Terms and Definitions
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| environmental science | The study of the impact of humans on the environment
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| ecology | The study of how living things interact with each other and with their nonliving environment
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| agriculture | The practice of growing, breeding, and caring for plants and animals that are used for food, clothing, housing, transportation, and other purposes
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| natural resources | Any natural material that is used by humans
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| pollution | An undesired change in air, water, or soil that adversely affects the health, survival, or activities of humans or other organisms.
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| biodiversity | The number and variety of species that live in an area
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| law of supply and demand | States that the greater the demand for a limited supply of something, the more that thing is worth
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| ecological footprint | Shows the productive area of Earth needed to support one person in a particular country
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| sustainability | The condition in which human needs are met in such a way that a human population can survive indefinitely
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| cost-benefit-analysis | Balances the cost of the action against the benefits one expects from it
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| risk assessment | A tool that helps to create cost effective ways to protect our health and environment
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| developed country | A country characterized by higher average incomes, slower population growth, diverse industrial economies, and stronger social support systems
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| developing country | A country characterized by lower average incomes, simple and agriculture-based economies, and rapid population growth
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| tectonic plates | Individual sections of the lithosphere of the earth. They fit together in a way similar to a jigsaw puzzle, but are always moving very slowly, floating on the molten rock of the lower mantle.
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| erosion | The removal of rock particles by wind, water, ice, or gravity
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| atmosphere | A mixture of gases that surrounds a planet or moon
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| troposphere | The lowest layer of the atmosphere, in which temperature drops at a constant rate as altitude increases; the part of the atmosphere where weather conditions exist
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| stratosphere | The layer of the atmosphere that lies between the troposphere and the mesosphere and in which temperature increases as altitude increases; contains the ozone layer
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| ozone | A form of oxygen that has three oxygen atoms in each molecule instead of two. protects us from dangerous ultraviolet radiation from the sun
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| radiation | The energy that is transferred as electromagnetic waves, such as visible light and infrared waves
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| conduction | The transfer of energy as heat through a material
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| convection | The movement of matter due to differences in density that are caused by temperature variations; can result in the transfer of energy as heat
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| greenhouse effect | The warming of the surface and lower atmosphere of Earth that occurs when carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other gases in the air absorb and reradiate infrared radiation
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| water cycle | The continuous movement of water between the atmosphere, the land, and the oceans
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| evaporation | Change of state from a liquid to a gas
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| condensation | The change of state from a gas to a liquid
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| precipitation | Water that falls to Earth's surface as rain, snow, sleet, or hail
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| salinity | A measure of the amount of dissolved salts in a given amount of liquid
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| fresh water | Water that contains insignificant amounts of salts, as in rivers and lakes
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| biosphere | The part of the Earth where life exists
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| ecosystem | A community of organisms and their nonliving environment
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| biotic factor | Living and once living parts of an ecosystem
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| abiotic factor | A nonliving part of an ecosystem
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| organism | A living thing; anything that can carry out life processes independently
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| species | A group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring
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| population | Group of individuals of the same species living in a particular area at the same time
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| community | A group of various species that live in the same place and interact with each other
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| habitat | Place where an organism lives
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| natural selection | The process by which individuals that are better adapted to their environment survive and reproduce more successfully than less well adapted individuals do; a theory to explain the mechanism of evolution
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| evolution | A change in the genetic characteristics of a population from one generation to the next
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| adaptation | An inherited characteristic that improves an organism's ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment.
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| artificial selection | The selective breeding of organisms by humans for specific characteristics
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| resistance | The ability of one or more organisms to tolerate a particular chemical designed to kill it
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| Archaebacteria | Single celled; lack cell nuclei; reproduce by dividing in half; often found in harsh places
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| Eubacteria | Very common and can be found in soil and animal bodies
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| fungus | An organism whose cells have nuclei, rigid cell walls, and no chlorophyll and that belongs to the kingdom fungi
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| protists | Single-celled organisms divided into 3 groups: fungus-like, plant-like, and animal-like
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| Gymnosperms | Woody plants that produce seeds, but their seeds are not enclosed in fruits
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| Angiosperms | Flowering plants that produce seeds in fruit
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| invertebrates | Animals that lack a backbone
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| vertebrates | Animals that have backbones
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| photosynthesis | Process by which plants use the sun's energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into sugars
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| producer | An organism that makes its own food
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| consumer | An organism that obtains energy by feeding on other organisms
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| decomposer | An organism that gets energy by breaking down the remains of dead organisms or animal wastes and consuming or absorbing the nutrients.
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| cellular respiration | The process of breaking down food to yield energy
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| food chain | A linked feeding series; in an ecosystem the sequence of organisms through which energy and materials are transferred in the form of food from one trophic level to another.
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| food web | A diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem
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| trophic level | Each step through which energy is transferred in a food chain
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| carbon cycle | A process by which carbon is cycled between the atmosphere, land, water, and organisms
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| nitrogen-fixing bacteria | Bacteria that convert nitrogen in the air into forms that can be used by plants and animals
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| nitrogen cycle | The process in which nitrogen circulates among the air, soil, water, plants, and animals in an ecosystem
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| phosphorus cycle | Movement of phosphorus from the environment to organisms and then back to the environment
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| ecological succession | A gradual process of change and replacement of the types of species in a community
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| primary succession | Succession that occurs on surfaces where no soil exists
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| secondary succession | Succession following a disturbance that destroys a community without destroying the soil
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| pioneer species | The first organisms that colonize a disturbed ecosystem
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| climax community | A stable, mature community that undergoes little or no change in species over time
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| biome | A large region characterized by a specific type of climate and certain types of plant and animal communities
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| climate | The average weather conditions in an area over a long period of time
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| latitude | Distance north or south of the Equator, measured in degrees
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| altitude | The height of an object above the Earth's surface
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| tropical rain forest | A forest or jungle near the equator that is characterized by large amounts of rain and little variation in temperature and that contains the greatest known diversity of organisms on Earth
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| emergent layer | The top foliage layer in a forest where the trees extend above surrounding trees
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| canopy | The layers of treetops that shade the forest floor
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| epiphytes | A plant that uses another plant for support, but not for nourishment
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| understory | A foliage layer that is beneath and shaded by the main canopy of a forest
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| temperate rain forest | A forest community (or biome), characterized by cool, humid weather and abundant rainfall, where tree branches are draped with mosses, tree trunks are covered with lichens, and the forest floor is covered with ferns
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| temperate deciduous forest | A forest (or biome) that is characterized by trees that shed their leaves in the fall.
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| tiaga | The largest terrestrial biome dominated by evergreen trees; usually found between the tundra and the temperate forests
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| savanna | A plain full of grasses and scattered trees and shrubs; found in tropical and subtropical habitats and mainly in regions with a dry climate, such as East Africa
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| temperate grassland | A community (or biome) that is dominated by grasses, has few trees, and is characterized by cold winters and rainfall that is intermediate between that of a forest and a desert
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| chaparral | A type of vegetation that includes broad-leafed evergreen shrubs and that is located in areas with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters
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| desert | A region that has little or no vegetation, long periods without rain, and extreme temperatures; usually found in warm climates
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| tundra | A treeless plain that is located in the Arctic or Antarctic and that is characterized by very low winter temperatures; short, cool summers; and vegetation that consists of grasses, lichens, and perennial herbs
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| permafrost | The arctic regions, the permanently frozen layer of soil or subsoil
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| Population | All members of the SAME SPECIES living together, Based on: SIZE, DENSITY (thick or thin), and DISPERSION (how they are spread out)
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| Reproductive Potential | Maximum of offspring (births) each member of the population can reproduce (make)
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| Biotic potential | Fastest rate a population can grow
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| Exponential growth | Starts out slow, then INCREASES FASTER AND FASTER
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| Natural selection | The strongest/fittest of a population survive and reproduce (make more babies)
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| Carrying capacity | Maximum population an ecosystem can support
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| limiting resource | An essential factor whose short supply limits the growth of a population
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| territory | Specific area occupied and protected by an animal or group of animals
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| Density Dependent | Death happens MORE QUICKLY in a CROWDED population than sparse (uncrowded) population Ex: flu, Black Plague
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| Density Independent | Certain parts of population die in crowded and sparse areas. Ex: natural disaster, severe weather
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| Niche | Unique role and pattern of use of its habitat - home; food, nutrients; interaction with other organisms
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| Competition | Individuals or populations try to use the same limited resource, 1. INDIRECT COMPETITION-never come in direct contact but may use same food source, 2. ADAPTATIONS TO COMPETITION-which niches overlap, adpatations can reduce (lessen) competition
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| Predation | Predators capture prey, Ex: LIONS capture MICE
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| Parasitism | An organism lives in or on another organism (HOST) and feeds on it - DON'T KILL but weaken, Ex: ticks, fleas, tapeworms
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| Mutualism | Both benefit and can't survive alone, Ex: Bacteria in our intestines
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| Commensalism | 1 benefits and 1 does NOT, Ex: sharks and remoras, birds and trees
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| gene Sequence of DNA that codes for a protein and thus determines a trait; factor that is passed from parent to offspring | Sequence of DNA that codes for a protein and thus determines a trait; factor that is passed from parent to offspring
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| keystone species | A species that is critical to the functioning of the ecosystem in which it lives because it affects the survival and abundance of many other species in its community
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| ecotourism | A form of tourism that supports the conservation and sustainable development of ecologically unique areas
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| endangered species | species that is likely to become extinct if protective measures are not taken immediately
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| threatened species | A species that has a declining population and that is likely to become endangered if it is not protected
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| exotic species | A species that is not native to a particular region
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| poaching | Illegal killing or removal of wildlife from their habitats.
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| endemic species | Species that are native to and found only within a limited area.
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| germ plasm | Any form of genetic material, such as that contained within the reproductive, or germ, cells of plants and animals
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| Endangered Species Act | Identifies threatened and endangered species in the US, and puts their protection ahead of economic considerations.
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| habitat conservation plan | A plan that attempts to protect one or more species across large areas of land through trade-offs or cooperative agreements.
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| Biodiversity Treaty | Goal is to preserve biodiversity and ensure the sustainable and fair use of genetic resources in all countries
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| surface water | All the bodies of freshwater, salt water, ice, and snow that are found above the ground
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| river system | A flowing network of rivers and streams draining a river basin (or drainage basin)
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| watershed | The area of land that is drained by a water system; largest watershed in the US is the Mississippi River Watershed
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| groundwater | The water that is beneath the Earth's surface.
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| aquifer | A body of rock or sediment that stores groundwater and allows the flow of groundwater.
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| porosity | The percentage of the total volume of a rock or sediment that consists of open spaces
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| permeability | The ability of a rock or sediment to let fluids pass through its open spaces, or pores.
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| recharge zone | An area which water travels downward to be part of aquifer
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| potable | Suitable for drinking
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| pathogen | A bacterium, virus, or other microorganism that can cause dis
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| dam | A structure that is build across a river to control a river's flow
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| reservoir | An artificial lake that forms behind a dam.
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| desalination | A process of removing salt from ocean water.
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| water pollution | Contamination of water by waste matter or other material that is harmful to organisms that are exposed to the water.
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| point-source pollution | Pollution that comes from a specific site.
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| nonpoint-source pollution | Pollution that comes from many sources rather than from a single specific site.
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| waste water | Water that contains waste from homes or industry
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| artificial eutrophication | A process that increases the amount of nutrients in a body of water through human activities, such as waste disposal and land drainage.
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| thermal pollution | A temperature increase in a body of water that is caused by human activity and that has a harmful effect on water quality and on the ability of that body of water to support life.
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| biomagnification | Accumulation of pollutants at successive levels of the food chain
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| greenhouse gases | Gases that trap heat and energy from the sun thus warming the earth
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| global warming | Gradual warming of the earth and its atmosphere that may be caused in part by pollution and an increase in the greenhouse effect
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