and pore surfaces
run off
water absorbed into the soils