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ib environ systems > IB ESS VOCAB > Flashcards

IB ESS VOCAB Flashcards

1
Q

Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)

A

A measure of the amount of dissolved oxygen required to break down the organic material in a given volume of water through aerobic biological activity.

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2
Q

Biodiversity

A

The amount of biological or living diversity per unit area. It includes the concepts of species diversity, habitat diversity and genetic diversity.

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3
Q

Biomass

A

The mass of organic material in organisms or ecosystems, usually per unit area.

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4
Q

Biome

A

A collection of ecosystems sharing similar climatic conditions; for example, tundra, tropical rainforest, desert.

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5
Q

Biosphere

A

That part of the Earth inhabited by organisms, that is, the narrow zone in which plants and animals exist.

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6
Q

Abiotic factor and Biotic factor

A

Abiotic factors are non‑living, physical factors that may influence an organism or ecosystem; for example, temperature, sunlight, pH, salinity, precipitation. Biotic factors are living, biological factors that may influence an organism or ecosystem; for example, predation, parasitism, disease, competition.

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7
Q

Carrying capacity

A

The maximum number of a species or “load” that can be sustainably supported by a given environment.

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8
Q

Climax community

A

A community of organisms that is more or less stable, and that is in equilibrium with natural environmental conditions such as climate; the end point of ecological succession.

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9
Q

Community

A

A group of populations living and interacting with each other in a common habitat.

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10
Q

Competition

A

A common demand by two or more organisms upon a limited supply of a resource; for example, food, water, light, space, mates, nesting sites. It may be intraspecific or interspecific.

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11
Q

Correlation (positive and negative)

A

A measure of the association between two variables. If two variables tend to move up or down together, they are said to be positively correlated. If they tend to move in opposite directions, they are said to be negatively correlated.

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12
Q

Crude birth rate

A

The number of births per thousand individuals in a population per year.

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13
Q

Crude death rate

A

The number of deaths per thousand individuals in a population per year.

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14
Q

Demographic transition

A

A general model describing the changing levels of fertility and mortality in a human population over time.

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15
Q

Diversity, genetic

A

The range of genetic material present in a gene pool or population of a species.

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16
Q

Diversity, habitat

A

The range of different habitats or number of ecological niches per unit area in an ecosystem, community or biome.

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17
Q

Diversity index

A

A numerical measure of species diversity that is derived from both the number of species (variety) and their proportional abundance.

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18
Q

Diversity, species

A

The variety of species per unit area. This includes both the number of species present and their relative abundance.

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19
Q

Doubling time

A

The number of years it would take a population to double its size at its current growth rate.

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20
Q

Entropy

A

A measure of the amount of disorder, chaos or randomness in a system; the greater the disorder, the higher the level of entropy.

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21
Q

Environmental impact assessment (EIA)

A

A method of detailed survey required, in many countries, before a major development. Ideally it should be independent of, but paid for by, the developer. Such a survey should include a baseline study to measure environmental conditions before development commences, and to identify areas and species of conservation importance.

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22
Q

Equilibrium

A

A state of balance among the components of a system.

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23
Q

Eutrophication

A

The natural or artificial enrichment of a body of water, particularly with respect to nitrates and phosphates, that results in depletion of the oxygen content of the water.

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24
Q

Feedback, negative

A

Feedback that tends to damp down, neutralize or counteract any deviation from an equilibrium, and promotes stability.

25
Q

Feedback, positive

A

Feedback that amplifies or increases change; it leads to exponential deviation away from an equilibrium.

26
Q

Gaia

A

The Gaia hypothesis compares the Earth to a living organism in which feedback mechanisms maintain equilibrium.

27
Q

GNP

A

Gross National Product, the current value of all goods and services produced in a country per year.

28
Q

Greenhouse gases

A

Those atmospheric gases which absorb infrared radiation, causing world temperatures to be warmer than they would otherwise be. The natural greenhouse effect is caused mainly by water and carbon dioxide. Human activities have led to an increase in the levels of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide (dinitrogen oxide, N2O) in the atmosphere, and there are fears that this may lead to global warming.

29
Q

Halogenated organic gases

A

Usually known as halocarbons and first identified as depleting the ozone layer in the stratosphere. Now known to be potent greenhouse gases. The most well known are chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

30
Q

K-strategist

A

Species that usually concentrate their reproductive investment in a small number of offspring, thus increasing their survival rate and adapting them for living in long‑term climax communities.

31
Q

Latitude

A

The angular distance from the equator (that is, north or south of it) as measured from the centre of the Earth (usually in degrees).

32
Q

LEDC

A

Less economically developed country: a country with low to moderate industrialization and low to moderate average GNP per capita.

33
Q

MEDC

A

More economically developed country: a highly industrialized country with high average GNP per capita.

34
Q

Model

A

A simplified description designed to show the structure or workings of an object, system or concept.

35
Q

Natural capital

A

A term sometimes used by economists for natural resources that, if appropriately managed, can produce a “natural income” of goods and services.

36
Q

renewable vs. replenishable

A

Renewable: Natural resources that have a sustainable yield or harvest equal to or less
than their natural productivity; for example, food crops, timber.
Replenishable: Non‑living natural resources that depend on the energy of the Sun for
their replenishment; for example, groundwater.

37
Q

Natural increase, rate of

A

The form in which human population growth rates are usually expressed:
Inward and outward migration is ignored.

38
Q

Pollution, non-point source

A

The release of pollutants from numerous, widely dispersed origins; for example, gases from the exhaust systems of vehicles.

39
Q

Pollution, point source

A

The release of pollutants from a single, clearly identifiable site; for example, a factory chimney or the waste disposal pipe of a factory into a river.

40
Q

Productivity, gross (GP)

A

The total gain in energy or biomass per unit area per unit time, which could be through photosynthesis in primary producers or absorption in consumers.

41
Q

Productivity, gross primary
(GPP)

A

The total gain in energy or biomass per unit area per unit time fixed by
photosynthesis in green plants.

42
Q

Productivity, gross secondary
(GSP)

A

The total gain by consumers in energy or biomass per unit area per unit time through absorption.

43
Q

Productivity, net (NP)

A

The gain in energy or biomass per unit area per unit time remaining after allowing for respiratory losses (R). Other metabolic losses may take place, but these may be ignored when calculating and defining net productivity for the purpose of this course.

44
Q

Productivity, net primary
(NPP)

A

The gain by producers in energy or biomass per unit area per unit time
remaining after allowing for respiratory losses (R). This is potentially available to consumers in an ecosystem.

45
Q

Productivity, net secondary
(NSP)

A

The gain by consumers in energy or biomass per unit area per unit time
remaining after allowing for respiratory losses (R).

46
Q

Productivity, primary vs.
Productivity, secondary

A

Primary: The gain by producers in energy or biomass per unit area per unit time. This term could refer to either gross or net primary productivity.
Secondary: The biomass gained by heterotrophic organisms, through feeding and absorption, measured in units of mass or energy per unit area per unit time.

47
Q

r-strategist

A

Species that tend to spread their reproductive investment among a large number of offspring so that they are well adapted to colonize new habitats rapidly and make opportunistic use of short-lived resources.

48
Q

Sere

A

The set of communities that succeed one another over the course of succession at a given location.

49
Q

Smog

A

The term now used for any haziness in the atmosphere caused by air pollutants. Photochemical smog is produced through the effect of ultraviolet light on the products of internal combustion engines. It may contain ozone and is damaging to the human respiratory system and eyes.

50
Q

Soil profile

A

A vertical section through a soil, from the surface down to the parent material, revealing the soil layers or horizons.

51
Q

Speciation

A

The process through which new species form. See also evolution.

52
Q

Steady‑state equilibrium

A

The condition of an open system in which there are no changes over the longer term, but in which there may be oscillations in the very short term. There are continuing inputs and outputs of matter and energy, but the system as a whole remains in a more or less constant state (for example, a climax ecosystem).

53
Q

Succession

A

The orderly process of change over time in a community.

54
Q

System, closed

A

A system in which energy, but not matter, is exchanged with its surroundings.

55
Q

System, isolated

A

A system that exchanges neither matter nor energy with its surroundings.

56
Q

System, open

A

A system in which both matter and energy are exchanged with its surroundings (for example, natural ecosystems).

57
Q

Trophic level

A

The position that an organism occupies in a food chain, or a group of organisms in a community that occupy the same position in food chains.

58
Q

Zonation

A

The arrangement or patterning of plant communities or ecosystems into parallel or sub‑parallel bands in response to change, over a distance, in some environmental factor.

ib environ systems (1 decks)

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