Foundations & Human‑Environment Interactions

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts related to human-environment interactions, ecology, and sustainability for exam preparation.

Scientific method

A systematic process of observing, experimenting, and drawing conclusions to investigate phenomena.

Independent variable

The factor that is changed or manipulated in an experiment.

Dependent variable

The factor that is measured or that responds to changes in the independent variable.

Natural resources

Materials or substances from nature that humans use or can use.

Renewable resources

Resources that can be replenished on a human time scale, such as forests and fresh water.

Nonrenewable resources

Resources that are finite and cannot be replenished on a human time scale, like fossil fuels.

Ecosystem services

The benefits that ecosystems provide to humans, supporting life and human economies.

Sustainability

Meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Conservation laws

Principles that state matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed.

Ionic bonds

Chemical bonds formed when one atom gives up electrons to another.

Covalent bonds

Bonds where atoms share electrons to fill their outer shells.

pH

A measure of the hydrogen ion concentration in a solution.

Hydrogen bonding

Weak bonds that occur between a hydrogen atom and an electronegative atom from another molecule.

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants and some bacteria convert sunlight, CO₂, and water into glucose and oxygen.

Cellular respiration

The process in which organisms break down glucose in the presence of oxygen to release energy.

Plate tectonics

Theory explaining the movement of Earth's plates, leading to geological phenomena.

Biogeochemical cycles

Natural processes that recycle nutrients in various chemical forms from the environment to living organisms and back.

Ecological niche

The role and position a species has in its environment, including its habitat and resource use.

Mass extinction

Events in Earth's history where large numbers of species have gone extinct.

Keystone species

Species whose impact on its ecosystem is disproportionately large relative to its abundance.

Trophic levels

Levels in a food chain; producers, consumers, and decomposers represent different trophic levels.