Visual Vocabulary

Open system-Pandemic Visual VocabularyOpen System A system in which exchanges of matter or energy occur across system boundaries Energy from the Sun enters the ocean, warming the waters and providing energy to plants and algae

Ore A concentrated accumulation of minerals from which economically valuable materials can be extracted Typically characterized by the presence of valuable metals, but accumulations of other valuables materials, such as salt or sand, can also be considered ores.

Organic Agriculture Production of crops with the goal of improving the soil each year without the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers In the developed world. Organic farming has increased in popularity over the past three decades

Organic Compound A compound that contains carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen bonds Glucose and natural gas are examples of organic compounds

Organic Fertilizer Fertilizer composed of organic matter from plants and animals Made up of typically animal manure that had been decomposed

Output A loss from a systemPeople who study systems often conduct a system analysis, in which they determine inputs, outputs, and changes in the system under various conditions

Overnutrition Ingestion of too many calories and improper foods This puts people at risk for various diseases, including Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and stroke

Overshoot When a population becomes larger than the environments carrying capacity As a result, there will not be enough food for all the individuals in the population, and the population will experience a die-off

Oxygen-demanding Waste Organic matter that enters a body of water and feeds microbes that are decomposers The more waste enters, the more microbes grow and more oxygen they demand

Pandemic An epidemic that occurs over a large geographic region Among the diversity of human diseases that have causes epidemics and pandemics, we still have to consider both those that have been historically important and those that have emerged recently