Ecosystems
Threshold level at which an environmental problem causes a fundamental and irreversible shift in the behavior of a system
tipping point
Variety of processes (ie, energy flow and matter cycling) that occur within ecosystems
Functional Diversity
Process by which external forces break down bedrock into small pieces that will become foundation of soil
Weathering
Chemical contaminate in drinking water after a well is drilled into an aquifer near a mine
arsenic
Area especially rich in plant species that are found nowhere else and are in great danger of extinction
Biodiversity hotspot
Group of individual organisms of teh same species living in a particular area
All of the chemical and physical conditions that must be maintained for a population to stay alive, grow, and develop.
Range of tolerance
Partially decomposed organic material from plants and animals that mixes with parent material and releases nutrients
Humus
Individual act(s) to reduce water pollution
do not use fertilizers in home gardens or pesticides in homes; do not flush medicines in toilets, do not pour chemicals down the drain or onto the ground
Six most important secondary causes of premature extinction
HIPPCO; Habitat destruction, Invasive species, Population, Pollution, Climate change, Overexploitation
Commensalism
Specific countries with growing populations due to industrialization.
Geologic process why which a reduction of rainfall and loss of moisture from the landscape on the leeward side of the mountain.
Rainshadow effect
Refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle
Four Rs of Waste Reduction
Amphibians and birds can provide early warnings of changes in environmental conditions
Indicator species
A warm, nutrient rich, shallow water that takes up less than 10% of the world's ocean area, but contains 90% of all marie species.
Coastal zone
An ecosystem with ~100 flowers contains the following: 33 tulips, 33 daffodils, and 33 red roses. This ecosystem has
LOW species richness, and HIGH species evenness.
Virgin and old, second-growth forests containing trees that are often hundreds-thousands of years old
Old-growth forests
Solid materials discarded by homes and businesses in or near urban areas
MSW, municipal solid wastes
Lowest albedo among the following surfaces:
a) ice and snow,
b) soil and desert
c) ocean water
C, ocean water
Source zone, transition zone, floodplain zone
The total population of a country is growing rapidly, death rates are low and birth rates are beginning to decline because the country introduced education and funding for family planning. The stage of demographic transition is
Late Transitional (Stage 3)
Strip cutting
Process by which a strip of trees is clear-cut along the contour of the land
Increase or build-up in the concentration of a chemical in specific organs or tissues of an individual organism
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