Environmental Systems and Societies Quiz

Environmental Systems and Societies

• Environmental Value System (EVS) is a worldview that influences how individuals or groups perceive environmental issues. Factors such as culture, religion, economics, and politics shape an EVS

• Systems are collections of interconnected parts that form a sophisticated whole

• Transfers occur when energy or matter flows and changes location without altering its state.

• Transformations occur when energy or matter flows and changes state.

• The first law of thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed

• The second law of thermodynamics states that as energy is transformed or transferred, more of it is wasted (lost as unusable energy)

• Entropy is a measure of disorder

• Efficiency is the output produced by a process divided by the amount of energy consumed

• Negative feedback loops are stabilizing because the output of a process inhibits or reverses the process to counteract deviation from a steady-state equilibrium

• Steady-state equilibrium is where open systems maintain a constant state even with continual input and output of matter and energy.

• Feedback loops illustrate how changes in one part of an ecosystem affect other areas, creating a cyclical interaction

• Positive feedback loops increase changes, often leading to tipping points where a system dramatically shifts to a different equilibrium state.

• Sustainability refers to the use and management of resources supporting replacements and ecosystem recovery

• Natural capital represents natural resources as sustainable income for goods and services

• Ecological footprint (EF) is the land and water area needed to sustainably provide all resources used by a population.

• Pollution occurs when human activity adds substances to the environment faster than natural processes can remove them

Ecosystems and Ecology

• A species is a group of organisms with shared characteristics that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring.

• A population is a group of organisms of the same species living together in one area and capable of interbreeding.

• Habitat is the environment where a species typically lives.

• Abiotic factors are non-living physical conditions like temperature that affect organisms and the ecosystem.

• Biotic factors are living components of an ecosystem that affect other organisms.

• Niche describes specific biotic and abiotic conditions and resources needed for an organism's survival and reproduction.

• Fundamental Niche encompasses all potential conditions and resources where a species could live; while a realized niche represents the actual conditions it lives in due to interactions.

• Limiting factors reduce population growth.

• Carrying capacity is the maximum sustainable population size supportable by an area.

• Population dynamics studies the factors causing population changes.

• A community is a group of populations living and interacting in a common habitat.

• An ecosystem consists of a community and the physical environment it interacts with.

• Respiration converts organic matter into carbon dioxide and water, releasing energy.

• Photosynthesis is the process where green plants make their own food using light energy, water, and carbon dioxide

• Trophic levels describe the position in a food chain, based on feeding relationships, and energy transfer.

• Producers are plants that make their own food through photosynthesis.

• Primary consumers are herbivores that eat plants

• Secondary consumers eat primary consumers; tertiary consumers eat secondary consumers.

• Omnivores consume both plants and animals; decomposers break down organic matter.

• Ecological pyramids are quantitative models illustrating population sizes or energy flow through trophic levels.

Biodiversity and Conservation

• Species diversity encompasses the variety of species within a specific ecosystem and their relative abundance.

• Genetic diversity is the range of genetic material present within the gene pool.

• Habitat diversity refers to the variety of different habitats within an ecosystem.

• Speciation is the process of forming new species.

• Conservation biology emphasizes the sustainable use and management of natural resources; whereas preservation biology prioritizes protecting natural areas.

• High biodiversity suggests ecosystem resilience and stability, increasing disease resistance in plant and animal populations

• Factors including habitat fragmentation or degradation, can result in lower biodiversity within an ecosystem.

• Some stable and healthy ecosystems can have few plant species

• Examples of biodiversity hotspots include the Atlantic Forest, Caribbean islands, California floristic province, and the Himalayas.

• Darwin's theory of evolution includes variation (differences among individuals), competition (limited resources), natural selection (individuals with advantageous traits are more likely to survive), adaptation (traits are accumulated), and speciation (new species form over time).

• Plate tectonics creates new habitats, isolates populations, and influences climate patterns, which can either enhance or reduce biodiversity.

• Earth is approximately 4.6 billion years old and the extinction rate is about 100 species per million species yearly.

• Factors influencing biodiversity include complexity of the ecosystem, stage of succession, and limiting factors.

• Human factors that cause biodiversity loss include natural hazards, habitat fragmentation, pollution, overexploitation, and spread of diseases

Water, Food Production, Systems, and Society

• Water Budget is an estimate of water in storage and flow across the water cycle.
• Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies by pollutants.
• Eutrophication is the excessive growth of plants and phytoplankton fueled by nutrient inputs.
• Fishery is the harvesting of fish, and aquaculture is farming aquatic organisms.
• Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) describes the amount of dissolved oxygen needed to break down organic matter.
• Indicators species can show the health of an environment.
• Biotic indices measure pollution impact.

Soil Systems and Society

• Soil is a complex mixture of minerals, organic matter, water, air, and organisms, crucial for plant growth and other ecosystem functions.

• Soil has distinct layers called horizons, which determine its structure.

• Porosity refers to the volume of pore spaces in soil, influencing water and air retention.

• Permeability is the rate of water and air movement through soil.

• Soil pH measures acidity and alkalinity on a scale of 0 to 14.

• Farming systems include subsistence agriculture, commercial agriculture, and pastoral farming

• Terrestrial farming systems are land-use efficient and controlled environments, but vulnerable to water scarcity and soil degradation.

• Aquatic systems have high yield potential and water conservation and are susceptible to pollution and habitat destruction.

• Strategies for increasing food supply sustainability include maximizing yield, reducing food waste, monitoring conditions, and changing food production attitudes

• Soil degradation is deterioration of soil quality, from factors like erosion, compaction, salinization, and nutrient depletion.

• Soil erosion results from detachment/transport/deposition of soil particles by wind, water, and various human activities.

• Soil conservation aims to maintain soil quality including the addition of conditioners and improved irrigation/crop rotation techniques.

Atmospheric Systems and Society

• The greenhouse effect is a natural process of trapping heat by gases like carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O); while the enhanced greenhouse effect results from intensified human activities, leading to global warming.
• Ozone depletion occurs in the stratosphere, caused by ozone-depleting substances (ODS), primarily CFCs. The ozone layer protects from harmful UV radiation
• Air pollution involves harmful substances introduced into the air by industrial activity, vehicles, and agriculture, impacting human health.
• Acid deposition occurs from emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx) leading to environmental problems.

Climate Change and Energy Production

• Energy security is the reliable and affordable supply of energy.

• Global warming potential (GWP) measures the impact of a greenhouse gas on global warming.

• Mitigation aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; adaptation is adjusting to climate changes.

• Fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) are non-renewable but major energy resources, that have large impacts on atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.

• Renewable energy resources are essential replacements for fossil fuels.

• Factors influencing choice of energy sources include availability, technology, politics, economics, cultural attitudes, and environmental impact

• Climate and weather differ significantly. Climate encompasses long-term regional patterns, while weather describes immediate conditions.

• Human activities, particularly burning fossil fuels and deforestation, contribute to global climate change and potentially severe consequences like extreme weather and rising sea levels

• Global climate models project future conditions and study climate variability to inform policy

Human Systems and Resource Use

• Demographics study population change dynamics; key parts are Crude Birth Rate (CBR), Crude Death Rate (CDR), and Natural Increase Rate (NIR)
• Total Fertility Rate (TFR) represents the average number of births per woman.
• Renewable and non-renewable natural capital are resources considered replaceable and not replaceable. Carrying capacity is the maximum sustainable population size.
• Overpopulation occurs where human densities outstrip regional resources and support systems, causing living standards to decline.
• Strategies for reducing family size include education, improved health care, availability of contraceptives, and addressing socio-economic factors that drive large families.
• The Demographic Transition Model (DTM) is a model that outlines how birth and death rates change over time. This model suggests that population growth is influenced by social and economic factors
• Natural capital are resources humans derive value from. Natural income is the rate at which natural resources are replenished