APPLIED ECOLOGY Flashcards
when applied in excess of what is needed, or when it is not needed, the superfluous nutrients join the water table or runoff the land and eventually reach water bodies, causing ________
eutrophication
cause disappearance of native species
introduction of exotic species
organisms that are alien to a certain environment
exotic species
aggressive, can soon dominate the environment because they do not have predators to keep them in check
alien species
capable of causing extinctions of native plants and animals, reducing biodiversity, competing with native organisms for limited resources and altering habitats
invasive species
complex alterations in the weather and climate systems of the planet earth
climate change
how much of the world’s temperature has changed
more than 1.6F
known greenhouse gases
methane
ammonia
sulfur dioxide
ozone
water vapor
raising the earth’s average surface temperature
global warming
two predominant subsystems
economic
political
a determinant of how natural resources and impacts on the environment are valued and utilized
worldview
scientific knowledge translated into practical purposes
technology
distribution of power in a society
politics
systems by which goods and services are exchanged
economics
worldview that shape , and are shaped by human culture, determine how politics and economics are utilized for the functioning of society and manipulation of nature through technology
value systems
humans hunted animals and gathered plant food in the form that nature dispensed it
hunting-gathering (paleolithic): first technological stage
consensual decisions is predominant
power and leadership
sustaining fertility, commercial agriculture
the coming of agriculture
handmaid of industrialization
fuel
initial fuel
wood
coal, natural gas, peat, petroleum and its derivatives
fossil fuels
water from dams
hydropower
energy from steam
geothermal power
results from fission/split of uranium or plutonic atoms
nuclear power
from wood or other carbonaceous materials
biomass
methane
biogas
difference in temperature between the surface water and lower layers of the ocean
ocean thermal energy conversion
reaction of hydrogen and oxygen releases energy
hydrogen
wide variety of life on earth
biodiversity
provision for basic needs
utility value
knowing that it is there to be used
hidden wealth
natural, biological evolution, based on species being replaced, extremely gradually, by those who are better adapted to changed environments
extinction
reasons for extinction
loss of habitats
modern agricultural practices
cultivar selection
over-harvesting
introduction of exotic species
organisms are killed either directly or through biomagnification as the chemicals go up the food chain
chemicals and heavy metals
rate of temperature change has been quite rapid and not all flora and fauna will adjust together
global warming
seven lenses (environmental principles)
nature knows best
all forms of life are important
everything is connected to everything else
everything changes
everything must go somewhere
ours is a finite earth
nature of God’s creation is beautiful
mimics nature because it involves diversity, involves use of species native to the area
organic farming
alien to nature, cannot be decomposed by bacteria
plastics
development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet theirs
sustainable development
makes up the major portion of earth’s surface (around 75%)
water
traditional source of most water used for human needs
lotic or running water
becomes alternatives
lentic or freshwater
soil, land, water, and air—resources essential for life
mineral resources
presence of undesirable substances or of certain substances over some threshold level in our life support systems
pollution
posion to human health even in minute quantities
toxic sustances
such as pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides which interfere with natural physiology
persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
related to cancer; interferes with the conduction of nerve impulses
dichloro-dipenyl-trrichloropentane (DDT)
synthesized from the combination of organic molecules and chlorine; produced in the incineration of municipal waste
dioxins and furans
cadmium, lead, mercury, zinc, arsenic, antimony, and selenium
heavy metals and other toxics from mining
dangerous through long-term exposure; carbon monoxide, oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, particulates of elemental carbon and unburned hydrocarbon
hazardous substances
destroy ecological balance when their quantities exceed a certain threshold level
ecologically dangerous substances
single large emitter into the environment; means source can be traced back
point sources
hard or even impossible to trace back because their pollutants are dispersed
non-point sources
disposed product of a once useful system
waste
study of how societies use scarce resources in order to produce valuable commodities and distribute them among different groups
economics
