Environmental Biology: Grasslands, Demographics, and Environmental Concepts (Video Notes)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the video notes on grasslands, demographics, and environmental science.

Ecology

The scientific study of organisms and their interactions with each other and their environment.

Scientific method

The orderly pursuit of knowledge using observations and experiments to test hypotheses.

Environmental advocacy

Efforts to influence attitudes and policies that benefit human health and the environment.

Demographic transition

A shift from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates as a country develops, altering population growth.

Sustainability

Living within the bounds of nature so future generations can meet their own needs.

Global population

The total number of people living on Earth today (approximately in the billions).

Per capita environmental impact

The average environmental impact per person, reflecting consumption patterns.

IPAT equation

Impact = Population × Affluence × Technology; a framework for estimating environmental impact.

Ecological footprint

A measure of the land and resources required to sustain a person’s or population’s consumption and waste.

Evidence

Data and information that support (or refute) scientific claims.

Renewable resource

A natural resource that can be replenished naturally over time.

Externalities

Costs or benefits of production/consumption not reflected in market prices and often borne by society or the environment.

Replicates

Repeated experimental trials or samples used to account for natural variability.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

U.S. federal agency established in 1970 responsible for protecting human health and the environment and enforcing regulations.

Anecdotal evidence

Evidence based on personal experiences or anecdotes rather than systematic research.

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

A detailed assessment of the environmental effects of a proposed federal action.

The New World

The Americas encountered by European explorers; described as vast wilderness in historical context.

Louis Joliet

French explorer who, with Jacques Marquette, explored the Mississippi River region around 1673.

Prairie

A grassland; in French and Quebec, a term for grasslands, sometimes described as a grassy area with scattered trees.

Tallgrass prairie

Eastern, tall-grass-dominated grassland with higher rainfall.

Mixed-grass prairie

Central grassland with a mix of tall and mid-height grasses.

Shortgrass prairie

Western, drier grassland dominated by short grasses.

Infant mortality rate

The annual number of deaths of infants under age 1 per 1,000 live births.

Total fertility rate

The average number of children born to a woman over her reproductive life.

Affluence

An adjusted measure of an individual’s consumption level, used in population impact analyses.

Birth rate

A measure of how many people are born in a country per year (per 1,000 people or similar unit).

Death rate

A measure of how many people die in a country per year (per 1,000 people or similar unit).

Growth rate

A numerical value showing how much a population is changing over time (births minus deaths, plus net migration).

High-growth country

A country whose population growth rate is much higher than that of the United States.

Population parity

A country with a population size similar to that of the United States.

Loess

Wind-blown silt sediment that forms fertile layers, soils often ideal for grasslands.

Orographic effect

Moisture changes caused by air rising over mountains, often increasing precipitation on windward slopes.

Rain shadow effect

Dry conditions on the leeward side of mountains, contributing to grassland and desert formation.

Glaciation

Geologic shaping of landscapes by glaciers during the Pleistocene.