GE ELECT 4 - Module 1 & 2 Flashcards
Intro to Environmental Science & Ecological Principles and Concepts
means the surrounding external conditions influencing development or growth of people, animal or plants; living or working conditions, etc. (Singh, 2006)
* living & non-living
* our built environment
* social relationships and institutions
Environment
understanding the environment
lithosphere - solid earth
atmosphere - gases (air)
hydrosphere - all water
biosphere - all life
- Is define as the
interdisciplinary study of humanity’s relationshipwith other organisms and the nonliving physical environment. - It is the academic field that takes physical, biological, and chemical sciences to study the environment and discover solutions to environmental problems.
Environmental Science
and the issues that it studies are complex and interdisciplinary.
Includes concepts and ideas from
multiple fields of study.
Decisions have impacts in all these
fields of study.
Environmental science
Drawing a Bridge of Info
Envi Science
- A community decides to use coal for electricity, as it is the cheapest source available. (Economics)
- The coal must be mined from under the soil. (Geology)
- The coal must be transported to the population center by road or rail. (Engineering)
- When it is burned at a power plant, air pollution is released. Some of that pollution is converted to acid in the atmosphere. (Chemistry)
- This falls as acid rain somewhere downwind. (Meteorology)
- The acid stresses plants by affecting their nutrient absorption. (Ecology)
- Laws are passed requiring the plant to install pollution scrubbers. (Politics)
Why study envi science?
- We depend on our environment
- Environmental Science is our modern way of seeking answers to the questions
- Our environment improves the quality of our lives
- Environmental science teaches us how to protect our environment in the face of rising human population and anthropogenic activities that degrade natural resources and ecosystems.
is the discipline that studies the moral relationship of human beings to the environment.
- What is the value of the environment?
- What moral responsibility do we have in dealing with the major environmental problems that result from our resource consumption?
- Which needs should be given the highest priority in our decision
making?
Environmental ethics
It is the view or belief that human beings are superior to all other organisms
- This set of ethics protects and promotes of human interests or well-being at the expense of all other factors.
- often places an emphasis on short-term benefits while disregarding long-term consequences
anthropocentrism
It is a perspective that places importance on the ecosystem as a whole.
The preservation of ecosystems or other living things takes priority over human needs.
ecocentrism
The debate about whether to build a dam in the Hetch Hetchy valley was one of the first big debates between these two philosophies.
- When the growing city of San Francisco, California proposed building a dam in the Hetch Hetchy Valley to provide a steady water supply, Congress debated whether to make a water resource available or preserve a wilderness between 1908 and 1913.
- The dam was eventually constructed.
- The justification for building it was best stated by Gifford Pinochet, the first man in charge of the U.S. Forest Service.
- “Where conflicting interests must be reconciled, the question shall always be answered from the standpoint of the greatest good of the greatest number in the long run.“
hetch hetchy debate
The focus of the resource conservationists was to protect open land.
The National Parks system, and the National Forest system were both created during this time.
Resources Conservationist
-
Silent Spring— Rachiel Carson - pestacides like DDT were having on wildlife
- this began
public awakening to threats of pollution and toxic chemicalsto humans as well as other specie
Modern Environmentalism
explores issues and problems over the entire world, not just within the local community.
Following the 1970s, environmentalism began to consider issues that affected the entire planet:
* Biodiversity loss
* Food production
* Climate Change
* Human population growth
* Economic inequality between nations
Global environmentalism
Demographic Divide
Developing vs Developed Countries
Developing Countries
1. economically poor
1. less educated
1. higher fertility rates
1. lower standart of living
1. lower rates of consumption
Developed Countries
* economically wealthy
* more educated
* lower fertility rates
* higher standard of living
* higher rates of consumption
Four Basic Principles of Envi Science
- Systematic principle of envi
- Principle of envi capacity
- Symbiosis principle between human and envi
- entropy principle
It is the scientific study of interactions between different organisms and between organisms and their environment or surroundings
ecology
Variability among living organisms from all sources including, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part;
* diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems
- Genetic
- Organismal
- ecological
Biological Diversity
- encompasses the components of the genetic coding that structures organisms and
variation in the genetic make-up of individuals - this is the
raw materialon which evolutionary processes act - the most basic measure of genetic diversity is genome size— the
amount of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)in one copy of a species’ chromosomes - humans === 4.5 pg (3.4 billioin bases pairs)
genetic diversity
measures of organismal diversity thus include some of the most familiar expressions of biodiversity, such as the numbers of species (i.e. species richness).
high species richness === more types of species in one place (a)
a. 3 cats, 2 horses, 9 fishes
b. 100 birds
Organismal Diversity
Ecological Organization
- Species Group of organisms so similar to another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring.
- Population is a group of individuals of a single species living together within a particular geographic area. They interbreed and compete with each other for resources.
- Community Different populations that live together in a defined area.
- Ecosystem A collection of all organisms that live in a particular place together with their nonliving environment.
- Biome A group of ecosystems that have the same climate and similar dominant communities.
- Biosphere The portion of earth that supports life is called the biosphere. The biosphere extends several km up in the atmosphere to the deepest parts of the oceans.
The simplest definition of an __________ is that it is a community or group of living organisms that live in and interact with each other in a specific environment (Ecosystem: Definition, Importance, Examples, Human Causes and Effects, 2020)
ecosystem
Types of Ecosystem
-
NATURAL ECOSYSTEM
Totally dependent on solar radiation e.g. forests, grasslands, oceans, lakes, rivers, and deserts. They provide food, fuel, fodder, and medicines. -
MANMADE ECOSYSTEM
Dependent on solar energy-e.g. agricultural fields and aquaculture ponds.
- are the multitude of benefits that nature provides to society.
- make human life possible by, for example, providing nutritious food and clean water, regulating disease and climate, supporting the pollination of crops and soil formation
Ecosystem services
TYPES OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES
-
Provisioning Services- goods that directly benefit people. -
Regulating services- processes that moderate natural phenomena -
Cultural Services- a non-material benefit that contributes to people’s intellectual, cultural and social development. -
Supporting services- indirect or very long-term impacts on people, but underlie other ecosystem services, particularly provisioning services.
What shapes an ecosystem
plant community -> habitat -> Ecosystem
Biotic and Abiotic factors determine the survival and growth of an organism and the productivity of the ecosystem in which an organism lives.
Biotic - living
Abiotic - non-living
Sunlight is the main energy source for life on earth
Also called autotrophs
Use light or chemical energy to make food
1. Plants
1. Plant-like protists (algae)
1. Bacteria
Photosynthesis—use light energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and carbohydrates
(Remember: 6CO2 +6H2O Light Energy 6O2 +
C6H12O6)
Chemosynthesis—performed by bacteria, use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates.
producers
—use light energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and carbohydrates
(Remember: 6CO2 +6H2O Light Energy 6O2 +
C6H12O6)
Photosynthesis
—performed by bacteria, use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates.
Chemosynthesis
Organisms that rely on other organisms for their energy and food supply.
Also called heterotrophs
consumers
Types of Consumers
- Herbivores - obtain energy * by eating only plants.
- Carnivores - eat only animals
- Omnivores - eat both plants and animals
- Decomposers - breaks down dead organic
Energy flows through an ecosystem in one direction— from the sun or inorganic compounds to autotrophs (producers) and then to heterotrophs (consumers)
feeding interaction
It is a series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten
1. Arrows go in the direction of how energy is transferred
2. Start with producer, end with top consumer
food chain
Types of Food chain
-
Grazing Food Chain
The grazing food chain starts with living plants (producers) being eaten by herbivores, which are then eaten by predators. -
Detritus Food Chain
The detritus food chain starts with dead organic matter (detritus) being broken down by decomposers, which are then consumed by detritivores and predators.
is a detailed interconnecting diagram that shows the overall food relationships between organisms in a particular environment. It can be described as a “who eats whom” diagram that shows the complex feeding relationships for a particular ecosystem.
food web
, also known as a trophic or ecological pyramid, is a graphical representation of the energy found within the trophic levels of an ecosystem.
shows relative amount of energy available at each trophic level.
*
* Organisms in a trophic level use the available energy for life processes (such as growth, photosynthesis, cellular respiration, metabolism, etc.) and release some energy as heat.
Remember: Every chemical process that happens in your
body releases heat as a byproduct (ex: burning calories).
*
* Rule of 10—only about 10% of the available energy within a trophic level is transferred to the next higher trophic level.
energy pyramid
shows the flow of energy between various levels. Producers and consumers make up the __________, which displays all their comparative masses at the same time. To create the ___________, the approximate masses are stacked up according to a well-established hierarchy
biomass pyramid
The movement of nutrient elements through the various components of an ecosystem is called nutrient cycling. Another name of nutrient cycling is biogeochemical cycles (bio: living organism, geo: rocks, air, and water)
biogeochemical cycles
The ___________ describes the process in which carbon atoms continually travel from the atmosphere to the Earth and then back into the atmosphere.
steps:
* Photosynthesis
* Respiration
* Decomposition
* Combustion
carbon cycle
The _________ refers to the cycle of nitrogen atoms through the living and non- living systems of Earth. The nitrogen cycle is vital for life on Earth. Through the cycle, atmospheric nitrogen is converted to a form which plants can incorporate into new proteins.
Main processes
1. Nitrogen Fixation
1. Nitrification
1. Assimilation
1. Ammonification
1. Denitrification
nitrogen cycle
The __________ describes how water is exchanged (cycled) through Earth’s land, ocean, and atmosphere.
Process :
1. Evaporation
1. Condensation
1. Precipitation
water cycle
is the circulation of phosphorus in various forms through nature. Of all the elements recycled in the biosphere, phosphorus is the scarcest and therefore the one most limiting in any given ecological system.
Phosphorus cycle
is the process by which the mix of species and habitat in an area changes over time. Gradually, these communities replace one another until a “climax community”—like a mature forest—is reached, or until a disturbance, like a fire, occurs.
* primary — limited
* secondary — destruction of habitat = new plant species
Ecological succession
—when two organisms of the same or different species attempt to use an ecological resource in the same place at the same time. Ex: food, water, shelter
Competition
—the ecological niche involves both the place where an organism lives and the roles that an organism has in its habitat.
Niche
A given habitat may contain many different species, but each species must have a different niche. Two different species cannot occupy the same niche in the same place for very long. This is known as the ____________.
competitive exclusion principle
Another aspect of a species‘ niche is its _______. It is the physical environment in which a species lives and to which it is adapted.
habitat
—one organism captures and feeds on another organism
* Predator—one that does the killing
* Prey—one that is the food
Predation
—any relationship in which two species live closely together.
Symbiosis
SYMBIOSIS TYPES
-
Mutualism - both species benefit (
WIN-WIN)
eg. insects & flowers -
Commensalism - one member of the association benefits and the other is neither helped nor harmed (
WIN-0)
eg. barnacles on a whale -
Parasitism - one organism lives on/inside another organism(host) and harms it by obtaining all/part of its nutrions (
WIN-LOSE)
eg. fleas on a dog
