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Environmental Value System
a set of world views that affect the way someone responds to and combats environmental issues
ecocentric
placing ecology and nature as above humanity and emphasizing the intrinsic value that ecosystems have
anthropocentric
focuses on what humans can do to combat environmental issues while still maintaining a stable society
technocentric
focuses on the way that technology can be used to combat or manage the effects of environmental problems
intrinsic
coming from internal sources
extrinsic
coming from external sources
systems
an interconnected model of flows and storages
open system
one that exchanges both energy and matter with its surroundings
closed system
one that only exchanges energy with its surroundings
isolated system
one that does not exchange either energy or matter with its surroundings
energy transfers
in which energy goes from one source to another, without changing its form
energy transformations
in which energy changes from one state or form to another
homeostasis
the regulation of an organisms internal environment, for example by controlling their body temperature
negative feedback
moves the system back towards it equilibrium
positive feedback
moves the system further away from its equilibrium
entropy
a measure of disorder, or the dispersal of energy within a system
consumer
an organism that has to rely on other organisms for food
producer
an organism that can create its own energy through internal processes
stability
the ability of a system to return to its equilibrium following a disturbance
efficiency
the amount of energy that is lost through transfers and transformations
static equilibrium
one that does not change for long periods of time
steady state equilibrium
one that does experience disturbances and small changes but does not experience drastic changes
abiotic
non-living things
biotic
living things
abiotic factors
factors unrelated to living organisms, such as weather, water and soil conditions
biotic factors
factors related to living organisms, such as interspecies competition, predator and prey relationships and mutualism
mutualism
where two organisms live in proximity to the benefit of both
EIA
environmental impacts assessment, which predicts the harm a future development can have on the ecosystem
hypoxia
a lack of oxygen
hypoxic ecosystems
ecosystems that exist underwater and have been damaged to the point of completely lacking oxygen, also called dead zones
MEA
the millennium ecosystem assessment, which looked at the effect of ecosystem disruption on human health
eutrophication
an excess of nutrients within a body of water which causes plant overgrowth
organic pollution
coming from natural sources
inorganic pollution
coming from artificial or human made sources
biological agents
contaminants that exist naturally, e.g. bacteria, human and animal waste
invasive species
organisms that unnaturally thrive in ecosystems outside their own, usually to the detriment of the ecosystem as a whole
species
a group of organisms that share common characteristics and can interbreed to produce fertile offspring
ecosystem
a group of interacting organisms and their surrounding physical environment
habitat
the environment in which a species typically exists within
niche
a set of conditions and resources that an organism responds to and interacts with
community
a group of coexisting organisms that can be from multiple species
environment
a habitat and what exists within it
predation
predator and prey interactions within an ecosystem
herbivory
interactions between herbivores and producers within an ecosystem
disease
interactions within an organisms body due to infections from viruses or bacteria
limiting factors
factors within an ecosystem that limit the growth of the populations
density dependent limiting factors
limit the growth more as the density of populations increases
density independent limiting factors
limit the growth without regard to the population density
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