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Definitions |
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Herbivores
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plant-eaters
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U.S. Population
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~ 305 million
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Producer/Autotroph
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photosynthetic or chemosynthetic life
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Commensalism
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symbiotic relationship where one partner benefits & the other is unaffected
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ENSO
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El Niño Southern Oscillation, see-sawing of air pressure over the S. Pacific
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Ozone
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Formation: secondary pollutant,
NO2 + uv = NO + O* O* + O2 = O3, with VOCs (volatile organic compounds)
Effects: respiratory irritant, plant damage
Reduction: reduce NO and VOC emissions
O3
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Nekton
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Larger, more strongly swimming organisms such as fishes, turtles, and whales.
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Denitrification
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converts nitrate to nitrogen gas
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Recharge Area
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Water enters an aquifer.
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Infiltration
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Precipitation soaks into the ground.
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Cogeneration
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using waste heat to make electricity
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Greenhouse gases
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Examples: H2O, CO2, O3, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), methane (CH4). Effect: they trap outgoing infrared (heat) energy, causing Earth to warm
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Aerobic respiration
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O2-consuming producers, consumers & decomposers break down complex organic compounds and convert C back into CO2
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Fecal coliform/Enterococcus bacteria
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indicator of sewage contamination
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Ammonification
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decomposers convert organic waste into ammonia
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Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)
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Source: auto exhaust
Effects: acidification of lakes, respiratory irritation, leads to smog & ozone
Equation for acid formation: NO + O2 = NO2 + H2O = HNO3
Reduction: catalytic converter
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Preservation
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setting aside areas and protecting them from human activities
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Gyres
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Large, circular ocean current systems that often encompass an entire ocean basin.
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Albedo
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The proportional reflectance of solar energy form Earth's surface, commonly expressed as a percentage.
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Evolution
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Cumulative genetic changes that occur over time in a population of organism; evolution explains many patterns observed in the natural world.
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Competition
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The interaction among organisms that vie for the same recourses (such as food or living space) in an ecosystem.
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Salinity
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The concentration of dissolved salts in a body of water
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Parasitism
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A symbiotic relationship where one organisms benefits while the other is adversely effected.
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Purified Water
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Water that had pollutants removed.
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Monoculture
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cultivation of a single crop, usually in a large area
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Postindustrial stage
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(demographic transition) low birth & death rates
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Nitrification
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ammonia (NH3) is converted to nitrate ions (NO3)
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Alternate energy sources
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wind, solar, waves, biomass, geothermal, fuel cells
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Ionizing radiation
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enough energy to dislodge electrons from atoms, forming ions; capable of causing cancer (gamma, X-rays, UV)
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Tertiary Consumers
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An organism that consumes secondary consumers.
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Krill
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Tiny shrimp herbivorous. They in turn support other animals.
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Predation
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The consumption of one species (the prey) by another (the predator).
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Ecological Pyramid
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A graphic representation of the relative energy value at each trophic level.
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global commons
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those pars of our environment available to everyone but for which no single individual has responsibility- the atmosphere, fresh water, forests, wildlife, and ocean fisheries
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highly developed countries
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countries with complex industrialized bases, low rates of population growth, and high per capita incomes
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Lithosphere
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the soil and rock of Earth's crust.
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Ecology
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The study of the interactions among organisms and their abiotic environment.
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Economic Development
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An expansion in a government's economy, viewed by many as the best way to raise the standard of living.
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Brownfield
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An urban area of abandoned vacant factories, warehouses, and residential sites that may be contaminated from past uses.
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density-dependent factor
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an environmental factor whose effects on a population change as population density changes
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Thermal Stratification
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The temperature changes largely with depth
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Polluted Water
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Contains one or more impurities; unsuitable for a desired use.
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Positive feedback
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when a change in some condition triggers a response that intensifies the changing condition (warmer Earth - snow melts - less sunlight is reflected & more is absorbed, therefore warmer earth)
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Negative feedback
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when a changing in some condition triggers a response that counteracts the changed condition (warmer earth - more ocean evaporation - more stratus clouds - less sunlight reaches the ground therefore cooler Earth)
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Ore
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a rock that contains a large enough concentration of a mineral making it profitable to mine
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Effects of El Niño
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upwelling decreases disrupting food chains; N U.S. has mild winters, SW U.S. has increased rainfall, less Atlantic hurricanes
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Conservation
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allowing the use of resources in a responsible manner
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Invasive/Alien/Exotic species
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non-native species to an area; often thrive and disrupt the ecosystem balance. EG: kudzu vine, purple loosestrife, African honeybee, "killer bee", water hyacinth, fire ant, zebra mussel
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Food
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Wheat, rice and corn provide more than ½ of the calories in the food consumed by the world's people
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primary air pollutant
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harmful substance that is emitted directly into the atmosphere
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Eutrophication
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rapid algal growth caused by an excess of nitrates (NO3) and phosphates (PO4)3 in water
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Indicator species
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species that serve as early warnings that an ecosystem is being damaged. EG: trout
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Secondary Succession
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The change in species composition that takes place after some disturbance destroys the existing vegetation; soil is already present.
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Carbon Cycle
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The global circulation of carbon from the environment to living organisms and back to the environment.
1. Photosynthesis: Plants, Algae, and certain bacteria remove CO2 from the air.
2. Cellular respiration by plants, animals that eat plants, and decomposers: Return CO2 into the atmosphere.
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Littoral Zone
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Shallow-water area along the shore of a lake or pond where light reaches the bottom.
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Profundal Zone
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Where light does not penetrate, and plants and algae do not live.
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Freshwater Wetlands
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Lands that shallow fresh water covers for at least part of the year; wetlands have a characteristic soil and water-tolerant vegetation.
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biocentric preservationist
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a person who believes in protecting nature because all forms of life deserve resect and consideration
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natural capital
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all of earth's resources and processes that sustain living organisms, including humans; including minerals, forests, soils, groundwater, clean air, wildlife, and fisheries.
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environmental sustainability
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the ability to meet humanity's current needs without compromising the ability of future generation to meet their needs
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Percolation
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Blue water flow, water not held in soil.
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Gravitational Water
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Trickles through pores or cracks due to the pull of gravity.
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Storm Water
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Precipitation that runs off of land surface in surges.
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Sanitary landfill problems and solutions
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problem= leachate; solution= liner with collection system problem= methane gas; solution= collect gas and burn
problem= volume of garbage; solution= compact and reduce
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Incineration advantages
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volume of waste reduced by 90%, and waste heat can be used
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Temperature Inversion
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layer of dense, cool air trapped under a layer of warm dense air, pollution in trapped layer may build to harmful levels. Frequent in Los Angeles, California and Mexico City, Mexico
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Effects of global warming
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rising sea level (thermal expansion), extreme weather, drought, famine, extinctions
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Clean Air Act
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(CAA, 1970) set emission standards for cars and limits for release of air pollutants
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Cellular respiration
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A process in which the energy of organic molecules is released within cells.
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Detritus Feeders (Deritivors)
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An organism (such as en earth-worm crab) that consumes fragments of dead organisms.
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cost benefit analysis
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a mechanism that quantifies the costs and benefits of a particular action to help policy makers decisions
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Species Richness
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The number of different Species in a community.
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Pyramid of Energy
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An ecological pyramid that shows the energy flow through each tropic level in an ecosystem.
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Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)
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The total amount of photosynthetic energy that plants capture and assimilate in a given period.
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The hydrologic Cycle
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The global circulation of water from the environment to living organisms and back to the environment.
This cycle, which continuously renews the supply of water essential to life, involved exchange of water among the land, the atmosphere, and organisms. Water enters the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration and leaves the atmosphere as precipitation. On land, water filters through the ground or runs off to lakes, rivers, and the ocean. On land, once water seeps down through soil and rock it becomes Groundwater; stored in underground caverns and porous layers of rock. The movement of surface water from land to rivers, lakes, wetlands, and ultimately, the ocean is runoff. The area drained by runoff is watershed.
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Temperate Deciduous Forest
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A forest biome that occurs in temperate areas within a moderate amount of precipitation.
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command and control regulations
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pollution-control laws that work by setting limits on levels of pollution
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age structure
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the number and proportion of people at each age in a population
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Capillary Water
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Returned to the atmosphere by way of evaporation from soil or plants.
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Nuclear Waste Policy Act
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(1982) U.S. government must develop a high level nuclear waste site (Yucca Mountain)
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LD50 (LD-50, LD50)
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50the amount of a chemical that kills 50% of the animals in a test population
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Replacement level fertility
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the number of children a couple must have to replace themselves (2.1 in developed countries)
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Characteristics of endangered species
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small range, large territory, or live on an island
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infant mortality rate
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the number of infant deaths (under age one) per 1000 live births
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El Nino- Southern Oscillation: (ENSO)
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A periodic, large-scale warming of surface waters of the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean that temporarily alters both ocean and atmospheric circulation patterns.
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During a non El Niño year
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easterly trade winds and ocean currents pool warm water in the western Pacific, allowing upwelling of nutrient rich water off the west coast of South America
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Second Law of Thermodynamics
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when energy is changed from one form to another, some useful energy is always degraded into lower quality energy, usually heat
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Urban Heat Island
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Local heat buildup in an area of high population density.
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runoff of animal wastes, fertilizer, discharge of sewage
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How excess phosphorus is added to aquatic ecosystems
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