Environmental Science Unit 5 Vocab

Demographer

an expert in the study of statistics relating to the changing structure of human population

Doubling time

the average time it takes for a particular population to double in size

Global capacity

the maximum number of species Earth can support

Life expectancy

a measure of the average time an organism is expected to live

Malnutrition

the condition that develops when the body is deprived of nutrients needed for healthy body function

Mortality rate

number of deaths per 1,000 humans

Overpopulation

when a species' population is too large to be sustained by its environment in the long term

Population density

the measure of the number of people per unit area, such as the number of people per square kilometer

Population distribution

a measure of how a population is spread out in a given area

Rule of 70

a method to estimate how many years a variable will double, given its growth rate

Age Structure

the ratio of different aged individuals in a population

Demography

the statistical study of the changing structure of human population

Infrastructure

the physical structures, buildings, roads, power supplies, and other facilities needed to operate a society

Migration

the seasonal movement of organisms into and out of an area

Population pyramid

a diagram that shows all age structures for a population

Arable land

land that is suitable for farming

Bycatch

organisms unintentionally caught while fishing for something else

Drip irrigation allows water to drip slowly to the roots of plants either from above the soil surface or buried below the surface

Feedlot

a huge warehouse or pen designed to deliver energy-rich food to livestock or poultry

Flood irrigation fills a field with a generous amount of water to grow crops

Food insecurity (scarcity)

a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life

Food security

when all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food

Free range grazing

a practice of grazing that allows animals to be in an open field

Furrow irrigation

involves digging small trenches or crop rows and filling them with water

Genetically modified organisms

an animal, plant, or microbe whose DNA has been altered using genetic engineering techniques

Livestock

domesticated animals raised to produce labor or commodities such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, or wool

Overgrazing

when animals eat vegetation at a rate faster than it can grow back

Monoculture

the large-scale planting of a single crop

Recovery level

the number of organisms needed to regenerate a population

Spray irrigation consists of long hoses with sprinklers along the length or a center-pivot system

Water insecurity (scarcity)

the lack of fresh or clean water resources to meet the standard water demand

Agroecology

applied science that studies ecological processes applied to agricultural production

Aquaculture

the breeding, growing, and caring of aquatic animals or plants for food

Aquaponics

the growing of plants by using the waste produced by farmed fish

Biodynamic farming

method of farming that generates fertile soil through composting, integrating animals, cover cropping, and crop rotation

Contour plowing

plowing along the contours of the land in order to minimize soil erosion

Crop rotation

growing different types of crops, or different crops in different seasons, in the same area

Desalination

a process that takes away mineral components from salty water

Direct seeding mulch-based cropping (DMC)

an agricultural technique devoted to establishing crop sustainability from year to year

Green crop

using crop waste or low-lying plants to cover the soil and supply nutrients for other crops

Hydroponics

the process of growing plants in sand, gravel, or liquid, with added nutrients but without soil

Interplanting

planting a crop or plant together with another crop or plant

Mixed farming

type of farming which depends on the symbiotic relationship between growing crops and raising livestock

Organic farming

farming that does not use synthetic pesticides, antibiotics, synthetic fertilizers, genetically modified organisms, or growth hormones to enhance crops or livestock

Permaculture

farming that designs crops to be their own ecosystems, sustainable and self-sufficient

Supply chain

a network between a company and its suppliers to produce and distribute products

Vertical farming

the practice of growing crops in vertically stacked layers

Windbreaks

a planting practice usually made up of one or more rows of trees or shrubs

Antibiotic

a medicine that prevents the growth of bacteria

Communicable disease

illness from an infectious agent that occurs through the direct or indirect transmission between an infected individual, animal, or the environment to a susceptible animal or human host

Disease vector

any agent, including humans, which carries and transmits an infectious pathogen into another living organism

Ionizing radiation

form of electromagnetic radiation that can remove electrons from atoms when exposed

Indoor air pollution

refers to the air quality within and around buildings

Infectious diseases

any disease caused by a pathogen

Non-ionizing radiation

form of electromagnetic radiation that lacks the energy needed to remove electrons from atoms

Pathogen

an infectious agent that causes disease, such as a virus, bacterium, fungus, or parasite

Public health

organized efforts that prevent disease and increase the quality of life of individuals and communities

Vaccine

a substance used to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide immunity against disease

Greenbelt

a boundary around a city for the purpose of limiting urban sprawl by forcing cities to develop internally and rebuild their cores instead of expanding outwardly

Heat island

an urban area that is significantly warmer than surrounding non-urban areas

Metropolitan area

a geographic area with a populated central city that is socio-economically linked to less populated surrounding cities through the sharing of industry, services, and housing

Rural

the countryside rather than the town

Suburb

a residential area located on the outskirts of a city

Sustainable development

the idea that sustainable methods for meeting human needs and wants are possible

Urban

having characteristics of a city or town

Urban sprawl

the spreading outward of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density areas and rural land

Urbanization

the growth of cities and the surrounding suburbs