resources
A type of resource that will be replaced, but often at a slower rate than they are used. For example: soil or timber.
renewable resource
The amount of land needed to support a person or country.
ecological footprint
A natural process that occurs when gases in a planet's atmosphere trap heat from the sun, warming the planet.
greenhouse effect
area where a species can be found
Geographic Range
Achieved at the final, stable stage of ecological succession
Climax Community
A type of resource that cannot be used up. Ex. Sunlight
inexhaustible resource
Inputs & outputs into a system: light, oxygen and heat
flows
A change in the orientation of the rotational axis of a rotating body
precession
measures how fast something changes in size over a specific period of time
Growth Rate
the process by which plants and animals first colonize a new area that is devoid of life
Primary Succession
A type of resource not replaced within the human time scale but that can be reused repeatedly. For example, minerals or metals.
recyclable resource
This transfers or transforms energy/matter: Ex. photosynthesis
Processes
A measure of how reflective a surface is
albedo
the number of organisms an environment can support
Carrying Capacity
a natural process of succession that occurs when an existing biological community is disrupted, but not completely destroyed
Secondary Succession
A resource that is shared or not owned (the oceans or atmosphere for example)
commons
An example might be a measure of how much carbon dioxide can be dissolved in the oceans.
solubility
The measure of the amount of solar radiation (energy) falling on a surface
insolation
any factor that controls the growth of a population
Limiting factor
This law says that no two species can occupy the same niche
Competitive Exclusion Principle
The salination caused by irrigation led to the collapse of the Sumerian civilization an example of this.
law of unintended consequences
An example of this would be warming temperatures cause ice to melt, reducing albedo, raising temperatures further.
positive feedback loop
An example of this would be increased CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere lead to higher plant grow increasing albedo and removing CO2 from the atmosphere by photosynthesis.
negative feedback loop
the variety and variability of the organisms in an ecosystem
Biodiversity
triangular models that show amounts of energy or matter at each level in a chain
Ecological pyramid