Ecological and Environmental Sciences Flashcards
CLSU - Part 2
derived from the French word “Environ” which means “surrounded”. The environment is the natural landscape together with the living and non-living components, characteristics, and processes.
Environment
natural resources that are constantly renewed or replenished over time.
Renewable resources
Renewable resources that are perpetually replenished
sunlight, wind, wave energy
The region of the atmosphere near 20 km. The air temperature begins to increase with height due to gas ozone, producing a temperature inversion.
Stratosphere
Renewable resources that are replenished over a certain amount of time
Timber, water, soil
Everything in Earth’s system can be placed into one of four major subsystems:
land, water, living things, or air
Nonrenewable natural resources examples
oil, coal, minerals, fossil fuels
natural resources that become unavailable after depletion.
Nonrenewable natural resources
Also called the “life zone of the Earth”. It includes all living organisms such as plants, animals, and microorganisms, and all organic matter that has not yet decomposed.
Biosphere
Everything in Earth’s system can be placed into one of four major subsystems: land, water, living things, or air. These four subsystems are called
spheres
Interdisciplinary discipline that highlights human interaction with natural ecosystems. It combines physical and biological sciences, (including but not limited to Ecology, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Soil Science, Geology, Geography, and Atmospheric Science) to the study of the environment, and the solution to different environmental problems.
Environmental science
Layers of the atmosphere
a. Troposphere
b. Stratosphere
c. Mesosphere
d. Thermosphere
The blanket of air that surrounds the Earth. It extends from less than one meter from the planet’s surface to more than 10,000 km above the planet’s surface.
Atmosphere
The boundary separating the stratosphere from another layer is called the ________.
stratopause
Four Major Spheres of the Earth
- biosphere
- atmosphere
- lithosphere
- hydrosphere
The atmosphere plays an integral component in the __________, affects the earth’s energy balance, and provides a favorable climate to meet food and energy demands.
hydrologic cycle, carbon cycle, and nitrogen cycle
gases present in small and variable amounts. Near the earth’s surface, variable gases include carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, water vapor, and particulates among others.
Variable gases
Approximately 80 km above the Earth. The air here is extremely thin with only a small amount of ozone that prevents the air from warming.
Mesosphere
Also called geosphere. It is the solid Earth that includes the continental and ocean as well as various layers of Earth’s interior.
Lithosphere
gases in which concentrations are basically constant. Examples of permanent gases near the earth’s surface are nitrogen and oxygen.
Permanent gases
The region of the atmosphere from the surface up to about 11 km which contains all of the weather humans are familiar with on Earth.
Troposphere
Atmosphere extends from less than one meter from the planet’s surface to more than _______ above the planet’s surface.
10000 km
The hydrosphere contains all the water found on our planet.
Hydrosphere
The hydrosphere contains all the water found on our planet.
Hydrosphere
Extends 640 km from the Earth. The oxygen molecules that absorb energetic solar rays warm the air
Thermosphere
This layer has an average temperature of -90°C but it can reach up to -110°C, making it the coldest part of our atmosphere
Mesosphere
Type of water that has low salt concentrations that is usually less than 1%.
Freshwater
Body of water above ground, including streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, reservoirs, and creeks.
Surface water
Water that soaks into the ground. It exists underground in saturated zones beneath the land surface. Groundwater is also a major source of water for irrigation and drinking water supplies.
Groundwater
A group of species of the same kind occupying a given area at the same time.
Species or Population
the smallest and basic unit of ecology. It includes all living organisms, unicellular or multicellular having a fixed lifespan.
organism
branch of biology that studies the pattern of life and interactions between organisms and the environment
Ecology
Study of how the four spheres of the Earth system interact continually, each affecting the other.
Earth system science
Frozen freshwater
Ice caps and Glaciers
Water that is salty because of the dissolved sodium chloride, magnesium, calcium, and/or potassium.
Saline water
Nations that harbor most of Earth’s species and high numbers of endemic species.
Megadiversity
Describes the enormous variety of life on Earth. It includes every living things, including plants, bacteria, animals, and humans
Biodiversity
Have at least 1,500 vascular plants as endemics and have lost at least 70 percent of its primary native vegetation.
Biodiversity Hotspot
Area with more species of corals, fish, and pharmaceutical marine products than any other marine environment on Earth
Coral Triangle
A species that exist in a single defined geographic location and do not occur naturally in any other part of the world.
Endemic
A large area characterized by its vegetation, soil, climate, and wildlife.
Biome
first described by American ecologist Garret Hardin in 1968 which states that unregulated exploitation of public resources leads to depletion and damage, posing risk to everyone involved.
Tragedy of the commons
the environmental impact of a person or population
Ecological footprint
maximum population size the environment can support.
Carrying capacity
Occurs when a population grows very quickly and exceeds its environment’s carrying capacity.
Overshoot
Species that are capable of causing extinctions of native plants and animals, reducing biodiversity, competing with native organisms for limited resources, and altering habitats
Invasive alien species
defined as a collection of elements or components that are organized for a common purpose
system
defined as any unit that includes all organisms in a given area interacting with the physical environment so that a flow of energy leads to a clearly defined trophic structure, biotic diversity, and material cycle within the system.
ecosystem
forms naturally without interference from humans.
such as pond, river, forest, ocean
Natural Ecosystem
Ecosystem developed and maintained by humans. such as farm, backyard, aquarium
Artificial Ecosystem
short-lived; can be either man-made or natural.
Example: rain-fed pond
Temporary ecosystem
also known as microecosystem. It can be temporary or permanent.
Example: Pond, flowerpot
Small
long-lived and self-supported natural ecosystem for a very long period.
Example: forest, river
Permanent ecosystem
Living organisms present in an ecosystem. It includes include plants, animals, and other organisms.
Biotic components
also known as macro-ecosystem. They are mostly permanent and natural.
Example: Ocean, river, forest, and desert
Large
organisms that can make their own food
Producers (Autotrophs)
consist of a few bacteria such as sulfur bacteria and nitrifying bacteria that can be able to utilize free energy released from the chemical reactions to prepare organic food with it.
Chemoautotrophs
Chemoautotrophs can be able to utilize free energy released from the chemical reactions to prepare organic food with it. The process is known as ______.
chemosynthesis
consist of green plants which can trap sunlight to form carbohydrates, simple sugar from carbon dioxide, and water
Photoautotrophs
Photoautotrophs fix energy from the sun and store it in complex organic compounds (green plants, algae, some bacteria). The process is known as _________.
photosynthesis
organisms unable to synthesize their own food and depends on producers. They are also known as heterotrophs. Consumers are mainly animals. It also includes crustaceans, worms, insect larvae, and fishes.
Consumers (Heterotrophs)
Animals that consume only plant matter
Primary Consumer
Animals that eat primary consumers
Secondary Consumer
Animals that eat secondary consumers
Tertiary Consumer
kill for food. They are either secondary or tertiary consumers.
Predators
substances like carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, water, carbon dioxide, calcium, phosphorus, and their inorganic compounds. These are available in free form or dissolved in water and may be adsorbed on the soil particles.
Inorganic substances
are the organisms that predators feed on
Prey
a consumer that eats dead animals.
Scavenger
the primary purpose of the ecosystem is to decompose complex organic material into simple inorganic material so that it can be used for producers to prepare food. It mainly consists of bacteria and fungi.
Decomposers
Non-living part of an ecosystem that shapes its environment. Includes temperature, light, water, etc.
Abiotic Components
substances like carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, etc. This material is present in dead organic matter. These are broken into simple compounds by decomposers in an ecosystem for the recycling of matter.
Organic substances
factors present in the environment such as temperature, humidity, light, wind, and rainfall.
Climatic factors
The sequence of transfers of matter and energy in the form of food from organism to organism. It describes who eats whom in the wild.
Food chain
food chain that starts from living green plants to grazing herbivores and onto carnivores
Grazing food chain
Interaction is beneficial to one and detrimental to another. This is a very active symbiotic relationship and uses intense physical effort (hunt, kill, and feed over their prey from the outside).
Example: Cheetahs preying on gazelles
Predation
starts with the dead organic matter either from fallen leaves or dead animal bodies. This food chain doesn’t directly depend on solar energy.
Detritus food Chain
Describes the relationship and interaction between species. It occurs when different species in an ecosystem have activities or resource needs in common.
Symbiotic relationship
The interconnected and interlocking pattern of the food chain in a single ecosystem.
Food web
An interaction that benefits one species but neither harms nor helps the other species.
Example: A bird making a nest in a tree
Commensalism
An interaction that involves two species involved in a relationship interacts in ways that benefit both.
Example: Bee pollination
Mutualism
Interaction is beneficial to one and detrimental to another. It occurs when one species (the parasite) feeds on part of another organism (the host) by living on or in the host.
Example: Ticks in cattle
Parasitism
The ecosystem provides benefits to humans in the form of material and non-material benefits. Any process, condition, output, and resources that directly or indirectly benefit humans are called _______.
ecosystem services
Forests cover now stands at only _____ percent with a small portion of this being old-growth, or uncut virgin, forest. The Philippines also ranks fifth in the world in terms of the number of plant species
18
The benefit provided by ecosystem processes that moderate natural phenomena. All processes that make ecosystems clean, sustainable, functional, and resilient to change are part of _________
regulating services
The ecosystem has guided our cultural, intellectual, and social development by being present in our lives.
Cultural services
Type of benefit to people that can be extracted from nature. ________ are used for basic human needs such as food, freshwater, medicinal resources, and raw materials
Provisioning services
These processes allow the Earth to sustain basic life forms, let alone whole ecosystems and people. Without supporting services, the other ecosystem services will not be sustained.
Supporting Services
a trend in one or more climatic variables characterized by a fairly smooth continuous increase or decrease of the average value during the period of record.
Climate change
the practice of illegal trade of wildlife products.
Poaching
contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere.
Air pollution
occurs when sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) from the burning of fossil fuels combine with water vapour in the atmosphere and fall as precipitation. It poses significant risks to soils, rivers, forests, etc.
Acid rain
naturally occurring processes through the action of water or wind and is being accelerated by human exploitation. It often occurs due to deforestation, overgrazing, industrialization, and desertification.
Soil erosion
Waste generation from household solid waste and industrial hazardous waste has risen significantly.
Land pollution
any change in the land that alters its conditions or reduces its quality. It may be caused by natural disasters (e.g. volcanic eruptions, extreme weather events, fire, etc.) or human-related activities.
Land degradation
occurs when the sediments in the aquifer become compacted due to the groundwater withdrawal being greater than the recharge rate. It may cause damage to buildings and water supply systems.
Ground subsidence
the mass movement of rocks, debris, and soil down a slope of land. It can be associated with steep slopes, heavy rainfall, earthquakes, volcanic activity, changes in groundwater movement, human activities, or any combination of these factors.
Landslide
process which turns productive into non- productive desert as a result of poor land-management
Desertification
occurs when excessive nutrients (e.g. NPK fertilizers in agricultural fields) are washed off or accumulated in different bodies of water. It leads to harmful algal blooms and fish kills.
Eutrophication
occurs when there is not enough water to meet all demands or the demand of the population exceeds the available water resources of a region.
Physical water scarcity
Occurs when water is adequate but is unavailable due to a lack of significant investment in water infrastructure.
Economic water scarcity
Food availability addresses the ______ of food security and is determined by the level of food production, stock levels, and net trade. Availability simply refers to the existence of food within a community
“supply side”
Access to food depends on whether consumers have enough money to purchase the food they require. Greater policy focus on incomes, expenditure, markets, and prices in achieving food security objectives
Economic access to food
short-term state of the atmosphere. It can change in a matter of minutes or hours.
Weather
is about being food secure at all times.
stability
long-term state of the atmosphere. It is the average weather over at least 30 years of weather data.
Climate
Some gases in the Earth’s atmosphere trap heat and stop it from escaping into space. These gases are called _______. These gases act as a warming blanket around the Earth, known as the ______.
‘greenhouse gases’ and ‘greenhouse effect’
rise in the average temperature of Earth’s air and oceans
Global warming
a period of abnormally hot weather
Heatwave
increase in the level of the world’s oceans due to the effects of global warming
Sea level rise
occurrences of unusually severe weather or climate conditions that can cause devastating impacts on communities and agricultural and natural ecosystems.
Extreme weather events
defined as a trend in one or more climatic variables characterized by a fairly smooth continuous increase or decrease of the average value during the period of record.
Climate change
______ is the most abundant GHG in the atmosphere and is the largest contributor to the greenhouse effect. Warming is caused by increasing water vapor in the atmosphere due to increased evaporation.
Water vapor
natural biological processes such as plant photosynthesis absorb all natural emissions plus ____ of man-made emissions.
54%
____ is found in two (2) different atmospheric layers – stratosphere and troposphere:
Ozone
protects life on Earth from the harmful effects of the sun’s ultraviolet rays
Stratospheric ozone
a GHG formed by the reaction of sunlight on air containing hydrocarbons and nitrous oxides. ________ is created by pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, and chemical plants.
Tropospheric ozone
formed from oil, coal, and gas extraction, agriculture particularly rice cultivation, and biomass burning
Methane and nitrous oxide
Measures taken to reduce and curb greenhouse gas emissions to address the causes of climate change
Example:
Sustainable transportation, Reduce, reuse, recycle
Climate Change Mitigation
The solution to the different environmental problems is _________ – management of Earth’s resources without depleting them
sustainability
The _________, also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
End poverty in all its forms everywhere. This involves targeting the most vulnerable, increasing basic resources and services, and supporting communities affected by conflict and climate-related disasters
GOAL 1: No Poverty
End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture. This involves promoting sustainable agriculture, supporting small-scale farmers, and equal access to land, technology, and markets
GOAL 2: Zero Hunger
Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. Multisectoral, rights-based, and gender-sensitive approaches are essential to address inequalities and to build good health for all.
GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. This goal ensures that all girls and boys complete free primary and secondary schooling by 2030
GOAL 4: Quality Education
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. It is vital to give women equal rights to land and property, sexual and reproductive health, technology, and the Internet.
GOAL 5: Gender Equality
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.
GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
Safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030 requires we invest in adequate infrastructure, provide sanitation facilities, and encourage hygiene
GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
Promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all.
GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation.
GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
Reduce inequality within and among countries
GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. The efficient management of our shared natural resources, and the way we dispose of toxic waste and pollutants, are important targets to achieve this goal
GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. Supporting vulnerable regions will directly contribute not only to Goal 13 but also to the other SDGs.
GOAL 13: Climate Action
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development.
GOAL 14: Life Below Water
Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
GOAL 15: Life on Land
Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.
GOAL 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions
Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.
GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal
