Environmental Glossary Vocabulary terms

Acid Rain Acid rain is rain or snow with a pH below 5.6 (it is acidic) Kills plants and can change the pH of lakes and ponds (which can kill the animals)

Air Pollution Smoke, dust and exhaust fumes that pollute the air

Biotic Potential Biotic potential – the number of individuals each female of a population can produce under the best possible conditions

Carrying Capacity Carrying capacity – the largest number of individuals an environment can support and maintain for a long period of time

Competition Competition – contest among organisms to obtain the resources they need to survive and reproduce

Conservation the wise use of natural resources to prevent resources from being used up; to maintain the balance of ecosystems

Eutrophication when there are too many nutrients (usually from pollution) in water, which causes algae to overgrow and eventually destroy the water ecosystem

Fossil fuels Fossil Fuels include coal, natural gas, oil, gasoline, heating oil and kerosene.

Groundwater Groundwater is water contained in the soil or trapped in underground pockets formed by nonporous rock.

Greenhouse Effect Atmosphere is trapping heat, known as the green house effect Greenhouse gases – carbon dioxide. By-product of burning fossil fuels

Global warming Global warming – potential warming of Earth – will disrupt weather patterns Melt polar ice caps, flooding, stronger storms

Geothermal energy Geothermal Energy – energy from Earth

Hazardous wastes Hazardous wastes – waste material that is harmful to organisms Examples: pesticides, nuclear waste, chemicals, batteries, paint and household cleaners

Hydroelectric power Hydroelectric power is electricity produced by the energy of flowing water

Limiting factor Limiting factor – any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the number of individuals in a population - examples: food, temperature, living space, other resources

Nuclear energy is produced when billions of uranium nuclei are split apart in a nuclear fission reaction.

Nonrenewable resource A nonrenewable resource is a natural resource that cannot be replaced once they are gone

Natural Resources Natural resources are parts of the environment used by living organisms for food, shelter, and all other needs.

Recycle to reprocess a waste material for use in a new product

Population ecology Populations can be described according to certain characteristics. - size of population - spacing (how organisms are arranged in a given area) - density – how many individuals there are in a specific area

Population density The size of a population occupying an area of a specific size is called population density

Pollutant Pollutant – any substance that contaminate the environment and causes pollution

Photovoltaic cells Photovoltaic cells are wafers made of the mineral silicon covered with thin layers of metal

Smog Smog – a form of air pollution that is created when sunlight reacts with pollutant chemicals produced by burning fuels.

Wind Power Wind power – a wind mill is a turbine that is rotated by the wind and created energy (electricity)

Renewable resource Renewable resource is a natural resource that is recycled or replaced by ongoing natural processes.