Exam 1 Flashcards
Ecosystem
environmental system that includes one or more communities and their non-living environments
Population
Individuals of the same species
Closed systems
systems that only exchange energy and do not exchange matter
Open systems
systems that exchange both matter and energy with other systems
Ethics
branch of philosophy that deals with standards of right and wrong
Environmental ethics
application of ethics to environmental issues
Anthropocentrism
worldview that considers human beings as most important
Anthropocentrism
worldview that considers human beings as most important
Biocentrism
worldview that values all living things
Ecocentrism
worldview that values the entire environment, both living and nonliving things
Conversation ethics
Viewpoint in which people interact with the environment and actively manage it so that others may enjoy it far into the future
Preservation ethics
Viewpoint that the environment itself is worth protecting in its unaltered condition
Photosynthesis reaction
(carbon dioxide) 6CO2 + (water) 6H2O + solar energy —> (glucose) C6H12O6 + (oxygen) 6O2
Autotrophs
organisms that can make their own food (e.g., photosynthesis)
Cellular respiration reaction
(glucose) C6H12O6 + (oxygen) 6O2 —> (carbon dioxide) 6CO2 + (water) 6H2O + energy
Primary producer
autotroph; organism that can make its own food (e.g., process of photosynthesis)
Trophic level
position in the food chain that reflects energy flow
_____% of energy is lost during energy transfers; _____% of energy is passed on during energy transfers
90; 10
As you move up in trophic level, _____ energy is available for the next level to use
Less
Intraspecific competition
competition between members of the same species
Symbiosis
any interaction between individuals of different species
Types of Interactions Between Species, and Their Effects:
Predation + -
Competition - -
Parasitism + -
Mutualism + +
Commensalism + 0
Interspecific predation
predation between different species
Interspecific competition
competition between two different species
Parasite
organism that lives in or on another organism (host), causing the other organism harm
Host
organism negatively affected in a parasitic interaction
Parasitism
symbiotic relationship between two species in which one species (parasite) lives on or in another species (host)
Mutualism
interaction that has positive effects for both species
Commensalism
interaction between two species in which one species benefits while the second is neither benefited nor harmed
Keystone species
species whose presence can profoundly affect community structure despite its small abundance or biomass
Biomass
the weight of all living biological material in a given area
Hydrothermal vents
fissures in the ocean floor caused by geologic activity that spew out hot water and minerals
Chemosynthesis
bacteria and archaea utilize energy stored within hydrogen sulfide molecules to drive synthesis of sugar from carbon dioxide and water
Externalities
External costs
costs not covered in the market price on account of externalities
Examples of external costs
health care and environmental remediation
Internal costs
costs associated with producing, marketing, shipping, and selling
Classical economic theory
economic theory that approaches the determination of produce value based on production costs alone
In classical economics, product is valued depending on the costs of:
Components, labor, energy
Neoclassical economic theory
Availability heuristic
People give undue weight to information that is easily available or vivid
Framing effect
The way a choice is presented influences decision making
In the framing effect, people prefer…
A “sure thing” when potential gain, but willing to take a chance if it involves avoiding a loss
What are the three pillars of sustainability
- People (social)
- Planet (environment)
- Profit (economic)
Examples of non-market values
Culture value, scientific value, educational value, aesthetic value
Example of contingent value
“How much would you be willing to pay to prevent future oil spills?”
Example of travel cost
“How much do people pay to travel to see the Grand Canyon?”
Example of hedonic pricing
“How much more is the sales price when the house has an ocean view?”
Ecosystem services are examples of
Positive externalities
List of Ecosystem services
Oxygen, soil formation and fertility, provision of pure water, climate regulation, generation of raw materials (food, pollination), nutrient cycling (waste recycling) erosion control, flood moderation, recreation, aesthetic
Gross domestic product (GDP)
total value of goods and services produced in a nation
Ecology
The study of interactions between organisms and their environment that determine the abundance and distribution (how many and where)
Garrett Hardin’s 1st law of human ecology
We can never merely do one thing; what you do in one place affects somewhere else
Phytoplankton
Microscopic wandering plants that move by water currents
_______ absorb light.
Chloroplasts
_______ is energy-rich S compound
H2S (hydrogen sulfide)
What are the three ways deep sea communities get their resources?
- Ladder of consumer - something eats the phytoplankton, something eats the thing that ate the phytoplankton, etc.
- Water fall phenomenon - whale dies and falls to the bottom of the ocean
- Fecal pallets - contain energy (e.g., cows)
All hydrothermal vent life is dependent on…
Bacterial chemosynthesis
T or F: Respiration occurs in only heterotrophs
F: respiration occurs in autotrophs and heterotrophs
Intraspecific
Interactions within a species
Interspecific
Interactions between species
Harem mating system
Dominant males have reproductive control over females
Possible outcomes of competition
- Competitive exclusion - one species wins in competition for resource but still suffers
- Coexistence - both species obtain some of what they need and coexist (stable equilibrium)
Cryptic camouflage
Camouflage to hide from predators
Countershading
Coloration is darker on the top and lighter on the bottom of the body
Mimicry
Ability of organisms to look like another more harmful animal
Examples of parasites
Mosquitoes (malaria-transmitters), heartworm, guinea worm
Herbivory
Animals (+) feed on the tissues of plants (-)
Characteristics of symbiotic interactions
- Physically close
- Long-term relationship (at least one life span of one species)
- Two species
- Base don nutrition (energy and/or materials)
Examples of keystone species
Otters and beavers
Measurements of CO2 concentration
- Electrochemical sensors
- Non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) sensors
- Metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) sensors
Attributes to predict population dynamics
Population size and sex ratio
Population size
Number of individuals present at a given time
Biodiversity
Diversity of life
Biological variety typically measured by the number of unique species in an area
Diversity among species, with species, and across ecosystems
Why do we lose biodiversity?
- Habitat degradation/loss
- Invasive species (spotted lanternfly, zebra mussels)
- Pollution
- Over-exploitation
Why is there a decline in fireflies
- Pesticide use
- Night lighting
- Wetlands loss
Why is plant biomass —> humans more energetically efficient than plant biomass —> cows —> humans
Less energy is lost between trophic levels
What happens to apex predators when humans hunt them?
They become fewer in number
Abundance of herbivores goes up
Abundance of plants goes down
Abundance of nutrients goes up
Example of trophic cascades
Wolves & Aspen
• Yosemite wolves absent from 1926
• Reintroduced in 1995
• Wolves became more numerous
• Elk dropped in abundance
• Cottonwoods became larger
• Aspen trees became taller
Indirect “top down” control
• Apex predators have a negative impact on herbivores
• Herbivores have a negative impact on plants
• Apex predators have a positive effect on plants
Garrett Hardin’s second law of human ecology
There is no “away” to throw to
Throwing away garbage does not make it magically disappear; it goes somewhere else
