Environmental Science Exam #2 Study Guide

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from Environmental Science Exam #2, including the greenhouse effect, biomes, population dynamics, ecological relationships, succession, and marine systems.

Greenhouse effect

A natural process critical to life on Earth where greenhouse gases ($CO_2$, $CH_4$, $N_2O$, and water vapor) trap heat emitted by Earth, maintaining a habitable temperature.

Global warming

The specific rise in average global temperatures, driven by human activities such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation that intensify the greenhouse effect.

Climate change

The broader set of shifts in climate variables across the planet, including changes in precipitation, storm patterns, and temperature over time.

Weather

Short-term atmospheric conditions over periods of hours to days, encompassing temperature, humidity, and precipitation.

Climate

The long-term patterns of atmospheric conditions and weather in a region observed over decades or centuries.

Biome

A large geographic area characterized by a similar climate and distinctive types of organisms, primarily determined by temperature and precipitation.

Coral bleaching

A stress response in coral reefs triggered by increases in water temperature, threatening ecosystems that protect coastlines and serve as marine nurseries.

Demographic transition model

A model that illustrates how human populations change in birth and death rates as countries undergo economic and social development across four stages.

Stage 1 (Demographic Transition)

The demographic stage marked by high birth rates and high death rates, resulting in a stable population size.

Stage 2 (Demographic Transition)

The demographic stage where death rates decline while birth rates remain elevated, causing rapid population growth.

Stage 3 (Demographic Transition)

The demographic stage where birth rates begin to decline, leading to a slowing of overall population growth.

Stage 4 (Demographic Transition)

The demographic stage characterized by low birth rates and low death rates, leading to a stable or declining population.

Replacement rate

A total fertility rate (TFR) value of approximately $2.1$ children per woman, below which a population ceases to grow without immigration.

Interspecific competition

An ecological interaction where members of different species compete against each other for shared, limited resources.

Predation

A community relationship in which an individual of one species captures and consumes an individual of another species.

Parasitism

A symbiotic relationship in which one organism benefits by deriving nutrients or shelter at the direct expense of another.

Mutualism

A symbiotic interaction that benefits both participating species, such as bees and flowers or photosynthetic algae and coral polyps.

Coevolution

The reciprocal evolutionary changes brought about by sustained, long-term interactions between two species, such as bats and moths.

Resource partitioning

The evolutionary divergence of traits that allows competing species to utilize different resources or niches to reduce direct competition (e.g., specialized honeycreeper beaks).

Primary succession

Ecological succession that begins in barren environments lacking soil, such as exposed bare rock after glacial retreat or newly cooled volcanic lava.

Secondary succession

Ecological succession that occurs in areas where a disturbance has destroyed an existing community but the underlying soil remains intact, such as after a forest fire.

R-selected species

Organisms that reproduce rapidly by producing many offspring while investing little parental care, characteristic of bacteria and algae.

K-selected species

Organisms characterized by slow population growth, producing few offspring, and providing high levels of parental investment, such as whales and elephants.

Keystone species

A species that exerts a disproportionately large impact on its surrounding community structure relative to its abundance, such as sea otters maintaining kelp forests by consuming sea urchins.

Wizards vs. Prophets

Charles Mann's categorization of technological approaches to sustainability: "Wizards" advocate that technology and innovation will solve environmental problems, while "Prophets" argue that population control and reduced consumption are necessary.

Abyssal zones

Deep marine ecosystems devoid of sunlight where organisms survive by relying on organic matter and nutrients falling from the upper water column.

Ocean acidification

The decrease in ocean pH caused by the absorption of excess atmospheric $CO_2$, which compromises the ability of marine organisms to build and maintain shells.