Chapter 1 Vocabulary

Question 1

Environment

Answer 1

The sum of all the conditions surrounding us that influence life.

Question 2

Environmental science

Answer 2

The field of study that looks at interactions among human systems and those found in nature.

Question 3

Ecosystem

Answer 3

A particular location on Earth with interacting biotic and abiotic components.

Question 4

Biotic

Answer 4

Living

Question 5

Abiotic

Answer 5

Nonliving

Question 6

Environmentalism

Answer 6

A social movement that seeks to protect the environment through lobbying, activism, and education

Question 7

Fossil fuel

Answer 7

A fuel derived from biological material that became fossilized millions of years ago

Question 8

Fracking

Answer 8

Hydraulic fracturing, a method of oil and gas extraction that uses high-pressure fluids to force open cracks in rocks deep underground

Question 9

Environmental studies

Answer 9

The field of study that includes environmental policy, economics, literature, and ethics

Question 10

Ecosystem services

Answer 10

The processes by which life-supporting resources such as clean water, timber, fisheries, and agricultural crops are produced

Question 11

Environmental indicator

Answer 11

An indicator that describes the current state of an environmental system

Question 12

Biodiversity

Answer 12

The diversity of life forms in an environment

Question 13

Genetic diversity

Answer 13

A measure of the genetic variation among individuals in a population

Question 14

Species

Answer 14

A group of organisms that is distinct from other groups in its morphology (body and structure), behavior, or biochemical properties

Question 15

Species diversity

Answer 15

The number of species in a region or in a particular ecosystem

Question 16

Speciation

Answer 16

The evolution of new species

Question 17

Background extinction rate

Answer 17

The average rate at which species become extinct over the long term

Question 18

Greenhouse gases

Answer 18

Gases in Earth’s atmosphere that trap heat near the surface

Question 19

Anthropogenic

Answer 19

Derived from human activities

Question 20

Per capita

Answer 20

Amount per each person in a country or unit of population

Question 21

Development

Answer 21

Improvement in human well-being through economic advancement

Question 22

Sustainability

Answer 22

Living on Earth in a way that allows humans to use its resources without depriving future generations of those resources

Question 23

Sustainable development

Answer 23

Development that balances current human well-being and economic advancement with resource management for the benefit of future generations

Question 24

Biophilia

Answer 24

Love of live

Question 25

Ecological footprint

Answer 25

A measure of how much an individual consumes, expressed in an area of land

Question 26

Scientific method

Answer 26

An objective method to explore the natural world, draw inferences from it, and predict the outcome of certain events, processes, or changes

Question 27

Hypothesis

Answer 27

A testable conjecture about how something works

Question 28

Variable

Answer 28

Any categories, conditions, factors, or traits that differ in the natural world or in experimental situations

Question 29

Independent Variable

Answer 29

A variable that is not dependent on other factors

Question 30

Dependent variable

Answer 30

A variable that is dependent on other factors

Question 31

Null Hypothesis

Answer 31

A prediction that there is no other difference between the groups or conditions that are being compared

Question 32

Replication

Answer 32

The data collection procedure of taking repeated measurements

Question 33

Sample size (n)

Answer 33

The number of times a measurement is replicated in data collection

Question 34

Accuracy

Answer 34

How close a measured value is to the actual or true value

Question 35

Precision

Answer 35

How close the repeated measurements of a sample are to one another

Question 36

Uncertainty

Answer 36

An estimate of how much a measured or calculated value differs from a true value

Question 37

Theory

Answer 37

A hypothesis that has been repeatedly tested and confirmed by multiple groups of researchers and has reached wide acceptance

Question 38

Control group

Answer 38

In a scientific investigation, a group that experiences exactly the same conditions as the experimental group, except for the single variable under study

Question 39

Natural experiment

Answer 39

A natural event that acts as an experimental treatment in an ecosystem