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Environment
Test 1 part 1
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Environment | sum of all conditions that influence life, our health and our growth. |
Abiotic | non-living |
Biotic | living |
Environmental Science | the study of interactions between human systems and natural systems. How humans interact with the world. |
System | set of interacting components that influence one another by exchanging energy and/or matter. |
Ecosystem | a natural system with interacting biotic and abiotic components |
Human System | Subway |
Natural System | Water Vapor |
Ecosystem Services | processes that support humans (ex. Clean water, timber, fisheries, crops). Depends on healthy ecosystems. |
Wetlands | protect from floods, biodiversity, cleans water. |
Environmental Indicators | measures the health and quality of natural systems. Ex: biodiversity, global temperatures, CO2 levels, human population. |
1. Biodiversity 2. Food Production 3. CO2/Global Temperature 4. Human Population 5. Resource Depletion | 5 Primary Global Environmental Indicators |
Biodiversity | Diversity of life forms in an environment |
1. Species 2. Genetic 3. Ecosystem | What are the three levels of biodiversity? |
Species Diversity | number of species in an area or particular type of habitat |
Species | organisms distinct from other groups in morphology, behavior, and/or biochemical properties (DNA) |
Speciation | the evolution of new species (1 new species per million species) with 10,000,000 new species, we get 10 new species each year. |
Background Extinction Rate | 1 species lost per million, 10 species lost per year. |
Extinction Rate Today | 10,000 lost each year due to habitat loss, climate change and introduced species. |
Genetic Diversity | measure of genetic variation among individuals in a population. |
High Genetic Diversity | better response to environmental change |
Ecosystem Diversity | diversity of ecosystems or habitats in an area |
Food Production | the ability to grow food for humans |
1. Healthy Soils 2. Technology (irrigation, fertilization) 3. 3. Productivity goes down with soil degradation, crop disease, and bad weather (floods/droughts) 4. more grain to feed livestock than humans | What are 4 things that affect food production? |
Anthropogenic | human based, CO2 rises from combination of fossil fuels and net loss of forests that store CO2--acts as a blanket to trap heat near Earth's surface |
7.4 billion | Current population |
1. Land degradation from mining 2. Waste and landfills 3. Air pollution 4. Non-renewable- coal, oil, uranium | What are some examples of resource depletion? |