Flashcards
Chapter 1: Studying the State of Our Earth
Flashcards do conjunto (35)
- 1What 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 - 2environmentsum of all the conditions surrounding us that influence life
-living organisms, soil, temperature
-determines how healthy we are - 3environmental sciencefield that looks at interactions among human systems and those found in nature
- 4systemany set of interacting components that influence one another by exchanging energy or materials
-human made or natural - 5ecosystemparticular location on Earth whose interacting components include biotic and abiotic components
- 6environmental studiesincludes additional subjects such as environmental policy, economics, literature, and ethics
- 7What factors make up an organism's environment?all conditions surrounding it that influence its life (eg. temperature, salinity, other living organisms)
- 8In 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)
- 9Why 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 - 10In what ways do humans alter the environment?-convert land from its natural state into suburban, urban, and agricultural areas
-add fertilizers
-generate pollution - 11What is the relationship between the development of technology and environmental impacts?-more advanced technology leads to more environmental harm
- 12How does human development have an impact on natural systems?-destroy habitats
-species cannot evolve quickly enough to keep up with changes in their environment - 13ecosystem servicesprocesses by which life-supporting resources are produced
-clean water, timber, fisheries
-unhealthy ecosystems cannot provide these services - 14environmental indicatorsdescribe 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 - 15sustainabilityliving in a way that allows us to use its resources without depriving future generations of those resources
- 16biodiversitydiversity of life forms in an environment
-3 scales: genetic, species, and ecosystem - 17genetic diversitygenetic variation among individuals in a population
-high genetic diversity=better able to respond to environmental change - 18species diversitynumber of species in a region or a particular type of habitat
-ecosystems with high species diversity are more resilient and productive - 19speciesa 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 - 20How many species have been identified?approximately 2 million
- 21How many species are on Earth?between 5 million and 100 million, most common estimates around 10 million
- 22speciationevolution of a new species
-1-3 new species worldwide per year - 23background extinction rateaverage rate at which species go extinct over the long term
-one species in a million every year - 24How many species go extinct every year?more than 10,000
- 25ecosystem diversitymeasure of the diversity of ecosystems or habitats that exist in a given region
- 26How many acres are in one hectare?2.47 acres/hectare
- 27Why 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 - 28greenhouse gasesheat trapping gases
-have risen in past 2 centuries - 29What are the two major sources of the increase in co2?combustion of fossil fuels and net loss of forests and other habitat types
- 30How does the human population indicate the health of the environment?increasing world population adds additional demands on natural systems
- 31What is the rate of population growth?1 million people/5 days
- 32What are some negative consequences of resource extraction and use?pollution, land degradation, waste, air pollution
- 33developmentimprovement in human well being through economic advancement
- 34What 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 - 35sustainable developmentdevelopment that balances human well being and economic advancement with resource management for future generations
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- FlashCards sobre Chapter 1: Studying the State of Our Earth, criado por sabrinapar22 em 23-03-2015.
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