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Chapter 1 - APES
Chapter 1 Studying the State of Our Earth
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| environment | the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates |
| environmental science | branch of science focused on the study of the relationships of the natural world and the relationships between organisms and their environments |
| system | A group of interacting, interrelated, or interdependent elements or parts that function together as a whole to accomplish a goal |
| ecosystem | A system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment |
| biotic | living things |
| abiotic | Non-living things |
| environmentalist | a person who is concerned with or advocates the protection of the environment |
| environmental studies | multidisciplinary academic field which systematically studies human interaction with the environment in the interests of solving complex problems |
| ecosystem services | the many and varied benefits that humans freely gain from the natural environment and from properly-functioning ecosystems |
| environmental indicators | describe the current state of an environmental system |
| sustainability | the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level |
| biodiversity | the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem |
| species | a group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of exchanging genes or interbreeding |
| speciation | the formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution |
| background extinction rate | the standard rate of extinction in earth's geological and biological history before humans became a primary contributor to extinctions |
| greenhouse gases | a gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared radiation, e.g., carbon dioxide and chlorofluorocarbons |
| anthropogenic | (chiefly of environmental pollution and pollutants) originating in human activity |
| development | the process of change that occurs during an organism's life to produce a more complex organism |
| sustainable development | economic development that is conducted without depletion of natural resources |
| biophilia | an appreciation for life |
| ecological footprint | the impact of a person or community on the environment, expressed as the amount of land required to sustain their use of natural resource |
| scientific method | A series of steps followed to solve problems including collecting data, formulating a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, and stating conclusions |
| hypothesis | A testable prediction, often implied by a theory |
| null hypothesis | a statement or idea that can be falsified, or proved wrong |
| replication | the action of copying or reproducing something |
| sample size | The number of subjects used in an experiment or study. Generally, the larger the better. |
| accuracy | A description of how close a measurement is to the true value of the quantity measured |
| precision | a measure of how close a series of measurements are to one another |
| uncertainty | doubt, the state of being unsure |
| inductive reasoning | A type of logic in which generalizations are based on a large number of specific observations |
| deductive reasoning | reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then applying that principle to a specific case (The sun rises every morning; therefore, the sun will rise on Tuesday morning.) |
| critical thinking | the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment |
| theory | A hypothesis that has been tested with a significant amount of data |
| natural law | a theory for which there is no known exception and that has withstood rigorous testing |
| control group | In a scientific investigation, a group that experiences exactly the same conditions as the experimental group, except for the single variable under study |
| natural experiment | a natural event that acts as an experimental treatment in an ecosystem |
| environmental justice | A social movement and field of study that focuses on equal enforcement of environmental laws and eliminating disparities in the exposure of environmental harms to different ethnic and socioeconomic groups within a society |
Created by:
chickennuggettwo
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