vocab Flashcards
1
Q
ecology
A
the study of relationships between organisms and their environment
1866: coined as “oecology” by Ernst Haekel
2
Q
an ecosystem is…
A
all the organisms in a given area, along with the nonliving (abiotic) factors with which they all interact
coined as “eqo-system” by Arthur Tansley (1871-55)
3
Q
landscape ecology
A
the applied study of the relationship between spatial pattern and ecological processes over a range of scales
- inclusive of humans / human influences (dir & ind)
- interdisciplinary
Coined as “landschaftsoekologie” by Carl Troll (1899-75)
4
Q
nature
A
orig: the phenomena of the physical world collectively, including plants, animals, the landscape, and other features and products of the earth, as opposed to humans or human creations
new: that which we may design or influence, but which posesses components or processes fundamentally apart from human origin
5
Q
ecological design - utilitarian vs. philosophical
A
this course: design + planning + ecology
util: take contemporary ecological conditions and expand their capacity to respond to changes over time
phil: apply our knowledge of nature to create high-performing landscapes in which our design goals and natural processes go hand in hand
6
Q
your actions are built from (3)
A
- what you know about ecology
- what you value about nature
- your perception of humans in nature
7
Q
nature as an ideal: constructed transcendence
A
- 1850-1890
- 1860: Central Park
- 1872: Yellowstone
- know: Oecology coined by Haekel (1866)
- value: escape (transcendence) from industrialized cities; pastoral aesthetic
- relationship: capture the dying frontier (Yellowstone);
- D&P: rock-strewn swamps of NYC have no value -> flooded to make central park lake, creating the natural ideal
8
Q
nature as identity: regionalism
A
- early 20th century; esp. Jens Jensen
- know: ecology infancy
- Warming: Oecology of Plants - 1895
- Theories of Plant Succession - 1899
- value: Identity & Beauty
- American Plants for American Gardens (1929)
- relationship: preserve and protect -> NPS
- Mt. Rainier NP: 1899
- Zion NP: 1919
- D&P
- Civilian Conservation Corps - ‘american vernacular’
- more natural aesthetic; emph. native plants
- Local & Participatory: 1936 Lincoln Park planted w/ native plants from home states of Lincoln
- use of succession: Jensen
9
Q
nature as designer: environmentalism
A
- mid 20th century; esp. R. Buckminster Fuller
- know: Clements/Odum: climax community
- max niche partitioning
- max nutrient retention
- max stability
- Dichotomy: industry vs. nature
- nature is efficient & stable (Leopold/Odum)
- relationship: We have harmed nature; it is apart from us and broken
- D&P:
- McHargian Overlays
- Ahead of its time: Back Bay Fens, Boston (eliot/olmstead); salt-tolerant plants arranged in pastoral landscape aesthetic
*
10
Q
nature as healer: letting nature back in
A
- Late 20th century
- known: ecology & computers lead to new perspectives
- climate sci., GIS, long term monitoring, evolution
- value: economic benefits of ecos. services
- no net loss of wetlands
- use of controlled burns
- relationship: working to redefine
- Bill McKibben - end of nature - 1989
- William Cronon - uncommon ground - 1996
- D&P:
- Crosby arbor., cont. burns - Andropogon - 1991
- Gasworks park - R. Haag - 1975
- Landschaftspark, Duisburg, Ge. - Peter Latz ‘91
*
11
Q
nature as partner: sharing a future
A
- new millenium
- known: New Paradigm - ecosystems are dynamic, there is no ‘sustainable state’, only factors that affect size & frequency of changes… and the ability to reorganize afterward
- value: ecos. provide measurable services (PRCS); exposure to nature provides immeasurable value
- relationship: family: we both depend upon and care for each other
- D&P:
- Oly. sculpture park & Sea wall -
- Charles Anderson - 2007
- Magnuson Park - 1975
- Oly. sculpture park & Sea wall -
12
Q
What do we learn from history?
A
- Nature is powerful as local heritage & identity
- Aesthetics can influence connection to nature
- Designers of Public Spaces influence how society defines nature
- There is a concerted effort in design community to use best available science… but that science might not always be right
13
Q
critical actions: conservation
A
actions that slow the rate of consumption & degradation
14
Q
critical actions: regeneration
A
actions that expand natural capital through repair & renewal
15
Q
critical actions: stewardship
A
actions that emit a quality of care in our relations to surroundings through careful maintenance & continual reinvestment
16
Q
ecological design goals: sustainable design
A
development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Brundtland Commission, Our Common Future, 1987)
- Human use of resources
- Efficiency
- Conservation
- 3 Pillars: Society + Economy + Environment
17
Q
ecological design goals: resilient design
A
- Anticipates distrubance
- Allows for change
- maintains core functions
- 3 concepts: Adaptive + Redundant + Diverse
18
Q
ecological design goals: regenerative design
A
- improve environmental conditions over time
- spiral resource production & ecological integrity upwards
- closed loops: waste becomes valuable
- build cultural capital & stewardship
19
Q
ecological design tools (3)
A
- Use a systems approach:
- relationships
- patterns & processes
- apply best available science
- landscape ecology
- promote resilience
- adaptive
- redundant
- diverse
20
Q
ecological design strategies (3)
A
- celebration of ecology
- education
- interpretation
- inspiration
- mimic functions of ecology
- flood control
- water purification
- nutrient cycling
- ecology as prime directive
- enhance & provide ecos. services
21
Q
ecosystem services are…
A
the benefits people obtain from ecosystems that also maintain the conditions for life on earth
PRCS
22
Q
PRCS
A
- provisioning: food, water, wood/fiber, medicine
- regulating: flood & disease control, climate reg (C fix)
- cultural: spiritual, recreational, & cultural benefits
- supporting: nutrient cycling, soil formation, biodiversity
23
Q
Systems Theory / a system is… and has (3)
A
an interconnected set of components that are organized and relate to one another to achieve some function
- function (ecos. serv.)
- relationships (flows & patterns)
- components (abiotic & biotic)
24
Q
complex adaptive system (3)
A
- self-organizing
- diverse, aggregating
- connected by flows
- nutrient cycling, etc
- non-linear
- small moves -> big changes
- ex: phosphorus -> eut. lake
- small moves -> big changes
25
concerns over wetland mitigation banks (4)
* still too soon to gauge success (need 30-60 yrs)
* gives green light to develpment
* great difficulties establishing soils, carbon seq., and nutrient cycling
* we are pushing good ecosystems outside our cities
26
main point about ecosystem building
ecosystem building is ***already*** part & parcel of existing methods
27
what is a wetland? (3)
* has wetlands hydrology (20/22 days standing water during growing season)
* presence of hydric soil
* mottling / greying
* high volume of organic matter
* presence of wetland-adapted plants
* ex: arenchyma of Lotus root - pushed O2 into soil so roots can breathe
28
Take Homes for Design
1. set things up right and let the system do the work
* ex: Spiral Jetty (Robert Smithson)
* function: art
* relationship: evaporation
* components: rock, water, salt
2. Be aware of site nutrient dynamics
* possible scarcity or excess
3. Use flows to enhance system performance
* carbon storage
* nitrogen removal
4. Create a **closed system**
* use energy, nutrients, biomass as many times as possible, then re-use
5. Never assume you have a closed system; something always gets out
6. Use succession as a model but anticipate change
7. Work in design teams when possible: more eyes & more perspectives = better analysis
8. Examine influence **above** & **below** project scale to understand:
* site dynamics
* constraints | opportunities
* signifigance of project
29
2 key ecosystem relationships
1. Processes: flows
2. Patterns: sequences or arrangements over space and time
30
ecos. relationships: processes: flows (5)
1. energy
* auto, hetero, chemoautotroph
* trophic levels, cascades
2. nutrient
* sources, sinks, txfrs of C N P
3. organisms
4. water
5. culture
31
carbon cycle
main structural component for all life
* source: atmospheric CO2
* sinks: soil, rocks, fossil fuels, standing biomass
* transfers: mediated by life
* photosynth: carbon fixation by primary producers
* respiration: heterotrophs breakdown biomass into CO2, harvesting energy
32
managing carbon (3)
1. fast-growing, slow decaying species (Eucalyptus)
2. perennial grasslands - high carbon storage
3. keep it wet - prevent respiration
33
nitrogen cycle
significant for proteins and amino acids
* source: atmospheric N2
* sinks: soil organic matter, standing biomass
* transfers:
* N fixation: atmos. N2 -\> ammonia (diazotrophs)
* req's O2
* Nitrification: ammonia -\> nitrate, moves through soil
* DeNitrification: back to N2 gas
* what we do w/ sewage
* req's low O2
34
managing nitrogen
* fluctuate O2 to speed up N cycle
* fast water = high O2 & nitrification
* slow water = low O2 & denitrification
* but monitor it, as incomplete denitri. = greenhouse gases (NO2, NO3)
* maximize surface area (floating wetlands)
* mind your N-fixers (ex: lupine, Scot's Broom)
35
phosphorus cycle
* essential molecule for cellular metabolism (ATP)
* source: lithosphere
* sinks: soil, standing biomass
* transfers
* chemical/physical weathering
* typically the most limiting nutrient
36
processes - flows: water
* transporter & architect: where, when, how much, how often, why?
* water cycle keys: surface runoff, snowmelt, groundwater discharge
* **hydroperiod**: duration, depth, periodicity of water saturation; determines veg community in wetlands
* **flow regime**: describes peak flow events in rivers
* timing, magnitude, duraion
* **hydrogeomorphology**: how water shapes and is shaped by the land
37
processes - flows: organisms
* migration & dispersal:
* by foot, wing, wind, water, hitchhike
38
processes - flows: culture
* stewardship & value
* economic, social, political factors dictate ecos. serv.
39
ecosystem relationships: patterns (3)
* hierarchy
* scale
* feedback loops
40
ecos. patterns: hierarchy
* ranked levels of organization
* two types
* **structural** (streams -\> rivers -\> sea)
* **control** (trophic levels)
* watershed planning based on hierarchy theory
* what happens upstream will be revealed downstream
41
ecos. patterns: scale
* context in space & time
* what influences your site from boundaries?
* how does your site influence surroundings?
* how will site change over time?
* microclimate: local factors make a difference
* ex: UHI; extreme shade
* Look for: light, drainage, nutrient content, pH, competition, aspect (S? W?), exposure (wind)
* Verticality: look up, get down
* Temporality: succession, disturbance
42
ecos. patterns: feedback loops
* positive: promotes change to a new state
* pop growth; melting arctic ice
* negative: stabilizes & reinforces
* predator/prey; grazing sheep speeds up N cyclin
43
ecos. components
* abiotic:
* climate
* geology
* substrate
* biotic:
* biodiversity
* engineers & keystone species
* mutualisms
* functional groups
44
Macronutrients: **C. HOPKINS CaFe** **M**ighty **g**ood
* Carbon
* Hydrogen
* Oxygen
* Phosphorus
* Potassium
* Iodine
* Nitrogen
* Sulfur
* Calcium
* Iron
* Magnesium
45
micronutrients
* Cu - copper
* Mn - manganese
* Se - selenium
* I - Iodine... ?
46
keystone species
has a disproportionately large effect on its ecosystem compared to its biomass
47
ecosystem engineers
provide structure
48
biodiversity: richness vs. evenness vs. adundance
* richness: # of different species
* abundance: amount of ind's for a given species
* evenness: equality in the abundance of each species
49
life history
suite of traits possessed by an organism that enable survival in a particular environment
50
niche partitioning
competition for resources drives species to specialize in strategies to take unique advantage of thier habitat
51
2 things that help delineate boundaries for ecos, especially sensitive habitat
life history & niche partitioning
52
mutualisms
* close connections
* enhanced abilities (myc. root assocs)
* sensitive indicators of ecos. health
* lichen (algae + fungus)
* Indian pipe (late succ. forests)
53
functional groups
* organisms that all occupy a similar role in a food web / trophic pyramid
* metabolic bottlenecks occur when services are only performed by a small # of organisms
54
functional redundancy
how many species play similar roles
55
landscape
* a heterogenous area consisting of homogeneous elements organized in a mosaic-like pattern
* landscapes exist w/in distinct spatial & temporal contexts
56
landscape forms (6) (spatial **patterns**)
1. Matrix
2. Mosaic
3. Patch: a relatively homogenous area that differs from its surroundings
* form follows
4. Edge:
5. Corridor
6. Intersection / node
57
matrix
dominant land cover in an area
58
mosaic
mixed landscape forms imposted on a background matrix
59
patch
* a relatively homogenous area that differs from its surroundings
* form follows process
* patches follow historical processes
* patches follow disturbances or dictate their effect
* patches follow current human uses / technology
* have edges
60
edge
a boundary or perimeter of patch (or corridor) ecosystem with environmental condition that differ from the interior
61
corridors
connecting elements that assist in the tfr of materials, energy, species...
62
intersections
points of highest interaction and integration
63
landscape functions (ecol. processes) (6)
1. Conduit
2. Barrier
3. Filter
4. Source
5. Sink
6. Habitat
64
_old paradigm_ (directed & static)
* biol. communites are usually close to **equilibrium** and maximize available resources
* patches w/in a mosaic are relatively **closed** to outside influences
* strong interactions b/t species quickly **restore to a state of equilibrium after a disturbance**
new paradigm (dynamic)
* biological communities are in **constant flux over space & time**
* patches are **strongly influences by the flux of energy & material flows across system borders**
* interactions b/t species form a **dynamic set of processes** that shift to new states after a disturbance
65
island biogeography
key players: EO Wilson, Robert MacArthur
* bioD controlled not just by habitats but by balance of immigration & local extinction
* patterns of bioD are determined by island size & isolation
* can use stepping stones or corridors to increase patch connectivity
66
Resilience Theory
* resilience = the ability of a system to maintain key fx & processes in the face of stress or pressure, including:
* the ability to adapt to impacts of stress
* the ability to resist pressures from disturbance
67
resilience: lat/res/prec
* lattitude: range of system adaptation over which ecosystem services are preserved
* resistance: strength of "pull" back towards equilibrium
* precariousness: proximity to **regime shift**
* threshhold: point beyond which regime shift occurs
68
resilience: panarchy
* nested adaptive cycles
* systems stabilize & evolve through top down and bottom up control
* similar to "ecosystem memory"
