APES Final Exam Review – Flashcards
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regarding humans as most significant species; human-centered
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Anthropocentric
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the depletion of shared resources by people acting in individual interest
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Tragedy of the Commons
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approach to sustainability that meets environmental, economic, and social goals (business)
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Triple Bottom Line
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compounds that lack carbon and hydrogen atoms
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Inorganic Compounds
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compounds that contain carbon-based molecules
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Organic Compounds
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when the response to a stimulus increases the original stimulus
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Positive Feedback Loop
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when the response to a stimulus decreases the effect of the original stimulus
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Negative Feedback Loop
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when a population exceeds the long term carrying capacity for an environment
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Overshoot
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a system in which matter can enter from or escape to the surroundings
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Open System
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a system that allows the exchange of energy (not matter)between the system and its surroundings
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Closed System
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emphasizing the functional relationship between parts and the whole
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Holistic
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a unit of surface area equal to 100 ares
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Hectare
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a way of measuring how much of an impact a person or community has on the earth
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Ecological Footprint
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development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations
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Sustainable Development
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recognition that access to a clean, healthy environment is a fundamental right
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Environmental Justice
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the variety of species living within an ecosystem
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Biodiversity
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in the original or natural place or site
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In situ
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off-site conservation; outside location
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Ex situ
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the negative consequences in a population when genetically similar parents reproduce weak offspring
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Inbreeding Depression
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worth independent of any human benefit; inherent worth
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Intrinsic Value
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species that enter new ecosystems and harm native species and their habitats
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Invasive Species
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identifies/protects threatened and endangered species
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Endangered Species Act
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prohibits interstate transport of wild animals without federal permit
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Lacey Act
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the number and relative amount of species in a biological community
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Species Diversity
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the study of rates of colonization and extinction of species on islands (size, shape, and distance)
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Island Biogeography
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the amount of variation in the genetic material within all members of a population
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Genetic Diversity
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combination of commercial, scientific, and aesthetic values by a regions biota
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Biological Wealth
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a form of tourism that supports the conservation and sustainable development of ecological areas
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Ecotourism
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value based on its usefulness to humans
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Instrumental Value
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containment, treatment or removal of contaminated groundwater
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Remediation
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the process by which nitrites and nitrates are produced by bacteria in the soil
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Nitrification
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conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas
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Denitrification
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decomposers convert organic waste into ammonia
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Ammonification
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the status of an organism within its environment and community
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Niche
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the transition from one type of habitat or ecosystem to another
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Ecotone
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organism that makes its own food
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Autotroph
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an organism that depends on complex organic substances for nutrition; cannot make food
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Heterotroph
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competition between members of different species
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Interspecific Competition
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competition between members of the same species
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Intraspecific Competition
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the rate at which biomass accumulates in an ecosystem
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Net Primary Productivity
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the rate at which energy is produced in an ecosystem
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Gross Primary Productivity
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species that serve as early warnings that an ecosystem is being damaged
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Indicator Species
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a species that influences the survival of many other species in an ecosystem
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Keystone Species
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difference of niches that enables similar species to coexist in a community
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Resource Partitioning
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layer of water where sunlight is sufficient for photosynthesis to occur
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Euphotic Zone
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vertical temperature layering
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Thermal Stratification
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the buildup of salts in surface soil layers
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Salinization
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system in which productivity and nutrient content are low
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Oligotrophic
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process of a body of water becoming too rich in nutrients, leading to plant growth that depletes oxygen
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Eutrophication
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dragging a net held open at the neck along the ocean bottom to get bottom-dwelling fish
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Trawler Fishing
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a large net is encircled around the targeted catch,then the bottom of the net is drawn tight like the strings of a purse
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Purse-seine Fishing
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catching fish in huge nets that drift in the water
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Drift Net Fishing
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fishing by dragging long lines with baited hooks
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Long Line Fishing
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a low plain adjacent to a river and subject to flooding
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Floodplain
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a type of irrigation that waters crops using sprinkler systems on huge turning wheels
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Center-pivot Irrigation
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a form of irrigation that saves water by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants
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Trickle Irrigation
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the area of land where all of the water that is under it or drains off of it goes into the same place
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Watershed
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the evaporation of water from soil plus the transpiration of water from plants
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Evapotranspiration
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a method of landscaping that uses plants that are well adapted to the local area and are drought resistant
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Xeriscaping
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rate of increase or decrease of a population
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Growth Rate
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measures the number of children born per woman
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Total Fertility Rate
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the average number of children that couples in a population must have to replace themselves
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Replacement Fertility Rate
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when the birth rate equals the death rate
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Zero Population Growth
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the general pattern of demographic change from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates
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Demographic Transition
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occurs when the individuals in a population reproduce at a constant rate
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Exponential Growth
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maximum rate at which a population could increase under ideal conditions
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Biotic Potential
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number of individuals per unit area
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Population Density
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the time required for a population to double in size
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Doubling Time
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the scientific study of population characteristics
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Demography
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the number of live births yearly per thousand people in a population
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Crude Birth Rate
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the number of deaths yearly per thousand people in a population
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Crude Death Rate
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the rapid growth of the world's human population during the past century
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Population Explosion
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a term used to indicate that a large amount of a society's population is becoming elderly
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Graying
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the period between the birth of one generation and the birth of the next generation
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Generation Time
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a type of rock that forms from the cooling of molten rock at or below the surface
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Igneous Rock
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a type of rock formed from sediment is deposited in layers and compacted
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Sediment Rock
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a type of rock that forms from an existing rock that is changed by heat/pressure/reactions
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Metamorphic Rock
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water moves clock wise in the northern hemisphere, counter clockwise in the southern
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Coreolis Effect
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rocks that form from magma below the surface
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Intrusive
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rocks that form when lava cools and solidifies on the surface
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Extrusive
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plates moving away from each other in opposite directions
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Divergent Plates
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tectonic plates that collide with each other
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Convergent Plates
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plates that slide past each other
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Transform Plates
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the solid part of the earth (crust, outer mantle)
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Lithosphere
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the watery layer of the earth's surface
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Hydrosphere
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the soft layer of the mantle on which the lithosphere floats
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Asthenosphere
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method of determining the age of a fossil (comparing fossil placement)
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Relative Dating
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the transfer of thermal energy by the circulation or movement of a liquid or gas
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Convection
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the transfer of thermal energy from one substance to another through direct contact
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Conduction
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the layer of soil on the surface
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Topsoil
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the layer of dead plant leaves and stems on the surface of the soil
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Litter
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the layer of soil beneath the topsoil that contains mostly clay
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Subsoil
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partially decomposed organic matter
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Humus
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the percentage of the total volume of a rock or sediment that consists of open spaces
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Porosity
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allowing more animals to graze in an area than the range can support
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Overgrazing
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a fertilizer that is derived from animal or vegetable matter
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Organic Fertilizer
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an agricultural product applied to the soil (mined or synthetically manufactured material)
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Inorganic Fertilizer
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degradation of land because of human actions( excessive crop planting, grazing and tree cutting)
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Desertification
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condition in which the earth's surface is worn away by the action of water and wind
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Erosion
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-O horizon -A-mineral matter and hummus -E - leached of color -B - clay accumulation from above -C horizon - partially altered bedrock
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Structure (soil)
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over irrigation of a specific area that leads to salinization
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Excessive Irrigation
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a measure of how acid a solution is- the lower the pH, the greater this is
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Acidity
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dung/urine of animals used as a form of organic fertilizer
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Animal Manure
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a growing crop that is plowed under to enrich soil
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Green Manure
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the amount of a chemical that kills 50% of the animals in a test population
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LD-50
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buildup of pollutants at higher levels of the food chain
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Biomagnification
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the build up of a substance as it passes through a food chain
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Bioaccumulation
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author of Silent Spring; helped influence environmental awareness and banning of DDT
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Rachel Carson
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the treatment of foods with gamma radiation kill potentially harmful pathogens and increase shelf life
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Food Irradiation
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a biological insecticide
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Bacillus thuringensis
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any substance that produces cancer
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Carcinogen
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physical or chemical agent that causes mutations
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Mutagen
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any factor that can cause a birth defect
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Teratogen
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acts as hormones and disrupts the reproductive process
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Endocrine Disruptor
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a radioactive gaseous element
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Radon
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abandoned polluted industrial sites in central cities
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Brownfields
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toxic waste site in New York filled with drums of waste that leaked.
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Love Canal
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a liquid that has passed through compacted solid waste in a landfill
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Leachate
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sites abandoned with hazardous waste in them
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Orphan Sites
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a fund created by Congress in 1980 to clean up hazardous waste sites
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Superfund
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waste produced by households and businesses
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Municipal Solid Waste
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produced by mines, agriculture, and industries
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Industrial Solid Waste
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the use of living organisms to detoxify and restore
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Bioremediation
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a low area where waste is buried between layers of earth
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Sanitary Landfill
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mineral used extensively in insulation, causes respiratory issues
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Asbestos
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nitrous oxides (created through burning fossil fuels); photochemical smog
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NOX
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chlorofluorocarbons; destroy ozone layer
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CFCs
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used in paints, stains; create ozone
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VOCs
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reduces visibility and respiratory irritation
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Particulate Matter
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indicator of sewage contamination
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Fecal Coliform
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percent of solar radiation reflected by a surface
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Albedo
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a colorless gas; separated by "good ozone" and "bad ozone"
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Ozone
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binding commitments for the reduction of four greenhouse gases and two groups of gases
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Kyoto Protocol
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low level of oxygen
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Hypoxic
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small particles in atmosphere
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Aerosols
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mixture of ozone and other chemicals; when pollutants react
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Photochemical Smog
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smog resulting from industry emissions/burning of fossil fuels.
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Industrial Smog
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widely spread source of pollution; not specific
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Nonpoint Source
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provides mechanical energy to a generator
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Turbine
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petroleum that has not been processed
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Crude Oil
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free neutrons, neutron-absorbing rods that help control the reaction by limiting free neutrons
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Control Rods
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tubes containing uranium or other elements that release energy when fission occurs
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Fuel Rods
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the preservation of the environment and natural resources
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Conservation
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rocks and soil are stripped from earths surface to expose the underlying materials
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Strip Mining
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plant materials and animal waste used as fuel
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Biomass
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fuelscreated from the fermentation of plants or plant products
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Biofuels
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a soure of energy that can be processed from plant material
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Ethanol
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fuel that can be used in nuclear reactors as a source of electricity
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Nuclear Fuel
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a nuclear reaction in which a massive nucleus splits into smaller nuclei
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Nuclear Fission
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allowed Congress to set aside land for reservation
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Wilderness Act
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protects drinking water from toxic contamination through discharge
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Safe Water and Drinking Act
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defines rights and responsibilities of nations in use of world's oceans; promotes peaceful use of oceans
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Convention on the Law of the Sea
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tax-related provisions; provides support for crops, energy, livestock, etc.
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Food Security Act
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governs sale/use of pesticides in the United States
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Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act
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focused on creating international environmental policy
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Stockholm Declaration
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encourages response, requires reporting of toxic contamination
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Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act
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banned production of aerosols, redution of CFCs
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Montreal Protocol
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prevents overgrazing/soil degredation; providers improvements, development
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Taylor Grazing Act
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regulates labeling of food, drugs, cosmetics, and medical devices
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Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
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international legislation controlling exploitation of endangered species
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Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species
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protects the welfare of people engaged in work or employment
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Occupational Safety and Health
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created to make surface waters swimmable and fishable; set standards for water
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Clean Water Act
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emission standards for cars/limits for release of air pollutants
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Clean Air Act
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requires coal strip mines to reclaim the land
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Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act
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is the direct use of living green plants for in situ, or in place, removal, degradation, or containment of contaminants in soils, sludges, sediments, surface water and groundwater.
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Phytoremediation
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a sudden and radical change in a phenomenon which often occurs after surpassing a quantitative limit, called the threshold.
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threshold effect
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a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance and thereby exhibits unique ecological features and might be classified as a climax community. In the U.S. mostly found in Alaska.
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old-growth forest
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a deep zone of an inland body of freestanding water, such as a lake or pond, located below the range of effective light penetration.
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profundal zone
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a form of surface mining that involves the mining of the summit or summit ridge of a mountain.
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mountaintop removal
