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evs test 1
chaps 1-4
90
Environmental Studies
Undergraduate 3
05/23/2010

Additional Environmental Studies Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
poverty
Definition
cannot meet basic needs for food, clothing, shelter
Term
Highly developed countries
Definition
low pop growth
high per capita incomes
complex industrialized bases
(U.S. Canada, Japan)
Term
Less developed countries
Definition
low level of industrialization
high fertility rate
81% of world's population
Term
renewable energy
Definition
trees, fish, fertile soil, fresh water
Term
non renewable energy
Definition
minerals, fossile fuels. (aluminum, copper, coal, oil, natural gas).
Term
ecological footprint
Definition
a productive amount of land, h2o, and ocean required on a continuous basis to supply the person with food, wood, energy, water, housing, clothing, transportation, and waste disposal.
Term
IPAT model
Definition
I- environmental impact
P- # of people
A- affluence per person
t- enviro. effect of technologies
I- P X A X T.
Term
sustainability
Definition
how can we ALL live well together
Term
net balance
Definition
what we consume
Term
environ. sustainability
Definition
meeting human needs without compromising needs for future generations (like natural resources).
Term
we need to understand the...
Definition
effects of our actions
resources are not infinite
manage use of resource in order to ensure that is is used
Term
sustainable development
Definition
economic development that meets needs of present generation w/o compromising future gen.
Term
sustainable development
Definition
economic development that meets needs of present generation w/o compromising future gen.
Term
sustainable development requires
Definition
environmentally sound decisions
economically viable decisions
socially equitable decisions
Term
tragedy of the commons (Garrett Hardin)
Definition
not always fair...
-solving environ. problems between short term welfare and long term environ. sus. & societal welfare
-eventually one person succeeds while everyone else looses something
Term
negative feedback-
Definition
a change that triggers a response that counteracts a changed condition, ex- thermostat.
Term
positive feedback-
Definition
a change that triggers a response that intensifies a changing condition, ex- loss of global ice fields
Term
feedback-
Definition
a change in one part of a system that leads to a change in another part of a system.
Term
5 stages to addressing environ. problem...
Definition
scientific assessment
risk analysis
public education and involvement
political action
evaluation

(this is idealistic)
Term
the scientific method must be
Definition
objective, or else it doesnt work
Term
John James Audubon
Definition
famous for lifelike portraits of birds... ironically killed them to paint
Term
Thoreau
Definition
wrote walden, lived among nature
Term
George Perkins Marsh
Definition
wrote Man and Nature
Term
Yellowstone National Park
Definition
established 1872, founded by Native Americans.
forced to leave to make sure park was left pure.
largest geothermal in world
had to prove to congress it was worthless so they could use as national park. if contained nat. resources, would use and not be able to become nat. park.
Term
conservation
Definition
Utilitarian
value nat. re. for USEFULNESS
Teddy Roosevelt, greatest conservationist ever
Term
Preservation
Definition
biocentric (all like important)
protect nature because all life deserves respect
Term
John Muir
Definition
wilderness act, to protect wilderness areas of public lands. Sierra Club.
Term
antiquities act
Definition
allowed president to set aside land with some sort of importance, not to be disturbed by the public
Term
Leopold
Definition
author of A Sand Country Almanac
Term
Stegher
Definition
author or "Wilderness Essay"
had epiphany after killing wolves about predator and prey, killing off all wolves no predators left.
Term
Rachel Carson
Definition
author of Silent Spring. investigated harmfull pesticides (DDT- outlawed now).
Term
Environmental Impact Statements
Definition
for any proposed federal action, an EIS is required. ex- a highway or dam construction.
Term
environ. economics
Definition
study of how we use limited nat. resources to satisfy unlimited wants
Term
economics is UTILITARIAN
Definition
using parts of environment to create goods and services WITH ECONOMIC VALUE. can be converted to currency
Term
Rational Actor model
Definition
assumes all individuals spend limited resources to maximize individual utility (we want the most for our money)
Term
an ideal economy...
Definition
resources are allocated efficiently (no societal discrimination).
Term
externalities of an ideal economy...
Definition
costs/benefits are shared by others, ex- if one buys bike, everyone benefits (positive externality).

Positive and negative externalities... burning land and trees, you benefit for money, but everyone else suffers (negative externality)
Term
marginal cost of POLLUTION
Definition
costs of small additional amount of pollution
Term
marginal cost of ABATEMENT
Definition
cost of reducing small amount of pollution
Term
Strategies for pollution control- Command and control
Definition
-gov't agency requires limitations to emissions or pollutants
-discourages development of low cost alternatives
-economists dislike this
Term
strategies for poll. control- environmental taxes/tradable permits
Definition
-if taxes set at correct level, private marginal cost of pollution=social cost of pollution
-economists like this
Term
tradable permits- cap & trade approach
Definition
-an optimal level of pollution is set... and eventually reduced over time.
-permits issued, pollution becomes an economic commodity
Term
critiques of environmental economics-
Definition
-hard to assess real cost of env. poll & abatement
-impacts of poll. on people and nature uncertain
-ecosystem services evaluation
-utilitarian economics appropriate? why cant we get clean air/water for cheap?
Term
national income accounts
Definition
the total income of a nation for a given year
Term
criterias to collapse (Jared Diamond)
Definition
1) humans hammering away at environment (natural resources)
2) climate change
3) trading with unfriendly & hostile partners--> China, Middle East
4) trading with friendly partners --> UK, Canada
5) dealing with environmental issues... natural selection
Term
species
Definition
similar organisms freely interbred
Term
population
Definition
group of same species in same area at the same time
Term
communities
Definition
populations of different species living in same area at the same time
Term
ecosystem
Definition
community and physical environment
Term
landscape
Definition
several interacting ecosystems
Term
atmosphere
Definition
gas
Term
hydrosphere
Definition
water
Term
lithosphere
Definition
soil and rock
Term
thermodynamics
Definition
study of energy transformation and how it changes
Term
closed system
Definition
doesn't exchange engery
Term
open system
Definition
exchanges energy with surroundings
Term
open system
Definition
exchanges energy with surroundings
Term
first law of thermodynamics
Definition
energy cannot be created or destroyed, only change from one form to another.. we must capture our energy from another source
-focus on QUANTITY
Term
second law of thermodynamics
Definition
when energy is converted from one form to another, some is degraded to heat.
-heat highly entropic (disorganized)
-focus on QUALITY
Term
cellular respiration
Definition
taking in energy from plants or other sources and using it for biological work
Term
cellular respiration
Definition
taking in energy from plants or other sources and using it for biological work
Term
trophic types- autotroph
Definition
primary producers (things that are photosynthesized)
Term
trophic types- heterotrophs
Definition
secondary consumers
Term
trophic types- saprotrophs
Definition
decomposers get their energy from our bodies
Term
pyramid of #'s
Definition
organisms at base of the pyramid more numerous
-fewer organisms fill each successive level
Term
pyramid of biomass
Definition
measure of total amount of living material
Term
pyramid of energy
Definition
how much energy present at each trophic level and how much is transfered to the next level
Term
Gross primary productivity
Definition
total amount of energy that plants capture and assimilate in a given period of time
Term
net primary productivity
Definition
tells us how much energy is available for producers
-the energy in plant tissues after cellular respiration has occured
-rate at which this organic matter is actually incorporated into plant tissues for growth.
-decreases over time... because a portion of used energy is converted to heat
Term
4 observations of natural selection
Definition
1) overproduction- species produce more offspring thatn willing to survive
2) variation- each offspring will vary
3) limits on pop. growth- keep population in check
4) differencial reproductive success
Term
prokaryotes
Definition
no nucleus or other membrane bound organelles
Term
eukaryotes
Definition
cells organized into complex structures enclosed within membranes
Term
biological communities
Definition
vary in size and lack boundaries
-nestled within each other
Term
primary succession
Definition
begins in previously uninhabited environent
Term
secondary succession
Definition
begins in environment after destruction of all or part of earlier community.
-does not follow primary and is faster
Term
symbiosis
Definition
intimate relationship between members of 2 or more species. (living in or on the individuals of another species).
Term
coevalution
Definition
interdependent evolution- evolve together through natural selection. adapt together
Term
mutualism
Definition
symbiotic relationship
-both species (who are living in close association) provides benefits to each other,
Term
parasitism
Definition
taking out of another's expense.
ex- varroa mites and honeybees
-weakens hosts, but rarely kills it
Term
predation
Definition
consumption of 1 species to another.
Term
predator and prey: pursuit and ambush
Definition
predator and prey adapt to each other in order to catch or escape.
pursuit- chase down and catch
ambush- attack by hiding, attack with colors or light to distract or blind, etc. ex- trap door spider
Term
plants defenses-
Definition
adaptation to discourage herbivores from eating. ex- poison ivy, pineapple
Term
animal's defenses-
Definition
mechanical defenses- spikes, shells
living in groups- elephants
camouflage
chemical defense- skunk
Term
competition- intraspecific
Definition
competition for same resources between individuals of same population
Term
competition- interspecific
Definition
competition for same resources between species
Term
ecological niche
Definition
organisms role within the structure and function of an ecosystem
Term
fundamental niche
Definition
potential idealize ecological niche, might not be what theyre doing, but have the potential to do.
Term
realized niche
Definition
the lifestyle the organism actually pursues and the resources it actually uses
Term
keystone species
Definition
exerts profound influence on a community... more important to community than what is expected based on abundance.
- usually not very many of them, but once removed, ecosystem thrown off.
Term
species richness
Definition
# of species in a community determined by quantity and quality on realized/ fundamental niches.
- better able to provide ecosystem services
- higher levels of community stability
-better able to withstand disturbances
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