ESS junior year semester 1 final Flashcards
There are different ways to be sustainable: 3
Environmental sustainability: Protecting natural resources and ecosystems.
Social sustainability: Ensuring fairness, equity, and well-being for all.
Economic sustainability: Promoting economic growth while considering environmental and social impacts.
Sustainability Pillars
social, environmental, economic
Brundtland Report
The Brundtland Report was a crucial publication because it recognized that human resource development (socio-economic development) and environmental conservation were both necessary:
in reducing poverty
in promoting equity of wealth, gender and justice
It also recognized limits to growth in industrialized countries
Ecological Overshoot
Happens when a natural ecosystem is used more than it can replenish itself
Earth Overshoot Day
Earth Overshoot Day marks the day when humanity’s demand exceeds Earth’s capacity for that year.
Environmental Justice
Environmental justice is about fair distribution of environmental benefits and burdens.
Environmental (in)justice
Indigenous land rights in Australia and North America
Indigenous property rights in the Amazon
Disparity in energy, electricity, and water supply within societies
Sustainability indicators
ecological and socio-economic indicators, such as air quality, water scarcity, GDP per capita, life expectancy, and gender equality.
This might be done locally, regionally, or globally. Local assessments provide detailed information, while global metrics offer a broader perspective.
Carrying capacity
the inverse of ecological footprint, representing the population a land area can support
Biocapacity
measures a region’s ability to regenerate resources
Uses of SDG’s:
Collective agenda: A global framework for sustainable development.
Universal goals: All countries are working towards the same objectives.
Ending poverty: Nowadays it is considered “tangible”.
Limitations of SDG’s:
Insufficient progress: Goals may not be ambitious or fast enough.
Unforeseen events: Conflicts, famines, pandemics and floods can hinder progress.
Local context: Balancing local needs and global goals is challenging.
What are planetary boundaries?
Staying within these boundaries allows for continued human progress.
Crossing boundaries increases the risk of irreversible environmental changes.
-Green: Within the boundary (safe).
Yellow: Zone of uncertainty (potential risk).
Orange: High risk (danger zone)
Doughnut Model
Creates a regenerative and distributive economy that meets human needs within planetary limits.
Circular Economy Model
Dame Ellen MacArthur was able to realize that Earth’s resources are finite, like a boat. She proposed a circular economy, in which materials could be reused and waste would be minimized.
Taxonomy:
Binomial Nomenclature: Each species is given a unique two-part name.
Hierarchical Organization: Taxonomy organizes groups of organisms into a hierarchy.
Universal Communication: Consistent naming allows for easy information sharing.
Methods for Classifying and Naming Species
Reference Collections: Comparing specimens to existing collections.
Dichotomous Keys: Using a series of choices to identify species.
DNA Surveys: Analyzing genetic information to determine relationships.
Population
Individuals of the same species sharing the same area.
Speciation
Over time, isolation can lead to the formation of new species.
Isolation
Geographic barriers (e.g., roads, rivers) can separate populations.
Population Density:
The number of individuals per unit area.
Ecosystems
Ecosystems are made of communities: Groups of different species sharing a habitat and interacting.
Niche
The specific set of conditions required by an organism.
Niche Specificity:
Each species has a unique niche.
Intraspecific competition
Competition between individuals of the same species.
Competition increases as population size grows.
Population growth is limited by the ecosystem’s carrying capacity.
Light is a scarce resource in temperate deciduous woodlands.
Species unable to access sufficient light may die.
Density dependent limiting factors
Negative feedback limits population growth as population size increases.
Populations may temporarily overshoot carrying capacity before crashing (boom-and-bust cycles)
These are driven by four main factors: predation, competition, disease/parasites, waste accumulation.
cyclical oscillations
repeating rises and falls in population size).
When plotted in a graph, this population size over time resembles a wave.
Some of its causes can be interactions between different species (predation, parasitism, food fluctuations).
positive feedback of trees
Loss of tree cover affects rainfall and temperature, causing an impact on climate.
What are clades?
Living things have different evolutionary/ancestral relationships
Phylogenetic trees help us to visualize them.
Historically, living things were classified according to similarities in physical traits.
Nowadays, it is based on similarities in DNA or amino acid sequences.
K-strategists
Fewer offspring
Larger offspring
More parental care
Slower growth rate
Higher survival rate
Longer lifespan
r-strategists
Many offspring
Smaller offspring
Minimal parental care
Faster growth rate
Lower survival rate
Shorter lifespan
Continuum
Sampling non-motile populations
-Random Sampling
Every individual has an equal chance of selection.
No specific criteria or pattern is followed.
Methods include random walking or using a numbered grid and random number generator.
Systematic Sampling
Samples are collected at regular intervals.
Often used in areas with environmental gradients.
-Transect Sampling
A transect line is marked through the habitat, in which data is collected.
Systematic transect sampling: Samples collected at intervals (same advantages/disadvantages as general systematic sampling).
Continuous transect sampling: Samples collected along the entire line (may resolve unrepresentative patterns).
Random transect sampling: randomly selecting points along the transect line for data collection.
-Quadrat Sampling
Used for sampling non-motile organisms.
Quadrats are square frames that define the study area.
Estimates population abundance, density, percentage cover, and frequency.
Sampling motile populations
Capture-Mark-Release-Recapture
Lincoln Index
Matter Cycling
hydrological, carbon, and nitrogen cycles.
Carbon Store?
an area where carbon accumulates over time.