2341093
Description
Flashcards by sabrinapar22, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by sabrinapar22
over 9 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| What happened in the case of the Neuse River in North Carolina? | -agricultural runoff led to increase in nutrients -pfisteria rapidly bloomed and killed fish population |
| environment | sum of all the conditions surrounding us that influence life -living organisms, soil, temperature -determines how healthy we are |
| environmental science | field that looks at interactions among human systems and those found in nature |
| system | any set of interacting components that influence one another by exchanging energy or materials -human made or natural |
| ecosystem | particular location on Earth whose interacting components include biotic and abiotic components |
| environmental studies | includes additional subjects such as environmental policy, economics, literature, and ethics |
| What factors make up an organism's environment? | all conditions surrounding it that influence its life (eg. temperature, salinity, other living organisms) |
| In what ways is the field of environmental studies interdisciplinary? | it is a broader field that includes other subjects relating to the environment (eg. environmental policy, economics, literature, ethics) |
| Why is environmental research important? | -it is a rapidly growing area of study -it will help us understand how human activities are affecting the environment and increase consciousness |
| In what ways do humans alter the environment? | -convert land from its natural state into suburban, urban, and agricultural areas -add fertilizers -generate pollution |
| What is the relationship between the development of technology and environmental impacts? | -more advanced technology leads to more environmental harm |
| How does human development have an impact on natural systems? | -destroy habitats -species cannot evolve quickly enough to keep up with changes in their environment |
| ecosystem services | processes by which life-supporting resources are produced -clean water, timber, fisheries -unhealthy ecosystems cannot provide these services |
| environmental indicators | describe the current state of an environmental system -biological diversity, food production, average global surface temperature and carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere, human population, and resource depletion |
| sustainability | living in a way that allows us to use its resources without depriving future generations of those resources |
| biodiversity | diversity of life forms in an environment -3 scales: genetic, species, and ecosystem |
| genetic diversity | genetic variation among individuals in a population -high genetic diversity=better able to respond to environmental change |
| species diversity | number of species in a region or a particular type of habitat -ecosystems with high species diversity are more resilient and productive |
| species | a group of organisms that is distinct from other groups in its morphology, behavior, or biochemical properties -members of the same species can breed and produce fertile offspring |
| How many species have been identified? | approximately 2 million |
| How many species are on Earth? | between 5 million and 100 million, most common estimates around 10 million |
| speciation | evolution of a new species -1-3 new species worldwide per year |
| background extinction rate | average rate at which species go extinct over the long term -one species in a million every year |
| How many species go extinct every year? | more than 10,000 |
| ecosystem diversity | measure of the diversity of ecosystems or habitats that exist in a given region |
| How many acres are in one hectare? | 2.47 acres/hectare |
| Why is grain production not keeping up with population growth? | -soil degradation -crop diseases -unfavorable weather -demand outpacing supply -humans use more grain to feed livestock -government policies make uncultivated land more profitable or encourage farmers to grow crops for fuels |
| greenhouse gases | heat trapping gases -have risen in past 2 centuries |
| What are the two major sources of the increase in co2? | combustion of fossil fuels and net loss of forests and other habitat types |
| How does the human population indicate the health of the environment? | increasing world population adds additional demands on natural systems |
| What is the rate of population growth? | 1 million people/5 days |
| What are some negative consequences of resource extraction and use? | pollution, land degradation, waste, air pollution |
| development | improvement in human well being through economic advancement |
| What are the three requirements that must be met in order to live sustainably? | -environmental systems must not be damaged beyond the ability to recover -renewable resources must not be used at a rate faster than they can regenerate -nonrenewable resources must be used sparingly |
| sustainable development | development that balances human well being and economic advancement with resource management for future generations |
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