The theory that resources become overused by the common people if not controlled. EX.

Fishing

Tragedy of the commons

Energy cannot be created or destroyed

st 1

law of thermodynamics

Entropy (disorder) of a system increases over time. No reaction is 100% efficient. Ex: Food Web

nd 2

law of thermodynamics

Organisms that converts solar energy into chemical energy. Ex: plants

Phototroph

Organisms that converts chemicals into chemical energy as a food source. Ex: Bacteria

Chemotroph

Organisms that eat other organisms for energy. Ex: your mom

Heterotroph

Organisms at the base of the food chain that produce their own food.

Primary Producer

Organisms on top of the food chain that requires much energy to live. Ex: hawk

Tertiary Consumer

Process where plants take sunlight and convert it into glucose with CO2 and create O2. Ex: Phytoplankton

Photosynthesis

The amount of energy converted by a plant from sunlight after respiration

Net primary productivy

Bacteria convert N2 in the air into ammonia and NH3

Nitrogen Fixation

Bacteria in the soil take ammonia and convert it into nitrite NO2, then Nitrate NO3

Nitrification

The process of taking up ammonium and nitrate by plants to make DNA and Proteins

Assimilation

Bacteria in the soil take ammonia NH3 and convert it into ammonium NH4

Ammonification

Denitrifying bacteria take NH4 and NO3 and convert it back into N2 and put into the air

Denitrification

Terrestrial regions inhabited by specific vegetation and animals. Ex: Desert

Biome

Land area that delivers water, sediment, and nutrients via small streams to a large river

Watershed

Place where salt water and fresh water meet. Creates brackish water.

Estuary

No two organisms with the same niche can live in the same place at the same time

Gauses law

Species that play roles affecting every other organism in an ecosystem. Ex: otter

Keystone Species

Relationship between two species: Clownfish and Anemone

Symbiosis

Symbiosis that benefits both organisms

Mutualism

Symbiosis where one species benefits and the other is not harmed

Commensalism

Symbiosis where one benefits and the other is harmed.

Parasitism

Biome that is found at 30 degrees N/S because of descending hot air currents from the equator. Receive less than 10 inches of rain a year/

Desert

Biome found at the equator. Place that receives the most sunlight and causes mass evaporation of water.

Tropical Rain Forest

Competition between same species. EX: 2 rhesus monkeys fighting each other.

Intraspecific Competition

Competition between 2 different species. Ex: tiger and lion

Interspecific Competition

The break down of dead organic material with the use of oxygen.

Aerobic Decomposition

The break down of dead organic material without the use of oxygen.

Anaerobic Decomposition

Succession in an area that has never been occupied by organisms. Ex: Newly formed rocks

Primary Succession

Succession in an area that has been occupied by organisms. Ex: a fire damage area.

Secondary succession

The amount of land needed to produce the goods for one person

Ecological footprint

An area in between 2 different ecosystems. Contains a mixture of different species

Ecotone

Something in an ecosystem that is not alive. Ex: Rocks

Abiotic Factor

Something that is an ecosystem that is alive. Ex: alive

Biotic Factor

The full potential range of a species with unlimited resources

Fundamental Niche

The range the species occupies to avoid competition. Usually in their fundamental niche

Realized Niche

A legislative trade off resulting when an environmental impact occurs. Ex: A company must create another wetland because they want to build on their wentland.

Mitigation

Interaction of 2 or more factors so that the combined effect is greater than the sum of their separate effects.

Synergy

The number of organisms that live in a specified area. Ex: 1 bird/m2

Population density

The amount of time for a population to double

Doubling time

The amount of organisms an ecosystem can support

Carrying Capacity

Organisms that produce quickly with little or no parental care. Ex: roaches

R-strategist

An organism that reproduces slowly with a lot of parental care. Ex: a human

K-Strategist

The study of populations

Demographics

Late loss; k-strategists

Type I Survivorship

Constant loss of organisms

Type II Survivorship

Early loss of organisms; r-strategists

Type III Survivorship

Controls on population not due to land issues; Hurricanes

Density independent control

Controls on Population due to limited land issues. Ex: disease, competition

Density dependent control

The change in the births and deaths due to the industrialization of a country.

Demographic transition

The number of babies that do not make it to their first birthday

Infant mortality rate

The number of children a couple must have to replace them when they die.

Replacement Fertility Level

The number of children will have had over her lifetime.

Total Fertility Rate

More children than adults. Children are not reaching adulthood.

Pyramid Age Structure

Zero population growth. Deaths of the older adults equals birth.

Rectangular age structure

There are not enough reproductive women to replace the lost indivduals.

Inverted age structure

Created strong laws to limit immigration into the US; 1952

Immigration Reform and Control Act

The deflections of a moving object that is the result of the rotation of the earth causes the currents and winds

Coriolis effect

An irregularly recurring flow of unusually warm surface waters from the Pacific Ocean toward the western coast of South America that prevents upwelling of nutrientrich cold deep water and that disrupts typical regional and global weather patterns.

El Nino

An irregularly recurring upwelling of unusually cold water to the surface along the western coast of South America that often occurs following the El Nino

La nina

The solid particles in the air, such as dust.

Particulate Matter

When warm air traps cold air. Causes pollution to sit -> high concentration levels

Thermal inversion

A Filtration device used to remove impurities from gases; placed on smokestacks

Scrubber

A device in a chimney flues that removes particles from escaping gases: gives gases a + charge to stick on a - plate

Electrostatic Precipitator

Nitrous oxide plus hydrocarbons plus sunlight-> brown air

Photochemical Smog

Mixture of water in the atmosphere with either carbon, nitrous, or sulfur oxides. Gives soil and water pH less than 6.

Acid deposition

When a building has pollutants in it, such as dust, mold, fibers etc.

Sick Building Syndrome

An irritating gas used to preserve materials such as wood, drapes, furniture, organic specimens.

Formaldehyde

Fibrous silicate used as a fire retardant. Particles get lodged in lungs and cause cancer (mesothelioma)

Asbestos

Formed from the radioactive decay of Uranium-238 in rocks. Enters the house when rocks decay under the house. Cause lung cancer.

Radon gas

Laws state that the EPA must establish national air quality standards for 7 outdoor pollutants and toxic air polls.

Clean air act of 1970, 77, 90

Bottom layer of the atmosphere where weather exists. Up to 10km

Troposphere

nd 2

layer of earth; home to ozone, a particle that traps incoming UV radiation.

Stratosphere

Chemical that is added to the air directly. Car exhaust.

Primary pollutant

Chemical that is formed as a result of a primary pollutant reacting with UV light and other pollutants.

Secondary pollutant

The heating of the earth caused by the greenhouse effect where gases trap incoming radiation.

Global warming

Created from chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Chlorine from CFCs break down the ozone and then break down more with the same atom, thinning the ozone layer and causing more UV radiation to enter the Earth.

Ozone hole

Crater lake in Cameroon that released a huge amount of CO2 into the air at the same time, killing 1800 people. CO2 was released from the magma chamber under the lake.

Lake Nyos

Air pollutant created from burning coal which contains sulfur; causes acid rain when it mixes with H20 (Sulfuric Acid)

Sulfur Oxides

Air Pollutant caused by burning gas and using inorganic fertilizers. Causes smog and acid rain (Nitric acid)

Nitrous Oxides

A gas that traps solar radiation (on its way out to space) in the atmosphere. EX; CO2, CH4, CFC, H20

Greenhouse gas

Lung irritant that is made from the combo of nitrous oxides and VOCs

Tropsopheric Ozone

Air particle that blocks the penetration of UV radiation

Stratospheric Ozone

Legislation signed by many nations to ban the use of chlorofluorocarbons.

Montreal Protocol

Air pollutants that were placed in the air by air conditioners and aeorsols, which led to ozone thinning.

Chlorofluorocarbons

Legislation signed by many nations, not the US, that agrees to reduce greenhouse gas emissions over time.

Kyoto Protocol

Light energy coming into Earth from the sun

Short Wave UV radiation

Light energy being reflected from Earth back into space.

Long Wave UV radiation

Air pollutant that traps longwave UV radiation in earth, thus heating up earth.

Greenhouse gas

The breaking down of rocks by weather; can be done physically or chemically.

Weathering

Decomposing organic material that hold nutrients and water in soil.

humus

The ability of a substance to let water penetrate through it.

Permeability

Soil layer where plant and animal material accumulate.

O horizon

The topsoil layer where humus is found. Filled with many nutrients.

A horizon

Process of changing the land into a desert; caused by overgrazing and bad agricultural practices.

Desertification

The practice of high input farming where inorganic fertilizers, pesticides, and monocultures are used.

Conventional Tillage

The practice of low input farming where organic fertilizers, pesticides, polycultures, and soil conservation techniques are used.

Conservational Tillage

Left over dirt from mining that needs to be disposed of because it contains chemicals.

Spoil

Mining of minerals below the ground such as coal.

Subsurface mining

Mining for minerals above the surface, such as placer mining for gold.

Surface mining

Place where solid waste and industry are disposed, newer ones have linings and methane pumps.

Sanitary Landfill

Process of farming that uses many alternative chemical pesticides to limit pest growth

Integrated pest management

Chemical that kills all types of organisms when placed on a field.

Broad Spectrum Pesticide

Chemicals that only kill one type of species when placed on a field.

Narrow Spectrum Pesticide