ESS Definitions

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Natural capital
goods or services that aren't manufactured (soil, trees, living organisms)
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Natural income
The amount of resources we take from nature a year
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Biomass
the quantity of dry organic material in an organism, population, trophic level or ecosystem
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Pyramids
models of the quantative differences between the amounts of living material stored at each trophic level of a food chain. Allows us to examine energy transfers & losses
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Carrying capacity
maximum no. of organisms that an area can sustainably support over a long period of time
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Ecological footprint
The area required to sustainably support a given population
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Zonation
Arrangement of plant communities into bands in response to change
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Succession
change in community structure of an area over time
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Eutrophication
the addition of excess nutrients to freshwater ecosystems
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Primary productivity
the gain by producers in energy/biomass per unit area per unit time
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Secondary productivity
biomass gained by consumers through feeding & absorption of energy per area & time. Depends on food present & efficiency of consumers making biomass
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Gross Productivity
total gain in energy per unit area and time
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NP
gain of energy per unit area & time AFTER RESPIRATION losses (energy left for the next trophic level)
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GPP
gained through photosynthesis of primary producers
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GSP
gain through absorption in consumers
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NPP=GPP-R
NSP=GSP (food eaten)-R
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Sustainability
Living within the means of nature, on the interest or sustainable income generated by natural income
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Sustainable development
meeting current needs without compromising ability of future generations to meet their own needs
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Trophic level
is the position that an organism occupies in a food chain
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Ecosystem
a community of the living & non-living organisms in their environment
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Species
organisms that interbreed and produce fertile offspring
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Hybrid
two species that breed together
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Population
same species living in the same area and interbreed
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Habitat
an environment a species lives in
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Niche
where and how a species lives
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Community
population living and interacting with each other in a habitat
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Diversity
the variation of living life form in a given ecosystem, biome or entire Earth.
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Biome
collection of ecosystems sharing similar climatic conditions
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Producer
make their own food and help the consumers & decomposers through the input of energy & biomass
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Consumers
get energy and nutrients from others
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Decomposers
obtain food and nutrients from break down of dead organic matter
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

The amount of resources we take from nature a year

Back

Natural income

Card 3

Front

the quantity of dry organic material in an organism, population, trophic level or ecosystem

Back

Preview of the back of card 3

Card 4

Front

models of the quantative differences between the amounts of living material stored at each trophic level of a food chain. Allows us to examine energy transfers & losses

Back

Preview of the back of card 4

Card 5

Front

maximum no. of organisms that an area can sustainably support over a long period of time

Back

Preview of the back of card 5
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