EVS 118

Deontological Ethics

system of decision-making that focuses on the moral principles of duty and rules

Utilitarianism

the doctrine that actions are right if they are useful or for the benefit of a majority.

Externalities

failure of markets to account for all costs and benefits of goods and services

Jevon's Paradox

a finding that efficiency gains in the use of a resource can lower the cost of that resource, which can cause consumption of the resource to rise

Wilderness Act of 1964

created the National Wilderness Preservation System and recognized wilderness as "an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain."

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)

Pollution conrol policy by which the EPA identifies and prioritzes hazardous waste sites for clean up

Biocentrism

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

Anthropocentrism

A human-centered view of our relationship with the environment.

Ecocentrism

Approach concerned with all living and non-living components of the ecosystem

cost-benefit analysis

a study that compares the costs and benefits to society of providing a public good

Legislative Branch

Makes laws

Executive Branch

Federal agencies

Judicial Branch

Makes sure laws are constitutional and enforces them

Common Law

a system of law based on precedent and customs

Statutory Law

Law passed by the U.S. Congress or state legislatures

r-strategist

reproductive strategy in which organisms reproduce early, bear many small, unprotected offspring (ex. insects, mice).

k-strategist

long life, slower growth, late maturity, fewer large offspring, high parental care, high investment in each offspring,

adaptive radiation

evolution from a common ancestor of many species adapted to diverse environments

keystone species

a species that has an unusually large effect on its ecosystem

genetic drift

random change in allele frequencies that occurs in small populations

Mutualism

A relationship between two species in which both species benefit

Commensalism

one organism benefits and the other is unaffected

Parasitism

One organism benefits and the other is harmed

Co-evolution

Process by which two species evolve in response to changes in each other

interspecific competition

competition between members of different species

intraspecific competition

competition between members of the same species

ecological niche

A specific role of a species within an ecosystem, including its use of resources, and relationships with other species.

specialist species

Species with a narrow ecological niche. They may be able to live in only one type of habitat, tolerate only a narrow range of climatic and other environmental conditions, or use only one type or a few types of food.

generalist species

species with a broad ecological niche, can live in many different places, eat a variety of foods, and tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions

resource partitioning

species in an ecosystem split up areas so they don't compete for resources

environmental determinism

the view that the natural environment has a controlling influence over various aspects of human life including cultural development-racial stereotypes perpetuated

density dependent

environmental elements that affect a populations growth rate based on density

-disease

-resource comp

-space

density independent

limiting factor that affects pop size regardless of density

-natural disaster

-climate

-pollution

provisioning services

products obtained from ecosystems

regulating services

the service provided by natural systems that provides favorable conditions for humans

supporting services

basic ecosystem processes (nutrient cycles, soil formation, pollination)

cultural services

benefits that aren't essential but enhance quality of life

edge effect

the condition in which, at ecosystem boundaries, there is greater species diversity and biological density than there is in the heart of ecological communities.

wildlife corridors

strips of protected land linking larger areas. They allow animals to move freely and safely between habitats that would otherwise be isolated by human activities.

edge effect conditions

increased sun exposure, increased predation, decreased humidity and increased wind exposure

land trusts

non-profits that purchase land to protect it

tradeable development rights

the right to develop land that is deemed of high conservation value is forfeited by the owner in exchange for a payment

payments for ecosystem services

a landowner is paid for providing specific conservation services

island biogeography

Large isolated areas have more species richness

species richness

the number of different species in a community

value chains

market value of goods plus things linked to basic production

Replacement Cost

The cost to repair or replace property using new materials of like kind and quality with no deduction for depreciation.

settlement patterns

the spatial distribution of where humans inhabit the Earth, biodiversity hotspots in the west

mortality transition

a period that occurs as access to food, clean water, and medical care improves, and the country's death rate declines

stability transition

Low birth rate and low death rate, population growth is stable.

fertility transition

population growth slows, low death rate

demographic window

a time when a country's population is dominated by people of working age

I=PAT

Impact = Population x Affluence(wealth) x Technology

youth bulge

a prolonged period of low mortality with high fertility, leading to explosive population growth and a very large population of young people

Cairo Consensus

an agreement saying that demographic and development goals could only be met when the rights and opportunities of men and women were balanced

Green Revolution

Rapid diffusion of new agricultural technology, especially new high-yield seeds and fertilizers.

technological treadmill

In order to increase profit, farmers invest in new technology to increase per-acre yields or decrease production cost; but this increases supply, which causes price drops, causing more investment

controlled experiment

An experiment in which only one variable is manipulated at a time.

convergent evolution

Process by which unrelated organisms independently evolve similarities when adapting to similar environments

carrying capacity

Largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support

species evenness

the relative proportion of different species in a given area

replacement fertility rate

the fertility rate at which the population will remain balanced, 2:1