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Questions and Answers
What is the primary source of Nitrous Oxide (N2O) release?
What is the result of nitrogen saturation in an ecosystem?
What is the primary limiting nutrient in most terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems?
What is the effect of excess nitrogen on aquatic systems?
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What is the primary source of sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions?
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What is the role of phosphorus in biological systems?
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What is the effect of human activities on the phosphorus cycle?
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What is the primary impact of nitrogen oxide (NO) on the environment?
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What is the result of excess nitrogen in terrestrial ecosystems?
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What is the maximum contaminant level (MCL) for nitrate in drinking water?
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Study Notes
Ecology
- Ecology is the study of the inter-relationships among living beings and their interactions with the physical environment.
- The term "ecology" comes from the Greek words "ikos" meaning dwelling and "logos" meaning study.
Segments of the Environment
- The environment consists of four segments: atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere.
- Atmosphere: small reservoir, efficient transporter, divided into several layers including exosphere, thermosphere, ionosphere, mesosphere, stratosphere, and troposphere.
- Lithosphere: Earth's crust, rocks, and minerals, huge reservoir, less transport (conveyor), and includes pedosphere (soil).
- Hydrosphere: oceans and water, huge reservoir, and transporter.
- Biosphere: small reservoir, moderate transporter, and has a huge impact on the environment.
Ecosystem
- An ecosystem is a functional unit consisting of living and non-living components.
- Abiotic factors: climate, temperature, rainfall, snow, light levels, wind, humidity, pH, mineral and organic matter, and texture.
- Biotic factors: producers (autotrophs), consumers (heterotrophs), and decomposers (saprotrophs).
Structure of the Ecosystem
- Ecological pyramids or trophic pyramids: terrestrial vs aquatic ecosystems.
- Types of ecological pyramids: producers, consumers, and decomposers.
Ecosystem Functions
- Productivity: food production, photosynthesis.
- Energy flow: food chain, food web, energy flow through trophic levels.
- Nutrient recycling: biogeochemical cycles (water, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur cycles).
- Development and stabilization: community associations, adaptations, and ecological succession.
Biogeochemical Cycles
- Carbon cycle: photosynthesis, decomposition, respiration, and fossil fuel combustion.
- Human impacts on carbon cycle: burning of fossil fuels, deforestation, and poor agricultural practices.
- Nitrogen cycle: nitrogen fixation, nitrification, denitrification, and human impacts on nitrogen cycle.
- Phosphorus cycle: essential nutrient, human impacts on phosphorus cycle (phosphate mining, fertilizer use, and eutrophication).
- Sulfur cycle: human impacts on sulfur cycle (industrial and combustion sources, refining industry, and metallic ore industries).
Additional Concepts
- Detritus food chain: less dependent on direct sunlight, depends on influx of organic matter from another system, and generally small.
- Ocean acidification: reduction in C-sink capacity of the ocean, increase in atmospheric CO2, and reduction in population of mussels and oysters.
- Eutrophication: excess nutrients in aquatic ecosystems, leading to algal blooms and "dead zones".
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Description
Learn about the study of inter-relationships among living beings and their interactions with the physical environment, including the four segments of the environment: atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere.
