Sustainability Unit Test

Earth conditions that support life

Earth supports life because it has liquid water, a stable temperature range, energy from the Sun, and cycles that recycle nutrients (like carbon and nitrogen cycles)

Availability of resources

Resources like freshwater, fossil fuels, soil, and food are limited and unevenly distributed, so they can become scarce when overused

How humans interrupt Earth systems

Humans disrupt Earth systems through pollution, habitat destruction, overharvesting, burning fossil fuels, and introducing invasive species

How humans can adapt for sustainability

Humans can use renewable energy, reduce waste, protect ecosystems, recycle nutrients, and manage resources responsibly

Resource

Anything from Earth that humans use to meet needs (energy, materials, food, water)

Sustainability

Using resources at a rate that does not deplete them for future generations

Renewable Resource

A resource that naturally replenishes within a human lifetime

Nonrenewable Resource

A resource that forms over millions of years and cannot be replaced quickly

Fossil Fuels

Energy sources formed from dead organisms under heat and pressure over millions of years (coal, oil, natural gas)

Coal formation

Coal forms from ancient plant material buried and compressed over millions of years

Oil formation

Oil forms from microscopic marine organisms buried under sediments and pressure

Natural gas formation

Natural gas forms alongside oil from decomposed organic matter under heat and pressure

Why fossil fuels are nonrenewable

They take millions of years to form but are consumed in decades

Solar energy

Energy from sunlight used directly or indirectly by humans

Wind energy

Energy generated by moving air

Mineral resources

Naturally occurring inorganic materials extracted from Earth

Open-pit mining

Mining method that removes large surface layers of soil and rock

Mountain-top removal

Mining that removes entire mountaintops to access minerals

Vertical shaft mining

Deep underground mining using vertical tunnels

Reclamation

Restoring land after mining by rebuilding soil and ecosystems

Environmental impacts of mining

Habitat destruction, water pollution, soil erosion, and human health risks

Tragedy of the Commons

When individuals use a shared resource selfishly, causing it to become depleted for everyone

Real-world example

Overfishing, deforestation, pollution of shared land or water

Why it happens

People benefit individually from using more, but damage is shared by everyone

Soil

A mixture of organic matter, minerals, air, and water that supports plant life

Sand

Large soil particles that drain water quickly

Silt

Medium particles that hold moderate water and nutrients

Clay

Very small particles that hold water tightly

Loam

Best soil type because it has a balanced mix of sand, silt, and clay

Fertil soil

Soil that is rich in nutrients and supports strong plant growth

Compost

Decomposed organic matter added to soil to increase nutrients

Soil fertility

Ability of soil to support healthy plant growth

What affects soil formation

Climate, organisms, parent material, topography, and time

Dust Bowl

1930s disaster caused by drought and poor farming that led to massive soil erosion

Deforestation

Cutting down large areas of forest, reducing biodiversity and increasing erosion

Logging

Cutting trees for wood and paper products

Agroecology

Farming that works with natural ecosystems instead of against them

Sustainable farming

Farming that maintains soil nutrients and productivity over time

Unsustainable farming

Farming that depletes soil nutrients and damages ecosystems

Sustainable logging

Harvesting trees while replanting and maintaining forest ecosystems

Overharvesting

Using natural resources faster than they can recover

Population

A group of individuals of the same species in one area

Abiotic factors

Non-living parts of an ecosystem (temperature, water, sunlight)

Biotic factors

Living parts of an ecosystem (predators, food, disease)

Carrying capacity

The maximum population an environment can support long-term

Limiting factors

Anything that restricts population growth

Density-dependent factors

Limiting factors that increase as population increases (disease, competition, food shortage)

Density-independent factors

Events that affect populations regardless of size (storms, fires, droughts)

Exponential growth

Population grows rapidly without limits

Logistic growth

Population growth that slows and levels off at carrying capacity

J-curve

Graph showing exponential growth

S-curve

Graph showing logistic growth

Boom and bust

Rapid population increase followed by sudden collapse

Food chain

A linear sequence of energy transfer from one organism to another

Food web

A network of interconnected food chains

Trophic level

Position an organism occupies in a food chain

10% rule

Only about 10% of energy transfers from one trophic level to the next

Biomagnification

Increase in toxin concentration as it moves up the food chain

Generalist species

Species that can live in many environments and eat many foods

Specialist species

Species that depend on a specific environment or food source

Niche

The role and job of an organism in its ecosystem

R-selected species

Species that produce many offspring with low survival rates

K-selected species

Species that produce fewer offspring with high parental care

Survivorship curve

Graph showing survival rates of a species over time

Population pyramid

Graph showing age and gender distribution of a population

Restricted growth

Population growth limited by environmental factors

Unrestricted growth

Population growth without limiting factors

Human population

Total number of humans in a given area or globally

Birth rate

Number of births per population over time

Death rate

Number of deaths per population over time

Demographic transition model

Model showing how populations move from high birth/death rates to low birth/death rates

Rapid growth stage

Death rate drops but birth rate stays high, causing population increase

Slow growth stage

Birth and death rates are both low and stable

Negative growth stage

Death rate is higher than birth rate, causing population decline

Technological innovation

Advances like farming, medicine, and industry that increase population size

Education and population

Higher education levels (especially for women) tend to lower birth rates

Human ecological footprint

Amount of natural resources a person uses

Biodiversity

Variety of living organisms in an ecosystem

Ecosystem services

Benefits humans get from ecosystems (clean water, air, pollination, soil formation)

HIPPO

Habitat loss, Invasive species, Pollution, Population growth, Overharvesting

Habitat loss

Destruction of natural environments

Invasive species

Non-native species that harm ecosystems

Pollution

Harmful substances entering the environment

Anthropocene

Current geological era where humans significantly impact Earth

Great Green Wall

Project in Africa to stop desertification by planting trees

Mitigation

Actions taken to reduce environmental damage or impact

Montreal Protocol

International agreement that reduced chemicals harming the ozone layer

Ozone layer

Layer in the atmosphere that protects Earth from harmful UV radiation

Nitrogen cycle

Movement of nitrogen between the atmosphere, soil, and living things

Primary succession

Ecosystem development in an area with no soil (like after lava flow)

Secondary succession

Ecosystem recovery where soil already exists (like after fire)

Restoration ecology

Science of restoring damaged ecosystems

Mangrove

Coastal trees that protect shorelines and support biodiversity

Keystone species

Species that has a large impact on its ecosystem relative to its population size