Environmental Science and Ecology Reviewer Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards generated directly from the Environmental Science class reviewer notes covering Unit 1 through Unit 5.

Environmental Science

An interdisciplinary field that studies human-environment interactions to solve environmental problems such as pollution and climate change, while protecting both people and nature.

Ecology

The study of relationships among living organisms and their environment, with a focus on how ecosystems function, how humans affect them, and how these impacts can be reduced.

Theophrastus

Regarded as the Father of Botany; described relationships between plants and their environment around $371\text{--}287\text{ BCE}$.

Carl Linnaeus

Published Systema Naturae in $1735$ and developed the modern system of biological classification (taxonomy).

Alexander von Humboldt

Established the foundations of biogeography in $1807$ by linking climate, elevation, and species distribution.

Ernst Haeckel

Coined the term Ökologie (Ecology) in $1866$, defining it as the study of relationships between organisms and their environment.

Arthur Tansley

Introduced the concept of the ecosystem in $1935$, integrating living organisms with their physical environment.

Raymond Lindeman

Explained energy flow through trophic levels in ecosystems in $1942$.

Eugene P. Odum

Published the first edition of Fundamentals of Ecology in $1953$, helping establish ecosystem ecology and modern ecological science.

Rachel Carson

Published Silent Spring in $1962$, exposing the ecological impacts of pesticides and inspiring the modern environmental movement.

Brundtland Commission

Published Our Common Future in $1992$, introducing the widely accepted definition of sustainable development.

Dr. Angel Alcala

National Scientist of the Philippines ($2014$) known as the Father of Marine Protected Areas in the Philippines; established the first major no-take sanctuary at Sumilon Island.

Dr. Edgardo Gomez

National Scientist of the Philippines ($2014$) who laid the foundation for modern coastal conservation and pioneered massive giant clam ocean re-seeding and reef restoration.

Dr. Gavino Trono

National Scientist of the Philippines ($2014$) recognized for contributions to tropical marine phycology, documenting seaweed biodiversity and foundational cultivation techniques.

Dr. Josefino Comiso

Pioneering physicist awarded the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal in $2013$ for polar research and local assessments of Philippine climate patterns.

Dr. Ramon Barba

National Scientist of the Philippines ($2014$) who revolutionized tropical agriculture by inventing a chemical spray method using potassium nitrate to induce regular and off-season flowering in mango trees.

Macli-ing Dulag

Indigenous environmental leader who defended Cordillera ancestral lands against the proposed Chico River Dam Project in $1980$.

First Law of Ecology

States that 'Everything is connected to everything else,' highlighting that every component in an ecosystem is interconnected.

Second Law of Ecology

States that 'Everything must go somewhere,' meaning no component in the ecosystem becomes lost and matter is transformed rather than destroyed.

Third Law of Ecology

States that 'Nature knows best,' emphasizing that natural systems adapt and maintain balance, which can be disrupted by human activities.

Fourth Law of Ecology

States that 'There is no such thing as free lunch,' meaning resource utilization and technology development carry significant environmental costs.

Law of Limiting Factor

Principle stating that the nutrient in scarcity is the limiting factor whose rate of availability controls growth, regardless of the abundance of other nutrients.

Law of Tolerance

Principle stating that organisms have specific tolerance ranges for environmental factors based on genetic makeup, health, and age, with population abundance highest at optimum levels.

10% Ecological Efficiency

The rule stating that only about $10\%$ of energy is transferred from one trophic level to the next in an energy flow pyramid, with the rest degraded to heat.

Generalist Species

Species with broad ecological niches that can tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions.

Specialist Species

Species that occupy narrow ecological niches and have specific environmental tolerances.

Keystone Species

A species that has a disproportionate impact on its community relative to its abundance.

Foundation Species

A species that shapes communities by physically creating and enhancing habitats in ways that benefit other species.

Interspecific Competition

An interaction where two or more different species compete to gain access to the same limited resources.

Competitive Exclusion Principle

Principle stating that no two species can occupy exactly the same ecological niche in an ecosystem at the same time.

Parasitism

A relationship where a parasite lives on (ectoparasitic) or in (endoparasitic) a host to acquire nutrients, typically causing gradual harm.

Mutualism

A positive species interaction where both participating species benefit by receiving food, shelter, or other resources.

Commensalism

A species interaction in which one organism benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed to any great degree.

Primary Ecological Succession

The gradual development of biotic communities in a newly formed area where no soil or bottom sediment previously existed.

Secondary Ecological Succession

The sequential development of biotic communities in an area where soil or bottom sediment is already present following a disturbance.

Lithosphere

The rigid, rocky outer layer of the Earth consisting of the crust and the uppermost mantle.

Mantle Convection

The movement of rock within Earth's mantle driven by internal geothermal heat (residual heat and radioactive decay), which powers plate tectonics.

Continental Drift

The hypothesis proposed by Alfred Wegener in $1912$ stating that Earth's continents were once joined as Pangaea and slowly drifted apart.

Minerals

Naturally occurring, inorganic, solid substances with a definite chemical composition and crystalline structure that act as building blocks of rocks.

Igneous Rocks

Rocks formed from the cooling and solidification of magma or lava, such as granite and basalt.

Sedimentary Rocks

Rocks formed by the deposition, compaction, and cementation of mineral or organic sediments, such as sandstone and limestone.

Metamorphic Rocks

Rocks formed when pre-existing rocks are transformed structurally or chemically by heat and pressure, such as marble and gneiss.

CLORPT

The five major factors of soil formation: Climate, Organisms, Relief topography, Parent material, and Time.

Mechanical Weathering

The physical breakdown of rocks into smaller fragments without altering their chemical composition, driven by factors like temperature changes and frost wedging.

Chemical Weathering

The breakdown of rocks caused by chemical alterations of their constituent minerals through processes such as oxidation, hydrolysis, and carbonation.

Erosion

The removal and transport of weathered soil and rock materials by natural agents such as water, wind, and ice.

Loam

A balanced soil type containing ideal proportions of sand, silt, and clay for vegetation growth.

Terracing

A soil conservation practice involving cutting flat steps into sloped terrain to reduce water runoff and prevent soil erosion.

Acid Mine Drainage

An environmental impact of mining where runoff becomes highly acidic and contaminated with heavy metals, polluting nearby soil and water.

Atmospheric Composition

The mixture of gases surrounding Earth, primarily consisting of $78\%$ nitrogen, $21\%$ oxygen, $0.93\%$ argon, and approximately $0.04\%$ carbon dioxide ($CO_2$).

Albedo

The fraction of incoming solar energy reflected by Earth's surface or atmosphere, where high albedo corresponds to reflective surfaces like snow and ice.

Stratosphere

The atmospheric layer extending from $10\text{ km}$ to $50\text{ km}$ above Earth, containing the protective ozone ($O_3$) layer.

Weather vs. Climate

Weather refers to short-term atmospheric conditions at a specific time and place, whereas climate is the long-term average weather pattern measured over $30\text{ years}$ or more.

El Niño

An ENSO phase characterized by warmer Pacific Ocean water temperatures, typically resulting in hotter and drier conditions in the Philippines.

La Niña

An ENSO phase characterized by cooler Pacific Ocean water temperatures, typically resulting in wetter conditions and increased rainfall in the Philippines.

Enhanced Greenhouse Effect

The amplification of Earth's natural heat retention caused by excess human emissions of greenhouse gases such as $CO_2$, $CH_4$, and $N_2O$.

Salinity

The measure of dissolved salt content in seawater, averaging approximately $34.4\,g$ of dissolved salts per kilogram of seawater.

Pelagic Zone

The open-water region of the ocean occupied by floating and swimming organisms such as plankton and fish.

Benthic Zone

The ecological zone comprising the floor of a body of water, inhabited by bottom-dwelling organisms.

Coastal Upwelling

An oceanic process where surface winds push warm surface water offshore, allowing cold, nutrient-rich water to rise to the surface and enhance phytoplankton growth.

Lentic vs. Lotic Ecosystems

Lentic ecosystems consist of standing freshwater bodies (lakes and ponds), while lotic ecosystems consist of flowing freshwater bodies (streams and rivers).

Oligotrophic Lake

A deep, clear, cold lake with low nutrient availability and low biological productivity.

Eutrophic Lake

A shallow, murky, warm lake rich in nutrients with high biological productivity.

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

The amount of dissolved oxygen required by decomposers and microorganisms to break down organic waste in a body of water.

Swamp vs. Marsh

A swamp is a wetland ecosystem dominated by woody trees, whereas a marsh is a wetland ecosystem dominated by herbaceous grasses and reeds.

Nitrogen Fixation

The biological process in which specialized soil and root bacteria convert inert atmospheric nitrogen gas ($N_2$) into usable forms such as ammonia.

Acid Deposition

Precipitation or particle fallout containing sulfuric and nitric acids formed when industrial emissions of $SO_2$ and $NO_x$ react in the atmosphere.

Eutrophication

The process where nutrient enrichment from fertilizer or sewage runoff triggers rapid algal blooms, leading to oxygen depletion and fish mortality.