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Teacher Resource Bank
GCE Environmental Studies
Dominoes
GCE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
Dominoes
Instructions:
Print off the dominoes, preferably on card.Cut horizontally between the pairs of boxes and trim to create 12 ‘dominoes’.
Match each domino to a suitable neighbour such that each key term ismatched to its definition. You should end up with a complete ring ofdominoes.
GCE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
Dominoes
Table of topic areas
Topic area
Conditions for Life on EarthWildlife ConservationConservation in the UKConservation AbroadLife ProcessesLand ResourcesThe AtmosphereThe HydrosphereThe LithosphereEnergyPollutionThe Population: Resource BalanceAgricultureAquatic Food Production SystemsForestrySustainabilityPractical Skills
Conditions for Life on Earth
AtmosphereAll the living organisms
on the Earth
EnzymeAll the gases that
surround the Earth
LithosphereA protein molecule that
controls biochemicalreactions
HydrosphereThe crust and upper
mantle
PhotolysisThe water of the Earth,in solid, liquid and gas
states
SpecificHeat
Capacity
The splitting of asubstance by light
Thermophile
The amount of energygained or lost for a
particular temperaturerise
Ozone layerAn organism that lives
under unusually hotconditions
Ultravioletlight
The layer in thestratosphere with most
naturally occurring ozone
GreenhouseGas
High energy, shortwavelength
electromagnetic radiation
TranspirationGas that absorbs
infra red energy emittedby the Earth
BiosphereThe evaporation of water
from leaf stomata
Wildlife Conservation
CITESThe artificial transfer of
semen into a female withoutmating
EndemicInternational wildlife trade
control
Gene poolA species that is native to anarea and not found naturally
anywhere else
IndigenousThe total variety of genes in a
population
IWCA species that is native to an
area
NicheInternational organisation thataims to ensure exploitation of
whales is sustainable
Ramsar Site
The role an organism plays inits habitat, how it makes use ofresources and its inter-relations
with other species
RSPBProtected wetland site,
especially for birds,designated by DEFRA
TeratologyUK conservation charity that
focuses on birds
VavilovCentre
The study of physiologicalabnormalities during
development
BiomimeticsAn area with a rich diversity ofwild varieties of crop species
Artificialinsemination
The study of living organismsso the knowledge can beapplied to technological
developments
Conservation in the UK
PlagioclimaxNatural England scheme to
conserve particularendangered species
NaturalEngland/CCW
A community that does notreach the natural climax due
to external influences egburning
NGOA government agency
responsible for conservationof wildlife and the landscape
SPAAny organisation that is not
run by a government
Biologicalcorridor
Area designated under theEU Birds’ Directive
MNRA habitat that allows
movement between twoother habitats
Ramsar siteA designated protected
marine habitat
ESSWetland area protected by a
global internationalagreement
CoppicingA scheme that pays farmers
for environmentallybeneficial management
RSPBTraditional woodland
management by regularcutting to ground level
SACThe main UK bird
conservation organisation
SpeciesRecovery
Programme
Area designated under theEU Habitats directive
Conservation abroad
BiodiversityPhysical factors such aslight, temperature and
water
Carbonsequestration
A measure of the varietyand abundance of wildlife
species
CITESAppendix I
Removal of carbon dioxidefrom the atmosphere,
eg afforestation orunderground storage
No take zone(NTZ)
Complete ban on trade ina species
UpwellingArea where catching orremoval of species is
banned
Slash andburn farming
Where nutrient-rich deepocean water comes to the
surface
CITESAppendix II
Farming in temporaryclearings with new onescleared every few years
PlanktonTrade in a species
permitted from somecountries
Micro-climate Floating aquatic organisms
Biotic factorsA small area with a climate
that is different from thesurrounding area
AlbedoBiological factors such as
food and disease
Abioticfactors
The reflectivity of a surface
Life processes
HabitatA group of organisms basedon their biological similarities
PopulationThe place where a species,
population or community lives
HeterotrophAll the individuals of a
species living in an area
Symbiosis
An organism that gains itsorganic compounds for
energy and growth from otherorganisms
PollinationThe relationship between
organisms of different speciesthat live together
CommunityThe transfer of male gametes
resulting in fertilisation andseed production
SpeciesAll the populations of all the
species living in an area
Ecosystem
A group of organisms thatresemble each other morethan other organisms and
naturally interbreed toproduce fertile offspring
Biome
A community of organismsand their interactions with
each other and their abioticenvironment
Edaphic
A large geographic regionwith a characteristic climateand unique community of
species
TaxonThe changes as an area
develops from a bare area tobecome a climax community
Land resources
CBA
A community of species thatdoes not develop to a naturalclimax, but is maintained byexternal influences such as
burning, grazing or ploughing
Country ParkDecision making process inplanning - all factors being
given a financial value
EIACountryside area managed
for public enjoyment, usuallyby local authorities
Green BeltDecision making process inplanning - to predict effects
and propose changes
Honeypot SiteA designated area around an
urban area which restrictsurban expansion into the
countryside
Leopold MatrixAn area that is particularly
attractive to visitors
NationalTrust
A grid used to assess theenvironmental impacts ofproposed developments
Space zoning
A UK charity that conserveshistoric buildings and
important landscapes andhabitats
NeptuneCoastlineCampaign
A method of avoiding landuse conflicts by allocatingdifferent areas to different
uses
Urban parkThe National Trust campaignto buy and protect important
coastline landscape
Time zoning
An area of semi-natural landin an urban area used for
public recreation andrelaxation
Plagioclimax
A method of avoiding landuse conflicts by allowingdifferent uses at different
times
The Atmosphere
AlbedoHigh energy short wavelength
electromagnetic radiation
El Niňo A measure of the reflectivity
of a surface
HCFCs
The reversal of the equatorialPacific Ocean current thatnormally flows westwards
InfiltrationHydrochlorofluorocarbons.
A group of chemicals used toreplace CFCs
Kyotoprotocol
Water entering the ground,flowing between the particles
of soil or rock
La Niňa
The international agreementintended to control emissions
of greenhouse gases
Montrealprotocol
The strengthening of thewestward flowing equatorial
Pacific Ocean current
OzoneInternational agreement thathas controlled the release ofozone-depleting substances
Stratosphere Triatomic oxygen
IR/Infra redenergy
The layer of the atmospherein which UV is absorbed by
the ozone layer
TroposphereLong wavelength
electromagnetic radiationemitted by warm objects
UV/Ultravioletlight
The layer of the atmospherebelow the stratosphere, fromground level to about 10km
The Hydrosphere
PathogenPrecipitation that does not
reach the ground because itlands on vegetation
PercolationAn organism that causes
disease
PermeabilityThe movement of water
between the particles of soilor rock
PorosityA measure of the rate at
which a fluid, such as water,can flow through rock
PotableA measure of the percentageof the volume of a rock that is
space
Transfer rateWater that is suitable for
drinking
SubsidenceThe volume of material
moved from one reservoir toanother in a set period of time
Abstraction
The collapse of the groundsurface caused by
undermining or a reduction inaquifer rock volume following
the over-abstraction ofgroundwater
AerobicThe removal of water from the
location where it was foundso it can be used
AquiferA process or organism that
requires oxygen
Infiltration
An underground rockstructure from which water is
abstracted. It consists ofporous, permeable rock such
as sandstone or limestone
Interception
The process by which surfacewater enters the ground
between the particles of soilor rock
The Lithosphere
Adsorption
The characteristics of asoil based on the
proportions of sand, siltand clay
BatholithThe attachment of a
material onto a surface
DetritivoreA large underground massof solidified molten magma
SoluteOrganism that feeds on
dead organic matter, oftenin or on the soil
Regolith A dissolved substance
HomeostasisThe solid rock particles left
behind after weathering
Soil structure
The combined processesthat maintain balance in aliving organism or in the
environment
Residencetime
The characteristics of a soilbased on the aggregation of
soil particles into peds
Gaiahypothesis
The average length of timethat a molecule remains in a
reservoir
OverburdenA theory that considers theEarth to behave as a single
self-regulating system
TurbidityThe unwanted material ontop of the mineral deposit
that is to be exploited
Soil textureA measure of the cloudiness
of water caused bysuspended solid particles
Energy
DepleteThe process of storing
surplus energy to satisfylater peaks in demand
ElectrolysisTo reduce the amount of aresource that is available
Non-renewableresource
The splitting of moleculesusing electricity(lysis = splitting)
Viscosity
A resource which isrenewed so slowly that theamount that is available for
use is effectively finite
Secondaryfuel
A measure of the ease withwhich a fluid can flow
Energydensity
An energy source that isproduced by the conversion
of a primary fuel
Parabolicreflector
The amount of energy in aparticular mass of fuel orthat can be harnessed by
a particular mass ofequipment
Renewableresource
A mirror system thatreflects incoming light onto
a single point
Primary fuelA resource that is
reformed relatively quickly
HeliostatAn energy source that can
be harnessed from theenvironment
Kineticenergy
A device that tracks thesun so the angle of
incident sunlight stays thesame
Peak shaving The energy of movement
Pollution
Acoustic fatigue
A measure of the rate atwhich a material breaksdown and therefore thelength of time it remains
Turbidity
Stress cracking of amaterial caused by
repetitive vibrations inducedby sound
Secondarysewage
treatment
A measure of thecloudiness of a liquid
caused by suspended solidparticles
Biomagnification
The breakdown of theremaining organic matter in
the fluids after primarysewage treatment
VitrificationThe progressive
bioaccumulation of amaterial along a food chain
Liposolubility
The process ofencapsulating high levelradioactive waste in solid
glass
Electrostaticprecipitator
A measure of how easily asubstance dissolves in fats
and oils
Bioaccumulation
The removal of suspendedparticles from gaseous
effluents by attracting themto electrically charged wires
or plates
Primary sewagetreatment
The build up of a material inliving organisms
Lapse ratediagram
The removal of organicsolids from fluids during
sewage treatment
Biodegradability
A graph to show howtemperature changes with
altitude, often used to showtemperature inversions
Persistence
The ease with which amaterial is broken down byliving organisms, usually
bacteria
The Population: Resource balance
Affluence
An activity that can be carriedout without making life more
difficult for people in thefuture
Per capitaThe level of richness or
poverty
LEDC Per person
Fairtradegoods
A country with a lowerlevel of economic
development
FSCItems produced by people
whose rate of pay ensures abasic standard of living
MEDC
The organisation thataccredits sustainably
managed forests
ExtravaganceA country with a higher level
of economic development
AltruismBeing unnecessarily
wasteful
Agenda 21Acting for the benefit of all or
others
Food milesUN strategy resulting from
the Rio Summit in 1992
Bushmeat
A measure of the distancethat food travels betweenproducer and consumer
SustainableFood provided by hunting
wild animals
Agriculture
Carryingcapacity
The growth of a single type ofcrop, usually over a large area
InsolationThe greatest population that canbe supported sustainably in an
area
Geneticengineering
Sunlight landing on a surface
True-breedingvariety
The artificial insertion of genesfrom another organism, often of
another species
Intensiveagriculture
A variety of selectively bredorganism where all members aregenetically almost identical and
produce similar offspring
EdaphicFarming where high yields are
achieved by using large inputs perunit area
Crop rotation A factor related to soil
Cloning
The practice of growing adifferent crop in a field on acycle of three, four or five
years
MicropropagationAn artificial form of asexual
reproduction
Humus
Artificial asexualreproduction where plants
are grown from small piecesof plant tissue, eg pieces of
leaf
Aspect
The colloidal material in soilthat is the end product of the
decomposition of deadorganic matter
MonocultureThe direction something
faces in relation to incomingsunlight
Aquatic food production systems
Photic layerThe artificial productionof aquatic organisms,including fish farming
PhytoplanktonThe water layer into
which light canpenetrate
MaximumSustainableYield (MSY)
Free-floatingphotosynthetic
organisms that drift withcurrents
PelagicThe greatest amountthat can be harvested
sustainably
By-catchLiving near the water
surface eg herring andtuna
MolluscsThe non-target
organisms that arecaught when fishing
CrustaceansInvertebrates with one or
two hard shells eg oysters,clams, squid
UpwellingInvertebrates with jointedlimbs and an exoskeleton
eg crabs and lobsters
DemersalA water current that
moves from deep water tothe surface
Phosphatesand nitrates
Living on the seabed egcod and plaice
OverfishingNutrients that are often thelimiting factors on marine
productivity
Aquaculture Fishing above the MSY
Forestry
Canopy
The process where trees arecut to ground level every few
years. The regrowthproduces long narrow stems
TaigaThe uppermost layer ofvegetation in a forest
StratificationThe Northern conifer forest
biome found in Canada,Scandinavia and Russia
ForestStewardship
Council (FSC)
Layering, as seen withvegetation layers in forests
Programme forBelize (PfB)
An organisation that certifiessustainable forestry
operations
Deciduous
Independent conservationorganisation that managesthe Rio Bravo Conservationand Management Area inBelize, Central America
Carbonsequestration
The process of shedding allthe leaves at the same time of
a year
Primaryproductivity
The process by which plantsabsorb carbon dioxide from
the atmosphere and store thecarbon in wood and other
plant tissues
UnderstoreyThe energy captured during
photosynthesis
Climaxcommunity
The layer of tree vegetationbeneath the canopy layer
ConifersThe community of organisms
at the end of ecologicalsuccession
CoppicingTrees that produce theirseeds in cones, eg pine,
spruce and fir trees
Sustainability
BiocapacityEnergy released by the joining
of nuclei of small atoms, eghydrogen
Ecologicalfootprint
A measure of the biologicalproductivity of an area
Ecological debtday
The area of the Earth's surfacethat is needed to provide the
resources that are used by thehuman population and to deal
with the wastes produced
Sustainable
The day on which it isestimated that the whole year'sworth of resources have been
used
Plannedobsolescence
An activity that can be carriedout without making life more
difficult for people in the future
Carbonfootprint
The deliberate plan to makeitems that do not last as long
as they could have, usually forcommercial gain
Carbonsequestration
The part of the ecologicalfootprint caused by the
release of carbon dioxide andother greenhouse gases
Tragedy ofthe Commons
Any process that is used toremove carbon dioxide from
the atmosphere, such asafforestation or underground
storage
Rio Summit(1992)
The lack of responsibilitytowards resources that are
shared by everyone
Ecologicaldebt
International summit intendedto achieve plans for
sustainable development
Landfill TaxThe concept that the planet is
being exploited at a fasterrate than it can replace theresources we have used
NuclearFusion
Tax intended to reduce solidwaste disposal in the ground
Practical Skills
DAFOR scale
The factor which may becontrolled by the independentvariable ie the 'results' that are
measured
Surbersampler
A qualitative scale that judges theabundance of organisms. Initialsstand for: Dominant, Abundant,
Frequent, Occasional, Rare
Quadrat
An aquatic invertebrate samplingframe and net that provides more
quantitative data than kicksampling
Transect
An area, usually square orcircular, in which samples are
taken. The size of the areadepends upon the organisms
being studied
HeterogenousA line or belt of sampling sites
across an area
Nullhypothesis
Uneven, with local concentrations
Lincoln indexThe no-link theory against which
the hypothesis is tested
Tüllgrenfunnel
A catch, mark, release, recapturemethod of estimating animal
populations
Secchi discA piece of equipment used to
extract invertebrates from soil orleaf litter
IndependentVariable
A circular disc divided into fourblack and white segments that isused to estimate water turbidity
Pitfall trapThe factor that is deliberately
altered or measured to see if itcontrols the dependent factor
Dependentvariable
A method of sampling populationsof mobile animals that live on the
soil surface, by collectingindividuals that fall into traps set
into the ground