ENS FINAL

Nutrient Cycling

The circulation of chemicals or nutrients needed to sustain life from the environment through various organisms back to the environment

Natural Capital

Natural resources and ecosystem services that keep humans and other species alive that support human economies

Solar Energy

The suns energy warms the planet and provides energy that plants use to produce nutrients

Native Species

Normally live and thrive in a particular ecosystem

Non-Native Species

Species that migrate into an ecosystem or are deliberately/ accidentally introduced into an ecosystem by humans

Invasive Species

non-native species that spread rapidly and cause ecological, economic, or environmental harm in its introduced range

Indicatory Species

Species that provide early warnings of change in environmental conditions in an ecosystem

Keystone Species

species that plays roles affecting many other organism and ecosystem

Organism

one individual or living thing

Population

a group of organisms living in the same area

Community

All different populations living and interacting with each other and in non-living environment

Ecosystem

A community of organisms interacting with each other and with non-living environment

Biosphere

All ecosystems on earth the part of the Earth where life exists

Planetary Management

humans are separate from and in charge of nature and that we should manage the earth for benefit of human

Range of Tolerance

It is a range of variations in its physical and chemical environment within which it is most likely to survive

Stewardship

humans are separate from and in charge of nature and that we should manage the earth for benefit of human

Environmental Wisdom

we are part of and live within nature

Limiting Factor

environment condition the restricts population growth

Commons

refers to any shared, open-access natural resource

Open-Access Resource

are not owned by anyone and can be used by almost anyone

Tragedy of the Commons

defined as a cumulative degradation or depletion of a shared, open-access renewable resource that occurs when individuals act in their own short-term self-interest.

Ecological Footprint

a rough measure of the total environmental impacts of individuals, cities, and countries on the earth’s natural resources, natural capital, and life-support system

Per Capita Ecological Footprint

is the average ecological footprint of an individual in a given population or defined area

Biocapacity

the ability of an area’s ecosystems to regenerate the renewable resources used by a population, city, region, country, or the world, and to absorb the resulting wastes and pollution

Ecological Deficit

If the total ecological footprint is larger than its biocapacity

Ecological Reserve

a situation in which a country or region's biocapacity—its capacity to regenerate renewable resources and absorb the resulting waste—exceeds its total ecological footprint

Affluence

the high level of resource consumption per person that results from having a high average income or wealth

Habitat

which is the place, or type of ecosystem, in which a species lives and obtains what it needs to survive

Ecological Niche (niche)

way of life in its ecosystem and includes everything that affects its survival and reproduction, such as how much water and sunlight it needs, how much space it requires, what it feeds on, what feeds on it, how and when it reproduces, and the temperatures and other conditions it can tolerate.

Biodiversity

the variety of life on the earth

Species Diversity

the number and abundance of the different kinds of species living in an ecosystem

Ecosystem Diversity

refers to the earth’s diversity of biological communities such as deserts, grasslands, forests, mountains, oceans, lakes, rivers, and wetlands

Density dependent factor

are variables that become more important as a population’s density increases.

Parasitism

occurs when one species (the parasite) lives in or on another organism (the host)

Carrying Capacity

he maximum population of a given species that a particular habitat can sustain indefinitely

Overshoot

he temporary exceeding of an ecosystem's carrying capacity by a population

Population Crash

the population suffers a sharp decline

Fertility Rates

Total fertility rate and replacement-level fertility rate

Total Fertility Rate

the average number of children born to the women of childbearing age in a population

Age Structure

numbers or percentages of males and females in young, middle, and older age groups in that population

Producer

 are organisms that make their own food using energy from their environment 

Decomposer

break down dead organisms and wastes into simpler nutrients 

Detritivore

feed directly on dead organic material and wastes