Unit 2 Flashcards
The water cycle is an example of:
an ecosystem service
Which ecosystem service is estimated to have the highest annual monetary value?
Nutrient recycling
How can it be useful to place a monetary value on ecosystem services, even if we know it will not be accurate?
We are more likely to protect these vital services if we acknowledge that they do have value to us.
The land needed to provide the resources for and assimilate the waste of a person or population is referred to as:
an ecological footprint
Readily produced resources that can be used and still leave enough natural capital behind to replace what we took are known as:
natural interest
The sap of maple trees (sap is “food” for the tree) can be tapped to make maple syrup, but taking too much will kill the tree. In this example, what would constitute the natural capital, and what would be the natural interest?
The natural capital would be the maple trees that produce the sap (was well as the resources they need to grow such as water, soil, nutrients, etc.). The natural interest would be the amount of sap that could be taken without compromising the tree’s ability to grow and produce sap the next year.
True or False: Researchers use the IPAT model to estimate the size of an individual’s ecological footprint.
False
What is the IPAT model? How is the equation I = P × A × T similar to and/or different from the equation I = (P × A)/T?
The IPAT model states that human impact on the environment (I) is a function of population size (P), affluence (A) and technology (T). As each of these increases, so too does human impact on the environment. But better technologies that improve efficiency and reduce resource use or pollution can actually reduce impact. In this case the equation becomes I = (P × A)/T.
Which of the following is an internal cost of coal mining?
Wages paid to workers
If we included external costs in the cost of a good or service, we would expect the price to:
go up as the users become responsible for paying all the costs.
What is true cost accounting, and why would it be good for the environment if businesses internalized all external costs?
True costs accounting internalizes external costs when determining a fair price for a product or service in order to identify not only the financial investment made by a business but also the environmental and societal costs of doing business. When a good or service is priced at its true cost, the environmental impact of a consumer choice should go down since the price will have to reflect steps that address (or prevent) environmental problems.
What does the term cradle-to-cradle mean when talking about product management?
Production is cyclical: “Waste” becomes the raw material once again and can be reused.
Which of the following statements about sustainability is false?
In its current form, mainstream economics is the optimal model for building sustainability because external costs are built in.
In addition to failure to consider true costs, identify and explain four erroneous assumptions that mainstream economics makes with regard to the environment.
- it assumes all resources are either unlimited or substitutional (this is not true for all resources, i.e. fossil fuels are finite and we have not yet been able to come up with replacements at current levels of use) 2. ongoing economic growth is possible (despite limits for finite natural resources). 3. production can follow a linear sequence: inputs → production /product → waste (this ignores the usefulness of waste as a resource) 4. future productivity (long term value) is not as valuable as short term gain of immediate use or liquidation of a resource (this “discounting the future” allows resources to be exploited without considering the impact of their loss to future users)
What actions did Interface Carpet use to become more sustainable?
Interface mimicked nature to develop their TacTiles technology (a safer glue based how a gecko lizard clings to walls and ceilings); they used a life-cycle analysis to identify impacts at every stage, allowing them to reduce waste and make better material and process choices. Interface also revolutionized its operations focusing on leasing rather than selling the product itself; this encourages Interface to produce carpet that is durable, recyclable, and also easily replaceable.
All of the following are consistent with the law of conservation of matter except
if we encounter dangerous matter that we don’t want around, we can destroy it.
Distinguish between degradable, biodegradable, and nondegradable waste. How well do plastics degrade?
These 3 categories differ in the degree or manner in which waste can be broken down to another form. Waste that is degradable can be broken down by physical or chemical means; biodegradable waste can be broken down by living organisms. Waste that is nondegradable resists being broken down at all and may persist in its original form. Plastics do not degrade easily — they are chemical stable and require exposure to UV light in an oxygen rich environment to start the process of breaking apart. Few, if any, microbes digest plastics so they are generally not considered to be biodegradable.
How does waste generation relate to developmental status of countries? Why do you suppose that the regions with the highest per capita waste generation produce so much more waste than other regions?
The more developed a country is, the more waste it produces per person. This probably reflects excess income that can be used to buy more products and to buy products that are more processed and packaged. In lower income areas discarded items are more likely to be reclaimed and reused or recycled as well.
True or False: Garbage decomposes more quickly in a sanitary landfill than it would in an open dump.
False
Which of the following statements about incinerators is false?
The heat released during burning reduces the toxic and hazardous materials in the waste stream.
Compare and contrast landfilling and composting. What are the trade-offs for each option?
In both, trash is allowed to decompose but the similarity ends there. Landfilled trash decomposed very slowly because water and air are excluded. This favors anaerobic bacterial breakdown which is very slow and produces methane as a byproduct. Composting puts the trash under conditions that favor aerobic bacteria and maximize decomposition rates. The result is a mulch-like soil that can be used to improve soil quality. Landfills do not produce a usable soil product but the methane can be harvested and used to produce electricity. A compost facility or area can be used indefinitely because of the fast rate of decomposition (assuming the resulting compost is removed and used). A landfill must be retired once full and may not be suitable for all land uses due to the potential presence of hazardous material buried in the landfill.
Which of the following is a consequence of uncollected waste?
Air pollution
Water pollution
Flooding
In what ways does the plastic trash in oceans harm ocean life?
Animals can get trapped by larger plastic debris; they may ingest smaller pieces that might cause choking, obstruction of their gut or poisoning. Plastic may also serve as attachment points for sea life, transporting species out of their natural ranges — this may be harmful for the sea life transported but more likely introduces new species to an area which may disrupt normal ecosystems.
From an economic point of view, why is solid waste considered a mismanagement of resources?
Resources that are buried or lying in open dumps or burned to ash may no longer be readily available to be re-used and recycled. This reduces the matter available both to organisms in ecosystems and manufacturers looking for raw materials for production.
True or False: Hazardous waste is an industrial waste issue and is not a problem for MSW.
False
What is e-waste, and why is it a concern?
E-waste is electronic waste — discarding any electronic device with a circuit board such as computers, printers, cell phones, video consoles, etc. These devices contain toxic heavy metals and if not disposed of and recycled properly can expose workers or people living near the disposal sites to dangerous levels of these hazardous materials.
Identify some hazardous substances in your home.
Answers will vary but could include cleaners, fluorescent light bulbs, lawn and garden chemicals, automotive chemicals, glues, and paints.
True or False: Any vegetable based kitchen or yard scraps can be added to a compost pile but you should avoid adding meat and bones.
True
The best solutions to managing waste include which one of the following?
Source reduction and application of natural decomposition processes
An industrial ecologist’s goals would not include:
identifying points in the product life cycle at which waste products can be landfilled.
Explain what is meant by the four Rs, in order of preference, and give an example of each.
The 4 Rs are steps that can be taken to reduce the overall MSW generated by an individual. In order of preference they are:
Refuse: don’t use a product if not needed (i.e. don’t buy bottled water if tap water is available).
Reduce: if you cannot refuse an item, then use the least amount possible (i.e. if you buy a bottle of water, refill it if possible rather than tossing it and buying another [but do so only a limited number of times to avoid exposure to chemicals in the plastic]).
Re-use: Use items again to extend their life (i.e. purchase a reusable bottle for water and use it again and again; reuse disposable bottles for craft projects or as storage containers).
Recycle: turn the item in for reprocessing (i.e. drop the bottle off at a recycling bin after its useful life is over).
Which of the following is the correct hierarchy of life?
Individual, population, community, ecosystem, biome, biosphere
The word niche refers to an organism’s ________, while its habitat refers to its ________.
role and relationships in its community; environmental surroundings
Why do ecologists focus mainly on the study of populations, communities, and ecosystems?
Ecology focuses on the interactions of a species with the biotic and abiotic components of its environment. These are the levels of organization manageable enough to allow the ecologist to study interactions between and within these levels as they investigate the habitat requirements for and niche of a given species. This adds to our understanding of how a natural ecosystem functions. While biomes (or the entire ecosphere) could be studied from this same perspective (interactions), the large scale of a biome, not to mention the ecosphere, generally requires study at the ecosystem level with extrapolations made to the larger level.
What does it mean for the Earth to be energetically open but a closed system with regard to matter?
Earth receives new energy inputs but not significant new matter inputs.
Why is it essential that sustainable ecosystems rely on an energy source that is readily replenished, like sunlight, rather than nonrenewable sources, such as fossil fuels?
Once energy is used by an organism, it is converted to a form that is no longer useful (heat) and is therefore not considered a viable energy source for life. Any organism or ecosystem that relied on an energy source that is not readily replenished, like fossil fuels, would eventually run out.
Which biome description is correct?
Grasslands receive less rainfall than forests but more than deserts.
Which of these is an example of a population’s range of tolerance?
The hottest and coldest temperatures it can survive
The population that would have the best chance of surviving an environmental change would be the one with:
the greatest genetic diversity.
Using the example of spring wildflowers and the critical factor of rainfall, explain the term environmental gradient (for rainfall) and the term range of tolerance (in terms of the distribution of wildflowers within their range).
Rainfall amounts vary from place to place and may increase or decrease incrementally over space — such as up a mountain or away from a coastal region (an environmental gradient). A given population of a wildflower species will grow best and population will be larger in an area of optimal rainfall; nearby areas that receive slightly more or less rain, will still support the flowers but fewer individuals would be found in these less optimal habitats. Above and below certain rainfall amounts, the species will not be found — this represents the upper and lower ranges of tolerance for this species and this environmental parameter (rain).
True or False: Plants and other producers are the only types of species that perform photosynthesis, whereas all species perform cellular respiration.
True
Of the three matter cycles discussed here, the only one that does not have an atmospheric component is the __________ cycle.
Phosphorus
What is the purpose of photosynthesis?
It produces a form of chemical energy that the plant can use as needed.
List the steps involved in the nitrogen cycle. What would happen if a wildfire burned so hot that it sterilized the soil, killing all the microbes?
Atmospheric nitrogen (N2) is converted to nitrate (NO3) by lightning or through biological processes (by soil bacteria or those living symbiotically in the roots of some plants) to ammonia (NH3) — a process known as nitrogen fixation. Alternatively, nitrogen in organic matter (dead leaves, animals, etc.) is broken down by bacteria or fungi in the process of decomposition to form ammonium (NH4). The NH4 is converted to NO3 by different bacteria in a process called nitrification. Plants can take up NO3 and use it in day-to-day functioning (i.e. to make proteins or DNA) or the NO3 can be broken down by denitrifying bacteria (denitrification) which releases N2 back into the atmosphere, completing the cycle.
If soil lost its microbes (soil bacteria and fungi) to fire then decomposition and nitrification would not occur and much of the ecosystem’s nitrogen would be tied up in dead matter rather than being passed onto plants to be used. Denitrification would also not occur, reducing the nitrogen returned to the atmosphere (which would not have a big impact since N2 is so abundant). Plant growth would be thus be limited to species with symbiotic nitrogen fixing bacteria in their roots or on the rate of NO3 production from lightning (a small amount). This would impact all the other species in the ecosystem since plants support the food chain in terrestrial ecosystems.
Consider the ways in which human impact is affecting the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles. What do these various human actions all have in common? Why might this be a concern?
All have resulted in the release of more carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus into the environment in forms that can be taken up by living things. Extra nutrients can upset the natural matter cycles as they may accelerate the growth of some organisms beyond what would be seen naturally. This is especially true in areas where these nutrients might be naturally limited in supply such as aquatic ecosystems that receive extra nitrogen or phosphorus. [In the case of extra CO2, it might spur extra photosynthesis but this effect appears to be limited — the biggest impact is from the fact that CO2 is a greenhouse gas and extra amounts are contributing to climate change.]
The number of individuals in a given area, such as an acre or a square mile, is a measurement known as __________ ___________.
Population density
The concept of minimum viable population:
describes the smallest number of individuals needed to ensure the long-term continuation of a particular population.
Why is it important for an ecologist to understand how a species she is studying is distributed within its ecosystem?
This helps her know how to search for individuals. It also serves as a starting point when assessing how the population is doing. For instance, there is no cause for alarm if individuals are not found throughout the habitat if normally they are found in a clumped distribution. On the other hand, if their distribution changes, this could signal a change in their environment. For example, if a normally randomly distributed plant appears to have a clumped distribution, then there might be something killing individuals in certain parts of the environment.
