Environmental Science
The study of the impact of humans on the environment.
Ecology
the branch of biology concerned with the relations between organisms and their environment.
Ecological Footprint
The amount of biologically productive land and water needed to support a person or population.
Natural Resource
any material in nature that people use and value.
Pollution
Release of harmful materials into the environment.
Biodiversity
variety of many different species in an area, the variety of species living within an ecosystem.
Hunter-Gatherers
people who hunt animals and gather wild plants, seeds, fruits, and nuts to survive.
Agricultural Revolution
The time when human beings first domesticated plants and animals and no longer relied entirely on hunting and gathering. Started 10,000 years ago.
Industrial Revolution
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.
Sustainability
The ability to keep in existence or maintain. A sustainable ecosystem is one that can be maintained.
Biodegradable
Able to be broken down naturally.
Geosphere
The mostly soild, rocky part of the earth; extends from the center of the core to the surfaceof the crust.
Lithosphere
the solid part of the earth consisting of the crust and outer mantle.
Asthenosphere
The solid, plastic layer of the mantle beneath the lithosphere; made of mantle rock that flows very slowly, which allows tectonic plates to move on top of it.
Tectonic Plate
a block of lithosphere that consists of the crust and the rigid, outermost part of the mantle.
Erosion
The process by which wind, water, ice, or gravity transports soil and sediment from one location to another.
Atmosphere
the mass of air surrounding the Earth.
Troposphere
The lowest layer of the atmoshere, in which temerature decreases at a constant rate as altitude increases.
Stratosphere
the layer of the atmosphere that contains the ozone layer; temperature increases as you go up. Roughly 10-50 km above the earth.
Ozone
a gas molecule that is made up of three oxygen atoms.
Greenhouse Effect
warming of the Earth due to the insulating effect of gases in the atmosphere, such as carbon dioxide and water vapor.
Water Cycle
the continuous process by which water moves from Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back.
Evaporation
the process by which water changes from liquid form to an atmospheric gas.
Condensation
the process of changing from a gaseous to a liquid or solid state.
Precipitation
the falling to earth of any form of water. (rain or snow or hail or sleet or mist)
Salinity
the relative proportion of salt in a solution.
Biosphere
the regions of the surface and atmosphere of the Earth (or other planet) where living organisms exist.
Ecosystem
a system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment.
Biotic Factor
a living part of an ecosystem.
Abiotic Factor
a nonliving part of an ecosystem.
Organism
A living thing.
Species
group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring.
Population
a group of organisms of the same species populating a given area.
Community
(ecology) a group of interdependent organisms inhabiting the same region and interacting with each other.
Habitat
Place where an Organism lives.
Natural Selection
a natural process resulting in the evolution of organisms best adapted to the environment.
Evolution
change in a kind of organism over time; process by which modern organisms have descended from ancient organisms.
Adaptation
inherited characteristic that increases an organism's chance of survival.
Artificial Selection
selection by humans for breeding of useful traits from the natural variation among different organisms.
Resistance
ability to tolerate a chemical or disease.
Archebacteria
prokaryotic live in harsh enviroments.
Eubacteria
True bacteria.
Fungus
decomposer.
Protist
algae and protozones.
Gymnosperm
cone bearing plants.
Angiosperm
flowering plants.
Invertebrate
animals without backbones.
Vertebrate
animals with backbones.
Photosynthesis
plants using sunlight to make food.
Producer
makes it's own food.
Consumer
must find and eat food.
Decomposer
breaks down dead organisms.
Cellular Respiration
how an organism uses food for energy.
Food Chain
pathway of energy tranfer by feeding.
Food Web
a diagram of feeding relationships.
Carbon Cycle
the organic circulation of carbon from the atmosphere into organisms and back again.
Nitrogen Cycle
the transfer of nitrogen from the atmosphere to the soil, to living organisms, and back to the atmosphere.
Ecological Succession
gradual change in living communities that follows a disturbance.
Primary Succession
succession that occurs on surfaces where no soil exists.
Secondary Succession
succession on a site where an existing community has been disrupted.
Pioneer Species
first species to populate an area during primary succession.
Climax Community
Last community in a succession.
Biome
a major biotic community characterized by the dominant forms of plant life and the prevailing climate.
Climate
the weather in some location averaged over some long period of time.
Latitude
an imaginary line around the Earth parallel to the equator.
Altitude
elevation especially above sea level or above the earth's surface.
Population Density
number of individuals per unit area.
Dispersion
The pattern of distribution of organisms in a population.
Growth Rate
population growth over time.
Exponential Growth
growth pattern in which the individuals in a population reproduce at a constant rate.
Carrying Capacity
largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support.
Niche
(ecology) the status of an organism within its environment and community. (affecting its survival as a species)
Predation
the act of preying by a predator who kills and eats the prey.
Parasitism
Symbolic relationship in which one organism lives on or in another organism and harms it.
Mutualism
symbiotic relationship in which both species benefit from the relationship.
Symbiosis
relationship in which two species live closely together.
Demography
the branch of sociology that studies the characteristics of human populations.
Age Structure
proportion of people in different age groups in a population.
Fertility Rate
the ratio of live births in an area to the population of that area.
Migration
the movement of persons from one country or locality to another.
Life Expectancy
an expected time to live as calculated on the basis of statistical probabilities.
Mortality
death rate.
Emigration
movement of individuals out of an area.
Immigration
movement of individuals into an area occupied by an existing population.
Developed
industrialized, lower population growth.
Developing
agricultural, higher population growth.
Endangered Species
close to extinction.
Threatened Species
a species that could become endangered in the near future.
Exotic Species
organisms that are not native to a particular area.
Poaching
illegal hunting.
Endemic Species
species that are native to and found only within a limited area.
Surface Water
Water above the surface of the land, including lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, floodwater, and runoff.
River System
a river and its tributaries.
Watershed
the area of land that is drained by a water system.
Groundwater
water under the earth's surface.
Aquifer
a body of rock or sediment that stores groundwater and allows the flow of groundwater.
Porosity
The percentage of the total volume of a rock or sediment that consists of open spaces.
Permeability
ability of rock or soil to allow water to flow through it.
Recharge Zone
an area in which water travels downward to become part of an aquifer.
Potable
suitable for drinking.
Reservoir
artificial body of water.
Point-Source Pollution
Pollutants discharged from a single identifiable location (e.g., pipes, ditches, channels, sewers, tunnels, containers of various types).
Non-Point Pollution
water pollution that does not have a specific point of origin.
Thermal Pollution
The excessive heating of a body of water.
Biomagnifications
The accumulation of pollutants at successive levels of the food chain.
Primary Pollutant
a pollutant that is put directly into the air by human activity.
Secondary Pollutant
A pollutant that forms in the atmosphere by chemical reaction with primary pollutants, natural compenents of the air, or both.
Smog
smoke and fog.
Acid Precipitation
acid rain.
Ozone Layer
a layer in the stratosphere (at approximately 20 miles) that contains a concentration of ozone sufficient to block most ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
Chloroflurocarbons
A compound causing ozone depletion. This reaction occurs in polar stratopheric clouds over Antartica.
Ozone Hole
an area of the ozone layer (near the poles) that is seasonally depleted of ozone.
Greenhouse Gases
gases in the atmosphere that trap energy.
Kyoto Protocol
Countries which ratify this protocol commit to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide.
Fossil Fuel
energy source from dead organsims.
Nuclear Energy
energy from atomic fission and fusion.
Renewable Energy
self making energy.
Solar Energy
energy from the sun.
Biomass Fuel
Fuel that derives from plant material and animal waste.
Hydroelectric Energy
energy from water.
Geothermal Energy
energy from heat.
Alternative Energy
energy not from fossil fuels.