An Interdisciplinary Field
Vocabulary
History
Spaceship Earth
Natural Resources
100
the study of life
What is Biology?
100
the raising of crops and livestock for food or for other products that are useful to humans
What is agriculture?
100
people who get food by collecting plants and by hunting animals
What are hunter-gatherers?
100
the only thing that enters Earth's atmospere in large amounts is energy from the sun, and the only thing that leaves in large amounts is heat. Earth is essentially a _____________________.
What is a closed system?
100
any natural material that is used by humans
What are natural resources?
200
the study of plants
What is Botany?
200
the variety of organisms in an area
What is biodiversity?
200
changed habitat to obtain food, introduced new plants to areas, and in some areas overharvested plants and animals
What is the effect of hunter-gatherers on environment?
200
some resources may become limited, and as populations grow, the resources will be used more rapidly
What are some potential problems with a closed system?
200
a resource that can be replaced relatively quickly by natural processes
What is a renewable resource?
300
animal and plant fossils
What is Paleontology?
300
any natural material that is used by humans such as water, petroleum, minerals, forests, and animals
What is a natural resource?
300
People began to move from a nomadic lifestlye to the farming of domesticated plant and animals
What is the Agricultural Revolution?
300
your community discussing where to build a new landfill, local property owners arguing with environmentalists about the importance of a rare bird or insect
What are examples of LOCAL environmental problems?
300
minerals and fossil fuels
What is a nonrenewable resource?
400
the science by which matter and energy are made useful in the design of structures and machines
What is Engineering?
400
the condition in which human needs are met in such a way that a human population can survive indefinintely
What is sustainability?
400
involved a shift from energy resources such as animal muscle and running water to fossil fuels such as coal and oil
What is the Industrial Revolution?
400
ozone-depleting chemicals released in Brazil may destroy the ozone layer that everyone on Earth depends on
What is a GLOBAL environmental problem?
400
pollutants that cannot be broken down by natural processes, such as mercury, lead, and some types of plastic
What are nondegradable pollutants?
500
the study of the origins, physical and cultural development, biological characteristics, social customs, and beliefs of humankind
What is Anthropology?
500
a law of economics that states that as the demand for a good or service increases, the value of the good or service also increases
What is the law of supply and demand?
500
- the light bulb, agricultural productivity increased, sanitation, nutrition, and medical care vastly improved - pollution, habitat loss, use of artificial substances like plastics, pesticides, and fertilizers
What are the positive and negative effects of the Industrial Revolution?
500
- A principle or standard we consider important (aesthetic, economic, environmental, educational, etc.)
What is a value?
500
resources are said to be _________________ when a large fraction of the resource has been used up
What is depleted?
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