All the vocab from each test in Environmental Science combined.
Quiz yourself by thinking what should be in
each of the black spaces below before clicking
on it to display the answer.
Help!
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| Exponential | "J" curve of ever increasing growth of a population.
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| Per Capita | Average per person.
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| Montreal | Protocol in 1987 that tried to lower CFC emissions globally.
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| Kyoto | Protocol in 1997 that tried to lower CO2 emissions globally.
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| Copenhagen | Protocol that just happened that again tried to lower CO2 emissions globally.
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| Anthropogenic | Human-caused or human-centered.
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| Pseudoscience | Fake science - using scientific words or ideas to sell an idea or product.
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| Charismatic Megafauna | Big, pretty animals.
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| Water | Most influential greenhouse gas on the planet.
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| Carbon Dioxide | Most influential greenhouse gas on the planet whose concentrations are altered by humans.
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| Biodiversity | Number of species in a given area.
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| Monoculture | Having only one species in an area (like planted crops or trees).
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| Theory | Hypothesis that has been tested many times under different conditions and never shown to be wrong.
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| CFC | Chemical that can destroy the ozone layer.
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| Exploitation | Unsustainable use of a resource - using a resource faster that it can be replenished.
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| Conservation | Wise use of natural resources.
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| Preservation | No use of natural resources.
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| Biotic | Living parts of an ecosystem.
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| Abiotic | Non-living parts of an ecosystem.
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| Ecotone | The boundary (edge) between ecosystems/communities/associations.
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| Species | All the organisms that can potentially interbreed and produce viable offspring.
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| Community | All living species in a given area.
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| Association | All plants in a given area.
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| Ecosystem | All biotic and abiotic factors in an area that interact as a functional unit.
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| Biome | Major groupings of ecosystems and landscapes.
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| Population | All of one species in a given area.
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| Swamp | Wetland with trees.
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| Marsh | Wetland without trees.
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| Estuary | Biome with a mixture of fresh and salt water.
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| Conifer | Trees with needles and cones.
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| Deciduous | Trees that lose their leaves every year.
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| Tundra | Biome with permafrost.
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| Desert | Very dry biome.
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| Temperate Rainforest | Biome that has trees, moderate temperature, and lots of rain.
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| Autotroph | Producers - change inorganic molecules into organic.
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| Heterotroph | Consumers.
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| Niche | How and where an organism lives and dies.
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| Habitat | Place an organism lives - usually described by vegetation.
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| Decomposer | Organisms the change organic material into inorganic.
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| Resource | Any factor that is used by an organism.
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| Cohesion | Water molecules being attracted to other water molecules.
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| Adhesion | Water molecules being attracted to other molecules.
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| Biosphere | Area of planet that contains all living organisms.
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| Lithosphere | The earth's crust.
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| Hydrosphere | The earth's water.
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| Atmosphere | The earth's air (gaseous layer).
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| 21 | Percent of air that is oxygen.
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| 78 | Percent of air that if nitrogen.
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| Limiting Factor | The "thing" that controls population size; if removed another one takes over.
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| Energy | The ability to do work.
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| Kinetic | Energy in motion.
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| Potential | Stored energy.
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| Herbivore | Organism that eats only plants.
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| Carnivore | Organism that eats animals.
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| Prey | Organism that gets eaten.
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| Parasite | Organism that eats, but doesn't kill.
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| Conservation of Energy | 1st law of thermodynamics; energy can be changed, but not created or destroyed.
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| Entropy | 2nd law of thermodynamics; energy wants to disperse.
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| Biomass | Dry weight of living material produced per year.
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| Photosynthesis | Process of turning carbon dioxide and water into sugar using the sun's energy.
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| Respiration | Process of turning sugar into energy in a cell.
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| Fixation | Process of turning "air" nitrogen into "plant-usable" nitrogen.
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| Denitrification | Process of turning "plant-usable" nitrogen into "air" nitrogen.
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| N2 | "Air" nitrogen chemical formula.
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| NH4 | One of the "plant-usable" nitrogen - chemical formula.
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| Rhizobium | Microorganisms in the roots of some plants that can make "plant-usable" nitrogen.
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| Legumes | Type of plants that can make "plant-usable" nitrogen - includes beans and peas.
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| Intraspecific | Within a species.
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| Interspecific | Among a different species.
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| Invasive | Non-native, exotic species that are introduced into an area and spread.
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| R-Selected | Species that are small, short-lived, have many young with little parental care.
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| K-Selected | Species that are large, long-lived, have few young with a lot of parental care.
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| Succession | The transition of biotic communities through time.
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| Carrying Capacity | Environmental resistance to poulation growth leads to ___.
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| Competition | An interaction between species where both species lose.
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| Climax | The stable "end" of succession.
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| Rule of 70 | The procedure used to estimate "doubling time" of a population based on growth rate of the population.
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| Replacement-Level Fertility | The amount of young needed to keep the population stable.
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| 1st World | Countries with low fertility rates and high incomes - considered "highly developed".
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| 3rd World | Countries with high fertility rates and low incomes - considered " developing countries".
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| Disturbance | Any change to succession.
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| Stewardship | Utilizing conservation and efficient use of natural resources.
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| Evaporation | Liquid water becoming a vapor.
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| Transpiration | Liquid water in a plant becoming a vapor.
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| Sublimination | Frozen water becoming a vapor.
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| Desalination | Process of removing salt from seawater to turn in into fresh water.
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| Adiabatic Cooling | Warm air rising and losing pressure causes it to lose heat.
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| Rain Shadow | Dry region downwind of a mountain.
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| Chinook | Warm winds that come off of a mountain because of increasing pressure.
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| Field Capacity | Capillary water - the amount of water soil can hold.
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| Gravitational | Percolated water - excess water that drains through the soil.
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| Aquifer | Pools of groundwater.
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| Spring | Groundwater reaching the surface in a small, confined area.
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| Seep | Groundwater reaching the surface over a large area.
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| Xeriscape | Landscaping using native plants and rocks in dry areas.
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| Watershed | Area of land drained by a river.
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| 32 | Fahrenheit - water freezes.
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| 212 | Fahrenheit - water boils.
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| 39 | Fahrenheit - water is the densest.
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| 0 | Celsius - water freezes.
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| 100 | Celsius - water boils.
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| 4 | Celsius - water is the densest.
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| Immigration | Moving into an area.
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| Gray | "Slightly used" water that can be recycled for watering yards and flushing toilets.
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| Drip | Type of irrigation used to water trees efficiently - long tubes with small holes.
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| Relative Humidity | Percent of water the air can hold based on temperature.
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| Emigration | Moving out of an area.
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| Migration | Leaving and then returning to an area.
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| Secondary | Succession in an area that already had an organism there.
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| Primary | Succession on an area on which no organism lived before.
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| Dew Point | Temperature at which the air would be saturated with water.
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| Mortality | Another name for death rate.
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| Natality | Another name for birth rate.
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| Water Table | The top of an aquifer (highest level of groundwater).
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| 2.5 | Percent of earth's water that is fresh.
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| 24 | Percent of world's CO2 emissions that the US produces.
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| Loam | The best soil for agriculture.
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| Clay | The smallest particle in soil.
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| Silt | The medium-sized particle in soil.
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| Sand | The largest particle in soil.
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| Autotroph | Producers - organisms that make their own food.
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| Horizon | A "layer" in the soil.
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| B Layer | Soil layer - subsoil - or accumulation of the leeched material.
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| A Layer | Soil layer - topsoil.
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| R Layer | Soil layer - rock under layer.
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| O Layer | Soil layer - dead, and decomposing organic material.
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| C Layer | Soil layer - weathered parent material.
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| E Layer | Soil layer - the leeched soil.
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| Humus | Dead and decomposing organic material.
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| Oxisol | Soil class found in tropical rainforest - lots of iron, little CO2, lots of leeching.
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| Aridisol | Soil class found in deserts and drylands that are thin and light colored.
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| Mollisol | Soil class that is soft and deep; good for ag found in the Midwest.
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| Alfisol | Soil class that is good soil but it is shallow; good for ag if fertilized, but great for forests.
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| Acid | pH of less than 7.
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| Basic | pH of greater than 7.
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| Neutral | pH of 7.
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| Salinization | Process that can happen to dry soil areas that are irrigated.
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| Profile | All the layers of a soil give it a soil__.
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| Nutrient | Minerals needed by plants for growth.
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| Erosion | Process of losing soil due to wind or water.
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| Compaction | Process a soils becoming hard and "squooshed" from machinery or animals/people.
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| Desertification | Process of land becoming more dry due to global warming, overgrazing, overcultivation, etc.
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| Herbicide | Chemical used to kill plants.
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| Pesticide | Chemical used to kill insects, etc.
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| Fertilizer | Nutrients (in general) added to the soil.
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| No-Till | Planting crops without plowing the field first.
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| Sedimentation | Deposition of eroded soils.
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| Stripcropping | Planting 2+ different crops around a hill.
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| Rotation | Planting different crops in different years on the same field to avoid overcultivation.
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| Overgrazing | Too many cattle, goats, sheep, etc. in a pasture.
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| Grass | Planting ___ will help prevent erosion from water in ditches.
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| Tree | Planting lines of ___ will help prevent erosion from wind.
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| Deforestation | Removing all the trees from an area.
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| Subsidy | Added payments to farmers (or other corporations) from the government.
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| Shelterbelt | A line of trees and bushes to prevent wind erosion.
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| Contour Terracing | Building small levees/dams around a hill to prevent water erosion and allow water to soak into the soil.
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| CRP | Program where government pays farmers to not farm highly erodable land.
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| WRP | Program where government pays farmers to not farm or to rebuild wetlands.
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| Famine | A localized food shortage.
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| Monoculture | Planting one species in an area.
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| Ecosystem Capital | Sum of all goods and services provided to human enterprise by natural systems.
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| Biota | All living things.
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| Anthropogenic | Human centered.
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| Intrinsic | Philosophical value - value for its own sake.
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| Instrumental | Value to another species or organism.
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| Ethnobotany | The study of the relationship between humans and plants.
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| Tamiflu | Anti-flu drug made from a plant.
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| Taxol | Anti-cancer drug made from a plant.
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| Ecotourism | Travel dedicated to observing or interacting with a unique ecosystem.
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| Genetic Bank | Saving plants for their unique DNA that may be useful in the future.
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| Natural Resource | Environmental products that have economic value.
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| Precautionary Principle | Managing in favor of protection of a resource if there is any uncertainty.
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| Conservation | Wise use of natural resources.
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| Preservation | No use of natural resources.
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| Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) | Highest possible rate of use that will match ecosystem's rate of replacement.
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| Ecosystem Capitol | Economic term for natural resources.
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| Snag | A dead, standing tree.
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| Wolf | A large, wide tree among smaller trees.
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| Dendrology | The study of trees.
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| Silviculture | The practice of forest management.
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| Deforestation | Removal of trees from a given area.
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| Pulp | Type of wood used for paper production.
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| Shelterwood | Cutting trees, but leaving some for shade and seed production - harvest strategy.
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| Girdle | Cutting a ring through the bark so the tree dies, but remains upright.
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| Selective | Cutting trees down based on size, species, straightness - harvest strategy.
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| Shade Intolerant | Tree species that need a lot of sun to grow.
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| Shade Tolerant | Tree species that need only a little sun to grow.
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| Rotation | The planned cutting and planting of trees in a managed forest.
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| Consumptive | Type of use for your own self, to meet your needs.
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| Productive | Type of use for economic gain.
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| Neotropical Migrant | "Tweety birds" that live in the New World and migrate every year to the tropics.
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| National Forest | Federal land - main use for timber production.
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| National Wildlife Refuge | Federal land - main use for protection of a species, group of species, or habitat.
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| National Park | Federal land - main use for recreation.
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| National Wilderness Area | Federal land - main use for protecting undeveloped and unexploitated land.
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| Watt | Energy unit for measuring electricity.
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| Efficiency | Percent of energy that actually does work; not wasted.
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| Conversion Loss | Energy gone when changing from one form of energy to another.
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| 1000 | Number of watts in a kilowatt.
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| 1,000,000 | Number of watts in a megawatt.
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| Generator | Coil of wire that rotates around a magnet (or vice versa) to make electricity.
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| Turbine | Propeller or paddlewheel that spins due to steam, water, or wind to make electricity.
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| OPEC | Group of countries that control the supply of oil (thereby controlling price of oil).
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| Natural Gas | Cleanest burning fossil fuel.
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| Coal | Dirtiest burning fossil fuel.
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| Oil | Fossil fuel used to make gasoline.
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| Scrubber | Device used to remove pollutants from exhaust when burning fossil fuels.
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| Flyash | Residue left over from burning coal.
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| PV Cell | Device used to capture sunlight and turn it into electricity.
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| Inverter | Device needed to turn DC electricity into AC electricity.
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| Flaring | Burning off natural gas found when drilling for oil.
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| Fracking | Using water other chemicals to release oil from rocks when drilling for oil.
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| Refining | Converting oil to usable substances such as gasoline, tar, mineral spirits, etc.
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| 85% | Percent of energy in the US that comes from fossil fuels.
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| 6% | Percent of energy that comes from nuclear energy.
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| Summer Wood | Dark part of tree ring.
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| Spring Wood | Light part of tree ring.
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| Boreal | Forest type composed of conifers such as spruce trees that grows in cold, snowy environments.
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| Temperate | Forest type composed of deciduous trees such as maple and oak.
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| Lacey | Federal "act" that prohibits interstate commerce of illegally killed wildlife.
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| CITES | International treaty that prohibits commerce of protected species.
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| Endangered | Organism that is in imminent danger of becoming extinct.
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| Threatened | Organism that is is jeopardy of becoming extinct, but not on the verge.
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| Intrusion | Putting something "in the way" of organisms - a fence, road, tower, power lines.
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| Fragmentation | Breaking a large habitat into small pieces.
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| Conversion | Changing a habitat from one to another.
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| Simplification | Removing the biodiversity from a habitat - going from a complex ecosystem to a monoculture.
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| Exotic | Species that does not belong in an area, but was introduced.
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| Extinction | When a species completely disappears from the planet.
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| Listing | Putting an organism on the Endangered Species List is called . . .
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