APES chapter 1 key terms

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

Ecosystem

A particular location on Earth with interacting biotic and abiotic components

Biotic

Living

Abiotic

Non living

Ecosystem services

The processes by which life supporting resources such as clean water, timber, fisheries, and agricultural crops are produced.

Environmental indicator

An indicator that describes the current state of an environmental system.

Biodiversity

The diversity of life forms in an environment

Genetic diversity

A measure of the genetic variation among individuals in a population

Species

A group of organisms that is distinct from other groups in its morphology (body form and structure), behavior, or biochemical properties

Species diversity

The number of species in a region or in a particular ecosystem.

Speciation

The evolution of new species

Background extinction rate

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

Greenhouse gases

Gases in Earths atmosphere that trap heat near the surface

Anthropogenic

Derived from human activities

Per capita

Amount per each person in a country or unit of population

Development

Improvement in human well-being through economic advancement

Sustainability

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

Biophilia

Love of life

Ecological footprint

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

Control group

In a scientific investigation, a group that experiences exactly the same conditions as the experimental group, except for the singl variable under study

Accuracy

How close a measured value is to the actual or true vaule

Terrestrial

of, on or relating to Earth; land based