Download 7th grade Science

7th grade Science
Ecology & the Environment
Ch. 3
Lesson 1 vocab
natural resource—anything naturally occurring in the environment
that humans use
pollution—contamination of Earth’s land, water, or air.
point source—a specific source of pollution that can be identified
nonpoint source—a widely spread source of pollution that is
difficult to link to a specific point of origin
environmental science—the study of the natural processes that
occur in the environment and how humans can
affect them
Lesson 2
renewable resource—a resource that is either always available
or is naturally replaced in a relatively short
time
nonrenewable resource—a natural resource that is not replaced in a
useful time frame
sustainable use—the use of a resource in ways that maintain the
resource at a certain quality for a certain period
of time
ecological footprint—the amount of land and water that individuals
use to meet their resource needs and to
absorb the wastes that they produce
conservation—the practice of using less of a resource so that it can
last longer
Lesson 3
exponential growth—growth pattern in which individuals in a
population reproduce at a constant rate, so
that the larger a population gets, the faster it
grows
Ch 3 Lesson 4 vocab
clear-cutting—the process of cutting down all the trees in an
area at once
selective cutting—the process of cutting down only some tree
species in an area
sustainable yield—an amount of a renewable resource that can be
harvested regularly without reducing the future
supply
fishery—an area with a large population of valuable ocean
organisms
aquaculture—the practice of raising fish and other water-dwelling
organisms for food
Lesson 5 vocab
biodiversity—the total number of different species on Earth,
including those on land, in the water, and in the air
keystone species—a species that influences the survival of many
other species in an ecosystem
gene—a sequence of DNA that determines a trait and is passed
from parent to offspring
extinction—the disappearance of all members of a species from
Earth
endangered species—a species in danger of becoming extinct in
the near future
threatened species—a species that could become endangered in the
near future
habitat destruction—the loss of a natural habitat
habitat fragmentation—the breaking of a habitat into smaller,
isolated pieces
poaching—illegal killing or removal of wildlife from their habitats
captive breeding—the mating of animals in zoos or wildlife
preserves