Looks like no one added any tags here yet for you.
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
nonliving
environmentlism
a social movement that seeks to protect the environment through lobbying, activism, and education
environmental studies
the field of study that includes environmental science and additional subjects such as environmental policy, economics, literature, and ethics
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, behavior, or biochemical properties
species diversity
the number of species in a region or in a particular ecosystem
speciation
the evolution of a new species
background extinction rate
the average rate at which species become extinct over the long term
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
sustainable development
development that balances current human well being and economic advancement with resource management for the benefit of future generations
biophilia
love of life
ecological footprint
a measure of how much an individual consumes, expressed in 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 prediction about how something works
variable
any categories, conditions, factors, or traits that differ in the natural world orin experimental situations
independent variable
a variable that is not dependent on other factors
dependent variable
a variable that is dependent on other factors
null hypothesis
a prediction that there is no difference between the groups or conditions that are being compared
replication
the data collection procedure of taking repeated measurements
sample size (n)
the number of times a measurement is replicated in data collection
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
theory
a hypothesis that has been repeatedly tested and confirmed by multiple groups of researchers and that reached wide acceptance
biosphere
where all life resides on planet earth
producer/ autotroph
an organism that uses the energy of the sun to produce usable forms of energy
photosynthesis
the process by which producers use solar energy to convert CO2 and water into glucose
cellular respiration
the process by which cells unlock the energy of chemical compounds
aerobic respiration
the process by which cells convert glucose and oxygen into energy, carbon dioxide, and water
anaerobic respiration
the process by which cells convert glucose into energy in the absence of oxygen
consumer/ heterotroph
an organism that is incapable of photosynthesis and must obtain energy by consuming other organisms
herbivore/ primary consumer
a consumer that eats producers
carnivore
a consumer that eats other consumers
secondary consumer
a carnivore that eats primary consumers
tertiary consumer
a carnivore that eats secondary consumers
trophic levels
the successive levels or organisms consuming one another
food chain
the sequence of consumption from producers through tertiary consumers
food web
a complex model of how energy and matter move between trophic levels
scavenger
an organism that consumes dead animals
detritivore
an organism that specializes in breaking down dead tissues and waste products into smaller particles
decomposers
fungi and bacteria that convert organic matter into smaller elements and molecules that can be recycled back into the ecosystem
GPP (gross primary productivity)
the total amount of solar energy that producers in an ecosystem capture via photosynthesis over a given amount of time
NPP (net primary productivity)
the energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy producers respire
biomass
the total mass of all living matter in a specific area
standing crop
the amount of biomass present in an ecosystem at a particular time
ecological efficiency
the proportion of consumed energy that can be passed from one trophic level to another
trophic pyramid
a representation of the distribution of biomass, numbers, or energy among trophic levels
biogeochemical cycle
the movements of matter within and between ecosystems
hydrologic cycle
the movement of water through the biosphere
transpiration
the release of water from leaves during photosynthesis
evapotranspiration
the combined amount of evaporation and transpiration
runoff
water that moves across the land surface and into streams and river
carbon cycle
the movement of carbon around the biosphere
macronutrient
one of six key elements that organisms need in relatively large amounts: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur
limiting nutient
a nutrient required for the growth of an organism but available in a lower quantity then other nutrients
nitrogen cycle
the movement of nitrogen around the biosphere
nitrogen fixation
the process that converts nitrogen gas in the atmosphere (N2) into forms of nitrogen that producers can use
nitrification
the conversion of ammonia (NH4+) into nitrite (NO2-) and then into nitrate (NO3-)
assimilation
the process by which producers incorporate elements into their tissues
mineralization
the process by which fungal and bacterial decomposers break down the organic matter found in daed bodies and waste products and convert it into inorganic compounds
ammonification
the process by. which fungal and bacterial decomposers break down the organic nitrogen found in daed bodies and waste products and convert it into inorganic ammonium (NH4+)
denitrification
the conversion of nitrate (NO3-) in a series of steps into the gases nitrous oxide (N2O) and nitrogen gas (N2), which is emitted into the atmosphere
leaching
the transportation of dissolved molecules through the soil via groundwater
phosphorous cycle
the movement of phosphorous around the biosphere
algal bloom
a rapid increase in the algalpopulation of a waterway
hypoxic
low in oxygen
dead zone
when oxygen concentrations become so low that it kills fish and other aquatic animals
sulfur cycle
the movement of cycle around the biosphere
disturbance
an event caused by physical, chemical, or biological agents that results in population size or community composition changes
resistance
a measure of how much disturbance can affect flows of energy and matter in an ecosystem
resilience
the rate at which an ecosystem returns to its original state after a disturbance
restoration ecology
the study and implementation of restoring damaged ecosystem
watershed
all land in a given landscape that drains into a particular stream, river, lake, or wetland
intermediate disturbance hypothesis
the hypothesis that ecosystems experiencing intermediate levels of disturbance are more diverse than those with high or low disturbance levels
fossil fuel
a fuel derived from biologicall material that became fossilized millions of years ago
fracking
hydraulic fracturing, a method of oil and gas extraction that uses high pressure fluids to force open rocks deep underground
greenhouse gases
gases in earths atmosphere that trap heat near the surface
control group
a group that experiences the exact conditions as the experimental group, except for the single variable under study
natural experiment
a natural event that acts as an experimental treatment in an ecosystem
climate
the average weather the occurs in a given region over a long period of time
weather
the short term conditions of the atmosphere in a local area. includes: temperature, humidity, clouds, precipitation, and wind speed
troposhpere
a layer of the atmosphere closest to the surface of the earth, extending up to approx. 16 km (10 mi)
stratosphere
the layer of atmosphere above the troposphere
albedo
the percentage of incoming sunlight reflected from a surface
saturation point
the max amount of water vapor in the air at a given temperature
adiabatic cooling
the cooling effect of reduced pressure on air as it rises higher in the atmosphere and expands
adiabatic heating
the heating effect of increased pressure on air as it sinks toward the surface of the earth and decreases in volume
latent heat release
the release of energy when water vapor in the atmosphere condenses into liquid water
atmospheric convection current
global patterns of air movement that are initiated by the unequal heating of earth
hadley cell
a convection current in the atmosphere that cycles between the equator and 30º N and 30º S