Species A group of organisms that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring.

Habitat The environment in which a species normally lives (The location of a living
organism).
Population A group of organisms of the same species living in the same area at
the same time.
Community a group or association of populations of two or more different
species occupying the same geographical area at the same time.
Ecosystem A community and its abiotic environment Non-living.
Group of ecosystems that have the same climate e.g., desert biome, aquatic
biome.
Ecology- The study of relationships between living organisms and between
organisms and their environment.
Types of Environments:
 Natural (Biotic & Abiotic components) e.g.: soil, water, air, trees, noise etc.
 Man-made e.g.: house, road, schools, railways.
Components of Environment:
 Abiotic (Non-Living/Physical): Hydrosphere, Lithosphere and Atmosphere.
 Biotic (Living): Biosphere (Producers, Consumers and Decomposers).
 Energy Components: Energy Flow e.g., Sun.
Environmental science is the field of science that studies the interactions of the
physical, chemical, and biological components of the environment and also the
relationships and effects of these components with the organisms in the
environment.
An interdisciplinary study of how humans interact with the living and non-living
things of their environment.
Goals of studying environmental science
1. To learn how life on earth has survived and thrived
2. To understand how we interact with the environment
3. To find ways to deal with environmental problems and to live sustainably
A food chain is a sequence of organisms through which nutrients and energy pass
as one organism eats another.
 In a food chain, each organism occupies a different trophic level. The
trophic level of an organism is the number of steps it is from the start of the
chain.
 Food webs consist of many interconnected food chains and are more
realistic representation of consumption relationships in ecosystems.
 When energy enters a trophic level, some of it is stored as biomass, as part
of organisms' bodies. This is the energy that's available to the next trophic
level since only energy storied as biomass can get eaten.
 Not all of the energy generated or consumed in one trophic level will be
available to the organisms in the next higher trophic level.
 At each level, some of the biomass consumed is excreted as waste, some
energy is changed to heat (and therefore unavailable for consumption)
during respiration, and some plants and animals die without being eaten
(meaning their biomass is not passed on to the next consumer).
 The waste and dead matter are broken down by decomposers and the
nutrients are recycled into the soil to be taken up again by plants, but most
of the energy is changed to heat during this process.
 On average, only about 10 percent of energy stored as biomass in a trophic
level is passed from one level to the next. This is known as “the 10 percent
rule” and it limits the number of trophic levels an ecosystem can support.
 Primary Producer
 Primary Consumer
 Secondary Consumer
 Tertiary Consumer
Environmentalism: A social, political, and ethical movement concerned with
protecting the environment and using its resources wisely.
Environmental Economics: Economic effects of the environmental policies and
how economic activity and policy affect the environment in which we live.
A circular economy is an economic system aimed at eliminating waste and the
continual use of resources.
  It employs reuse, sharing, repair/refurbishment, and recycling to create a
closed-loop system, minimizing the use of resource inputs and the creation
of waste, pollution and carbon emissions.
 The circular economy aims to keep products, equipment and infrastructure
in use for longer, thus improving the productivity of these resources.
 Waste materials and energy should become input for other processes:
either a component or recovered resource for another industrial process or
as regenerative resources for nature (e.g., compost).
Linear Economy: take-> make -> Dispose
Environmental Ethics (anthropocentrism and ecocentrism) A school, or theory, in
philosophy that deals with the ethical value of the environment.
Environmental Impact The effect of some action on the environment, particularly
action by human beings.
Environmental Justice The principle of dealing with environmental problems in
such a way as to not discriminate against people based upon socioeconomic
status, race, or ethnic group.
Environmental Law A field of law concerning the conservation and use of natural
resources and the control of pollution.
Major Themes of Environmental Science:
 Human Population Growth
 Sustainability
 Global Perspective
 Urbanization
 People and Nature: People and nature are intimately connected! Disturbing
one, lead to changes in the other.
 Science and Value: Environmental issues involve values and attitudes as
well as scientific understanding