Studied by 20 people
Fracking
high pressure system that forces open cracks deep in rocks to get natural gas
environment
all conditions around us that influence life
Environmental Science
The field of study that looks at interactions human and environmental systems
System
sets of interacting components
Ecosystem
a specific location with interacting components
Biotic
living
Abiotic
Non-living
environmentalist
participant in the environmental social movement
Environmental studies
field of study with environmental science and how it intersects with the humanities
ecosystem services
the process by which life supporting resources are produced
Environmental indicator
Describes the state of an environmental system
Sustainability
using our resources in a renewable way
Biodiversity
diversity of life forms in an environment
Speciation
the evolution of new species
background extinction rate
the average rate species go extinct long term
Greenhouse gasses
atmospheric gasses that trap heat near earth's surface
Anthropogenic
derived from human activities
development
improved human wellbeing due to economic advancement
sustainable development
balances humans well being and economic growth with sustainable practices
Biophilia
love of life
ecological footprint
a measure of how much an individual consumes, expressed as an area of land
ecosystem
an area with all the physical and chemical components necessary to support a diverse set of species
producers (autotrophs)
organisms that gets energy from the sun
photosynthesis
process of converting solar energy and carbon dioxide into glucose and oxygen
Cellular Respiration
process of converting oxygen and glucose into carbon dioxide and energy
Heterotrophs
organisms that can’t make their own food and must consume other organisms for energy
Primary Consumers
consumers that eat producers
Secondary Consumers
consumers that eat primary consumers
Tertiary Consumers
carnivores that eat secondary producers
Trophic Levels
the levels of organisms eating each other
Food Chain
sequence of consumption from producers to tertiary consumers
Food Web
a more complex model of how energy and matter move through trophic levels
Scavengers
organisms that consume dead animals
Detritivores
organisms that break dead tissues and waste products into smaller particles
Decomposers
Fungi/bacteria that convert organic matter into small elements/molecules to be recycled back into the ecosystem
Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)
amount of solar energy producers in an ecosystem photosynthesize over a given amount of time
Net Primary Productivity (NPP)
The energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy producers use up
Biomass
total mass of all living matter in a specific area (stored energy)
Standing Crop
The amount of biomass 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
biospere
regions of the earth occupied by living organisms
Biogeochemical Cycles
movement 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 amount of water vapor in the air at a given time, evaporation + transpiration
runoff
Water that moves across the land surface and into streams and rivers
Macronutrients
the six key elements organisms need in relatively large amounts: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur
Limiting Nutrient
A nutrient required for the growth of an organism but available in a lower quantity than other nutrients
Nitrogen Fixation
process that converts nitrogen in the atmosphere into forms of nitrogen producers can use (ammonia)
leaching
transportation of dissolved molecules through soil by groundwater
community ecology
study of interactions among species
Competitive exclusion principle
idea that two species competing for limited resources can’t coexist
Resource partitioning
two species divide a resource based on differences in their behavior
Parasitoids
predators that lay eggs in host organisms
Keystone species
species that plays a larger role in an ecosystem than people realize
Predator-mediated competition
when a species would fight for resources if a predator weren’t there to consume it
Ecosystem engineers
a keystone species that create or maintain habitats for other species
nitrification
turning ammonium (NH4+) into nitrate (NO3-)
sedimentation
when carbon condenses into fossil fuels and limestone in the earth
condensation
water vapor becomes clouds
assimilation
producers incorporate nitrate/ammonium into tissue, consumers do this somewhat when they eat producers
ammonification
decomposers break down dead tissue into ammonia/ammonium
denitrification
bacteria turn nitrite and nitrate back into atmospheric gas
plants need phosphorus in what form?
phosphate
Phosphorus cycles…
not through the atmosphere
for plants, phosphorus is usually…
a limiting factor
excess phosphorus in aquatic ecosystems causes
eutrophication (excessive algae growth)
hydrogen sulfide
poisonous gas, smells like rotten eggs, from anaerobic digestion
sulfer dioxide
colorless gas from burning coal and volcanoes
sulfuric acid
main component in acid rain, sulfur dioxide + water vapor, result of burning coal
littoral zone
shallow area of lake or pond where algae and plants grow
limnetic zone
open area of lakes where sun still penetrates but only phytoplankton plants
phytoplankton
floating algae
Profundal Zone
below limnetic zone
benthic zone
bottom of lake/pond
Oligotrophic
term for non-productive lake/pond (low oxygen and phosphorus)
Mesotrophic
lakes with medium productivity
Eutrophic
lakes with high productivity
Coral Bleaching
algae in corals die → corals die and turn white
Photic zone
layer of ocean with enough sunlight for photosynthesis
Aphotic Zone
deeper ocean layer, no sunlight
Chemosynthesis
getting energy from methane and hydrogen sulfide
Note 
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