Chapter 1 — Investigating the Environment

Environmental Science

study of environmental problems and its solutions.

scientific method

is simply a methodical approach to asking questions and collecting information to answer those questions.

matter, energy, and living things

Studying the environment includes studying how matter, energy, and living things interact.

atoms

All matter is made of atoms.

Matter and energy

are never created or destroyed, but they do change.

carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen

Living matter, or life, is made up of complex combinations of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms.

sun

Most of the energy at Earth's surface comes from the sun.

Energy transfers

Energy transfers from one form to another.

Living things, or organisms

They either capture the sun's energy (through photosynthesis) or get their energy by consuming other living things.

open system

Allows matter and energy to enter and exit.

closed system

Keeps matter and energy inside of it.

matter, sun

Scientists view the planet as a closed system in terms of matter but they consider it an open system in terms of sun energy.

matter is not recycled within the ecosystem

False. Matter is recycled within the ecosystem.

Energy flows through an ecosystem

True.

Plants and animals compete with one another for access to water, nutrients, and space to live

True.

Resource partitioning

When two species, or types of animals, depend on the same resource, they may evolve behaviors that help them share the resource.

COEVOLUTION

Occurs when a species evolves in response to its interaction with other species.

Symbiosis

Organisms that benefit from an interaction with another species live in what scientists call symbiosis.

3 survival strategies

Resource partitioning, Coevolution, and Symbiosis.

climate

One of the most important and complex systems that scientists study.

biomes

The patterns of living communities on Earth are called biomes.

modern climate change, or global warming

These cause biomes to shift as a result of changes in climate.

conservation

Managing natural resources for the use of human beings now while ensuring that the same resources will be available for humans in the future.

biological diversity, or biodiversity

Other resources that people depend on are less obvious, such as the biological diversity or biodiversity.

Solar energy

An alternative to fossil fuels.

Wind energy

An alternative to fossil fuels.

Hydro (river) energy

An alternative to fossil fuels.

Tidal and wave energy

An alternative to fossil fuels.

Geothermal heat

An alternative to fossil fuels.

Fuel cell electricity

An alternative to fossil fuels.

Liquid biofuel energy

An alternative to fossil fuels.

Point source pollution

Flows directly out of a pipe or smokestack and is easy to locate and regulate.

Nonpoint source pollution

Enters the air or water from a diluted or widespread area, such as when rainfall washes everything from city streets into nearby waterways via storm drains.

sustainability

Managing Earth's resources so that human needs and desires today don't reduce the planet's ability to support future generations.

bioaccumulate

When toxins enter an ecosystem whether directly or as a byproduct of trash and hazardous waste, they can disrupt the ecosystem and cause harm to living things.

biomagnification

As it moves through the food chain, by the time top predators feed on lower predators, they have been poisoned by this.

sustainability

Responsible use of resources; process of managing Earth's resources.

biological diversity or biodiversity

Community of living things.

matter is recycled within the ecosystem

True.

energy flows through an ecosystem

True.

ecologist

Type of scientist interested in how living things interact within an ecosystem.

hydrologic system

Transfers water between the atmosphere and Earth's surface.

proton

Positive charge.

neutron

No charge.

electron

Negative charge.