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Envs Exam 2
Mans exams make no sense and I have procrastinated deeply
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| agricultural revolution | A transformation in human societies beginning about 10,000 years ago when humans shifted from hunting and gatherering to settled agriculture domesticating plants and animals. Also called the Neolithic Revolution. |
| alternative energy | Energy generated by sources other than the burning of fossil fuels |
| biomass | Plant and animal materials such as wood, charcoal, cooking oil and manure which can be used to produce energy. Fossil fuels are not considered to be biomass. |
| domestication | The process of turning plants into crops that can be planted productively year after year and animals into farm animals and pets. |
| fossil fuel | Sources of energy that come from organic matter that has been compressed for millions of years. |
| geothermal energy | Energy that comes from using the heat generated in the Earth |
| Green Revolution | The development of high and consistent yielding varieties of crops beginning in the 1960s. |
| industrial agriculture | The predominant form of agriculture found in the world today that uses large machines rather than human or animal labor and large quantities of inorganic fertilizers. |
| Industrial Revolution | The transformation in human societies that began in the mid 1700s with the shift from rural societies dependent upon human and animal labor to an urban society based in powered by fossil fuels |
| Information Revolution | The transformation in human societies that began with the development of telecommunication technologies such as the telephone and computers and a shift from industrial production to service occupations. |
| aquifer | An underground reservoir of water that is stored in porous rock; where groundwater is stored |
| desalination | Removal of salt from sea water to turn it into potable water |
| eutrophication | The process whereby an excess amount of nutrients are added to a body of water leading to the growth of organic matter and eventual ecosystem degradation due to a loss of oxygen |
| floodplain | The land along a river or stream that floods periodically. |
| groundwater | Fresh water that is stored under the ground in aquifers |
| hypoxia | The state whereby the amount of dissolved oxygen in a body of water is so low that it can no longer support aquatic species. |
| irrigation | Water applied to farmland and landscaping including lawns, golf courses and flower beds |
| nonpoint source pollution | Pollutants that come from an area, rather than a specific point. |
| point source pollution | Pollutants that come from a single source of entry into the water or air such as industrial smokestacks or drains |
| potable water | Water that is safe for human consumption |
| riparian | Near the bank of a river or stream |
| riparian rights | Issues related to who has legitimate claims on the water coming from a river or stream. |
| runoff | Fresh water from precipitation and irrigation that flows across fields, lawns, parking lots and other areas into streams, lakes and the oceans. Runoff is surface water |
| surface water | Water found on the surface of the Earth in ditches, streams, wetlands, lakes and the oceans |
| thermoelectric power | Electric power generated from the burning of fuels such as coal and natural gas |
| waste water | Water that has been used by humans for domestic, industrial or agricultural uses such as flushing toilets, washing dishes, and washing clothes. |
| water treatment | The process of removing impurities from water so that it is safe for humans to drink (potable) |
| water table | The depth of the groundwater below the surface of the soil. |
| watershed | The area of land surrounding a river or stream that is drained by that river or stream. |
| ecosystem | system of interacting living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) things |
| abiotic | Nonliving |
| alien or non-native species | A plant or animal that would not normally be found in a particular area. A plant or animal that is foreign to an area |
| bioaccumulation | The build up of toxins in the tissue of animals. Animals that are higher on the food chain tend to have greater levels of toxins in their tissues due to bioaccumulation. An example of bioaccumulation is the mercury found in tuna. |
| biodiversity | The diversity of life on earth or in a specific area. Biodiversity is measured in terms of species, genes and ecosystems. |
| biodiversity hotspot | An area with a very high amount of biodiversity |
| biological control | A living thing that is used in agriculture to control a pest |
| bio-indicator | An organism that serves as a warning sign of environmental distress. |
| biomass | The living matter in any organism |
| biome | A large geographical area characterized by certain types of plants and animals |
| biotic | Living |
| CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) | An international treaty that protects endangered species by making it illegal to transport the body parts of those species |
| consumer (heterotroph) | An organism that eats other organisms |
| ESA (Endangered Species Act) | Legislation passed in 1973 that protects biodiversity in the U.S. by making it illegal to do anything that could destroy an endangered species or its habitat. |
| ecosystem | All of the living and nonliving things that interact in a particular place at a particular time |
| ecosystem services | A service provided by an ecosystem that makes life possible and has economic benefit to humans such as pollination of crops by bees or the filtering of pollution by wetlands |
| endangered species | A species deemed to be on the verge of extinction due to human actions such as habitat loss or overharvesting |
| extinct | The status of a species that is no longer found anywhere on Earth |
| extirpated | The status of a species that is no longer found in a particular area, but that is found in other places. |
| food web | Feeding relationships within an ecological community |
| GMO (genetically modified organism) | A plant or animal that has been genetically engineered using recombinant DNA |
| generalist species | A species is highly adaptable. |
| habitat | The type of environment in which an organism lives including both biotic and abiotic components |
| habitat fragmentation | The dividing of habitat into small, unconnected pieces. Habitat fragmentation is often caused by human actions such as agriculture and development |
| invasive species | A plant or animal that takes over an area. Invasive species are usually alien species. Invasive species out compete native species in a area and invasive plant species often create a monoculture. |
| keystone species | A species that is particularly important to an ecosystem |
| monoculture | An area where 1 plant species or 1 variety of a plant species dominates |
| primary producer (autotroph) | An organism that produces its own food from the energy from the sun. |
| species | A group of organisms that share common characteristics and that can interbreed and have fertile offspring |
| threatened species | A species whose numbers are dwindling and that is close to being endangered |
| trophic level | Feeding levels or steps in food chains |
| wildlife corridor | A passageway of land connecting a fragmented habitat so that animals can move freely from one part of the habitat to another. |
| how many species are estimated to be on earth | 10 million |
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