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key terms sas 26/10
26/10/25
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| perspective | is how a particular situation is viewed and understood by an individual |
| environmental value system | is a model that shows the inputs affecting our perspectives and outputs resulting from our perspectives |
| system | is a set of inter-related parts working toghether to make a functioning whole |
| stable equilibrium | is the condition of a system in which there isa tendency for it to return to the previous equilibrium following disturbance |
| steady-state equilibrium | is the condition of an open system in which flows are still ocurring, but inputs are balanced with outputs |
| feedback loop | is when information starts a reaction that may input more information which may start another reaction |
| neegative feedback loop | occur when the output of a process inhibits or reverses the operation of the same process in such a way as to reduce change, they stabilize the system |
| positive feedback loop | occurs when a disturbance leads to an amplification of thet disturbance which desestabilizes the system |
| tipping point | a no-return piont: when an ecosystem experiences a shift to a new state in which there are significant changes to it |
| albedo | is a measure of how much a surface reflects |
| model | a simplified version of the real thing |
| sustainability | It measures how well human actions support a system’s long-term survival, ensuring resources and conditions remain for future generations. |
| natural income | is the yield or harvest from natural resources. |
| natural capital | is the stock of natural resources on Earth. This includes rocks, soil, water, air and all living things. It also includes the services that support life such as photosynthesis and the water cycle. |
| renewable natural capital | can be generated or replaced as fast as it is being used. This includes all life and ecosystems as well as non-living systems such as the ozone layer or groundwater. |
| non-renewable natural capital | is either irreplaceable or can only be replaced over geological timescales (e.g. fossil fuels, soil, water in aquifers and minerals). |
| an ecological footprint (EF) | is the area of land and water required to sustainably provide all the resources required at the rate of consumption and to assimilate all wastes at the rate of production by a given population. |
| carrying capacity | is the maximum number of individuals of a species that the environment can sustainably support. |
| biocapacity | is the capacity of a biologically productive area to generate a supply of renewable resources and to absorb its waste. |
| species | is a group of organisms (living things) that share common characteristics and are able to interbreed and produce fertile offspring. |
| population | is a group of organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time, and which are capable of interbreeding. is |
| habitat | is the environment in which a species normally lives. |
| ecosystem | is made up of the organisms and their physical environment and the interactions between the living and non-living components within them. |
| biotic factors | are the living components of an ecosystem-all organisms, their interactions and their waste that directly or indirectly affect another organism. |
| abiotic factors | are non-living, physical factors that influence organisms and ecosystems (e.g. temperature, sunlight, pH, salinity, pollutants). |
| predator | is a consumer that preys on other animals. |
| prey | are the animals a predator eats. |
| carnivores | are consumers that eat other animals. |
| herbivores | are consumers that eat plants. |
| parasites | live on or in living hosts and get their food from the host. |
| saprotrophs | are organisms that live on dead or decaying organisms and get their food from these. |
| scavengers | mostly eat decaying biomass and are usually carnivores. |
| detritivores | and decomposers break down dead organic materials to get their food. This means they recycle organic matter. |
| limiting factors | are factors which slow down growth of a population as it reaches its carrying capacity. |
| density-dependent limiting factors | cause a population's growth rate to change (usually decrease) with increasing population density. They are biotic-for example, disease, predation, competition within a species for food or space. |
| density-independent limiting factors | change the size of a population regardless of its density. They are abiotic- for example, forest fires, earthquakes, floods, pollution. |
| carrying capacity | is the maximum number of a species (the maximum "load") that can be sustainably supported by a given area. |
| fundamental niche | is the full range of theoretical conditions and resources in which a species could survive and reproduce with no competition. |
| realized niche | is the actual conditions and resources in which a species exists due to biotic interactions including competition from other species. |
| community | a group of two or more populations of species living in the same area at the same time. |
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