GY 100 exam 1

Competiton

Predation

when an individual of one species feeds directly on another plant or animal species

coevolution

• result of predation

• when populations of two different species interact over a long period of time, changes in the gene pool of one species leads to changes in the other

Parasitism

when one species feeds on the body of the host

Mutualism

when both species benefit from the interaction

Commensalism

one species benefits the other has a neutral outcome

Ecological succession

the normal, gradual change in species composition in a given geographic area

Primary ecological succession

the gradual establishment of biotic communities in lifeless areas where there is no soil in a terrestrial ecosystem or no bottom sediment in an aquatic system

Secondary ecological succession

• where communities have been disturbed, removed, or destroyed but retain some soil/bottom sediments

• always occurring

Sustainability

the ability of ecosystems to survive, flourish, and adapt

3 factors to sustainability

1. Solar energy

2. Biodiversity

3. Chemical cycling

Environment

everything around us, living and nonliving

Ecosystem

group of organisms in a defined geographic area that interact with each other and their environment

Environmentalism

a social movement dedicated to sustaining the Earth’s life supporting system

Goals of environmental science

• To learn how life on the Earth has survived and thrived

• To understand how we interact with the environment 

• To find ways to deal with environmental problems and live more sustainably 

Six principles of environmental science 

1. Dependence on solar E

2. Biodiversity 

3. Chemical cycling- interdependence

4. Politics 

5. Economics

6. Ethics

Natural resource

are useful/essential materials and energy provided by nature, readily available, can require tech to access

Inexhaustible resources

perpetually available and expected to last

Renewable resources

replenished by natural processes within their sustainable yield

Nonrenewable/exhaustible resources

available in fixed quantities that can be renewed but only through long-term geologic processes 

Ecological Footprints

the amount of water and land needed to supply a population or geographic area with renewable resources, as well as the ability to absorb/recycle wastes and pollution produced by resource usage 

ecological deficit

occurs when the ecological footprint is larger than the biological capacity to replenish resources and absorb wastes/pollution

Impact (I) =

Population (P)  x Affluence (A) x Tech (T)

Three major cultural changes

1. Agricultural revolution (had the biggest impact)

2. Industrial revolution 

3. Information-globalization revolution

Human-centered world view

utilitarian, human first

Life-centered world view

all species have intrinsic value regardless of utility to humans

Earth-centered world view

humans are part of nature, all have value

Natural capital

natural resources and ecosystem services

Ecosystem services

free natural services provided by healthy ecosystems

What are the four steps of scientific critical thinking?

1. Be skeptical about what you read or hear 

2. Look at the evidence and evaluate it 

3. Be open to many viewpoints and evaluate each

4. Identify and evaluate your personal assumptions, be sure to distinguish facts from opinions

Scientific Laws

a well test and widely accepted description of events or actions of nature that are repeatable, cannot be broken except by discovering new data that leads to changes

Reliable science

data, hypothesis, models, theories, and laws 

Unreliable science

science that has not been rigorously reviewed or has been discarded during the review

Tentative science

not widely tested or accepted, where new science begins

Atoms

most basic building block of matter

Molecules 

atoms bonded together

Ions

a atom or molecule with a net electric charge

<7

acidic

>7

basic

Genes

units of heredity made of DNA

Chromosome

DNA molecule made up of genes 

Nuclear change

a reaction that involves the nucleus of an atom, causing it to transform into the nucleus of a different element