Shared Flashcard Set

Details

Environmental Science
Unit 2
80
Science
12th Grade
01/11/2011

Additional Science Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Agriculture
Definition
When you have a farm to grow different kinds of crop and have different animals in order to give for human consumption
Term
Monoculture
Definition
when a farm only grows one type of crop/livestock
Term
Green Revolution
Definition
When pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, new easier tools were used in order to help w/ farming and making a larger amount for the human pop.
Term
Bedrock
Definition
a big mass of solid rock that is the Earth's crust
Term
Weathering
Definition
a phys., chem., and bio. way that breaks down larger particles into smallers ones (rocks, minerals, etc.)
Term
Topsoil
Definition
layers holds many nutrients necessary for plants (* for agriculture) 
Term
Leaching
Definition
when necessary materials for plants are dissolved into water and taken somewhere else
Term
Sand
Definition
the largest of the 3 sediments (0.005-2.0mm in diameter)
Term
Silt
Definition
second in size (0.002-0.005mm)
Term
Clay
Definition
smallest (>0.002mm)
Term
Loam
Definition
this is a mixture of all sediments which is what most plants need
Term
Tilling (and reduced tilling)
Definition

When done harvesting, the "leftovers" of the crops are then mixed with the topsoil and it helps with the topsoil to regain nutrients for agriculture but causes erosion because the soil is too loose when tilled.

 

Term
Desertification
Definition
when there is a loss of more then 10%of land productivity b/c of erosion, overgrazing, deforestation, and etc.
Term
Dust Bowl
Definition
When a bunch of topsoil was eroded b/C of wind erosion b/c of droughts or human impact (NA Great Plains)
Term
National Resource Conservation Service
Definition
agency promotes conservation, water quality protection, and pollution ctrl.
Term
Crop Rotation
Definition
When a farm rotates to different crops every season. 
Term
Contour Farming
Definition
when farming takes place on hills but is plowed sideways instead direction hill is going.
Term
Terracing
Definition
the type of farming that looks like staircases along steep hills  
Term
Intercropping
Definition
When you plant different types of crops together but in rows and in the same season.
Term
Shelterbelts
Definition
When trees are left to surround areas of plantations in order to block winds from causing erosion. 
Term
Conventional irrigation
Definition
basically when pipes are set along the crops and mist is throw onto the plants but it's hard b/c most of it just gets blown away by the wind.
Term
Center-pivot irrigation
Definition
when pipe is set up and crops get water in circles. ends up just looking like huge green circles on the land   
Term
Drip irrigation
Definition
this is when a system of irrigations is set up directly above the crop and water is dripped upon it.
Term
waterlogging
Definition
when the water table goes up to a point where it's actually drowning the plant roots.
Term
Salinization
Definition
a buildup of salt is created on the topsoil b/c water evaporates too fast for the materials to settle.
Term
Overgrazing
Definition
when livestock eat too much of plant cover of the topsoil and causes erosion.
Term
Transgenic
Definition
an organism that holds DNA from another organism 
Term
Food secruity
Definition
when a reliable and available food source is always available to people
Term
Undernourished
Definition
when you receive less than 90% of the calories needed for the body  
Term
over nutrition
Definition
when people eat way over the amount of calories needed for the day
Term
Malnutrition
Definition
when the body lacks nutrients necessary for the body.
Term
Pest
Definition
an organism that eats up a lot of the crops being grown anywhere.  
Term
Pesticide
Definition
a Chemical made in order to kill off the pest but still not harm the crop or anything else around it 
Term
Pollination
Definition
when organisms transfer pollens from one plant to another plants to help the cont. of growth
Term
Biological Control
Definition
When an organism is used to ctrl another organism to stop the harm its doing.
Term
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)
Definition
a natural soil bacteria that kills off lots of caterpillars and larvae of flies and beetles.
Term
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
Definition
differ techniques to help rid of pests (bioctrl, monitoring pop., habitat alteration, etc.)
Term
Genectically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
Definition
organisms that have been altered using recombinant DNA
Term
Recombinant DNA
Definition
DNA that has differ organisms DNA put together  
Term
Precautionary Principle
Definition
idea that a person shouldn't do something with GMO unless it is looked upon and safe to give the go.
Term
Seed bank
Definition
a place that keeps seed types safe
Term
Feedlot
Definition
farmers keep their livestock in a certain place and don't let them graze a lot and feed them mostly grain in ordered to make them bigger
Term
Aquaculture
Definition
where ppl raise differ organisms that live in water in a ctrl environment 
Term
Organic agriculture
Definition
Where farmers do not use synthetic fertilizers of chemicals or anything that would ruin the naturalness of the food.
Term
Sustainable Agricutlure
Definition
agriculture that doesnt deplete soils faster then they form.
Term
extinction
Definition
When most of the creatures die off gradually because something has happened that has altered there environment for them to not be able to adapt as quickly
Term
Extirpation
Definition
when a species disappears in a certain area but isnt fully extinct.
Term
Background rate of Extinction
Definition
the avg. rate of extinction that happened b4 humans arrived.
Term
mass extinction
Definition
when large portions of the world's species go extinct really quickly
Term
Red List
Definition
a list that shows which organisms have high risk to extinction.
Term
Causes of Biodiversity Loss
Definition
  1. Habitat alteration- when somthing happens to the organisms environment such as deforestation
  2. Invasive species- when a differ organism is introduced to a new environment and adapts very easily (zebra mussels, bull frog, cane toad)
  3. Pollution- this is caused by human impact because of overuse of fossil fuels and changing of environments
  4. Overharvesting-when organisms take too much of a resource that it depletes the resource to almost never returning.
  5. Climate change- this is caused by human impact because of all the reasons above
Term
Ecosystem services
Definition
these are services that are provided to humans for free from the ecosystem (water, air, fossil fuels, etc.)
Term
Biophilia
Definition

"the connections that human beings subconsciously seek with the rest of life."

                               -E. O. Wilson

Term
Conservation Biology
Definition
a concept of understanding the differ factors, forces, and processes that hlep protect, lose and restore biodiversity
Term
Equilibrium theory of island biogeography
Definition
a theory that tries to explain how organisms that lived there come to be in the islands that they live in.
Term
Captive breeding
Definition
when ppl capture creatures from endangered species to help them bred in ctrl environments
Term
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
Definition
1973: a treaty made by the UN that helps protect endangered species by banning international of their body parts.
Term
Biodiversity hotspots
Definition
a area where it supports many differ orgnaisms (most of the species are endemic)
Term
Endemic
Definition
organisms that are only alive in a certain area
Term
Deforestation
Definition
the clearing of a forest
Term
Clear-cutting
Definition
When ppl harvest timber by cutting down all the trees in one area and leaving only the tree stumps
Term
Resource management
Definition
a strategy for who would use resources and what ways
Term
Ecosystem Based Management
Definition
ways to minimize the use of harvest resources to lessent the impact on the environment
Term
Adaptive management
Definition
When ppl try differ ways to manage resources wisely but have to do experiments
Term
Primary Forest
Definition
a forest that is untouched by humans
Term
Second-growth Forest
Definition
a forest that has trees that are young because ppl cut them down b4
Term
logging
Definition
when trees are cut down and the logs are sent off to an industry.
Term
National Forests
Definition
public lands (191 million acres) that are protected and used for recreation
Term
Plantation
Definition
a large farm that grows different types of major crops 
Term
National Forest Management Act
Definition
1976: a law stating that places had to make up new plans for renewable resource management for all national forests
Term
Prescribed/Controlled burns
Definition
to control natural fires in order to help with the reestablishment of an environment.
Term
Salvage logging
Definition
when dead trees are removed from the environment after a natural disturbance
Term
Sustainable Forestry
Definition
type of ecolabeling, shows that tree products where produced with sustainable methods
Term
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
Definition
a US agency that owns rangelands
Term
National Park
Definition
a "scenic area" the ppl use for recreation for the public
Term
National wildlife refuge
Definition
a area for creatures that acts as a haven for wildlife and maybe encourages fishing, hunting, photography, etc.
Term
Wilderness Area
Definition
Fed. land that is off-limits to development but allows activities open to public that has little impact on the environment.
Term
SLOSS dilemma
Definition
debate: make reserves huge but have less of make small and have lots.
Term
Maximum Sustainable Yield
Definition
when a resource is used to it's fullest potential without actually depleting the resource at all.
Supporting users have an ad free experience!