ESS Core Review

Environmental Value System (EVS)

A worldview or paradigm that shapes how individuals or groups perceive and evaluate environmental issues, influenced by cultural, religious, economic, and sociopolitical contexts.

Ecocentric

A viewpoint that integrates social, spiritual, and environmental dimensions, placing ecology and nature at the center of humanity, and emphasizing biorights and self-restraint.

Anthropocentric

A viewpoint that prioritizes human needs and advocates for sustainable management of the global system through regulation and consensus.

Technocentric

A viewpoint that emphasizes technological advancements as solutions to environmental problems, holding an optimistic view on human innovation.

Systems Approach

A method of visualizing complex interactions in ecological or societal contexts to better understand system dynamics.

Open System

A system that exchanges both energy and matter across its boundary.

Closed System

A system that exchanges only energy across its boundary.

Isolated System

A hypothetical system in which neither energy nor matter is exchanged across the boundary.

Natural Capital

Natural resources that can deliver a sustainable income of goods or services.

Ecological Footprint

The area of land and water required to sustainably provide all resources consumed by a population; indicates sustainability when it exceeds available area.

Pollution

The addition of a substance to the environment at a rate greater than it can be rendered harmless, affecting organisms in the ecosystem.

Primary Pollutant

A pollutant that is active upon emission.

Secondary Pollutant

A pollutant that arises from primary pollutants undergoing physical or chemical change.

Biodegradable

Substances that can be broken down by natural biological processes.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

A process to evaluate the environmental, social, and economic impacts of proposed projects before they are carried out.

Tipping Point

The minimum amount of change in a system that can destabilize it, leading to a new equilibrium.

Negative Feedback Loop

A stabilizing feedback mechanism that counteracts deviation from an equilibrium state.

Positive Feedback Loop

A destabilizing feedback mechanism that amplifies changes in a system.

First Law of Thermodynamics

The principle of conservation of energy, stating energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.

Second Law of Thermodynamics

A statement that the entropy of a closed system increases over time, indicating energy becomes less available to do work.

Species

A group of organisms that share common characteristics and can interbreed to produce fertile offspring.

Population

A group of organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time, capable of interbreeding.

Niche

The particular set of abiotic and biotic conditions and resources to which an organism or population responds.

Carrying Capacity

The maximum number of individuals of a species that an environment can support.

Abiotic Factors

Non-living physical factors that influence organisms and ecosystems, such as temperature, sunlight, and pH.

Biotic Factors

Interactions between living organisms, such as predation, competition, and mutualism.

Community

A group of populations living and interacting with each other in a common habitat.

Ecosystem

A community and the physical environment with which it interacts.

Primary Producers

Organisms that produce their own food using photosynthesis or chemosynthesis, typically forming the first trophic level.

Trophic Level

The position that an organism occupies in a food chain.

Photosynthesis

The process by which primary producers convert light energy into chemical energy.

Respiration

The conversion of organic matter into carbon dioxide and water, releasing energy, occurring in all living organisms.

Bioaccumulation

The build-up of persistent pollutants within an organism or trophic level.

Biomagnification

The increase in concentration of persistent pollutants along a food chain.

Succession

The process of change over time in an ecosystem involving pioneer, intermediate, and climax communities.

Zonation

Changes in community structure along an environmental gradient.

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

The amount of organic matter produced in an ecosystem after accounting for energy lost through respiration.

Photosynthetic Efficiency

A measure of how well plants convert sunlight into biomass.

Species Richness

The number of different species in a community.

Species Diversity

A measure of the number of different species and their relative abundances in a community.

Biodiversity

The total diversity of living systems, including species diversity, habitat diversity, and genetic diversity.

Species Diversity

A product of two variables: the number of species (richness) and their relative proportions (evenness).

Habitat Diversity

The range of different habitats within an ecosystem or biome.

Genetic Diversity

The range of genetic material present in a population of a species.

Diversity Index

A numerical representation that combines measures of species richness and evenness to describe community diversity.

Natural Selection

An evolutionary mechanism where the fittest individuals have a higher chance of reproduction and their advantageous traits are passed to offspring.

Speciation

The process by which new species are formed when populations become isolated and evolve differently.

Conservation Status

Classification of a species that reflects its risk of extinction based on various factors like population size and habitat quality.

Mass Extinction

A significant and widespread decrease in the number of species on Earth, often due to catastrophic environmental changes.

CITES

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which aims to ensure international trade does not threaten the survival of species.

Ecotourism

Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, promotes sustainability, and improves the well-being of local people.

Flagship Species

A charismatic species chosen to promote conservation in a specific area.

Keystone Species

A species that has a disproportionately large effect on its environment, influencing the structure of the ecosystem.

Invasive Species

Non-native species that, when introduced to new environments, can disrupt local ecosystems and harm native species.

Extinction Rates

The rates at which species disappear, which are currently estimated to be between 100 and 10,000 times greater than background rates.

Hydrological Cycle

A system of water flows and storages that may be disrupted by human activity.

Ocean Conveyor Belt

The ocean circulatory system that influences climate and the global distribution of water.

Evapotranspiration

The process by which water is transferred from the land to the atmosphere by evaporation and plant transpiration.

Aquifers

Underground layers of water-bearing rock that can yield water to wells and springs.

Freshwater Scarcity

A situation where the supply of fresh water is insufficient to meet demand.

Eutrophication

The process that enriches water bodies with nutrients, leading to excessive plant growth and decay, often causing oxygen depletion.

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

A measure of the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic microorganisms to decompose organic matter in water.

Indicator Species

Species used to assess the health of an ecosystem or the level of pollution.

Aquaculture

The farming of aquatic organisms in controlled environments for food production.

Desalination

A process that removes minerals from saline water to produce fresh water.

Sustainable Abstraction

The extraction of water resources in a way that can be maintained over time without depleting the resource.

Water Security

The capacity of a population to ensure sustainable access to adequate quantities of and quality of water.

Soil System

A dynamic ecosystem with inputs, outputs, storages, and flows.

Soil Profile

A layered structure of soil that illustrates the soil system.

Primary Productivity

The rate at which plants and other producers create organic material in the ecosystem.

Leaching

The process by which minerals dissolved in water move through soil.

Organic Matter

Material that comes from the remains of living organisms and is a key component of soil.

Soil Texture Triangle

A diagram used for soil type classification based on the percentages of sand, silt, and clay.

Food Production Systems

Methods and practices through which food is produced, influenced by sociopolitical, economic, and ecological factors.

Sustainability in Food Production

The ability of food production systems to be maintained long-term without harming the environment.

Food Waste

The discarding of food that is safe for consumption, which occurs for various reasons in different economies.

Soil Conservation Strategies

Methods used to preserve soil fertility and reduce soil erosion.

Succession

The process by which soil ecosystems change over time, leading to the development of fertile soils.

Nutrient Cycling

The movement and exchange of organic and inorganic matter back into the production of living matter.

Commercial Farming

Large-scale agricultural production that typically uses mechanization and industrial methods.

Subsistence Farming

Small-scale farming that focuses on growing enough food to feed the farmer's family.

Soil Fertility

The ability of soil to sustain plant growth by providing essential nutrients.

Erosion

The wearing away of the topsoil, which can lead to decreased soil fertility.

Terrestrial Ecosystems

Land-based ecosystems that include a diverse range of habitats and biodiversity.

Pollinators

Organisms such as bees and butterflies that facilitate the reproduction of flowering plants.

Cultural Influences

The ways in which culture affects food production choices and practices.

Atmosphere

A dynamic system that is essential to life on Earth, composed of gases that influence all ecosystems.

Albedo Effect

The role of clouds in regulating global average temperature by reflecting sunlight.

Greenhouse Effect

A natural phenomenon that maintains suitable temperatures for living systems through the absorption of heat by atmospheric gases.

Stratospheric Ozone

A key component of the atmospheric system that protects living systems from harmful ultraviolet radiation.

Ozone Depleting Substances

Chemicals such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that contribute to the reduction of ozone in the stratosphere.

Photochemical Smog

A mixture of primary and secondary pollutants created from the combustion of fossil fuels, which can have significant impacts on health and environment.

Primary Pollutants

Pollutants released directly into the atmosphere, such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides.

Secondary Pollutants

Pollutants formed through chemical reactions between primary pollutants and other atmospheric chemicals.

Thermal Inversions

A weather phenomenon where a layer of warm air traps pollutants near the ground, preventing their dispersion.

Acid Deposition

The deposit of acidic substances from the atmosphere onto the Earth's surface, affecting soil, water, and living organisms.

Montreal Protocol

An international treaty aimed at reducing the production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances.

Pollution Management Strategies

Methods employed to reduce pollutants, including technology regulation, alternative practices, and restoration efforts.

Energy security

The adequate, reliable, and affordable supply of energy that provides a degree of independence.

Fossil fuels

Natural substances formed from the remains of ancient plants and animals, contributing to the majority of humankind's energy supply but with varied environmental impacts.