Studied by 2 people
what is environmental science
the systematic study of our environment as well as our proper role in it
what is the environment
the conditions that surround an organism or group of organisms
what is an example of natural landscape
climate, soil, water supply, mineral resources
what is the focus of environmental science
understanding and resolving environmental problems humans have created
what is the human population (a number)
>8.1 billion
what is the pragmatic/utilitarian resource conservation
think about what can sustain the greatest good, for the greatest number of people, for the longest time
aimed to prevent a shortage
who lead the pragmatic resource conservation idea
gillford pinchot
what was george perkins marsh’s book name
man and nature
who did george perkins marsh inspire
theodore roosevelt and his conservation advisor gillford pinchot
what are examples of cultural landscape
language, religion, agricultural patterns, food, music, etc.
who is john muir
president of the sierra club
what did john muir believe
believed in biocentric preservation
opposed pinchots, argued why men shouldn’t value himself more than creation, we are all one unit of creation
what is biocentric preservation
opposed pinchot; why should men value himself more than creation, we are all one unit of creation
What did Teddy Roosevelt believe in and what did he do
biocentric preservation and pragmatic resource conservation
national forests and parks
who is aldo leopold
student of pinchots
wrote the land ethic
what did the land ethic by aldo leopold say
it said we abuse the land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us
what changed after WW2
population growth
military technology turned civilian
public concerned about contamination
-used the word environmentalism
when did people first use the word environmentalism
after WW2
what did rachel carson do
awakened the public to environmental threat posed by pesticides in her book silent spring
what is rachel carsons book called
silent spring
what is the goal of sustainable development
meet present needs and preserve for the future
what was the moment that global awareness and international efforts started
1968: apollo 8, first photo of earth
what were the four distinct stages
1) pragmatic resource conservation
2) moral and aesthetic nature preservation
3) concern about health and ecological damage “environmentalism”
4) global environmental citizenship “sustainable development”
what were the four stage (important terms) and their main goals
1) resource conservation: economic and practical
2) nature preservation: biocentric and aesthetic
3) environmentalism: chemical and legal
4) sustainable development: global and social
what is sustainable development
meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
what are renewable resources
freshwater, plant, timber, animals; things that can regenerate
how can resources be sustainably removed
if they are removed at a slower rate than they are replaced
how are resources unsustainablely removed
if they are removed more rapidly than they are replaced
what are nonrenewable resources
things that do not grow back; minerals, fossil fuel, metal
what is ethics
concerned with what actions are right or wrong
what is environmental ethics
moral obligations to the world around us
what are world views
sets of basic beliefs, images, and understandings that shape how we see the world around us, determine valid questions
what is moral extensionism
extending moral values to others
what is value
a measure of worth of something
what is inherent value
intrinsic right to exist or innate worth
what is instrumental value
items of life forms have worth only because they are of use to or valued by another person
what is stewardship
taking care of the resources we have temporary control over
religious traditions calls for both_______
environmental stewardship and human domination over nature in most religions
what is environmental justice
combines civil with environmental protection to demand a safe and healthy environment for everyone
what is science
a process for producing knowledge methodically and logically
what is a hypothesis, what is the plural
testable explanation, a question to test
hypotheses
what is a theory
a description or explanation that is supported by a large number of tests
supported by facts
what is probability
how likely something is to happen
what is a natural experiment
involves observation of events that have already happened
what is a manipulative experiment
conditions are deliberately altered for one variable and other variables are held constant
what is a controlled study
comparing a treatment group to a control group which has not relived the treatment
what is a blind experiment
researcher does not know which group has been treated until after the data has been analyzed
what is a double-blind expirement
neither the subject nor the researcher knows who is in the treatment group
in each study group there is one ___ and one or more ______
dependent variable
independent variable
what is a model
a simple representation of phenomena, allows scientists to study complex systems
what is a system
a network of interdependent components and processes with materials and energy flowing from one component to another
what is a closed system
self contained, exchanges no matter or energy with outside
what is an open system
exchanges matter and energy from surroundings
what is a throughput
the energy and matter that flow into, through, and out of a system
what is a positive feedback loop
self perpetuating, as an increase in a level leads to further increases; fire
what is a negative feedback loop
suppresses change within a system, helps maintain stability in systems, use up all available oxygen
what is equilibrium
dynamic state in which system is stable over time
what is a disturbance
periodic destructive events such as fire or flood
what is resilience
ability of system to recover quickly from disturbance
what is a state shift
a severe disturbance in which the system does not return to normal but results in significant changes
what is a scientific consensus
(general agreement among informed scholars) stems from a community of scientist who collaborate in a cumulative, self correcting process
what is a paradigm shift
(great challenges in explanatory frameworks) occur when a majority of scientists agree that an old explanation no longer works as well as a new one
what is a species
all organisms of the same kind that are genetically similar enough to breed in nature and produce fertile offspring
what is a population
all members of a species living in a given area at the same time
what is a biological community
all populations of organisms living and interacting in a particular area
what is an ecosystem
the biological community and its physical environment ( water, climate, etc)
what are producers
photosynthesizers like plants
what is productivity
the amount of biomass produced in a given area in a given period of time
what is photosynthesis called primary productivity
because it is basic to all other growth in an ecosystem
what is secondary productivity
manufacture of biomass by organisms that eat plants
what is a food chain
linked feeding series
what is a food web
interconnected food chains, as must consumers have multiple food sources
what is trophic level
an organism’s feeding status on the food web
food web: what are plants
producers
food web: what are animals
consumers
food web: what are herbivores
primary consumers
food web: what are carnivores/ omnivores
secondary consumers
food web: what are decomposers/scavenger/detritivores
recycle dead bodies / waste
what is the second law of thermodynamics
energy is lost at each level
what is the 10% rule
100 kg clover
10kg rabbit
10kg fox
10% energy conversion
10% added to next level
90% lost from one level to the next
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Flashcard (93)