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Chapter 16 Vocab
Chapter 16: Human Impact on Ecosystems
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Nonrenewable Resource | natural resources that are used faster than the rate at which they form |
| Renewable Resource | natural resource that can be replaced at the same rate at which it is used |
| Ecological Footprint | the amount of land necessary to produce and maintain enough food and water, shelter, energy, and waste |
| Pollution | describes any undesirable factor, or pollutant, that is added to the air, water, or soil |
| Smog | a type of air pollution caused by the interaction of sunlight with pollutants produces by fossil fuel emissions |
| Particulate | microscopic bits of dust, metal, and unburned fuel, 1-10 microns in size, that are produces by many industrial processes |
| Acid Rain | type of precipitation produces when pollutants in the water cycle cause rain pH to drop below normal levels |
| Greenhouse Effect | occurs when carbon dioxide, water, and methane molecules absorb energy reradiated by Earth’s surface and slow the release of this energy from Earth’s atmosphere |
| Global Warming | the trend of increasing global temperature |
| Indicator Species | a species that provides a sign, or indication, of the quality of the ecosystem’s environmental conditions |
| Biomagnification | pollutant moves up the food chain as predators eat prey, accumulating in higher concentrations in the bodies of predators |
| Habitat Fragmentation | occurs when a barrier forms that prevents an organism from accessing its entire home range |
| Introduced Species | any organism that was brought to an ecosystem as the result of human actions |
| Sustainable Development | a practice in which natural resources are used and managed in a way that meets current needs without hurting future generations |
| Umbrella Species | the specific species protection means a wide range of other species will be protected |