Chapter 1 Study Guide PDF

Chapter 1 Learning outcomes/Study guide 1. Define environment and environmental science Environment The biological, chemical, and physical surroundings in which any given living organism exists 2. Environmental science studies all aspects of the environment, an interdisciplinary field that...

Chapter 1 Learning outcomes/Study guide 1. Define environment and environmental science Environment The biological, chemical, and physical surroundings in which any given living organism exists 2. Environmental science studies all aspects of the environment, an interdisciplinary field that draws on the natural and social sciences and the humanities An interdisciplinary field that draws on the natural and social sciences and the humanities 3. Why are environmental problems difficult to solve? Explain with an example. Environmental problems are multifaceted and difficult to solve Multiple causes and consequences Different stakeholders - different solutions Potential solutions come with trade-offs Responses (solution measures): diminishing or losing something in return for gains in another thing 4. Explain the concept of triple bottom line. TBL is an accounting framework by which corporations, nonprofit organizations, and even governments can measure three dimensions of performance: environmental, social, and economic. Good for the environment (Planet): Measured by pollution output, waste production, energy use, species conservation, etc. Good for society (People): Human health and well-being, equity, access to social, resources and benefit to community Affordable/Profitable: Economic dimension, is the only measure that has been traditionally evaluated. 5. Define sustainability. Give some examples of sustainable actions. Sustainability is meeting the needs of the present in an equitable and fair fashion without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Rely on renewable energy (such as solar energy) Recycle and reuse use matter indefinitely Control population sizes, Predation, competition, herbivory, and disease Depend on local biodiversity, Energy and matter, and population control The world is changing. Earth’s environments undergo constant change We are changing. Successive generations of humans have developed and used ever- changing technologies to extract and use resources. We are changing the world. No other single species has ever shaped its environment to the extent that we have. 6. What are some challenges in solving environmental problems? Short-term thinking and social traps Decisions that produce a short-term benefit but that hurt society in the long run Example: the tragedy of the commons, pesticide use and evolution of resistance 7. What are ecosystems? Describe the key components and processes of ecosystem. Ecosystems are complex assemblages of many interacting biotic and abiotic components and processes Biota: living organisms, Plants, animals, bacteria, etc. Abiotic: nonliving components of the environment, Water, temperature, minerals, etc. Processes: Bacteria convert nitrogen so plants may use, Photosynthesis, water cycle, carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle. etc. Principles of ecosystem function Matter and energy are neither created nor destroyed Ecosystems are open to gains and losses of energy and matter Ecosystem processes are self-regulated Ecosystem change is essential and inevitable The first law of thermodynamics Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed Energy enters an ecosystem as solar radiation, is conserved in chemical form, and is lost from organisms as heat Second law of thermodynamics In an ecosystem, energy conversions are not 100% efficient, and some energy is always lost as heat that cannot be used by other organisms Law of mass conservation Matter (e.g., chemicals) cannot be created or destroyed Chemicals are continually recycled within ecosystems, everything goes somewhere! Ecosystems are open Ecosystems can exchange materials and energy with other ecosystems Ecosystem processes are self-regulated by interactions among living and nonliving components Dynamic homeostasis: Systems adjust to reduce change in structures or processes from normal. Negative feedback A change in structures or processes triggers mechanisms that reverse that change – i.e., system reverses a directional change: Increased nutrients increase algal growth; this then  diminishes nutrients and subsequently diminishes algal growth Positive Feedback: System reinforces change: Melting ice in polar regions 8. What are ecosystem services? Give examples. ecosystem services, the multitude of resources and processes that ecosystems supply to humans. Provisioning services supply us with resources, such as food, water, and the air we breathe. We humans are notable for our ability to modify—often simplify—ecosystems in order to increase their provisioning services. Regulating services are the ways that ecosystems control important conditions and processes, such as climate, the flow of water, and the absorption of pollutants. Cultural services are the spiritual and recreational benefits that ecosystems provide. Supporting services are the basic ecosystem processes, such as nutrient cycles and soil formation, that are needed to maintain other services. 9. Identify the major sources of uncertainty in our understanding of ecosystems. Ignorance presents two different challenges. Sometimes the extent of our ignorance is so overwhelming that it is difficult to know where to start or how to set research priorities. At other times, we don’t know what we don’t know. Our ignorance leads us to think that we know more than we do, so we fail to ask the right research questions. Complexity often behaves in ways that are practically impossible to predict. It is not that such behavior is random; rather, it is because miniscule changes that are too small to measure in the individual parts of a complex system can lead to very large differences in that system later on Because ecosystems are so complex, it is virtually impossible for scientists and resource managers to measure and understand all of their interacting components. 10. Define science and its importance in solving environmental problems. Science is a body of knowledge about the natural world and the process used to acquire that knowledge. It is based on empirical evidence, meaning observations and data that can be tested and validated. Understand the causes of environmental issues through research and data collection. Test and evaluate solutions by providing evidence-based strategies. Guide policymaking by offering scientific insights that inform laws and regulations aimed at protecting the environment 11. Describe the methods scientists use to find answers to questions about the environment Scientific thinking: systematic questioning, unbiased, Hypothesis-testable explanations, Replication and peer review, after consensus still can be proven wrong, new technology new ideas Interpretation