Environmental Studies Unit 1 Key Terms

Any substance that is involved in chemical reactions in a living organism has a physiological function

Measure of the amount of heat energy needed to heat up a particular mass of material through a particular

Heat-loving, such as the bacteria that live around hot volcanic vents

Surrounding environment gases that are available to organisms

Gases surrounding teh earth. different layers are characterised by their temperature, density, turbulence and composition

Splitting of molecules by light, including the splitting of water molecules in the early atmosphere, producing oxygen

Gas that absorbs infrared radiation and causes atmospheric heating

Loss of water by evaporation from the stomata of leaves

All the living organisms of Earth

All the water on earth, found in solid liquid or gaseous form in a variety of reservoirs, including the oceans, ice caps, rivers and lakes, soils, groundwater, atmosphere and living organisms

The relatively hard outer layer of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper layer of the mantle

Study of living organisms so the knowledge gained can be applied to engineering or technological developments

Study of the causes of birth defects

Species that are native to the area

Total variety of different genes in all the members of a population