Name________________________________ Class_________ Date__________
3.2 Systems in Environmental Science
Key Concepts
An output of one of Earth’s systems is often also an input to that or another
system.
Earth’s geosphere, biosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere are defined
according to their functions in Earth’s systems.
SKILL BUILDER Vocabulary Preview
Define each vocabulary term in your own words. Then, write yourself a quick
note on how you will remember each. One term has been done for you.
Term Definition How I Remember
Feedback loop
Erosion
Geosphere
Lithosphere
Biosphere
Atmosphere
Hydrosphere All the water on and below Hydrosphere reminds me
Earth’s surface and in the of a water hydrant.
atmosphere
SKILL BUILDER Reading Strategy
As you read the lesson, complete each statement by writing in the correct word
or words.
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1 A _________________ is a network of parts, elements, or components that
interact with and influence one another.
2 Systems receive and process ______________ of energy, matter, or
information, and produce ______________ of energy, matter, or information.
3 Systems do not have well-defined ________________, which makes it
difficult to decide where one system ends and another begins.
4 Systems may exchange energy, ______________, and/or information with
other systems.
5 Inputs into Earth’s systems can include both ______________energy and
geothermal energy.
6 An event that is both a cause and an effect is a cyclical process known as a
______________, and can be either positive or negative.
7 A predator-prey relationship in which the two populations rise and fall in
response to each other is an example of a ______________ feedback loop.
8 ______________feedback loops enhance stability by canceling an action
once it reaches an extreme.
9 Erosion is an example of a ______________feedback loop.
10 Positive feedback loops are relatively ______________in nature but
______________in environmental systems that people have changed.
11 Scientists divide Earth into spheres, which are often described by their
______________rather than by their location.
12 Earth’s geosphere is made up of all the ______________at and below the
surface of Earth.
13 The sphere of the Earth that consists of all the planet’s living or once-living
things and the nonliving parts of the environment with which they interact is
the ______________.
14 The outermost layer of Earth and the geosphere is known as the
______________.
15 The hydrosphere includes all water on Earth, including all forms of liquid,
solid, and ______________.
16 Earth’s spheres both overlap and ______________.
17 An earthworm tunneling through the soil is an example of the biosphere
interacting with the ______________.
Interacting Systems
18 Use the concept of a computer system to explain why it is difficult to
determine clear distinct boundaries to a system. Include sample descriptions
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in your answer.
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19 Give an example of each type of input into Earth’s systems.
______________________________________________________________
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20 Explain how a negative feedback loop works. Use a thermostat as an example.
______________________________________________________________
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21 Describe the effects of a positive feedback loop.
______________________________________________________________
22 Contrast the two different types of feedback loops in terms of how they affect
the stability of a system.
______________________________________________________________
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23 Think Visually Write in the boxes to complete the following on how the
human body relies on a negative feedback loop to respond to heat and
cold.
Brain
(control center)
Too hot
Too cold
Earth’s “Spheres”
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For Questions 24–26, write True if the statement is true. If the statement is false,
replace the underlined word to make the statement true. Write your changes on
the line.
24 The lithosphere is part of the geosphere.
25 A human being is part of Earth’s lithosphere.
26 The hydrosphere includes water in Earth’s atmosphere.
27 How are Earth’s spheres defined?
______________________________________________________________
28 What are the components of Earth’s geosphere?
______________________________________________________________
29 What materials make up Earth’s biosphere?
______________________________________________________________
30 Give an example of how two of Earth’s spheres overlap or interact.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
3.2 SELF-CHECK
Answer the questions to test your knowledge of lesson concepts. You can check
your work using the answers on the bottom of the page.
31 Compare negative feedback and positive feedback loops. _______________
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32 Give examples of each of Earth’s spheres from the environment in which you
live.
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of the atmosphere.
the plants, animals, and people who live in my neighborhood are part of the biosphere; the air I breathe is part
neighborhood is part of the hydrosphere; the soil and rock that my school is built on are part of the geosphere;
other out and stabilize the system; instead they drive it to an extreme. 32. Sample answer: The lake in my
the other and so stabilizing the system. In a positive feedback loop, the input and output do not cancel each
moving in one direction acts as input that causes the system to move in the other direction, the one canceling
31. Both are cyclical processes in which an event is both input and output. In a negative feedback loop, output
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