Vocabulary Terms for Environmental Science Midterm
Define the following terms using your old tests.
abiotic factors
nonliving parts of an ecosystem such as air, water, and rocks
adaptation
anatomical, physiological, or behavioral change that improves
a population’s ability to survive (ex: thick fur keeps deer warm
in cold environments)
artificial selection
atmosphere
biodegradable
biodiversity
biotic factors
the selective breeding of organisms by humans for specific
desirable characteristics (ex: humans breed horses with
specific characteristics)
a mixture of gases that surrounds a planet
pollutants that can be broken down by natural processes
refers to the number and variety of species in a given area
living and once-living parts of an ecosystem (living and dead
organisms)
climax community
a final and stable community
conceptual model
verbal or graphical explanation for how a system works or is
organized
core
correlation
data
earthquake
Earth’s innermost compositional layer
association used to study a subject when using an experiment
is impossible or unethical
information gathered during an experiment
vibration caused by slippage along a fault
ecological footprint
the productive area of Earth needed to support the lifestyle of
one person in a particular country
ecological succession
a gradual process of change and replacement of the types of
species in a community
ecology
Environmental science
experiment
study of how living things interact with each other and their
nonliving environment
study of how humans interact with science
procedure for testing a hypothesis under controlled conditions
food chain
a linear sequence in which energy is transmitted from one
organism to the next as each organism eats another organism
food web
the many feeding relationships that are possible in an
ecosystem
geosphere
the mostly solid, rocky part of the Earth; extends from the
center of the core to the surface of the crust
graphical model
maps and charts that illustrated data such as positions or
amounts graphically (ex: positions of stars)
hydrosphere
hypothesis
all the water on or near the Earth’s surface, including oceans,
polar ice caps, rock layers beneath Earth’s surface, and clouds
testable explanation for an observation
old-field succession
a type of succession that occurs on abandoned farmland
observation
information gathered by using the senses (sight, hearing,
smell, and touch)
nonrenewable resources
resources that are consumed at a faster rate than produced
physical model
pollution
recharge zone
three-dimensional representation you can touch that closely
resemble the object or systems they represent
changed in air, water, and soil that adversely affects the
environment
land surface area where water enters an aquifer
renewable resources
resources that can theoretically last forever and are constantly
being formed in a short period of time
secondary succession
a common type of succession that occurs on a surface where
an ecosystem has previously existed
sustainability
the condition in which human needs are met in such a way that
a human population can survive indefinitely
thermocline
boundary between warm and cold water in an ocean or lake
thermosphere
values
the topmost layer of Earth’s atmosphere
principles or standards we consider important