SCIE 1002 Lecture 1: Environment, Resources and Ecosystems

Vocabulary flashcards covering key definitions, energy resources, ecosystem organization, and biome classifications from Lecture 1.

Environmental Science

An interdisciplinary field that includes scientific and social aspects of human impact on the world.

Environment

Everything that affects an organism during its lifetime.

Sustainable Development

Development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Resource

All the materials available in our environment which help us to satisfy our needs and wants.

Labor Resources

Human resources that contribute to satisfying human needs and wants.

Capital Resources

Technology and knowledge used as resources to satisfy human needs and wants.

Natural Resources

Materials provided by nature, classified into renewable and non-renewable categories.

Renewable Resources

Natural resources that can be formed or regenerated by natural processes.

Non-renewable Resources

Natural resources that are not replaced by natural processes and cannot be replenished in a short period of time.

Nuclear Energy

A nonrenewable resource produced through nuclear fission using uranium and other radioactive elements.

Fossil Fuels

Nonrenewable resources such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas that cannot be replenished in a short period of time.

Coal Formation

A process occurring over millions of years where giant plants in swamps died, were buried under water and dirt, and were transformed by heat and pressure into coal.

Oil and Gas Formation

A process where tiny sea plants and animals died, were buried on the ocean floor under layers of silt and sand, and were transformed by heat and pressure over millions of years.

Solar Energy

A renewable energy resource derived directly from the sun.

Wind Energy

A renewable energy resource derived from the movement of wind.

Hydroelectric Energy

A renewable energy resource generated from the flow of water.

Geothermal Energy

A renewable energy resource derived from Earth's heat, which is continuously produced inside the earth.

Biomass

Energy derived from burning organic or living matter such as plants, wood, and waste.

Biomass Feedstocks

Organic materials such as plants, wood, and waste used to produce biomass energy.

Biofuel

Fuel produced by fermenting organic matter such as sugarcane, wheat, or corn.

Ecology

The scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment.

Ecosystem

A region in which organisms and the physical environment form an interacting unit composed of biotic and abiotic factors.

Biotic Factors

Living factors that influence an ecosystem, including plant life, animal life, and microbes.

Abiotic Factors

Physical, non-living factors that influence an ecosystem, such as temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind, nutrients, and sunlight.

Biogeochemical Cycle

Any of the natural pathways by which essential elements of living matter are circulated, incorporating biological, geological, and chemical aspects.

Habitat

The area where an organism lives, providing populations of wildlife with food, water, shelter, and space.

Niche

The full range of physical and biological conditions in which an organism lives and the way in which it uses those conditions.

Biosphere

The part of Earth that contains all ecosystems, including most regions of land, water, and the atmosphere to an altitude of several kilometers.

Community

The entire array of populations of organisms inhabiting a particular ecosystem and living together in a defined area.

Population

All the individuals of a single species living in a specific area.

Organism

An individual living thing.

Organ

A body part consisting of two or more tissues that carries out a particular function.

Tissue

A group of similar cells working together.

Cell

The fundamental unit of structure and function and the smallest functional unit of life.

Organelles

Specialized structures inside a cell with specific functions.

Molecule

A union of two or more atoms of the same or different elements.

Atom

The smallest unit of matter that still retains the properties of an element.

Biome

A group of ecosystems that have the same climate and similar dominant communities.

Heinrich Walter's Scheme

A biome classification scheme based on climate as the defining factor, focusing on moisture and temperature stress across $9$ recognized zones.

Whittaker's Scheme

A biome classification scheme based on vegetation structure, plotting boundaries of vegetation types against average temperature and precipitation.