APES (Midterm Study Guide)
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subsidence
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a depression of the land surface as a result of groundwater being pumped
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subsistence
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farming in which only enough food to feed one's family is produced
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allergen
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a toxicant that overactivates the immune system, causing an immune response when one is not neccessary
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anastrozole
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a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor used in the treatment and prevention of breast cancer
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antagonism
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interference of the physiological action of a chemical substance by another having a similar structure
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anthropocentrism
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a human-centered view of our relationship with the environment
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arable land
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land suitable for growing crops
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Aral Sea disaster
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one of the four largest lakes in the world had been steadily shrinking due to irrigation projects, its once prosperous fishing industry was destroyed, it was heavily polluted; the retreat of the sea caused local climate change, with summers becoming hotter and drier, and winters colder and longe
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bioaccumulation
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the buildup of toxicants in the tissues of an animal
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biomagnification
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the magnification of the concentration of toxicants in an organism caused by its consumption of other organisms in which toxicants have bioaccumulated
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biological control
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control of pests and weeds with organisms that prey on or parasitize them, rather than with pesticides
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chemical control
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the use of chemical pesticides to prevent or control pest infestations
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carbon cycle
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a major nutrient cycle consisting of the routes that carbon atoms take through the nested networks of environmental systems
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carcinogen
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a chemical or type of radiation that causes cancer
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carrying capacity
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the maximum population size that a given environment can sustain
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Clean Water Act of 1972
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law that protected the quality of water environments from industrial discharge and other polluting activities
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commensalism
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a relationship between members of different species in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected
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Coriolis effect
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the apparent deflection of north-south air currents to a partly east-west direction, caused by the faster spin of regions near the equator than of regions near the poles as a result of Earth's rotation
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DDT
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an insecticide that tends to accumulate in ecosystems and has toxic effects on many vertebrates; implicated in illnesses and environmental problem and is now banned in the US
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demographic transition
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a theoretical model of economic and cultural change that explains the declining death rates and birth rates that occurred in Western nations as they became industrialized; this holds that industrialization caused these rates to fall naturally by lessening the need for large families
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desalinization
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the removal of salt from seawater
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desertification
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a form of land degradation in which more than 10% of a land's productivity is lost due to erosion, soil compaction, forest removal, overgrazing, drought, salinization, climate change, water depletion, or other factors; this can result in the expansion of desert areas or creation of new ones
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dynamic equilibrium
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the state reached when processes within a system are moving in opposing directions at equivalent rates so that their effects balance out
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ecofootprints
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El Nino
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the expectedly strong warming of the eastern Pacific Ocean that occurs every 2 to 7 years and depresses local fish and bird populations by altering the marine food web in the area
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endocrine disruptor
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a toxicant that interferes with the endocrine (hormone) system
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eutrophic
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term describing a water body that has high-nutrient and low-oxygen conditions
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experimental control
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the practice of eradicating the degrees of difference resulting from the extraneous variables
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exponential growth
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growth of a population in an ideal, unlimited environment, represented by a J-shaped curve when population size is plotted over time
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food chain
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a linear series of feeding relationships; organisms feed on one another and energy is transferred from lower to higher trophic levels
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food web
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a visual representation of feeding interactions within an ecological community that shows an array of relationships between organisms at different tropic levels
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fossil fuel
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a nonrenewable natural resource, such as crude oil, natural gas, or coal, produced by the decomposition and compression of organic matter from ancient life
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homeostasis
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the tendency of a system to maintain constant or stable internal conditions
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hydroelectric power
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the generation of electricity using the kinetic energy of moving water
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hypothesis
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a statement that attempts to explain a phenomenon or answer a scientific question
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immigration
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the arrival of individuals from outside a population
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independent variable
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the variable that the scientist manipulates in a manipulative experiment
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indicator species
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infant mortality rate
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introduced species
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a species moved by humans, either intentionally or accidentally, from its native location to a new geographic region; also called non-native or exotic species
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invasive species
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a species that spreads widely and rapidly becomes dominant in a community, interfering with the community's normal functioning
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IPM (Integrated Pest Management)
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program used to keep pests from entering and establishment and to eliminate any pests that do get in
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keystone species
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a species that has an especially far-reaching effect on a community
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LD 50 (lethal dose- 50%)
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the amount of a toxicant it takes to kill 50% of a population of test animals
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leaching
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the process by which solid materials such as minerals are dissolved in a liquid (usually water) and transported to another location
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logistic growth curve
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a plot that shows how the initial exponential growth of a population is slowed and finally brought to a standstill by limiting factors
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mitigation
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actions or measures to prevent a disaster from occurring or to reduce the severity of its effects
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monoculture
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the uniform planting of a single crop over a large area that characterizes industrial agriculture
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no-till
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agriculture that does not involve tilling (plowing, disking, harrowing, or chiseling) the soil; the most extreme form of conservation tillage
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phosphorus cycle
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a major nutrient cycle consisting of the routes that phosphorus atoms take through the nested networks of environmental systems
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photosynthesis
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the process by which autotrophs produce their own food; sunlight powers a series of chemical reactions that convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar (glucose), thus transforming low-quality energy from the sun into high-quality energy the organism can use
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population density
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the number of individuals within a population per unit area
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population pyramid
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a model used in population geography to show the age and sex distribution of a particular population
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positive loops
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where a change in a certain direction causes further change in the same direction
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predator
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an organism hunts, captures, kills, and consumes individuals of another species, the prey
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prey
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an organism that is killed and consumed by a predator
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primary succession
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a stereotypical series of changes as an ecological community develops over time, beginning with a lifeless substrate; in some cases this begins when a bare expanse of rock, sand, or sediment becomes newly exposed to the atmosphere and pioneer species arrive
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properties of water
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high boiling point, universal solute, ...
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recombinant DNA
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DNA that has been patched together from the DNA of multiple organisms in an attempt to produce desirable traits like rapid growth, disease and pest resistance, or higher nutritional content, in organisms lacking them
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pesticide treadmill
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a process in which farmers must constantly try newer and more toxic chemicals in order to stay ahead of pests
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red tide
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a harmful algal bloom consisting of algae that produce reddish pigments that discolor surface waters
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replacement fertility
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the total fertility rate that maintains a stable population size
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rule of 70
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a way to estimate the number of years it takes for a certain variable to double; divide number 70 by the growth rate of the variable
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soil profile
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the cross-section of a soil as a whole, from the surface to the bedrock
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soil texture size distribution
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sand>silt>clay
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survivorship curve
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a graph that shows how the likelihood of death for members of a population varies with age
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sustainability
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a guiding principle of environmental science that requires us to live in such a way as to maintain Earth's systems and its natural resources for the foreseeable future
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synergism
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a drug interaction that occurs when drugs produce an effect that is greater than the sum of their separate actions
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teratogen
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a toxicant that causes harm to the unborn, resulting in birth defects
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threshold dose
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the amount of a toxicant at which it begins to affect a population of test animals
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total fertility rate
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the average number of children born per female member of a population during her lifetime
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tragedy of the commons
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situation in which people acting individually and in their own interest use up commonly available but limited resources, creating disaster for the entire community
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trophic levels
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the hierarchical levels of the food chain through which energy flows from primary producers to primary consumers, secondary consumers and so on
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energy loss
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lost as heat due to cellular respiration at all tropic levels
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upwelling
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in the ocean, the flow of cold, deep water toward the surface; this occurs in areas where surface currents diverge
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downwelling
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in the ocean, the flow of warm surface water toward the ocean floor; this occurs where surface currents converge
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vegetarianism
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practice of eating a diet consisting entirely or largely of food from plant sources
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zebra mussel
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Great Lakes invasive species that clogs pipes and machinery; displaces native species, uses up resources
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advantages of harvesting trees
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can lower down your forages losses, animals cannot graze, animals eat what you harvest
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disadvantages of harvesting trees
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equipment is expensive
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growth rate
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the net change in a population's size, per 1,000 individuals; calculated by adding the crude birth rate to the immigration rate and then subtracting the crude death rate and the emigration rate, each expressed as the number per 1,000 individuals per year
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erosion
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the removal of material from one place and its transport to another by the action of wind or water
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causes of erosion
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water, ice, wind
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Dead Zone, Gulf of Mexico
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oxygen levels are too low--organisms can't survive
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deforestation
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the clearing and loss of forests
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effects of deforestation
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less trees, reduce in oxygen, destroys habitats, soil erosion
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irrigation systems
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a means of supplying land with water
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infectious diseases examples
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rabies, food poisoning, influenza, cold sores, common cold, measles, urinary tract infection
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percentage of freshwater resources on Earth
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3%
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GMO
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genetically modified organism made when DNA is removed from one organism and placed within the DNA of what can be a very different organism
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gross primary productivity
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rate at which an ecosystem's producers capture and store an amount of chemical energy as biomass in a given length of time
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net primary productivity
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gross primary productivity minus the rate at which producers use energy through respiration
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dam
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something built across a body of water, slows the movement of water behind it, creates large reservoir for water supply, decreases erosion
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emigration
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movement of individuals out of an area
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dependent variable
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(statistics) a variable in a logical or mathematical expression whose value depends in the independent variable
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k-strategist
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species that usually concentrate their reproductive investment in a small number of offspring, thus increasing their survival rate and adapting them for living in long-term climax communities
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r-strategist
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species characterized by rapid growth, high fertility, short lifespan, and exponential population growth
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advantage of planting legumes
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they create nitrogen in the soil that acts as a fertilizer for themselves and other crops
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factors influencing world population growth
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age, educational attainment, minority status, income level, two-party competition
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organic fertilizers
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a fertilizer made up of natural materials, including animal manure, crop residues, fresh vegetation, and compost
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synthetic fertilizers
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fertilizers that are produced commercially and made of fossil fuel energy for production
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nitrogen cycle
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a major nutrient cycle consisting of the routes that nitrogen atoms take through the nested networks of environmental systems
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pesticide resistance
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adaptation of pest species targeted by a pesticide resulting in decreased susceptibility to that chemical
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ED 50
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effective dose that causes effect in 50% of the population on exposure to a particular toxicant
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restoration
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active manipulation of nature to re-create conditions that existed before human disturbance
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preservation
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maintenance of a resource in its present condition, with as little human impact as possible
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remediation
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containment, treatment or removal of contaminated groundwater; including containment, treatment or removal of contaminated soil above the water table
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Oil Protection Act of 1990
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act to regulate supertankers and reduce the chances of supertanker oil spills
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Rachel Carson's \"Silent Spring\"
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novel that introduced the adverse environmental effects of DDT and the fact that it would kill the enviornment and there would be no birds to sing
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source of radon
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uranium in soil and groundwater
