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science vocab 3.3
vocabulary homework flashcards
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| abiotic | A nonliving factor or element (e.g., light, water, heat, rock, energy, mineral). |
| acid deposition | Precipitation with a pH less than 5.6 that forms in the atmosphere when certain pollutants mix with water vapor. |
| biological diversity | The variety and complexity of species present and interacting in an ecosystem and the relative abundance of each. |
| biotic | An environmental factor related to or produced by living organisms. |
| closing the loop | A link in the circular chain of recycling events that promotes the use of products made with recycled materials. |
| comodities | Economic goods or products before they are processed and/or given a brand name, such as a product of agriculture. |
| composting | The process of mixing decaying leaves, manure and other nutritive matter to improve and fertilize soil. |
| consumer | 1) Those organisms that obtain energy by feeding on other organisms and their remains. 2) a person buying goods or services for personal needs or to use in the production of other goods for resale. |
| decopmoser | An organism, often microscopic in size, that obtains nutrients by consuming dead organic matter, thereby making nutrients accessible to other organisms; examples of decomposers include fungi, scavengers, rodents and other animals. |
| delineate | To trace the outline; to draw; to sketch; to depict or picture. |
| ecosystem | A community of living organisms and their interrelated physical and chemical environment. |
| endangered species | A species that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. |
| environment | The total of the surroundings (air, water, soil, vegetation, people, wildlife) influencing each living being’s existence, including physical, biological and all other factors; the surroundings of a plant or animal, including other plants or animals, clima |
| equilibrium | The ability of an ecosystem to maintain stability among its biological resources (e.g., forest, fisheries, crops) so that there is a steady optimum yield. |
| extinction | The complete elimination of a species from the earth. |
| groundwater | Water that infiltrates the soil and is located in underground reservoirs called aquifers. |
| hazardous waste | A solid that, because of its quantity or concentration or its physical, chemical or infectious characteristics, may cause or pose a substantial present or potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly treated, stored, transported |
| homeostasis | The tendency for a system by resisting change to remain in a state of equilibrium. |
| incinerating | Burning to ashes; reducing to ashes. |
| integrated pest management | A variety of pest control methods that include repairs, traps, bait, poison, etc. to eliminate pests. |
| lentic | Relating to or living in still water |
| lotic | Relating to or living in actively moving water. |
| mitigation | The policy of constructing or creating man-made habitats, such as wetlands, to replace those lost to development. |
| niche (ecological) | The role played by an organism in an ecosystem; its food preferences, requirements for shelter, special behaviors and the timing of its activities (e.g., nocturnal, diurnal), interaction with other organisms and its habitat. |
| nonpoint source pollution | Contamination that originates from many locations that all discharge into a location (e.g., a lake, stream, land area). |
| point source pollution | Pollutants discharged from a single identifiable location (e.g., pipes, ditches, channels, sewers, tunnels, containers of various types). |
| pest | A label applied to an organism when it is in competition with humans for some resource. |
| Recycling | Collecting and reprocessing a resource or product to make into new products. |
| Regulation | A rule or order issued by an executive authority or regulatory agency of a government and having the force of law. |
| Renewable | A naturally occurring raw material or form of energy that will be replenished through natural ecological cycles or sound management practices (e.g., the sun, wind, water, trees). |
| Risk management | A strategy developed to reduce or control the chance of harm or loss to one’s health or life; the process of identifying, evaluating, selecting and implementing actions to reduce risk to human health and to ecosystems. |
| Shredder | Through chewing and/or grinding, microorganisms feed on non-woody coarse particulate matter, primarily leaves. |
| Stream order | Energy and nutrient flow that increases as water moves toward the oceans (e.g., the smallest stream (primary) that ends when rivers flow into oceans). |
| Succession | The series of changes that occur in an ecosystem with the passing of time. |
| Sustainability | The ability to keep in existence or maintain. A sustainable ecosystem is one that can be maintained. |
| Trophic levels | The role of an organism in nutrient and energy flow within an ecosystem (e.g., herbivore, carnivore, decomposer). |
| Waste Stream | The flow of (waste) materials from generation, collection and separation to disposal. |
| Watershed | The land area from which surface runoff drains into a stream, channel, lake, reservoir or other body of water; also called a drainage basin. |
| Wetlands | Lands where water saturation is the dominant factor determining the nature of the soil development and the plant and animal communities |
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