Environmental Science Review Flashcards

Flashcards covering vocabulary terms from Unit 1 to Unit 9. Focuses on ecosystems, biodiversity, populations, earth systems, land and water use, energy resources, pollution, and human impacts.

Predator

An organism that eats another organism (the prey).

Symbiosis

A close and long-term interaction between two species in an ecosystem.

Resource partitioning

Using resources in different ways, places, or at different times to reduce competition.

Food web

A model that depicts the flow of energy and nutrients in two or more food chains.

Primary productivity

The rate at which solar energy is converted into organic compounds via photosynthesis.

Gross primary productivity (GPP)

The total rate of photosynthesis in a given area.

Net primary productivity (NPP)

The rate of energy storage by photosynthesizers after subtracting energy lost to respiration.

10% rule

Approximates that only about 10% of the energy is passed on to the next trophic level.

Carbon cycle

The movement of molecules containing carbon between sources & sinks.

Sinks

Places where carbon gets stored.

Nitrogen fixation

The process in which atmospheric nitrogen is converted by bacteria into a usable form for plants.

Phosphorus cycle

The movement of molecules containing phosphorus between sources and sinks.

Hydrologic cycle

The movement of water in solid, liquid, and gaseous forms between sources and sinks, powered by the sun.

Biome

A biome contains characteristic communities of plants and animals that result from, and are adapted to, its climate.

Biodiversity

Biodiversity in an ecosystem includes genetic, species, and habitat diversity.

Species richness

Refers to the number of different species found in an ecosystem.

Adaptation

Organisms adapt to their environment over time, in both short- and long term scales, via incremental changes at the genetic level.

Specialist species

Tend to be advantaged in habitats that remain constant.

Generalist species

Tend to be advantaged in habitats that are changing.

Island biogeography

The study of the ecological relationships and distribution of organisms on islands.

K-selected species

Tend to be large, have few offspring, live in stable environments, and have long life spans.

r-selected species

Tend to be small, have many offspring, mature early, and have short life spans.

Biotic potential

Refers to the maximum reproductive rate of a population in ideal conditions.

Ecological tolerance

Refers to the range of conditions an organism can endure before injury or death results.

Ecosystem services

Categories of ecosystem services: provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting.

Ecological succession

The gradual change of species diversity, usually after a disturbance.

Keystone Species

A species whose activities have a particularly significant role in determining community structure.

Indicator Species

A plant or animal that indicates certain characteristics or qualities of an ecosystem.

Pioneer Species

The first species to move into an unoccupied habitat during succession.

Ecological footprint

Compares resource demands and waste production required for an individual or society.

Sustainability

Living on Earth and using resources without depletion for future generations.

Sustainable yield

The amount of a renewable resource that can be taken without reducing available supply.

Carrying Capacity

When a population exceeds its carrying capacity, overshoot occurs.

Survivorship curve

A line that displays the relative survival rates of a cohort from birth to maximum age.

Age structure diagram

Displays and helps interpret population growth rates from age structure.

Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

Affected by the age at which females have their first child, educational opportunities, access to family planning, and government policies.

Demographic transition

Refers to the transition from high to lower birth and death rates as development occurs.

Plate tectonics

Describes the large-scale motion of plates of the Earth's lithosphere.

Convergent boundaries

When two plates collide.

Divergent boundaries

Can result in seafloor spreading, rift valleys, volcanoes and earthquakes.

Transform boundaries

Are formed when two plates are sliding past one another.

Soils

Formed when parent material is weathered and eroded; organic material decomposes & adds nutrients

Water holding capacity

The amount of water soil can hold which varies with different soil types.

Soil texture triangle

Soil texture diagram that allows for the identification and comparison of soil types.

Watershed

An area of land that drains all the streams and precipitation to a common outlet.

Rain shadow

A region of land that has become drier because a higher elevation area blocks precipitation.

Incoming solar radiation (insolation)

The Earth’s main source of energy and is dependent on season and latitude.

Coriolis effect

Is because the earth is spinning, although winds are traveling in a straight line, they seem to deflect or change direction.

El Niño and La Niña

Phenomena associated with changing ocean surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean.

Tragedy of the Commons

Individuals will use shared resources in their own self-interest, depleting the resource.

The Green Revolution

A shift to new agricultural strategies and practices to increase food production.

Waterlogging

Occurs when too much water is left to sit in the soil, raising the water table.

Salinization

Occurs when salts in groundwater remain in the soil after the water evaporates.

Furrow irrigation

Involves cutting furrows between crop rows and filling them with water.

Flood irrigation

Involves flooding an agricultural field with water.

Spray irrigation

Involves pumping groundwater into spray nozzles across an agricultural field.

Drip irrigation

Uses perforated hoses to release small amounts of water to plant roots.

Pest control

Decreases crop damage by pests and increases crop yields.

Free range grazing

Animals graze on grass during their entire lifecycle for meat production.

Overgrazing

Occurs when too many animals feed on a particular area of land.

Desertification

The degradation of low precipitation regions toward being increasingly arid.

Overfishing

The extreme scarcity of some fish species due to fishing which lessen biodiversity in aquatic systems .

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

A combination of methods used to effectively control species and minimize disruption to the environmen.

Soil conservation

To prevent soil erosion.

Rotational grazing

Regular rotation of livestock between different pastures in order to avoid overgrazing.

Aquaculture

Is highly efficient, requires only small areas of water, and requires little fuel.

Prescribed burn

Setting forests on fire under controlled conditions to reduce the occurrence of natural fires.

Clearcutting

Can be economically advantageous but leads to environmental issues.

Nonrenewable energy sources

Those that exist in a fixed amount and involve energy transformation that cannot be easily replaced.

Renewable energy sources

Those that can be replenished naturally, at or near the rate of consumption, and reused.

Cogeneration

A fuel source is used to generate both useful heat and electricity.

Combustion of fossil fuels

A chemical reaction between the fuel and oxygen that yields carbon dioxide and water and releases energy.

Hydraulic fracturing (fracking)

Can cause groundwater contamination and the release of volatile organic compounds.

Nuclear fission

Atoms of uranium-235 are split into smaller parts after being struck by a neutron.

Burning of biomass

Burning that produces heat for energy at a relatively low cost, but also produces pollutants.

Photovoltaic solar cells

Capture light energy from the sun and transform it directly into electrical energy.

Active solar energy systems

Use solar energy to hear a liquid through mechanical and electrical equipment.

Passive solar energy systems

Absorb heat directly from the sun but without the use of mechanical and electric equipment.

Hydroelectric power

Collects water in reservoirs using dams built across rivers.

Geothermal energy

Using the heat stored in the Earth’s interior to heat up the water.

Hydrogen fuel cells

An alternate to non-renewable fuel sources. It use hydrogen as fuel & release energy (electricity) as water.

Wind turbines

Use the kinetic energy of moving air to spin a turbine.

Carbon monoxide

Classified as an asphyxiant.

Thermal inversion

The alteration in temperature that traps pollution close to the ground.

Acid rain/deposition

Due to nitrogen oxides & sulfur oxides from anthropogenic & natural sources.

Photochemical smog

Formed when nitrogen oxides and VOCs react with heat and sunlight.

Catalytic converter

Air pollution control device for internal combustion engines that converts pollutants into less harmful molecules.

Vapor recovery nozzle

An air pollution control device on a gasoline pump that prevents fumes from escaping.

Wet and dry scrubbers

Air pollution control devices that remove harmful particulates and/or gases from industrial exhaust streams.

Stratospheric ozone depletion

Caused by anthropogenic factors, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and natural factors.

Noise pollution

Sound at levels high enough to cause physiological stress & hearing loss

Infectious diseases

Contagious diseases caused by a pathogen that can be spread through a vector.

Point source

A single, identifiable source of a pollutant.

Nonpoint sources

Diffuse and difficult to identify.

Eutrophication

The increase in nutrients in aquatic environments.

Eutrophication

Can lead to an algal bloom. When the algal bloom dies, microbes digest the algae, along with the oxygen in the water.

Hypoxic waterways

Those bodies of water that are low in dissolved oxygen.

Oceanic dead zones

Are areas of low oxygen in the world’s oceans caused by nutrient pollution.

Thermal pollution

Occurs when heat released into the water produces negative effects to the organisms.

Bioaccumulation

The absorption and concentration of certain elements or compounds.