Midterm 1 Flashcards
Environment
consists of all living and non living things
focus on natural sciences aspects
the study of how the natural world works, how the environment effects us and how we. effect it
envi sci
not a scientific study, social movement dedicated to protect the natural world
environmentalism
Biotic
Living, natural, animals and plants, biosphere (one of earths major subsystems)
Abiotic
non living, natural, atmosphere (air) hydrosphere (water), geosphere (land)
Biosphere
All living organisms; plants, animals, microbes… organic matter
Atmosphere
gaseous envelope <100km thick
* supports life
Nitrogen (N): ~ 78 %
Oxygen (O): ~ 21 %
Argon (Ar): ~ 0.93 %
Carbon dioxide (CO2): ~ 0.035 %
Other gases (H2O, ozone…): ~ 0.035 %
Geosphere
rocks, soil, sediments - 30 % of Ea rth’s surface area
the rigid outer part of the earth, consisting of the crust and upper mantle
lithosphere
the technosphere encompasses parts modified by humans interactions of
the anthroposphere with other subsystems of earth = environmental systems
anthrosphere
network of relationships between parts/elements/components that interact
and function as a unit
system
process of systems move in opposing directions at equivalent rates
dynamic equillibrium
Inexhaustible renewable natural resources
- Sunlight
- Wind energy
- Wave energy
- Geothermal energy
Exhaustible renewable natural resources
- Agricultural crops
- Fresh water
- Forest products
- Soils
Non renewable natural resources
Crude oils
* Natural gas
* Coal
* Copper, aluminum, and
other metals
replaced over short periods, replenished within reasonable use
renewable
finite, over long periods, geologic timeframes, supply diminishes with use
non renewable
Ecosystem services
- The purification of water and air
- Cycling of nutrients
- Recycling water flow
- Flood prevention
- Reducing erosion
‘Measure of the ability of a system to support life’
-Number of individuals of a particular species that can be sustained by
biological productivity of a system
Carrying capacity
Ecological footprint
a method that determines how dependent humans are on natural resources
Biocapacity
the capacity of a country, region or world to produce useful biological
materials
Natural Capital
Earth’s accumulated wealth of natural resources and ecosystem services.
a systematic process for learning about the world and testing our understanding of it
science
scientists gather basic info about organisms, materials, and/or systems
descriptive science
used to construct explanations of how a certain phenomena works and why they occur
hypothesis driven
a technique for testing ideas with formalized steps
scientific method
2 identical groups are tested for the effects of the independent variable
controlled experiment
the researcher controls the independent variable
manipulated experiment
takes place when a controlled experiment is not possible and the dependant variables are naturally occurring
natural experiments
What do scientists look for among variables?
correlation and statistical relationships
Paradigm
dominant scientific view
Paradigm Shift
occurs when one of the views change as a result of new ideas and evidence
Overpopulation types
people and consumption
Sustainability requires:
understanding all affects of our actions on all living things
acknowledging earths resources are finite
knowing true environmental and societal costs
sharing responsibility
Sustainable solutions must be:
global
recognize global interconnections
emphasize clean energy choices
maximize recycling and production efficiency’s
preserve biodiversity
Homostasis
Steady state
tendency od sustems to maintain constant or stable internal conditions
resistance
strength of systems tendency to remain constant-resist disturbance
resilience
measure of how readily a system will return to its original state after a disturbance
system characteristics not evident in the components alone
emergent properties
Earths major subsystems
geosphere
atmosphere
biosphere
hydrosphere
anthrosphere
physical and chemical foundation for life
heat energy
nutrients
moisture retention
mass transfer
Hydrosphere
all water
essential to life
mass energy transport
the study of interaction of organisms within their abiotic environment
ecology
the study of energy and material flow among biotic and abiotic components
ecosystem ecology
ecosystem inputs:
carbon
nutroents
water
energy
Organic material of which living organisms are formed
biomass
assimilation if energy by autotrophs
gross primary production
conversion of solar energy ti chemical energy by autotrophs
primary production
energy remaining after respiration by plants, and is used to generate biomass
net primary production
biomass generated by heterotrophs
secondary production
ecosystems whose plants rapidly convert solar energy to biomass
high net primary production
macronutrients
nutrients required in relative larger amounts
nutrients
elects and compounds required for survival that are consumed by organisms
transitional zones between 2 ecosystems In which elements of different ecosystems mix
ecotones
nutrient cycle
the movement of nutrients through ecosystems
pools
where nutrients reside for varying amounts of time
flux
movement of nutrients among pools (to or from the reservoirs), which change over
time and are influenced by human activities
sources
pools that release more nutrients than they accept; releases more than received
sinks
accept more nutrients than they release
evaporation
water moves from aquatic land systems to air
transpiration
release of water vapour by plants
precipitation
condensation of water vapour as rain or snow
Water reservoirs
gain by inflow, lose by outflow
if inflow=outflow, reservoir size contain, maintaining balance is complex
aquifers
underground reservoirs of spongelike regions of rock and soil that hold groundwater
The carbon cycle
provides the _______ for all living things
carbon is found in ____,_____,____, and ______.
________ moves carbon from air to organisms
________returns carbon to air and oceans
__________ returns carbon to the soil.
foundation
carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and bones
photosynthesis
respiration
decomposition
4 main reservoirs
atmosphere
oceans
land surface
geosphere
specializes in bacteria
crucial to all organisms
78% of our atmosphere but N2 gas is not a useable form
nitrogen cycle
Nitrogen fixation
nitrogen gas is made into ammonia by nitrogen fixing bacteria
bacteria that convert ammonium ions first into nitrite ions then to nitrate ions
nitrification
convert nitrates in soil or water to gaseous nitrogen, releasing it back into the atmosphere
denitrifying bacteria
Human impacts on the nitrogen cycle
smog
emissions
feretilizers
runoff
groundwater contamination
The phosphorus cycle
circulates key plant nutrient
hey component of cell membranes DNA RNA ATP and ADP
food webs
plants take up phosphorus when it is dissolved in water -pass up through food webs
human impacts on the phosphorus cycle
released to surface water by fertilizers and animal wster
not removed during wastewater treatment
eutrophication and O depletion
lost for long periods of time if released in oceans
millions of years before recycled
the process of nutrient overrichment, blooms of algae, increased production of organic matter, and ecosystem degration
eutrophication
genetic changes in organisms across generations
evolution
the process by which traits that enhance survival and reproduction are passed more frequently to future generations than those that do not
natural selection
4 main observations about the natural world
high reproductive capacity
heritable variation
limits on population growth
differential reproductive
the special characteristics that enable plants and animals to be successful in a particular environment
adaptation/adaptive traits
physical features of an organisms which can help it survive in its environment
structural adaptations
extinction
loss of species from earth
genetic material lost forever
impact on biological resource
eventual fate of all species
typical type of species loss
result of natural selection
background extinction
atypical species loss
sudden, catastrophic loss of large numbers of species
mass extinction
species that face threats that may cause it to become extinct within a short period
endangered species
species whose population has declined to a point that it may be a risk of extinction
threatened species
totality of an organisms adaptations, resource use, and lifestyle, describes role in a community/ecosystem
ecological niche
how populations of organisms respond to their environment
population ecology
population growth is limited by
environmental pressures
reproductive success/failure
overpopulation
Biodiversity speciation
process by which new species arise due to geologic isolation
allopatric
biodiversity speciation
process by which new species evolve from a single ancestral species while inhabiting the same geographic region
sympatric
classifications of species
domain
kingdom
phylum
class
order
family
genus
species
interaction among organisms vying for the same limited ecosystem resources
competition
competition between individuals in a single species
intraspecific
competition between individuals in a different species
interspecific
variation of a competitive relationship in which one species is harmed and the other is unaffected
amenalism
potential idealized ecological niche
fundamental niches
actual niche organism occupies in an ecosystem
actual niches
one species excludes another from a niche though resource competition
competitive exclusion
co-existing species occupy different niches, leading to characteristic displacement
resource partitioning
competing species evolve physical characteristics that reflect their reliance on the portion of resource use
characteristic displacement
processes by which individuals of one species capture, kill, and consume their prey
predation
animal defences
fleeing
mechanical
chemical
living in groups
camoflage
relationship in which one parasite depends on their host for nourishment or other benefits
parasitism
hosts and parasites become locked in a duel of escalating adaptations
coevolution
________exploit plants
herbivores
exploitation in which animals feed on the tissue of plants
herbivory
defences of herbivory
chemical - toxins, distasteful parts
physical - tones, spines, protected by other animals
2 or more species benefit from their interaction
mutualism
mutualism in which the organisms live close in physical contact
symbiosis
bees, bats, birds, and other transfer of pollen from one flower t another, fertilizing its eggs
pollination
one species benefits while one is unaffected
commensalism
plants that create shade and leaf litter allowing seedlings to grow
facilitation
an assemblage of speeches living in the same place at the same time
community
people interested in how species coexist and relate, change in community, and why patterns exist
community ecologists
energy biomass flow trophic level
producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers, decomposers/detrivores
1st trophic level
producers
organisms that capture solar energy for photosynthesis to produce sugars and manufacture organic compounds as energy resource
producers
organisms that consume producers and consumers
consumers
2nd trophic level
consumers
third trophic level
secondary consumers
predators at the highest t level, consume secondary consumers, also carnivores.
tertiary consumers
4th trophic level
tertiary consumers
omnivores
consume plants and animals
organisms that feel off of non living organic matter
detrivores/ decomposers
scavenges waste products and dead bodies
detrivores
break down leaf litter and other non living material
decomposers
transfers occur along food chain or webs
biomass
relationship of how energy/biomass is transferred up to the trophic levels
food chain
visual map of feeding relationships and energy flow
food webs
graphically shows relative energy value of each trophic level
ecological pyramid
main types of ecological pyramids
numbers
biomass
energy
a species that has a particular strong or far reaching impact. In ecological community, if they are removed its impact with have large ripple effects and will alter large portions of the food web.
keystone species
the predictable series of changes in a community following a disturbance
succession
a disturbance dramatically alters, but does not destroy all local organisms
secondary succession
the first species tp arrive in a primary succession area
pioneer species
general succession pattern
lichen-mosses-grass-shrubs-forests
the community resulting from successful succession
climax community
none native organisms that spread widely and become dominant in a community
invasive species
controlling invasive species
toxins
depriving of oxygen
stressing them
dying them out
remove manually
returning an area to its unchanged conditions
ecological restoration
major regional complex of similar communities recognized by plant type and vegetation structure
biome
shows an areas mean monthly temperature and precipitation
climatographs
10 major terrestrial biomes
tundra
boreal forrest
temperate deciduous forrest
temperate grasslanfs
temperate rain forests
tropical dry forests
tropical rain forest
savannah
desert
Mediterranean
aquatic ecosystems are shaped by:
water temp, salinity, dissolved nutrients
water action, currents, depth
substrate type
animal and plant life
