AP Environmental Science- Chapter 1

Environment

the sum of all the conditions surrounding us that influence life

Environmental Science

the field of study that looks at interactions among human systems and those found in nature

System

any set of interacting components that influence one another by exchanging energy or materials

Ecosystem

a particular location on Earth distinguished by its mix of interacting biotic and abiotic components

Biotic

living

Abiotic

nonliving

Environmentalist

a person who participates in environmentalism, a social movement that seeks to protect the environment through lobbying, activism, and education

Environmental Studies

the field of study that include environmental science, environmental policy, economics, literature, and ethics, among others

Ecosystem Services

the process by which natural environments provide life-supporting resources

Environmental Indicators

an indicator that describes the current state of an environmental system

Sustainability

living on Earth in a way that allows humans to use to use its resources without depriving future generations of those resources

Biodiversity

the diversity of life forms in an environment

Species

a group of organisms that is distinct from other groups in its morphology, behavior, or biochemical properties

Speciation

the evolution of new species

Background Extinction Rate

the average rate at which species become extinct over the long term

Greenhouse Gases

a gas in Earth's atmosphere that traps heat near the surface

Anthropogenic

derived from human activities

Development

improvement in human well-being through economic advancement

Sustainable Development

development that balances current human well-being and economic advancement with resource management for the benefit of future generations

Biophilia

an appreciation for life

Ecological Footprint

a measure of how much an individual consumes, expressed in an area of land

Scientific Method

an objective method to explore the natural world, draw inferences from it, and predict the outcome of certain events, processes, or changes

Hypothesis

a testable theory or supposition about how something works

Null Hypothesis

a statement or idea that can be falsified, or proved wrong

Replication

the data collection procedure of taking repeated measurements

Sample Size

the number of times a measurement is replicated in the data collection process

Accuracy

how close a measured value is to the actual or true value

Precision

how close the repeated measurements of a sample are to one another

Uncertainty

an estimate of how much a measured or calculated value differs from a true value

Inductive Reasoning

the process of making general statements from specific facts or examples

Deductive Reasoning

the process of applying a general statement to specific facts or situations

Critical Thinking

the process of questioning the source of information, considering the methods used to obtain the information, and drawing conclusions; essential to all scientific endeavor.

Theory

a hypothesis that has been repeatedly tested and confirmed by multiple groups of researchers and has reached world wide acceptance

Natural Law

a theory for which there is no known exception and that has withstood rigorous testing

Control Group

in a scientific investigation , a group the experiences exactly the same conditions as the experimental group, expect for the single variable under study

Natural Experiment

a natural event that acts as an experimental treatment in an ecosystem

Environmental Justice

a social movement and field of study that focuses on equal enforcement of environmental laws and eliminating disparities in the exposure of environmental harms to different ethnic and socioeconomic groups within a society