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88 Terms
1
Biology
The study of living organisms and life processes.
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Environmental Science
The interdisciplinary study of how humans interact with the environment, combining aspects of biology, chemistry, geology, and social sciences.
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Renewable Natural Resources
Resources that can be replenished naturally over short periods, such as sunlight, wind, and water.
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Nonrenewable Natural Resources
Resources that form over geological timescales and cannot be readily replenished, such as fossil fuels, minerals, and metals.
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Ecosystem Services
Benefits provided by ecosystems that support life and human economies, including pollination, water purification, climate regulation, and nutrient cycling.
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6
Agricultural Revolution
The transition from hunting and gathering to farming, leading to population growth and permanent settlements.
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Industrial Revolution
A shift from manual labor and agrarian societies to mechanized industry, leading to technological advancements, increased fossil fuel use, and urbanization.
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Fossil Fuels
Energy sources like coal, oil, and natural gas that formed from the remains of ancient organisms.
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Ecological Footprint
The environmental impact of an individual or population based on resource use.
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Overshoot
When resource consumption exceeds Earth's capacity to regenerate those resources.
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Conservation
Sustainable use of natural resources.
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Preservation
Protection of natural resources from use.
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Natural Capital
Earth's resources and ecosystem services that sustain human life and economies.
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Sustainability
Using resources in a way that meets present needs without compromising future generations.
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Environmental Literacy
Understanding environmental issues, scientific principles, and sustainability concepts to make informed decisions.
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Tragedy of the Commons
A situation where individuals overuse a shared resource, leading to depletion.
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Independent Variable (IV)
The variable that is changed in an experiment.
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Dependent Variable (DV)
The variable that is measured in an experiment.
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Controlled Variables
Factors kept constant in an experiment.
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Experimental Group (EG)
The group exposed to the independent variable.
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Control Group (CG)
The group not exposed to the independent variable for comparison.
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Biosphere
The global sum of all ecosystems.
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Lithosphere
Earth's solid outer layer.
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Atmosphere
The layer of gases surrounding Earth.
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Hydrosphere
All water on Earth.
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Ecosystem
A system of interacting organisms (biotic factors) and their environment (abiotic factors).
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Biotic Factors
Living components (plants, animals, bacteria).
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Abiotic Factors
Non-living components (water, sunlight, soil).
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Producers
Organisms that make their own food (plants, algae).
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Consumers
Organisms that eat other organisms (herbivores, carnivores).
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Decomposers
Organisms that break down organic material (fungi, bacteria).
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Detritivores
Organisms that consume dead material (earthworms, vultures).
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Heterotroph
An organism that gets energy from eating others (consumers).
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Autotroph
An organism that makes its own energy via photosynthesis (producers).
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Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)
The total energy produced by plants.
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Net Primary Productivity (NPP)
Energy available to consumers after plants use some for respiration.
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Trophic Levels
Energy decreases by 90% as it moves up levels; only 10% is passed on.
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Biomass
The total mass of living organisms in an area.
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Positive Feedback
Amplifies changes (climate change).
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Negative Feedback
Stabilizes systems (body temperature regulation).
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First Law of Thermodynamics
Energy cannot be created or destroyed.
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Second Law of Thermodynamics
Energy transfer increases entropy (disorder).
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Source
Releases a material (CO₂ emissions).
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Sink
Absorbs a material (forests, oceans).
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Species
A group of organisms that can reproduce.
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Population
A group of the same species in an area.
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Evolution
Genetic change over generations.
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Natural Selection
Survival of the fittest.
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Extinction
The permanent loss of a species.
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Endemic Species
Species found only in one area.
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Sixth Mass Extinction
The current human-driven extinction crisis.
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Levels of Ecological Organization
Organism → Population → Community → Ecosystem → Biosphere.
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Habitat
Where an organism lives.
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Niche
The role an organism plays in the ecosystem.
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Population Growth Rate Equation
(Births - Deaths) + (Immigration - Emigration).
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Exponential Growth
J-curve; rapid population increase.
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Logistic Growth
S-curve; growth slows at carrying capacity.
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Carrying Capacity
The maximum population an environment can support.
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Density-Dependent Factors
Affected by population size (disease, food supply).
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Density-Independent Factors
Unaffected by population size (natural disasters).
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Food Chain
A single pathway of energy flow in an ecosystem.
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Food Web
Interconnected feeding relationships within an ecosystem.
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Energy Transfer
90% lost as heat at each trophic level.
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Intraspecific Competition
Competition within the same species.
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Interspecific Competition
Competition between different species.
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Mutualism
Both species benefit.
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Commensalism
One species benefits, the other is unaffected.
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Parasitism
One species benefits, the other is harmed.
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Keystone Species
A species critical for ecosystem stability (e.g., wolves in Yellowstone).
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Trophic Cascade
Changes in one trophic level affect others.
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IPAT Model
Impact = Population × Affluence × Technology.
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Pre-Industrial Stage
High birth and death rates.
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Transitional Stage
Death rates drop, birth rates remain high.
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Industrial Stage
Birth rates decline.
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Post-Industrial Stage
Low birth and death rates.
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Education and Fertility
More education leads to lower birth rates.
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Causes of Extinction
Habitat destruction, climate change, pollution, overharvesting, and invasive species.
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Background Extinction Rate
Natural, slow rate of species loss (~1 species per million per year).
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Current Extinction Rate
100–1,000 times higher due to human activities.
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Habitat Fragmentation
The division of large habitats into smaller, isolated patches.
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Edward O. Wilson
Biologist known for biodiversity and sociobiology; proposed the Theory of Island Biogeography and Half-Earth Theory.
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Biodiversity
The variety of life, including genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity.
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