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nres 102
UIUC NRES 102
116
Environmental Studies
Undergraduate 1
11/12/2019

Additional Environmental Studies Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term
Soil is made up of
Definition
[image]
Term
Weathering
Definition
physical and chemical breakdown of parent
material into smaller fragments
Term
Soil fertility
Definition
soil’s ability to support plant growth
Term
Rank sand silt and clay in particle size
Definition
clay < silt < sand
Term
Soil aeration
Definition
allows diffusion of oxygen into, and carbon dioxide out of the soil
Term
Desertification
Definition
* Not spread of deserts
* Actually land degradation
Term
Soil Degradation Vs Soil Erosion
Definition
Degradation is the change in quality of soil (reduction of capacity to support plants), and erosion is when soil particles are carried away.
Term
Salinization
Definition
Salts forming in soils
Term
Non-consumptive vs consumptive water
Definition
Non-comsumptive - Water may be "tainted", but still available. Ex industrial waste water, etc.

Consumptive - Water does not return to source (ex: evaporates and moves)
Term
Estuaries
Definition
Where freshwater mixes with saltwater and is used productively
Term
Water table
Definition
the upper surface of groundwater
Term
falling water table means ___
Definition
wetlands, etc dry up
Term
Land Subsidence
Definition
gradual settling or sudden sinking of earths materials (ex: sinkholes)

[image]
Term
Greatest threat to irrigated agriculture
Definition
Groundwater depletion
Term
Xeriscaping
Definition
Plants that don't need extra water
Term
Gray water
Definition
slightly dirtied water from sinks, etc
Term
40% of US land drains into the ____
Definition
Mississippi River
Term
Point-source pollution vs non-point source
Definition
defined (waste from factory) and easy to see, vs hard to define and hard to see (agriculture runoff)
Term
the two most important nutrients for aquatic plant growth
Definition
Phosphorous and Nitrogen
Term
Nutrients become pollutants when ______
Definition
They simulate undesired growth in water
Term
Eutrophication
Definition
Overgrowth of organisms (ex: algae bloom)
Term
hypoxia
Definition
oxygen depletion
Term
Subsistence Agriculture
Definition
Farmers grow food for themselves (limited trade).
Term
Slash-and-burn agriculture
Definition
Burn forest, use ash as nutrient topsoil
Term
The Green Revolution
Definition
Technologies in the 1940s/50s that expanded food production
Term
Pastoralists
Definition
subsistence farmers who constantly move their livestock (similar to nomads that serve themselves)
Term
Undernourishment vs malnutrition
Definition
Undernourishment = lack of calories
malnutrition = lack of nutrients
Term
Modern agriculture can be thought of as unsustainable. Why?
Definition
It damages the ecosystems around us
Term
Pest
Definition
Organism that interferes with human activity
Term
Integrated pest management (IPM)
Definition
Combines chemical and ecological control to manage pests
Term
Pesticide use has (increased/decreased)
Definition
greatly increased
Term
Biomagnification
Definition
Harmful chemicals get more concentrated (biomass example)
Term
Synergistic effects
Definition
multiple factors work together to create a common outcome
Term
Primary vs secondary energy sources
Definition
Primary -> comes from nature (sun)
Secondary -> stored (electric)
Term
Fracking
Definition
Fractures shale to release trapped gas
Term
Nuclear Power Plant # in the US
Definition
Has been stagnant since 1970s
Term
Nuclear Energy is made by __
Definition
a the nuclear reaction, so energy is released gradually as heat
Term
Fission vs Fusion
Definition
Fission is atom splitting. Fusion is atom joining
Term
nuclear plants use ____
Definition
fission of uranium-235
Term
Hydropower - how it works
Definition
dams under high pressure generate energy
Term
Albedo
Definition
reflectivity of Earth’s surface to sunlight
Term
Radioactive decay
Definition
Unstable isotopes become stable by ejection of particles and radiation
Term
Renewable energy
Definition
energy that regenerates
Term
Biomass energy
Definition
Energy derived from present-day photosynthesis
Term
Photovoltaic Cells
Definition
Electrical device that converts energy of light to electricity
Term
Global warming potential
Definition
How much energy a gas will absorb or retain in the atmosphere
Term
Methane heats ____ more effectively than Co2
Definition
25 times
Term
anthropogenic
Definition
originating from humans
Term
Thermohaline circulation
Definition
Effects of temperature and salinity on density of seawater
Term
troposphere
Definition
6 km to 10 km
Term
stratosphere
Definition
10 km to 50 km
Term
Primary vs secondary pollutants
Definition
primary - direct products of combustion and evaporation (ex: CO, lead, etc) Secondary - formed by primary (ex: ozone)
Term
Industrial vs photochemical smog
Definition
Industrial - An irritating, grayish mix of soot, sulfur compounds, and water
vapor (ex: china)

Photochemical - Brownish, irritating haze in warm areas. Arises during morning traffic in big cities.

[image]
Term
In the troposphere, temperatures _____ with height
In the stratosphere, they _____ with height
Definition
decrease in troposphere, increase in stratosphere
Term
Temperature inversion (definition and affects)
Definition
Temperatures increase as you go up in troposphere
Causes pollution to build up
Term
Acid precipitation (pH)
Definition
Precipitation with pH < 5.5
Term
Which places are urbanizing the fastest?
Definition
Africa and Asia
Term
Metropolis
Definition
Regional center for a whole area
Term
Spatial inequality
Definition
Rural residents are poorer and have less access to healthcare
Term
shantytowns
Definition
Squatter area made of plywood and sheets of metal and plastic
Term
Urban Sprawl
Definition
Suburbs, low density residential areas
Term
abiotic
Definition
non-living components
Term
biotic
Definition
living components
Term
environmental science
Definition
The study of how the world works
Term
HDI
Definition
Human Development Index - assesses the
human well-being of nations
Term
substainability
Definition
it can continue indefinitely
Term
Stewardship
Definition
Caring for something they do not own (ex - environment)
Term
Levels of Biological Organization (top to bottom)
Definition
landscape, ecosystem, community, population, species
Term
Atmosphere
Definition
Thin layer of gases
that separate the earth from outer
space.

Mixture of molecules of O2, N2,
and CO2 + water vapor
Term
Hydrosphere
Definition
Water is important molecule for living things. It’s the main source of H2.
Term
Lithosphere
Definition
formed of rocks and minerals
Term
producers
Definition
concert energy into raw materials
Term
cellular respiration
Definition
reverse of photosynthesis and consumes oxygen
Term
phosphorous cycle
Definition
This cycle is not connected to the atmosphere
Term
nitrogen cycle
Definition
involves different groups of bacteria
Term
Ethics
Definition
Study of what is good and right
Term
Rachel Carson
Definition
Published book Silent Spring about use of pesticides, started environment trend
Term
Scientific Method (in order)
Definition
Observation, Question, Hypothesis, Experiment, Data Collection, Interpret Results, Peer Review, Publication
Term
Information obtained using the scientific method must be ____
Definition
accurate, credible, and communicated clearly to the public
Term
Biotic Potential
Definition
(Growth factors)
When logistic curve is approaching carrying capacity
Term
Environmental Resistance
Definition
Limiting factors to population growth
Term
r-strategists
Definition
produce a lot of young, but leave their survival to nature (most plants and insects)
Term
k-strategists
Definition
lower reproductive rate, but care for young (ex: mammals)
Term
density dependent limiting factor vs density independent limiting factor
Definition
density dependent - increases with increased pop density
density independent - independent of pop density
Term
Amensalism
Definition
One organism is destroyed, the other remains unaffected
Term
Commensalism
Definition
One organism benefits, other does not care
Term
Biotic potneital vs environmental resistance on graph
Definition
[image]
Term
Landscape
Definition
Cluster of ecosystems
Term
Ecosystem
Definition
Group of communities and their environment
Term
equilibrial species
Definition
k-strategists
Term
Community Interactions
Definition
Predation, Competition , Mutualism, etc
Term
Intraspecific competition vs Interspecific competition
Definition
competition between members of same species -> intraspecific
competition between members of different species -> interspecific
Term
Selective pressures
Definition
environmental resistance factors that affect survival and reproduction

ex: predators, parasites, drought, etc
Term
Selective pressures by environmental resistance continually _________
Definition
test the gene pool of a population
Term
Autotroph
Definition
Produce their own organic material from inorganic molecules
Term
Heterotroph
Definition
Must consume organic material for energy
Term
Biomass Pyramid
Definition
[image]
Term
Microclimate
Definition
Specific, localized area that is different from overall region climate (ex - California mtns)
Term
Ecological succession
Definition
transition from one biotic community to another
Term
Biodiversity
Definition
genetic, species, and ecological variety
Term
Biota
Definition
species of living things that are responsible for ecosystem structure and maintenance
Term
Instrumental value
Definition
a species’ or organism’s existence or use benefits some other entity
Term
Intrinsic value
Definition
something has value for its own sake (ex not useful to humans)
Term
2 metrics to calculate biodiversity
Definition
number of species and how even the species are
Term
Endemic species
Definition
Found in only one habitat
Term
Reasons for decline in biodiversity
Definition
habitat destruction, invasive species, pollution, population, over exploitation
Term
renewable resource
Definition
ecosystem can regen on its own
Term
most over-exploited ecosystem
Definition
grassland
Term
Neolithic revolution
Definition
Animal husbandry and first agriculture
Term
Green Revolution
Definition
Industrialized agriculture and pesticide resistance (1950+)
Term
TFR guidelines and definition
Definition
total fertility rate - avg # of children a woman has in lifetime

TFR = 2 stable pop
TFR < 2 shrinking pop
TFR > 2 growing pop
Term
Population profile sample graph
Definition
[image]
Term
Population momentum
Definition
the effect of current age structures on future populations
Term
Crude birth/death rate
Definition
# of births/deaths per 1000 people each year
Term
Demographic transition
Definition
high birth rate to low birth rate.
Term
Impact =
Definition
Population * Affluence * Technology (I = PAT)

used in ecological footprint
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