Environmental Science 101
the study of the impact of humans on the environment.
What is environmental science?
the cool, rigid, outermost layer of the Earth that’s divided into huge pieces called tectonic plates
What is the lithosphere?
the atmospheric layer closest to Earth’s surface (and where almost all weather occurs)
What is the troposphere?
all of the organisms living in an area together with their physical environment
What is an ecosystem?
the phenomenon that some organisms are more likely to survive and reproduce because of certain traits than other organisms
What is natural selection?
the study of how living things interact with each other and with their nonliving environment
What is ecology?
the solid, plastic layer of the mantle that flows very slowly, allowing tectonic plates to float on top of it.
What is the asthenosphere?
the second closest layer to Earth’s surface and reduces the amount of UV radiation that reaches our planet
What is the stratosphere?
the living and once living parts of an ecosystem, including all of the plants and animals
What are biotic factors?
A change in the genetic characteristics of a population from one generation to the next
What is evolution?
Any natural material that is used by humans
What is a natural resource?
the “middle” sphere and makes up the lower layer of the mantle.
What is the mesosphere?
This is the specific gas that helps protect us from the sun's UV radiation that is found in the stratosphere
What is ozone?
the nonliving parts of the ecosystem
What are abiotic factors?
an inherited trait that increases an organism’s chance of survival and reproduction in a certain environment
What is an adaptation?
an undesired change in air, water, or soil that adversely affects the health, survival, or activities of humans or other organisms
What is pollution?
the shell of the core, made of liquid nickel and iron.
What is the outer core?
the next layer of the atmosphere and is the coldest layer of them all.
What is the mesosphere?
all the members of the same species that live in the same place at the same time
What is a population?
The selective breeding of organisms by humans for specific characteristics
What is artificial selection?
Resources that can theoretically last forever
What are renewable resources?
a sphere of solid nickel and iron at the very center of the Earth
What is the inner core?
the farthest atmospheric layer from Earth’s surface, reaching temperatures as high as 2,000 degrees Celsius
What is the thermosphere?
a group of various species that live in the same place and interact with each other
What is a community?
the ability of one or more organisms to tolerate a particular chemical designed to kill it
What is resistance?