Exponential Growth
The human population grows this way
Keystone
A species that is essential to an ecosystem
Population
A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area
Cuyahoga River
Caught fire due to lots of waste being dumped in
Greenhouse Effect
Gases absorb heat in the atmosphere
Tragedy of the commons
Use of resources at an unsustainable rate
Agricultural Revolution
Known for domestication of crops/animals
Industrial Revolution
A series of improvements in industrial technology that transformed the process of manufacturing goods.
Population Growth
When the birth rate is greater than death rate
Herbivore
Consumesonly primary producer
Carnivore
Eats only meat
Omnivore
Eats meat and plants
Biodiversity
The different types of life in an area
Carrying Capacity
The maximum a population can reach given the available resources
Endangered Species
A species that is near extinction
Vulnerable species
A species that researchers are concerned about going extinct, but not our top priority.
Legislative Branch
Where congress/house of representatives vote on policies
Executive Branch
the branch of government that carries out laws
Judicial Branch
Branch of government that decides if laws are carried out fairly.
Ten-Percent Rule
relates to energy flow in food webs and food chains
only about 10% of useful energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next
Trophic Level
Level on the food pyramid
Primary Consumer
the trophic level that obtains its energy from the producers of an ecosystem
Limiting Factor
Controls the size of the population
Density dependent
Mainly biotic factors such as predation that control population size
Density independent
Abiotic factors that impact population size
Poaching
The illegal hunting of animals
habitat fragmentation
The largest cause of extinction of animals
Sampling
example: 5 geese in 1 acre, 25 geese in 5 acres
Mark and Recapture
The most common way to estimate population size in the wild
Direct Observation
Counting every single organism in the population
Indirect Observation
Looking for evidence of the species and assuming the population size
half-life
length of time required for half of the radioactive atoms in a sample to decay
Big Bang Theory
Cosmological model that explains the sudden development of the universe through expansion from a hot, dense state.
Carbon-14 dating
Process of estimating age of once living material by measuring the amount of radioactive isotope of carbon present in material.
Isotope
Atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons
Cosmic Microwave Background
The now-cooled radiation that was released by the big bang
red shift
(astronomy) a shift in the spectra of distant galaxies toward longer wavelengths
Doppler effect
An observed change in the frequency of a wave when the source or observer is moving
Frequency
How many wave peaks pass a certain point per given time
wave length
the distance from any point on a wave to an identical point on the next wave
elemental composition of the universe
Hydrogen and Helium
foramen magnum
A large opening at the base of the skull through which the brain connects to the spinal cord.
Quadrupedal
Using all four limbs to support the body during locomotion; the basic mammalian (and primate) form of locomotion.
Bipedalism
the ability to walk upright on two legs
Homo neanderthalensis
the species before us homo sapiens; lived form 30,000 to 300,000 years ago; they were stronger and had bigger brains
Lucy
A forty percent complete skeleton discovery of an Australopithecus afarensis
Laetoli footprints
earliest direct evidence of hominin bipedalism; 3.6 million years old
Kyoto Protocol
(2005) First international policy controlling global warming by setting greenhouse gas emissions targets for developed countries
Antarctic Treaty of 1959
One of the first multilateral environmental treaties. It forbids military activity, sets aside territorial claims for future resolution
Paris Climate Agreement
An agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change dealing with greenhouse gas emissions mitigation, adaptation and finance starting in the year 2020.
National Environmental Policy Act
(1969) Environmental Impact Statements must be done before any project affecting federal lands can be started
Environmental Impact Statement
Statement required by Federal law from all agencies for any project using Federal funds to assess the potential affect of the new construction or development on the environment.
Richard Nixon
president, 1969-1974
Environmental Protection Agency
an independent federal agency established to coordinate programs aimed at reducing pollution and protecting the environment
Privitization
individual and private group ownership of businesses/resources
regulation
government intervention in a market that affects the production/usage of a good
ecological footprint
the impact of a person or community on the environment
carbon cycle
The organic circulation of carbon from the atmosphere into organisms and back again
carbon dioxide
a colorless, odorless gas produced by burning carbon and organic compounds and by respiration. It is naturally present in air (about 0.03 percent) and is absorbed by plants in photosynthesis.
fossil fuels
formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms.
carbon sink
a forest, ocean, or other natural environment viewed in terms of its ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
carbon sequestration
an approach to stabilizing greenhouse gases by removing CO2 from the atmosphere
greenhouse effect
warming that results when solar radiation is trapped by the atmosphere
deforestation
Destruction of forests
ocean acidification
decreasing pH of ocean waters due to absorption of excess atmospheric CO2 from the burning of fossil fuels
Photosynthesis
Conversion of light energy from the sun into chemical energy.
Photosynthesis reaction
6CO2 + 6H2O + light energy --> C6H12O6 + 6O2
Glucose
A simple sugar that is an important source of energy.
Chloroplast
An organelle found in plant and algae cells where photosynthesis occurs
Stomata
Small openings on the underside of a leaf through which oxygen and carbon dioxide can move
cellular respiration
Process that releases energy by breaking down glucose and other food molecules in the presence of oxygen
Emigration
movement of individuals out of an area
Immigration
Migration to a new location
survivorship curve
Graph showing the number of survivors in different age groups for a particular species.
Population Pyramid
A bar graph representing the distribution of population by age and sex.
r-selection
Rapid-life history. Many offspring with small percentage surviving to adulthood
K-selection
few offspring, high survival rate
invasive species
plants and animals that have migrated to places where they are not native and have negative impacts
6th mass extinction
We are now considered to be in the 6th mass extinction. The sixth mass extinction is likely being caused by human-induced events which destroy species habitats.
predator-prey relationship
mechanism of population control in which a population is regulated by predation
tertiary consumer
An organism that eats secondary consumers