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Environment

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all of the surrounding things, conditions, and influences affecting the growth or development of living things.

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Environmental Science

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the study of how the natural world works, how our environment affects us, and how we affect our environment. It is an interdisciplinary field.

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Natural Resources

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various substances and energy sources we need to survive.

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Renewable Natural Resources

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sunlight, wind, and wave energy are essentially inexhaustible while others, such as timber, water, and soil can be replenished by the environment over periods of time varying from months to decades.

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Nonrenewable Natural Resources

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resources such as mineral ores and crude oil are formed more slowly than we use them

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Ecosystem Services

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Important environmental benefits, such as clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and fertile soil in which to grow crops, that ecosystems provide

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Agricultural Revolution

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the time when human beings first domesticated plants and animals and no longer relied entirely on hunting and gathering

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Industrial Revolution

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the change from an agricultural to an industrial society and from home manufacturing to factory production, especially the one that took place in England from about 1750 to about 1850.

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Fossil Fuels

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a nonrenewable energy resource that forms in the Earth's crust for millions of years

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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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Ecological Footprint

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A way of measuring how much of an impact a person or community has on the earth. Someone who uses more natural resources will have a bigger footprint than someone who uses less.

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Environmentalism

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A social movement dedicated to protecting the earth's life support systems for us and other species.

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Observational/Descriptive Science

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Scientific work based on information gathering.

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Hypothesis-Driven Science

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Scientists know about a subject and ask specific questions using the scientific method.

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Scientific Method

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1. Observations 2. Questions 3. Hypothesis 4. Prediction 5. Experiment

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Variables

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Independent-manipulative variable Dependent- depends on the Independent

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Theory

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a tentative theory about the natural world

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Paradigm

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a dominant view regarding a topic

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Relativists

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Those who believe moral principles are always dependent on the particular situation.

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Universalists

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those who believe that some fundamental ethical principles are universal and unchanging. In this vision, these principles are valid regardless of the context or situation

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Environmental Ethics

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a search for moral values and ethical principles in human relations with the natural world.

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Anthropocentrism

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the belief that humans hold a special place in nature; being centered primarily on humans and human affairs.

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Biocentrism

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The belief that all creatures have rights and values; being centered on nature rather than humans.

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Ecocentrism

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Moral principle that regards the ecosphere as the most important being in existence in an attempt to redress the imbalance created by anthropocentrism

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20th Century Environment Ethics

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Preservation (Muir) and Conservation (Pinchot)

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Leopold Ethics

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"We are the land." Thought we should treat land in an ethical manner.

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Environmental Justice

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A recognition that access to a clean, healthy environment is a fundamental right of all human beings.

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Environmental Sustainability

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Developing strategies and practices that create a world economy that the planet can support indefinitely

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Earth's Natural Capital

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Accumulated wealth of resources.

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Millennium Ecosystem Assessment

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Comprehension assessment of the condition of the world's ecological systems and their capacity to continue supporting us.

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Sustainable Development

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Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

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Triple bottom line

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Demand that our current human population limit its environmental impact while also promoting economic well-being and social equity

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Negative Feedback Loop

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an opposite action to what is occurring in the body to regain homeostasis, ex. if body temperature rises too high, body tries to lower it

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Positive Feedback Loop

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Causes a system to change further in the same direction.

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Lithosphere

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a rigid layer made up of the uppermost part of the mantle and the crust (rock and sediment)

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Atmosphere

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the mass of air surrounding the Earth

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Hydrosphere

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the watery layer of the earth's surface

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Biosphere

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the regions of the surface and atmosphere of the Earth (or other planet) where living organisms exist

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Eutrophication

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The buildup over time of nutrients in freshwater lakes and ponds that leads to an increase in the growth of algae

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Matter

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that which has mass and occupies space

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Law of Conservation of Matter

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a fundamental principle of classical physics that matter cannot be created or destroyed in an isolated system

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Elements

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a molecule composed of one kind of atom; cannot be broken into simpler units by chemical reactions.

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Nutrients

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Compounds in food that the body requires for proper growth, maintenance, and functioning

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Atoms

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the building blocks of matter Proton- + charge Neutron- lack electrical charge Electron- - charge

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Ions

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electrically charged atoms that have gained or lost electrons.

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Molecules

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groups of two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds

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Compound

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A molecule composed of atoms from two or more different elements.

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Ionic Bonds

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formed when one or more electrons are transferred from one atom to another

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Covalent Bond

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A chemical bond that involves sharing a pair of electrons between atoms in a molecule

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pH Scale

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a range of values that are used to express the acidity or alkalinity (basicity) of a system; each whole number on the scale indicates a tenfold change in acidity; a pH of 7 is neutral, a pH of less than 7 is acidic, and a pH of greater than 7 is basic

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Organic Compounds

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Consist of carbon atoms joined by bonds

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Inorganic Compounds

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Lack carbon-carbon bonds

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Hydrocarbons

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organic molecules that are composed of only carbon and hydrogen

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Polymers

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Long chains of repeated molecules: proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates. Considered as macromolecules because of their large size.

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Proteins

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contains carbon, hydrogen, oxyge, and nitrogen. source of energy. needed by tissue for repair and growth. made up of 20 amino acids.

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Nucleic Acids

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very long organic compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and phosphorous, contain instructions that cells need to carry out all the functions of life.

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Carbohydrates

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compound made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms; major source of energy for the human body

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Lipids

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energy-rich organic compounds, such as fats, oils, and waxes, that are made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen

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Energy

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Phenomenon that can change the position, physical composition, and temperature of matter.

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Potential Energy

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energy stored due to an object's position or arrangement

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Kinetic Energy

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the energy of motion

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Chemical Energy

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potential energy stored in chemical bonds of molecules.

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First Law of Thermodynamics

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the fundamental principle of physics that the total energy of an isolated system is constant despite internal changes

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Second Law of Thermodynamics

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when energy is changed from one form to another, some useful energy is always degraded into lower quality energy, usually heat

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Autotrophs

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organisms that make their own food from sunlight (producers)

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Photosynthesis

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process by which plants and some other organisms use light energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and high-energy carbohydrates such as sugars and starches

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Cellular Respiration

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process that releases energy by breaking down glucose and other food molecules in the presence of oxygen

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Heterotrophs

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consumers, they rely on other organisms for their energy and food supply (consumers)

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Ecosystem

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collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place, together with their nonliving environment

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Primary Production

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The amount of light energy converted to chemical energy (organic compounds) by autotrophs in an ecosystem during a given time period

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Gross Primary Production

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The total primary production of an ecosystem.

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Net Primary Production

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the gross primary production of an ecosystem minus the energy used by the producers for respiration.

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Productivity

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Rate at which autotrophs convert energy to biomass.

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Net Primary Productivity

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the rate at which biomass accumulates in an ecosystem

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Ecotones

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A boundary between two types of ecological communities in which elements of each ecosystem mix.

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Landscape Ecology

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the study of past, present, and future patterns of landscape use, as well as ecosystem management and the biodiversity of interacting ecosystems

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Conservation Biologists

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Scientists that study the loss, protection, and restoration of biodiversity.

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Ecological Models

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the practice of construing and testing models that aim to explain and predict how ecological systems function.

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Nutrient Cycles

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circulates elements/molecules through all the spheres. Nutrients move from one pool to another. When a pool releases more materials than is accepts it is called source. Accepts more than it releases it is called a sink. The rate at which materials move between pools is termed flux.

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Hydrologic Cycle

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the natural process by which water is purified and made fresh through evaporation and precipitation. The cycle provides all the fresh water available for biological life.

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Evaporation

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the process by which water changes from liquid form to an atmospheric gas

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Transpiration

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loss of water from a plant through its leaves

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Precipitation

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water that falls to Earth's surface as rain, snow, sleet, or hail

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Runoff

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water that flows over the ground surface rather than soaking into the ground

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Infiltration

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Water that soaks down through soil and rock to recharge underground reservoirs called aquifers.

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Water Table

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Uppermost level of ground water held in an aquifer.

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Carbon Cycle

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the circulation and reutilization of carbon atoms especially via the process of photosynthesis and respiration.

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Phosphorus Cycle

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The movement of phosphorus atoms from rocks through the biosphere and hydrosphere and back to rocks.

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Nitrogen Cycle

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The recycling of nitrogen in the environment in which nitrogen goes from a gas, to organic compounds in the soil, to proteins in a plant or nitrates, and then is again released into the atmosphere as a gas.

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Nitrogen Fixation

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the assimilation of atmospheric nitrogen by soil bacteria and its release for plant use on the death of the bacteria

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Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria

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bacteria that can use nitrogen in soil to make nitrogen compounds

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Nitrification

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the oxidation of ammonium compounds in dead organic material into nitrates and nitrites by soil bacteria (making nitrogen available to plants)

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Denitrifying bacteria

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bacteria which often live in damp soil, and which convert nitrates into nitrogen gas

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Species

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a group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring

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Population

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a group of individuals of a particular species that live in a particular area.

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Natural Selection

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process by which individuals that are better suited to their environment survive and reproduce most successfully; also called survival of the fittest

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Adaptive Trait

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a heritable trait that enhances an individuals fitness; an evolutionary adaption

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Mutations

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Random errors in gene replication that lead to a change in the sequence of nucleotides; the source of all genetic diversity

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Artificial Selection

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selection by humans for breeding of useful traits from the natural variation among different organisms

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Biodiversity

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the variety of organisms in a given area, the genetic variation within a population, the variety of species in a community, or the variety of communities in an ecosystem

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Speciation

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the formation of new species as a result of evolution

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Allopatric Speciation

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The formation of a new species as a result of an ancestral population's becoming isolated by a geographic barrier.

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Phylogenic Trees

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Branching diagrams used to illustrate evolutionary relationships.

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Endemic

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native to or confined to a certain region

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Ecology

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the branch of biology concerned with the relations between organisms and their environment

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Population Ecology

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The study of populations in relation to the environment, including environmental influences on population density and distribution, age structure, and variations in population size.

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Community Ecology

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The study of how interactions between species affect community structure and organization

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Habitat

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the type of environment in which an organism or group normally lives or occurs

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Niche

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the status of an organism within its environment and community (affecting its survival as a species)

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Specialists

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*opposite of generalist* a species with a narrow niche that can tolerate a narrow range of conditions and can use only a few specific resources

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Population Distribution

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the way the population is spread out over an area. Random, uniformed, or clumped.

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Density-dependent factors

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Limiting factors (such as competition, predation, parasitism, and disease) that are affected by the number of individuals in a given area

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Density-independent factors

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Limiting factor that affects all populations in similar ways, regardless of population size.

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K-selected

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organisms that reproduce later in life, produce fewer offspring and devote significant time and energy to the nurturing of their offspring

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R-selected

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organisms that reproduce early in life and often and have a high capacity for reproductive growth.

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Competition

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Occurs when resources are limited and when multiple organisms seek the same resource. Can be among same species (intraspecific) or different species (interspecific)

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Resource Partitioning

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in a biological community various populations sharing environmental resources through specialization thereby reducing direct competition

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Exploitative Interaction

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Predation, parasitism, herbivory

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Symbiosis

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Physically close association between interacting species (mutualism)

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Community

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an assemblage of organisms living in the same area at the same time

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Trophic Level

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each step in a food chain or food web. Energy decreases as you move up the scale.

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Biomass

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the total mass of living matter in a given unit area

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Keystone Species

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a species whose impact on its community or ecosystem are much larger and more influential than would be expected from mere abundance

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Trophic Cascade

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A series of changes in the population sizes of organisms at different trophic levels in a food chain, occurring when predators at high trophic levels indirectly promote populations of organisms at low trophic levels by keeping species at intermediate trophic levels in check. Trophic cascades may become apparent when a top predator is eliminated from a system.

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Primary Succession

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an ecological succession that begins in a an area where no biotic community previously existed

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Secondary Succession

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the series of changes that occur after a disturbance of an existing ecosystem

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Pioneer Species

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First species to populate an area during primary succession

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Phase Shift

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where the overall character of the community fundamentally changes.

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