Odisha BSE HSC Env & Pop Ed flashcards
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32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Ecosystem
- A functional unit in which living organisms (producers, consumers, decomposers) interact with one another and with non-living factors such as light, water, soil and air.
- Net primary productivity
- The energy or biomass fixed by producers through photosynthesis minus the energy they lose in respiration; it represents the food actually available to consumers.
- Trophic level
- Each feeding position in a food chain, such as producer, primary consumer or secondary consumer; energy decreases by roughly ninety percent at every transfer.
- Ecological succession
- The gradual, orderly replacement of one community by another over time, ending in a stable climax community; primary succession starts on bare rock.
- Sustainable development
- Development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, as defined in the Brundtland Report.
- Renewable resource
- A natural resource such as solar energy, wind, water or biomass that is replenished by natural processes within a human lifetime and can be used sustainably.
- Rainwater harvesting
- Collecting and storing rainwater from rooftops or catchments for later use, or directing it into pits and wells to recharge groundwater.
- Soil erosion
- The removal of the fertile topsoil by wind or water, accelerated by deforestation, overgrazing and cultivation on steep slopes without terracing.
- Primary air pollutant
- A harmful substance such as sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide or particulate matter released directly into the atmosphere from a source.
- BOD
- Biochemical oxygen demand: the oxygen consumed by microorganisms while decomposing organic matter in water; a high value indicates heavy organic pollution.
- Eutrophication
- Nutrient enrichment of a water body by nitrates and phosphates, causing excessive algal growth, oxygen depletion and death of aquatic animals.
- Acid rain
- Rainfall with a pH below about 5.6, formed when sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from burning fuels convert to sulphuric and nitric acids in the atmosphere.
- Biodiversity hotspot
- A region with exceptionally high species richness and endemism that has already lost a large part of its original vegetation; India contains four such hotspots.
- In-situ conservation
- Protecting species within their natural habitat through national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, biosphere reserves and sacred groves.
- Ex-situ conservation
- Protecting species outside their natural habitat in zoos, botanical gardens, seed banks or gene banks, often as a backup to habitat protection.
- Endemic species
- A species found naturally only in one restricted geographical area and nowhere else, making it especially vulnerable to habitat loss.
- Demographic transition
- A model describing the shift of a population from high birth and death rates to low birth and death rates, usually passing through a phase of rapid growth.
- Total Fertility Rate
- The average number of children a woman would bear during her lifetime at current age-specific fertility rates; about 2.1 is replacement level.
- Dependency ratio
- The number of people under fifteen plus those over sixty-four, divided by the working-age population aged fifteen to sixty-four, usually expressed per hundred.
- Sex ratio
- The number of females per thousand males in a population, a measure reported in the Indian census and used to assess gender balance.
- Doubling time
- The number of years a population takes to double in size, estimated approximately by dividing seventy by the annual percentage growth rate.
- Population pyramid
- A graph showing the age and sex distribution of a population; a broad base indicates high fertility and a narrow base indicates an ageing population.
- Human Development Index
- A composite measure of development combining life expectancy, education (mean and expected years of schooling) and gross national income per capita.
- Demographic dividend
- The economic growth potential that arises when a large share of the population is of working age and the dependent population is relatively small.
- Physical Quality of Life Index
- A development measure averaging three indicators: literacy rate, infant mortality index and life expectancy index, each scored on a zero to hundred scale.
- Quality of life
- The overall well-being of people, assessed through life expectancy, literacy, health care access, income and environmental conditions rather than income alone.
- Adolescence
- The developmental stage from ten to nineteen years, according to the World Health Organization, marked by puberty and rapid physical, emotional and social change.
- Menarche
- The first occurrence of menstruation in a girl, usually during puberty, marking the beginning of her reproductive capacity.
- Reproductive health
- A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being in all matters relating to the reproductive system, including safe and informed reproductive choices.
- Anaemia
- A condition in which the blood has fewer red cells or less haemoglobin than normal, causing fatigue; common in adolescent girls and prevented by iron-rich foods.
- Adolescent Friendly Health Clinic
- A health facility under India's adolescent health programme that offers confidential counselling and services on nutrition, reproductive health and mental well-being to young people.
- Secondary sexual characteristics
- Physical features that develop at puberty but are not directly involved in reproduction, such as voice deepening in boys and breast development in girls.