APES Ch. 1 Flashcards
(29 cards)
What are the three principles of sustainability?
Solar energy, biodiversity and chemical cycling
Difference between Ecology and Environmental Science.
ES - the study of how we interact with other living and non-living parts and how to deal with probs
Ecology - the study of what we interact with and how they interact with each other (species and ecosystems)
Natural capital
The natural resources and services that keep us and other forms of life alive and support our human economies
Natural resources
materials and energy in nature that are essential or useful to humans.
Natural services
Processes in nature such as purification of air and water and renewal of topsoil which support life and human economies.
How does solar energy produce wind energy?
The sun heats earth at different temperatures which causes different amounts of heat to ride in the air and this inconsistent heat movement is what we call wind
What is GDP? And how do you find the per capita GDP?
It is the value of all products a country produces. Per capita is just the GDP/population.
What percent is the more developed population and what percent of the pollution and resources do they use?
19% of the population uses 88% of the resources and makes 75% of the pollution.
Point vs. non-point pollution (and examples of each)
Point - a single identifiable source of the pollution (drainpipe from factory)
Nonpoint - dispersed and often difficult to recognize (pesticides blown off from land into the air)
Private property vs. common property vs. open access renewable resources
Private - individually owned
Common - large group (1/3 of US is available to all citizens)
Open access - no one owns it
What is a commons?
An area that is open to anybody!
What is an ecological footprint?
The amount of biologically productive land and water needed to provide the people in a particular area with indefinite supply of renewable resources
3 major cultural changes in past 12,000 years
Agricultural rev. - 10-12,000 years ago
Medical/industrial - 275 yrs ago
Globalization - 50 yrs ago
4 basic causes of environmental problems
- Affluence (consumption of natural resources)
- Poverty (such a large pop.)
- Companies make money off of the stuff they sell but not their negative impact on the environment
- Nobody cares about these problems!!
How many kids or of poverty each day?
16400
Know the basics of the Hubbard Brook Experiment. (Causes, effects)
They wanted to compare the outflow of water from a valley with trees and one without. They found that water increased by 30-40% which also eroded more soil and the nutrients within, into the river.
Inductive reasoning vs. Deductive reasoning
Inductive reasoning is when you base your answer off of clear cut evidence
How did Terry Hunts hypothesis differ from the original Easter Island one?
Terry said that the Polynesians arrive 800 years ago and not 2900. And he said that the population was 3,000 and not 15,000.
Organic compounds (2 rules and one exception) vs. inorganic compounds
Organic compounds contain at least two carbon atoms (cellulose and proteins for example). And have to be bonded with hydrogen or oxygen. The exception is methane
What is the cell theory?
States that all living things are composed of cells
Prokaryotic cell vs. eukaryotic cell
Prokaryotic cell don’t have a nucleus and they have a cell wall. Eukaryotic cells have a nucleus and only plant cells have cell walls
Low quality vs. high quality energy
Low quality energy is diluted and low concentrated such as coal emissions. High quality energy are very concentrated and have a good use as a resource.
Natural radioactive decay
Isotopes are separated by gamma rays causing it to lose an electron and turn into an alpha particle.
First Law of Thermodynamics
When energy is transformed no energy is created or destroyed
