amount of water vapor found in a certain mass of air (grams of water per kilogram air)
acid solution
water solution with more hydrogen (H+) than hydroxide (OH-)
adaptive developement
methods used to improve adaptability to unkown circumstances
adaptive radiation
period of time (usually millions of years) during which new species evolve to fill niches left after mass extinction
agricultural revolution
shift from hunter-gatherer to agriculture--10,000 to 12,000 years ago
agroforestry
planting trees and crops closely together
albedo
ability of a surfact to reflect light
allele
slightly different molecular form found in a particular gene
alley cropping
planting of crops in strips with rows of trees or shrubs on each side
alpha particle
positive particle two neutrons and two protons emitted as radioactivity
appropriate technology
small scale, efficient, adn labor intensive, and use locally available resources to produce goods that benefit local communities
arable land
land that can be cultivated to grow crops
strip mining
earthmover strips away overburden, power shovel digs a cut to remove the mineral dposity. After minerals is removed, overburden is replaced and work begins on the next strip
basic solution
water solution with more hydroxide than hydrogen
beneficiation
seperation of an ore mineral from the waste mineral
benthos
bottom dwelling organisms
benefit cost analysis
costs v. benefits, used to determine economic viability for a project
beta particle
electron released as part of radioactivity
biofuel
gas or liguid fuel made from plant material
biological evolution
change in the genetic makeup of a population of a species in its successive generations
BOD
Biological Oxygen Demand, amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic decomposers to break down the organic materials in a given volume of water at a certain temperature over a specified time period
Biome
terrestrial regiods inhabited by certain types of life, especially vegetation
Biosphere
zone of earth where life is found
Biotic potential
maximum rate at which the populationpopulation of a given species can increase when there are no limits in its rate of growth
Bitumen
gooey, black, high-sulfur, heavy oil extracted from tar sand and then upgraded to synthetic fuel oil
broadleaf deciduous plants
plants such as oak and maple trees that survive drought and cold by shedding their leaves and becoming dormant
broadleaf evergreen plants
plants that keep most of their broad leaves year-round
buffer
substance that can react with hygrogen ions and thus hold the acidity of a solution fairly constant
K
Carrying Capacity, maximum population of a given species that can be supportedin a given habitat
CFC
Clorofluorocarbons
chemosynthesis
process in which certain organisms extract inorganic compounds from their environment and convert them into organic nutrient compounds without the presence of sunlight
closed system
energy but not matter is exchanged between system and environment
commensalism
good, neutral
commercial extinction
when there is not enough of something to be profitable harvested
competitive exclusion principle
no two species can occupy the same niche
condensation nuclei
tiny particles in which droplets of water vapor can collect
coniferous plants
make cones
conservation tillage farming
crop cultivation which does not disturb the land so much
coral reef
formation produced by massive colonies containing billions of timy coral animals called polyps that secrets a stony substance (calcium carbonate) then die. found in coastal zones
crude birth rate
live births over 1000 population
decidious plants
shed their leaves
degradeable pollutant
pollutant that can be broken down to acceptable levels by natural processes
depletion time
how long it takes to use a certain fraction-usually 80% of the knwon or estimated supply of a nonrenewable resource at an assume rate of use
detritivore
scavengers and decomposers, live off waste
dew point
temperature at which condensationoccurs for a given amount of water vapor
dieback
sharp reduction of species numbers back to carrying capacity
dust dome
heated air surrounds city and holds in spm
spm
suspended particulate matter
ecological niche
all physical, chemical, and biological conditions a species needs to live in an ecosystem
ecotone
transitional zone in which one type of ecosystem tends to merge with another ecosystem
endemic species
species only found in one area, particularly vulnerable to extinction
entropy
disorder and randomness
environmental wisdom worldview
nature exists for every species not just for us and we have to fairly share it with the other species out there.
estuary
mouth of a river where fresh and saltwater mix
first law of thermodynamics
energy in neither created nor destroyed
frontier worldview
undeveloped land must be conquered
fundemental niche
full potential range of a species niche, only found in a lab
Gaia Hypothesis
earth is alive and can be considered a system
GPP
rate at which an ecosystem's producers capture and store a given amount of chemical energy as biomass in a given length of time
high-input agriculture
large amounts of fuel and fertilizer to creat massive amounts of monoculture crops
intercropping
growing two or more different crops at the same time on a plot
kerogen
fuel found in oil shale
keystone species
affects many other species in the ecosystem
K-Selected Species
small amount of valuable offspring
plantation agriculture
grow specialized crops for sale to developed countries
strip cropping
planting regular crops adn close-growing plants in alternating rows to reduce depletion of soil nutrients
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