AICE Environmental Management Vocabulary List Units 1-3

Environment: Surroundings or habitat where an organism lives.
Species: Group of living organisms capable of producing fertile offspring.
Ecosystem: Biological community of organisms interacting with each other and their physical environment.
Biodiversity: Number of different organisms within an ecosystem.
Habitat: Place an organism makes its home, meeting all its environmental needs.

Sustainability: Ability to meet present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet theirs.
Carrying Capacity: Number of a species an environment can support without degradation.
Low-Income Countries (LICs): Economically weak countries with GNI per capita of $1086 or below.
Middle-Income Countries (MICs): Developing countries with GNI per capita between $1086 and $13,205.
High-Income Countries (HICs): Well-developed economies with GNI per capita above $13,205.

Greenhouse Effect: Warming of the atmosphere by naturally occurring gases trapping heat from the sun.
Enhanced Greenhouse Effect: Increased warming due to human activities that emit greenhouse gases.
Ozone Layer: Stratospheric layer rich in ozone (O3) molecules that absorbs UV radiation.
Troposphere: The lowest atmospheric zone, extending approximately 10 km above Earth's surface.

Water Cycle: Movement of water from the sea to the atmosphere, onto land, and back.
Infiltration: Movement of water into soil from the surface.
Aquifer: Underground layer of permeable rock storing water.
Runoff: Draining away of water as overland flow.
Humidity: Percentage of water vapor present in the air.

Photosynthesis: Process by which plants synthesize glucose using CO2, water, and sunlight.
Decomposers: Organisms that break down organic material.
Food Chain: Feeding sequence of organisms in an ecosystem.
Trophic Level: Group of organisms at the same level in a food chain.

Population: Group of the same species living in a specific area.
Population Density: Number of individuals per unit area.
Birth Rate: Number of live births per thousand people per year.
Death Rate: Number of deaths per thousand people per year.
Net Migration: Difference between the number of immigrants and emigrants.
Dependency Ratio: Measure of dependents (0-14 and 65+) compared to the working-age population (15-64).

Hypothesis: Testable prediction made before an experiment.
Data: Set of information used for analysis, can be qualitative (descriptive) or quantitative (numerical).
Independent Variable: The variable changed in an experiment.
Dependent Variable: The variable measured in an experiment.
Control Group: Group not exposed to the independent variable for comparison purposes.