ENVI LEC Module 1 Quiz: Environmental Science

Module 1: Embracing Environmental Science

• Environmental Science is the systematic study of the environment and examines interactions between humans and nature.
• Environmentalism emphasizes advocacy and social/political movements focused on environmental issues.
• Science is interdisciplinary, combining pure and applied scientific methods to solve environmental problems.
• Key principles of science include testable questions, parsimony, repeatability, uniformitarianism, uncertainty, elusive proof, and empiricism.
• Good science aims for falsification, while pseudoscience tends to confirm its hypotheses and often lacks rigorous statistical support.
• Major themes in environmental science include conservation, preservation, and sustainable development.
• Historical perspectives on environmentalism evolved from economic necessity in the 1700s to a global approach focused on social justice and pollution in modern times.

Module 2: Understanding the Natural World

• Systems thinking recognizes interconnected elements within a coherent structure aimed at achieving a purpose.
• Systems can be classified as closed (energy flows, materials circulate) or open (materials and energy both flow).
• Biological organization ranges from atoms, molecules, and macromolecules to populations, communities, and ecosystems.
• Emergent properties indicate that new characteristics arise through interactions among system components.
• Ecosystems exhibit one-way energy flow, with energy transferred at each trophic level according to the 10% Rule.
• Energy flow is governed by the Laws of Thermodynamics, emphasizing energy conservation and entropy increase.
• Ecological succession involves the recovery of ecosystems post-disturbance, with primary succession starting from barren conditions and secondary succession following a disturbance in previously established ecosystems.

Energy Flow and Ecological Succession

• Energy flows in ecosystems are driven by biotic interactions (food chains) and abiotic factors (radiation, convection).
• Production converts energy into biomass, allowing for food chains and interconnected food webs to develop.
• Bioaccumulation results in the buildup of pollutants in organisms, while biomagnification highlights increased concentration up the food chain.
• Pioneer species initiate ecological succession, contributing to energy flow and nutrient cycling over time toward a climax community.

Biogeochemical Cycles

• Essential biogeochemical cycles involve key elements: sulfur, phosphorus, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, and hydrogen.
• Biodiversity encompasses species richness (number of species), evenness (relative abundance), and overall species diversity.
• Ecological complexity and redundancy are vital for ecosystem stability, with biodiversity contributing to ecosystem services beneficial to humans.
• Threats to biodiversity include habitat destruction, invasive species, pollution, human population pressure, and overharvesting.
• Protection measures for biodiversity involve legislation like the National Integrated Protected Areas System Act (NIPAS) and community-based conservation efforts.

This quiz covers key concepts from Module 1 of the Environmental Science course, focusing on the definition and scope of environmental science. Understand the distinction between environmentalism and environmental science, and learn about their significance in examining human-environment interactions.