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Details Title: APES Terms Description: Chapters 1, 2, and 3 Total Flash Cards: 52 Created: 01/02/2008 08:42:33	To study from this set of flash cards, or to create your own your own study flash cards, register HERE. If you are already a registered user, CLICK HERE.
Cards Term Environmentalism Definition a social movement dedicated to protecting life support systems for all species. Term Natural capital Definition the natural resources and natural services that keep us and other species alive and support our economies. Term Natural capital degradation Definition occurs when human activities use renewable resources faster than they can be replenished. Term Trade-offs Definition compromises that are made to resolve conflicts. Term Solar capital Definition energy from the sun Term Natural capital Definition earth’s resources and ecological services Term Gross domestic product (GDP) Definition the market value for goods and services produced both within the country Term Rule of 70 Definition Used to calculate doubling time of a population   70/percentage growth rate = doubling time in years  Term resource Definition anything obtained from the environment to meet our needs and wants Term Perpetual resource Definition A resource that is renewed continuously, like solar energy Term Renewable resource Definition must not be used up faster than they can be replaced, like grasslands, fresh water and air, fertile soil, etc. Term Sustainable yield Definition the highest rate of use on an indefinite scale without degradation or depletion. Term Environmental degradation Definition occurs when use of resources exceeds rate of replacement Term Tragedy of the Commons Definition the overuse or degradation of freely available resources such as ocean pollution, abuse of national parks, air pollution, etc.  No one individual owns these free-access resources. Term Per capita ecological footprint Definition the biologically productive land and water needed to supply renewable resources and absorb waste for each individual. Term Nonrenewable resource Definition A resource that exists in fixed quantity or stock in the earth’s crust.  The resource is economically depleted when it costs too much to obtain what is left. Term Affluence Definition the addiction to over-consumption of material goods. Term Syngergistic Interaction Definition results in the combined effects of a process being greater than the sum of the separate effects.  Term Matter Definition anything that has mass and takes up space, living or not.  It comes in chemical forms, as an element or a compound. Term Element Definition the distinctive building block that makes up every substance; chemically, elements are represented by a one- or two-letter symbol. Term Material efficiency/resource productivity Definition the total amount of material needed to produce a unit of good/service. Term Law of conservation of matter Definition no atoms are created/destroyed during a physical or chemical change Term Energy Definition the capacity to do work and transfer heat Term Electromagnetic radiation Definition energy that travels as a wave, a result of changing electric and magnetic fields Term Electromagnetic spectrum Definition the range of electromagnetic waves that have different wavelengths and energy content Term Heat Definition the total kinetic energy of all moving atoms, ions, or molecules in a substance Term Temperature Definition the average speed of motion of atoms, ions, or molecules in a sample of matter. Term First Law of Thermodynamics Definition energy can neither be created/destroyed, but can be converted from one form to another.  Term Second Law of Thermodynamics Definition when energy is changed from one form to another, there is always less usable energy.  Energy quality is depleted. Term Ecology Definition the study of connections in the natural world Term Population Definition consists of a group of interacting individuals of the same species occupying a specific area Term Habitat Definition the place where a population or an individual usually lives Term Distribution or Range Definition the area over which a species may be found Term Community Definition populations of different species living and interacting in a specific area Term Biological Community Definition consists of all the populations of different species interacting and living in a specific area; this is a network of plants, animals, and microorganisms. Term Ecosystem Definition a community of different species interacting with each other and with their nonliving environment of matter and energy.  All of the earth’s diverse ecosystems comprise the biosphere Term Atmosphere Definition the thin membrane of air around the planet. Term Troposphere Definition the air layer about 11 miles above sea level Term Stratosphere Definition lies above the troposphere between 11-30 miles; it filters out the sun’s harmful radiation. Term Hydrosphere Definition consists of earth’s water, found in liquid water, ice, and water vapor. Term Lithosphere Definition the crust and upper mantle of the earth’s soil. It contains nonrenewable fossil fuels, minerals, and soil, and renewable soil chemicals needed for plant life. Term Biosphere Definition includes most of the hydrosphere, parts of the lower atmosphere and upper lithosphere.  All parts of the biosphere are interconnected. Term Law of tolerance Definition The distribution of a species in an ecosystem is determined by the levels of one or more physical or chemical factors’ being within the range tolerated by that species Term Limiting factor principle Definition too much or too little of any abiotic factor can limit or prevent growth of a population, even if all other factors are at or near the optimum range of tolerance Term Decomposers Definition break down organic detritus (bacteria/fungi) into simpler inorganic compounds Term Omnivore Definition feeds on both plants and animals. Term Detritivores Definition feed on dead organic matter and break it down into smaller molecules Term Biodiversity Definition the amazing variety of earth’s genes, species, ecosystems, and ecosystem processes. 1. The kinds of biodiversity are: genetic diversity, species diversity, ecological diversity and functional diversity. Term Trophic levels Definition feeding levels for organisms within an ecosystem Term Food webs Definition complex networks of interconnected food chains Term Biomass Definition The dry weight of all organic matter within the organisms of a food chain/web Term Nutrient cycles/biogeochemical cycles Definition Global recycling systems that interconnect all organisms   These cycles include the carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and water cycles.