Fichas
ESS
Fichas del conjunto (87)
- 1Systeman assemblage of parts and the relationships between them, which together constitute and entity or whole
- 2Gaia hypothesisCompares the earth to a living organism and a self-regulating entity through feedback mechanisms
- 3(Transfer)change in location
- 4(Transformation)the formation of a new product/a change of state
- 5Open systemexchange both matter and energy with their surroundings
(an ecosystem) - 6Closed systemexchange only energy and not matter with their surroundings
(Earth) - 7Isolated systemExchange neither matter nor energy with the surroundings
(E.g. Universe) - 8EntropyA measure of the amount of disorder, chaos or randomness in a system
(the greater the disorder, the higher the level of entropy) - 9Equilibriuma state of balance among the components of a system
- 10Steady-state equilibriumoccurs in an open system in which there are no long term changes, but small oscillations in the short term
- 11Stable equilibrium vs Unstable equilibriumthe tendency for a system to return to the previous equilibrium following disturbance
vs
forming a new equilibrium - 12Feebackwhen part of the output from a system returns as an input (so as to affect subsequent outputs)
- 13Positive feedback vs Negative feedbackfeedback that increases change, promotes deviation away from equilibrium
vs
feedback that tends to counteract any deviation from equilibrium, promotes stability - 14(Albedo)the amount of light reflected by the surface
- 15Bioshperethe part of the Earth inhabited by organisms
- 16Ecosystema community of interdependent organisms and the physical environment they inhabit
- 17(food chain example)rainforest understorey leaves --> sambar deer --> Borneo python --> crested serpent eagle
- 18Trophic levelthe position that an organism occupies in a food chain
- 19Speciesa group of organisms that interbreed and are capable of producing fertile offspring
- 20PopulationA group of organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time
- 21CommunityA group of populations living and interacting with each other in a common habitat
- 22Habitatthe environment in which a species normally lives
- 23Nichea species' share of a habitat and resources in it; where it lives and what it does
- 24Competition Parasistism Mutualism Predation Herbivory- common demand of a limited supply of resources
- where one organisms benefits at the expense of the other
- interaction in which both species benefit
- when one animal eats another
- when an organism feeds on a plant - 25Biomassthe mass of organic material in organisms or ecosystems
(per unit area per unit time) - 26Diversitya generic term for heterogeneity (variety)
- 27Species diversityrefers to the number of species and their relative abundance
(calculated using the Simpson's diversity index) - 28BiomeA collection of ecosystems sharing similar climatic conditions
- 29Latitudethe angular distance from the equator, as measured from the centre of the earth (degrees)
- 30PhotosynthesisThe transformation of light energy into the chemical energy of organic matter
(CO2 + H2O --> Glucose + O2) - 31RespirationThe breakdown of glucose using oxygen, releasing carbon dioxide , water and energy
(Photosynthesis backwards) - 32Gross productivitythe total gain in energy of biomass per unit are per unit time
(consumers: absorption
producers: photosynthesis) - 33Net productivitythe gain in energy or biomass per unit area per unit time remaining after allowing for respiratory losses (R)
- 34Primary productivitythe gain by producers in energy or biomass per unit are per unit time
- 35Secondary productivitythe biomass gained by consumers through feeding and absorption, per unit area per unit time
- 36Limiting factorfactors that prevent the growth of a population or prevent it from increasing further
- 37Carrying capacitythe maximum number of a species or 'load' that can be sustainably supported by a given environment
- 38K-strategistsspecies that usually concentrate their reproductive investment in a small number of offspring
(long term climax communities) - 39r-strategistsspecies that tend to spread their reproductive investment among a large number of offspring
(colonizers, opportunists) - 40Successionthe orderly process of change over time in a community
- 41Serea set of communities that suceed one another over the course of succession at a give location
- 42Climax communitya community of organisms that is more or less stable, and in equilibrium with natural environmental conditions (e.g. climate). The end point of success
- 43(example of succession)mosses and lichen --> grasses and herbs --> shrubs (birch) --> woodland
- 44Zonationthe arrangement or patterning of plant communities or ecosystems into parallel bands in response to change, over distance, in some environmental factor
- 45environmental imapct assessmenta method of detailed survey required, in many countries, before a major development. It should include a baseline study and monitoring after completion
- 46Crude birth ratenumber of live births per 1000 people in a population
- 47Total fertilitythe average number of births per 1000 women of childbearing age
- 48Crude death ratethe number of deaths per 1000 people in a population
- 49Infant mortality ratethe number of deaths of children less than 1 year old per 1000 live births
- 50Demographic transition modelshows the change in a population from one that has high birth and death rates to one that has low birth and death rates
- 51natural capitalrefers to natural resources that are managed to provide good and services for societies
- 52Natural incomethe portion of natural capital that is produced as 'interest'
i.e. the sustainable income produced by natural capital - 53Renewable natural capitalself-producing, self-maintaining and uses solar energy and photosynthesis
(e.g. living species/ecosystem) - 54Replenishable natural capitalnon-living and often dependent on the solar 'engine' for renewal
- 55Non-renewable natural capitalanalogous to inventories: any use implies partial depletion of the stock
(e.g. fossil fuels/mineral) - 56Economic valuedetermined by the market price of the good/servie a resource producdes
- 57Ecological valueno formal market price: e.g. nitrogen fixation, photosynthesis, soil erosion control all are essential for human existence but have no direct monetary value
- 58Sustainabilitythe use of global resources at a rate that allows natural regeneration and minimises damage to the environment
- 59Sustainable developmentdevelopment that meets current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
- 60Sustainable yieldthe rate of increase in natural capital, i.e. that which can be exploited without depleting the original stock or its potential for replenishment (natural income)
- 61Soila mixture of mineral particles and organic material that covers the land, and in which terrestrial plants grow
- 62Soil profilea vertical section of a soil, from the surface to the parent material, revealing the soil horizons
- 63Leachingthe removal of material down a soil through solution and suspension
- 64illuviationthe redeposition of material in the lower horizons
- 65physical water scarcitywhere water resource development (reaches or) exceeds unsustainable levels - where demand is greater than supply
- 66economic water scarcitywhere water is available locally but not accessible (for human, institutional or financial capital reasons)
- 67ecological footprintthe area of land and water required to support a given human population at a given standard of living
- 68Biodiversitythe amount of biological variety per unit area - it includes species diversity. habitat diversity and genetic diversity
- 69Species diversitythe variety of species per unit area (the number present and the relative abundance)
- 70Habitat diversitythe range of different habitats or number of ecological niches per unit are in an ecosystem or biome
- 71Genetic diversitythe range of genetic material present in a gene pool or population of species
- 72Isolationthe process by which two populations become separated by geographical, behavioural, genetic or reproductive factors.
- 73Speciationthe process through which new species form
- 74Evolutionthe cumulative, gradual change in the genetic characteristics of successive generations of a species, ultimately giving rise to species different from the common ancestor
- 75Pollutionthe addition to an environment of a substance or agent (heat) by human activity, at a rate greater than that at which it can be rendered harmless by the environment (and which has an appreciable effect on the organisms within it)
- 76Point-source pollutionthe release of pollutions from a single, clearly identifiable site
e.g. factory chimney/sewage pipe - 77Non-point-source pollutionthe release of pollutants from numerous, widely dispersed origins
e.g. gasses from the exhaust systems of vehicles - 78Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)a measure of the amount of dissolved oxygen required to break down the organic matter in a given volume of water through aerobic biological activity
- 79biomagnificationthe process whereby the concentration of a chemical substance increases at each trophic level
- 80bioaccumulationthe build up of non-biodegradable (or slowly biodegradable) chemicals in the body.
- 81Eutrophicationthe natural of artificial enrichment of a body of water (particularly with respects to nitrates and phosphates) that results in the depletion of oxygen levels in the water.
- 82biodegradablecapable of being broken down by natural processes
(e.g. through the activities of decomposers) - 83Halogenated organic gases(or halocarbons) first identified as depleting stratospheric ozone, also discovered to be potent greenhouse gases
- 84Smogany haziness in the atmosphere caused by air pollutants
- 85Greenhouse Gasesatmospheric gases (mainly water and CO2) that absorb infrared radiation, causing world temperatures to be warmer than they would otherwise be.
- 86Global warmingan increase in the average temperature of the Earth's atmosphere
- 87Environmental value systemsrefers to a particular world view that shapes the way an individual or group of people perceives and evaluates environmental issues
Información
- Descripción
- Fichas sobre ESS, creado por Jemima Goodall el 15/05/2015.
- Creado por
- Jemima Goodall
- Visitas
- 5
- Valoración