Systems & Societies
This type of system exchanges both matter and energy with its surroundings.
Open System
These organisms make their own food using sunlight through photosynthesis
producers
The warming of the Earth's surface caused by gases like CO2 and methane.
A species that is at risk of becoming extinct.
Endangered Species
A person who believes that technology and ingenuity can solve all environmental problems
technocentrist
This is the name for a group of different populations living and interacting in the same area
Community
This term describes using resources at a rate that allows them to replace themselves for future generations.
Sustainability
This type of species is only found in one specific geographic area and nowhere else.
Endemic Species
This worldview puts nature first and believes all living things have intrinsic value.
Ecocentrism
This type of relationship benefits one species while the other is harmed (like a tick on a dog)
Parasitism
This is the "area of land" required to provide all the resources and absorb the waste of a person or population
Ecological Footprint
This is the main cause of biodiversity loss worldwide
Loss/Destruction
These are the "outputs" of a system that return to the input to either stabilize or destabilize it.
Feedback loop
This is the maximum number of individuals that an environment can sustainably support
Carrying Capacity
This type of resource can be replenished as fast as it is used (like solar or wind energy)
Renewable Resource
This is a species that has a disproportionately large effect on its natural environment relative to its abundance
Keystone Species
This is the "blueprint" or worldview that shapes how a person or group perceives environmental issues
Environmental Value System
The process of change in the species structure of an ecological community over time
Ecological succession
This phenomenon occurs when excess nutrients (like fertilizers) enter water, causing algae blooms and oxygen loss
Eutrophication
This is a name for a geographic area that contains high levels of biodiversity but is under immediate threat from human activities.
Biodiversity Hotspot