Vocabulary Vocabulary ReviewReview

Ch 22 – Humans Ch 22 – Humans and the and the

EnvironmentEnvironment

The study of the interaction

between humans and their own environment.

Environmental science

Earth’s rock interior that

extends from the molten center of the planet’s core

to the solid surface of its crustGeosphere

The portion of Earth that is

water, including all oceans, lakes,

and rivers

Hydrosphere

The mixture of gases that

surrounds the Earth above the hydrosphere and

geosphere

Atmosphere

The part of the Earth where life

exists

Biosphere

The layer of the atmosphere at an altitude of 15 to 40 km in which ozone absorbs

ultraviolet solar radiationOzone layer

The warming of the surface and lower

atmosphere of Earth that occurs when carbon

dioxide, water vapor, and other gases in the air absorb and reradiate

infrared radiation

Greenhouse effect

The variety of organisms

considered at all levels, from

populations to ecosystems

Biodiversity

An index that combines the number and

relative abundance of

different species in a community

Species diversity

The amount of variation in the genetic material

within all members of a population

Genetic diversity

Substances that cause unintended harm in air, water,

or soil

Pollution

Water vapor mixed with chemicals that result from human activities

Smog

A type of hydrocarbon in which some or all of the

hydrogen atoms are replaced by chlorine and fluorine; used in coolants for refrigerators and air

conditioners and in cleaning solvents

Chlorofluorocarbon

The accumulation of increasingly

large amounts of toxic substances

within each successive link of

the food chainBiological

Magnification

Precipitation, such as rain, sleet, snow, that

contains a high concentration of acids, often because of the

pollution of the atmosphere

Acid precipitation

The death of every member of a

species

Extinction

A species that is critical to the

functioning of the ecosystem in which it

lives because it affects the survival in

its community

Keystone species

The condition in which human

needs are met in such a way that a human population

can survive indefinitely

Sustainability

A branch of biology that is the

study of the management of

natural resources and the

preservation of biodiversityConservation

biology

The science of rehabilitating,

replacing, or acquiring the equivalent of any natural resources that

have been injured, destroyed, or lost

Restoration biology

A species that is especially sensitive to ecological change and thus can serve as an indicator of

environmental conditions

Bioindicator

Region of the biosphere that has been identified by conservationists as having high species

diversity and as being highly threatened by

humanBiodiversity

hotspot

A form of tourism that supports the conservation and

sustainable development of

ecologically unique areas

Ecotourism

The study of ecology in areas that are densely

populated by humans

Urban ecology