foundations of ESS Flashcards
ecocentric
the belief that all life is interdependent and both humans and other organisms are dependent on the ecosystem that nature provides
wants to leave the environment basically
technocentric
a value system that is centred on tech and its ability to control and protect the environment
anthropocentric
they believe humankind is the most central and important element of existence, as opposed to animals
what are open systems?
exchange energy and matter with their surroundings, the physical substances can move in and out of the system freely.
what are closed systems?
can exchange energy but not matter
what are systems made up of
inputs and outputs and storages
what are transfers
movement of material (change in loaction)
transformations
change in chemical properties or nature
what are the strengths and limitations of a model
-pros
predict and simplify complex systems
shown to public
-cons
not accurate
interpretation
only as good as data accuracy
first law of thermodynamics
conservation of energy
- its neither created or destroyed
what is second law of thermodynamics
entropy of system increases over time
entropy is the amount of disorder in a system
so there is a loss of energy everytime something is transformed through heat
what is a steady state ecosystem
continuous inputs and outputs of energy and matter
what is a static ecosystem
when the equilibrium is disturbed the system adapts a new equilibrium
stable ecosystem
system returns to same equilibrium after disturbances
unstable ecosystem
systems returns to new equilibrium
