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AP Environmental Science Vocabulary Backup > 8th Chapter Vocab > Flashcards

8th Chapter Vocab Flashcards

1
Q

Thomas Malthus (1766-1834)

A

British economist who maintained that increasing human population would eventually deplete the available food supply until starvation, war, or disease arose and reduced the population

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2
Q

IPAT model

A

A formula that represents how humans’ total impact (I) on the environment results from the interaction among three factors: population (P), affluence (A), and technology (T)

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3
Q

demography

A

a social science that applies the principles of population ecology to the study of statistical change in human populations

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4
Q

demographer

A

a social scientist who studies the population size, density, distribution, age structure, sex ratio, and rates of birth, death, immigration, and emigration of human populations

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5
Q

total fertility rate (TFR)

A

the average number of children born per female member of a population during her life time

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6
Q

replacement fertility

A

the total fertility rate (TFR) that maintains a stable population size

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7
Q

rate of natural increase (natural rate of population change)

A

the rate of change in a populations’s size resulting from birth and death alone, excluding, excluding migration.

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8
Q

demographic transition

A

a theoretical model of economic and cultural change that explains the declining death rates and birth rates that occurred in western nations as they became industrialized. the model holds that industrialization caused these rates to fall naturally by decreasing mortality and by lessening the need for larger large families. parents would thereafter choose to invest in quality of life rather that quantity of children

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9
Q

life expectancy

A

the average number of years that individuals in particular age groups are likely to continue to live

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10
Q

pre-industrial stage

A

the first stage of the demographic transition model, characterized by conditions that defined most human history. in pre-industrial societies, both death rates and birth rates are high

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11
Q

industrial stage

A

the third stage of the demographic transition model, characterized by falling birth rates that close the gap with falling death rates and reduce the rate of population growth

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12
Q

post-industrial stage

A

the fourth and final stage of the demographic transition model, in which both birth and death rates have fallen to a low level and remain stable there, and populations may even decline slightly

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13
Q

family planning

A

the effort to plan the number and spacing of one’s children so as to offer children and parents the best quality of life possible

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14
Q

contraception

A

the deliberate attempt to prevent pregnancy despite sexual intercourse

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15
Q

birth control

A

the effort to control the number of children on bears, particularly by reducing the frequency of pregnancy

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16
Q

reproductive window

A

the portion of a woman’s life between sexual maturity and menopause during which she may become pregnant

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17
Q

transitional stage

A

the second stage of the demographic transition model, which occurs during the transition from the pre-industrial stage to the industrial stage. it is characterized by declining death rates but continued high birth rates

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18
Q

demographic fatigue

A

an inability on the part of governments to address overwhelming challenges to population growth

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19
Q

no-till

A

agriculture that does not involve tilling (plowing, digging, harrowing, or chiseling) the soil. the most intense form of conservation fatique

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20
Q

cover crops

A

a crop that covers and anchors the soil during times between main crops, intended to reduce erosion

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21
Q

agriculture

A

the practice of cultivating soil, producing crops, and raising livestock for human use and consumption

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22
Q

cropland

A

land that people use for raising plants for food and fiber

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23
Q

rangland

A

land used for grazing livestock

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24
Q

sustainable agriculture

A

agriculture that can be practiced in the same way and in the same place far into the future. sustainable agriculture does not deplete soils nor reduce the clean water and genetic diversity essential to long-term crop and livestock production

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25
Q

substance agriculture

A

the oldest form of traditional agriculture in which farming families produce only enough food for themselves

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26
Q

industrial agriculture

A

a form of agriculture that uses large-scale mechanization and fossil fuel combustion, enabling farmers to replace horses and oxen with more powerful means of cultivating, harvesting, transporting, and processing crops. other aspects include irrigation and the use of inorganic fertilizers, the use of chemical herbicides and pesticides reduce competition from weeds and herbivory by insects

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27
Q

traditional agriculture

A

biologically powered agriculture in which human and animal muscle power, along side with hand tools and simple machines, perform the work of cultivating, harvesting, storing, and distributing crops

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28
Q

monocultures

A

the uniform planting of a single crop over a large area

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29
Q

polyculture

A

the planting of multiple crops in a mixed arrangement or in close proximity. an example is some traditional native american farming that mixed maize, beans, squash, and peppers

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30
Q

parent material

A

the base geological material in a particular area

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31
Q

bedrock

A

the continuous mass of solid rock that makes up earth’s crust

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32
Q

weathering

A

the process by which rocks are broken down, turning large particles into smaller particles. weathering may proceed by physical, chemical, or biological means

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33
Q

humus

A

a dark, spongy, crumbly mass of material made up of complex organic compounds, resulting from the partial decomposition of organic matter

34
Q

horizon

A

a distinct layer of soil

35
Q

soil profile

A

the cross-section of a soil as a whole, from the surface to the bedrock

36
Q

leaching

A

the process by which solid materials such as minerals are dissolved in a liquid (usually water) and transported to another location

37
Q

irrigation

A

the artificial provision of water to support agriculture

38
Q

waterlogging

A

the saturation of soil by water, in which water table is raised to the point that water bathes plant roots. Waterlogging deprives roots of access to gases, essentially suffocating them and eventually damaging or killing the plants

39
Q

salinization

A

the buildup of salts in surface soil layers

40
Q

fertilizer

A

a substance that promotes plant growth by supplying essential nutrients such as nitrogen or phosphorus

41
Q

organic fertilizer

A

a fertilizer made up of natural materials (largely the remains or wastes of organisms), including animal manure; crop residues, fresh vegetation, and compost

42
Q

compost

A

a mixture produced when decomposers break down organic matter, such as food and crop waste, in a controlled environment

43
Q

conservation reserve program

A

U.S. policy in farm bills since 1985 that pays farmers to stop cultivating highly erodible cropland and instead place it in conservation reserves planted with grasses and trees

44
Q

soil degradation

A

a deterioration of soil productivity, resulting primarily from forest removal, cropland agriculture, and overgrazing of livestock

45
Q

land degradation

A

a general deterioration of land that diminishes its productivity and biodiversity, impairs the functioning of its ecosystems, and reduces the ecosystem services the land can offer us

46
Q

dust bowl

A

an area that loses huge amounts of topsoil to wind erosion as a result of drought and/or human impact. first used to name the region in the North American great plains severely affected by drought and topsoil loss in the 1930’s. the term is now used to describe that historical event and others like it

47
Q

conservation districts

A

a county-based entity created by the soil conservation service (now the natural resources conservation service) to promote practices to conserve soil

48
Q

natural resources conservation service (NCRS)

A

u.s. agency that promotes soil conservation, as well as water quality protection and pollution control. prior to 1994, known as the soil conservation service

49
Q

overgrazing

A

the consumption by too many animals of plant cover, impending plant regrowth and the replacement of biomass. overgrazing can exacerbate damage to soils, natural communities, and the land productivity for further grazing

50
Q

contour farming

A

the practice of flowing furrows sideways across a hillside, perpendicular to its slope, to help prevent the formation of rills and gullies, the technique is names so because the furrows follow the natural contours of the land

51
Q

terracing

A

the cutting of level platforms, sometimes with raised edges, into steep hillsides to contain water from irrigation and precipitation, terracing transforms slopes into series of step like staircases, enabling farmers to cultivate hilly land while minimizing their loss of soil to water erosion

52
Q

intercropping

A

planting different types of crops in alternating bonds or other spatially mixed arrangements

53
Q

shelterbelts (windbreaks)

A

a row of trees or other tall plants that are planted along the edges of farm fields to break the wind and thereby minimize wind erosion

54
Q

conservation tillage

A

agriculture that limits the amount of tillage (planting, digging, harrowing, or chiseling) the soil

55
Q

crop rotation

A

the practice of alternating the kind of crop grown in a particular field from one season or year to the next

56
Q

genetically modified food

A

food derived from a genetically modified organism

57
Q

genetically modified organism (GMO)

A

an organism that has been genetically engineered using recombinant DNA technology

58
Q

genetic engineering

A

any process scientists use to manipulate an organism’s genetic material in the lab by adding, deleting, or changing segments of its DNA

59
Q

landrace

A

a locally adapted domesticated variety of agricultural crop native to a particular area

60
Q

transgenic

A

term describing an organism that contains DNA from another species

61
Q

transgene

A

a gene that has been extracted from the DNA of one organism and transferred into the DNA of an organism of another species

62
Q

undernutrition

A

s condition of insufficient nutrition in which people receive less than 90% of the daily caloric needs

63
Q

food security

A

an adequate, reliable, and available food supply to all people at all times

64
Q

malnutrition

A

the condition of lacking nutrients the body needs, including a complete complement of vitamins and minerals

65
Q

green revolution

A

an intensification of the industrialization of agriculture in the developing world in the second half of the 20th century that has dramatically increased crop yields produced per unit area of farmland. practices include devoting large areas to monocultures of crops specially bred for high yields and rapid growth; heavy use of fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation water; and sowing and harvesting on the same piece of land more than once per year or per season

66
Q

Norman Borlaug (1914-2009)

A

american agricultural scientist who introduced specially bred crops to developing nations in the 20th century, helping to spur the green revolution

67
Q

monoculture

A

the uniform planting of a single crop over a large area. characterizes industrial agriculture

68
Q

biofuel

A

fuel produced from biomass energy sources and used primarily to power automobiles. examples include ethanol and biodiesel

69
Q

ethanol

A

the alcohol in beer, wine, and liquor, produced as a biofuel by fermenting biomass, generally from carbohydrate-rich crops such as corn

70
Q

sustainable agriculture

A

agriculture that can be practiced in the same way and in the same place for into the future

71
Q

feedlot

A

a huge barn or outdoor pen designed to deliver energy-rich food to animals living at extremely high densities. also called a factory farm or concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO)

72
Q

seed bank

A

a storehouse for samples of the world’s crop diversity

73
Q

pollination

A

a plant-animal interaction in which one organism (for example, a bee or a hummingbird) transfers pollen (containing male sex cells) from flower to flower, fertilizing ovaries (containing female sex cells) that grow into fruits with seeds

74
Q

pest

A

a pejorative term for any organism that damages crops that are valuable to us. the term is subjective and is defined by our own economic interests and is not biologically meaningful

75
Q

pesticide

A

an artificial chemical used to kill insects, plants, or fungi

76
Q

weed

A

a pejorative term for any plant that competes with our crops. the term is subjective and is defined by our own economic interests and is not biologically meaningful

77
Q

bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)

A

a naturally occuring soil bacterium that produces a protein that kills many pests, including caterpillars and the larvae of some flies and beetles

78
Q

biological control (biocontrol)

A

control of pests and weeds with organisms that prey on or parasitize them, rather than with pesticides

79
Q

integrated pest management (IPM)

A

the use of multiple techniques in combination to achieve long-term suppression of pests, including biocontrol, use of pesticides, close monitoring of populations, habitat alteration, crop rotation, transgenic crops, alternative tillage methods, and mechanical pest removal

80
Q

organic agriculture

A

agriculture that does not use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides but instead relies in biological approaches such as composting and biocontrol.

81
Q

aquaculture

A

the cultivation of aquatic organisms for food in controlled environments

AP Environmental Science Vocabulary Backup (9 decks)

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