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Exam 1 Terms Environmental Science

ahroldan English 111 cards

Cards in this deck (111)

  1. 1One where only human lives and interests are importantAnthropocentric worldview
  2. 2Caused by or related to human actionAnthropogenic
  3. 3To use its findings to inform our actions and, in the best cases, to bring about positive change.Applied science
  4. 4Values all lifeBiocentric worldview
  5. 5tragedy of the commons.Biodiversity Social Trap
  6. 6The population size that a particular environment can support indefinitelyCarrying capacity
  7. 7A system-centered view that values intact ecosystems, not just the individual partsEcocentric worldview
  8. 8The land needed to provide resources and assimilate the waste of people and population.Ecological footprint
  9. 9To scientifically investigate the natural world through systematic observation and experimentation.Empirical science
  10. 10A broad term that describes the surroundings or conditions (including living and nonliving components) in which any given organism exists.Environment
  11. 11A field of research that is used to understand the natural world and our relationship to it-is extremely interdisciplinaryEnvironmental science
  12. 12The value worth of an object, organism, or species is based on its usefulness to humans.Instrumental value
  13. 13The value worth of an object, organism, or species is based on its mere existenceIntrinsic value
  14. 14Energy that comes from an infinitely available or easily replenished sourceRenewable energy
  15. 15A method of using resources in such a way that we can continue to use them indefinitelySustainable
  16. 16Development that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same.Sustainable development
  17. 17Procedure scientists use to empirically test a hypothesisscientific method
  18. 18A possible explanation for what we have observed that is based on some previous knowledge. An educated guess.hypothesis
  19. 19A possible explanation that generates predictions for which empirical evidence can be collected to verify or refute the hypothesistestable
  20. 20An idea or a prediction that can be proved wrong by evidencefalsifiable
  21. 21Research that gathers data in a real-world setting without intentionally manipulating any variableobservational study
  22. 22Research that manipulates a variable in a test group and compares the response to that of a control group that was not exposed to the same variableexperimental study
  23. 23Two things occur together—but it doesn’t necessarily mean that one caused the othercorrelation
  24. 24An association between two variables that identifies one occurring as a result of or in response to the othercause-and-effect
  25. 25The variable in an experiment that the researcher manipulates or changes to see if it produces an effectindependent variable
  26. 26The variable in an experiment that is evaluated to see if it changes due to the conditions of the experimentdependent variable
  27. 27Plan that allows room for altering strategies as new information comes in or the situation itself changesadaptive management
  28. 28are explanations of what else might be true or what might have caused the observed phenomenonInferences
  29. 29Chemicals that cause direct damage upon exposureToxins
  30. 30Chemicals that don’t readily degrade over timePersistent chemicals
  31. 31Federal agency responsible for setting policy and enforcing U.S. environmental laws.Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  32. 32Weighing the risks and benefits of a particular action in order to decide how to proceedRisk assessment
  33. 33A rule of thumb that calls for leaving a safety margin when the data about a particular substance’s potential for harm are uncertain and where the substance may cause unexpected or unpredictable effectsPrecautionary principle
  34. 34The length of time it takes a substance to break down in the environmentPersistence
  35. 35The ability of a substance to dissolve in a liquid or gasSolubility
  36. 36The buildup of fat-soluble substances in the tissue of an organism over the course of its lifetimeBioaccumulation
  37. 37The increased levels of fat-soluble substances in the tissue of predatory animals that have consumed organisms that have bio accumulated toxinsBiomagnification
  38. 38A molecule that interferes with the endocrine system, typically by mimicking a hormone or preventing a hormone from having an effectEndocrine disruptor
  39. 39A molecule released by the body that directs cellular activity and produces changes in how the body functionsHormone
  40. 40A structure on or inside a cell that binds a hormone, thus allowing the hormone to affect the cellReceptor
  41. 41To track the effects of a dose of a chemical, toxicologist use data from in vitro and in vivo studiesDose-response curve
  42. 42The dose of a substance that would kill 50% of the test populationLD50 (lethal dose 50%)
  43. 43Exposure to two or more chemicals has an affect equivalent to the sum of their individual effects.Additive effects
  44. 44Exposure to two or more chemicals has a lesser effect than the sum of their individual effects would predictAntagonistic effects
  45. 45Exposure to two or more chemicals has a greater effect than the sum of their individual effects would predictSynergistic effects
  46. 46Capable of being continued without degrading the environmentSustainable
  47. 47The social science that deals with how we allocate scarce resourcesEconomics
  48. 48Essential ecological processes that make life on earth possibleEcosystem services
  49. 49The land needed to provide the resources for and assimilate the waste of a person or populationEcological footprint
  50. 50The wealth of resources on EarthNatural capital
  51. 51Readily produced resources that we could use and still leave enough natural capital behind to replace what we tookNatural interest
  52. 52Costs such as manufacturing, labor, taxes, utilities that are accounted for when a product or service evaluated for pricingInternal cost
  53. 53Costs that are not taken into accountExternal cost
  54. 54Considering the environmental, social, and economic impacts of our choicesTriple-bottom line
  55. 55includes both internal and external costs when setting a price for a good or serviceTrue cost
  56. 56A production system in which the product nature can decompose itClosed-loop system
  57. 57management of a resource that considers the impact of its use at every stage of the processCradle to cradle
  58. 58To give more weight to short-term benefits and costs than to long-term ones. Environmental/ecological economics – New theories of economics that consider the long term impact of our choices on people and the environment.Discount future value
  59. 59The percent increase of population size over time; affected by births, deaths, and the number of people moving into or out of a regional populationGrowth rate
  60. 60The number of years an individual is expected to liveLife expectancy
  61. 61The number of deaths per 1,000 individuals per yearCrude death rate
  62. 62The number of offspring per 1,000 individuals per yearCrude birth rate
  63. 63The number of people per unit areaPopulation density
  64. 64More people living in an area that its natural and human resources can supportOverpopulation
  65. 65The tendency of a young population to continue to grow even after birth rates drop to “replacement rates” (2 children per couple)Population momentum
  66. 66The number of infants who die in their first year of life per every 1,000 live births in that yearInfant mortality rate
  67. 67The average number of children a woman has in her lifetimeTotal fertility rate (TFR)
  68. 68Population characteristics such as birth rate of life expectancy that influence how a population changes in size and compostion.Demographic factors
  69. 69A country that has a moderate to high standard of living on average and an established market economy.Developed country
  70. 70A country that has a lower standard of living than a developed country, and has a weak economy; may have high povertyDeveloping country
  71. 71Theoretical model that describes the expected drop in once-high population growth rates as economic conditions improve the quality of life in a populationDemographic transition
  72. 72The absence of population growth; occurs when birth rates equal death ratesZero population growth
  73. 73The rate at which people must be born to replace those dying in the populationReplacement fertility rate
  74. 74The part of a population pyramid that shows what percentage of the population is distributed into various age groups of males and femalesAge structure
  75. 75The relative number of males to females in a population; calculated by dividing the number of males by the number of femalesSex ratio
  76. 76A graphic that displays the size of various age groups, with males shown on one side of the graphic and females on the otherAge structure diagram
  77. 77The systematic killing of a specific gender (male of female).Gendercide
  78. 78The movement of people into a given populationImmigration
  79. 79The movement of people out of a given populationEmigration
  80. 80The population size that an area can support for the long term; it dependes on resource availability and the rate of per capita resource use by the population.Carrying capacity
  81. 81An infectious disease through contact with contaminated waterWaterborne disease
  82. 82An infectious disease acquired from organisms that transmit pathogen from one host to anotherVector-borne disease
  83. 83Illness caused by an invading pathogen such as bacterium or virusInfectious diseases
  84. 84An infectious agent that causes illness or diseasePathogen
  85. 85Science that deals with the health of human populationsPublic health
  86. 86A scientist who studies the causes and patterns of disease in human populationsEpidemiologist
  87. 87A branch of public health that focuses on factors in the natural world and the human built environment that impact the health of populationsEnvironmental health
  88. 88non infectious illnesses that aren’t transmissible by peopleNoncommunicable disease (NCDs)
  89. 89A disease that is spread between infected animals and humansZoonotic disease
  90. 90Infectious diseases that are new to humansEmerging infectious diseases
  91. 91The sum total of all of Earth’s ecosystemsBiosphere
  92. 92All of the organisms in a given area plus the physical environment in which they interactEcosystem
  93. 93The physical environment in which individuals of a particular species can be foundHabitat
  94. 94A group of plants and animals that are similar and only interbreed among themselvesSpecies
  95. 95The role a species plays in its community including how it gets its energy and nutrientsNiche
  96. 96The one way passage of energy through an ecosystemEnergy flow
  97. 97Movement of life’s essential chemicals or nutrients through an ecosystem, aka biogeochemical cyclesNutrient cycles
  98. 98The sum of all organic material, plant and animal matter that make up an ecosystemBiomass
  99. 99One of many distinct types of ecosystems determined by climateBiome
  100. 100The critical resource whose supply determines the population size of a given species in a given biomeLimiting factor
  101. 101The range, within upper and lower limits, of a limiting factor that allows a species to survive and reproduceRange of tolerance
  102. 102The living organic components of an ecosystem, plant, animals and their wasteBiotic
  103. 103The non-living components of an ecosystem, rainfall and mineral composition of the soilAbiotic
  104. 104Abiotic or biotic component of the environment that serves as storage place for cycling nutrientsReservoirs (or sinks)
  105. 105An organism that converts solar energy to chemical energy via photosynthesisProducer
  106. 106An organism that obtains energy and nutrients by feeding on another organismConsumer
  107. 107The process in which all organisms break down sugar to release its energy, using oxygen and giving off CO2 as a waste productCellular respiration
  108. 108Movement of carbon through biotic and abiotic parts of an ecosystemCarbon cycle
  109. 109A natural process by which nitrogen passes from air to soil to organisms and returns back to the air or soil through decomposition or dentrificationNitrogen cycle
  110. 110Conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into a biologically usable form, carried out by bacteria found in soil or via lightingNitrogen fixation
  111. 111Process by which phosphorus moves from rock to soil or water to living organisms and back to soilPhosphorous cycle

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Flashcards on Exam 1 Terms Environmental Science, created by ahroldan on 18/11/2013.
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