AA Science Midterm Study PDF

Intro to Environmental Science Study MIDTERM STUDY CHAP 1 Natural Resources: Substances and energy sources we need for survival Renewable Natural Resources: Replenished over short periods, able to use without fear of running out Nonrenewable Natural Resources: Unavailable after depletion, aka af...

Intro to Environmental Science Study MIDTERM STUDY CHAP 1 Natural Resources: Substances and energy sources we need for survival Renewable Natural Resources: Replenished over short periods, able to use without fear of running out Nonrenewable Natural Resources: Unavailable after depletion, aka after low amount Ecosystem Services: Come from the normal functioning of natural services and allow us to survive, include providing resources such as food and water, maintaining habitats that support biodiversity, offering opportunities for recreation, and helping to regulate human-caused impacts like climate change. Ecological Footprint: Shows the total area of certain place/ country and how much nature / resources they use to support humans/ how dependent humans are on natural resources Scientific Method/Hypothesis: Observations lead to questions about some phenomenon. Hypothesis a statement that tries to answer the question Environmental Ethics: Application of ethical standards to relationships between human and nonhuman entities Anthropocentrism- Only humans have rights Biocentrism- All life (human and nonhuman) has ethical standing Ecocentrism-Whole ecological systems have value; Values well-being of species, communities, ecosystems Paradigm/Paradigm Shift:- A dominant view/ A new dominant view replaces the old Conservation and Preservation Ethic: A call to use natural resources wisely and we should protect our environment in a pristine, unaltered state John Muir: ecocentric viewpoint advocated for the preservation of wilderness Gifford Pichot: anthropocentric viewpoint promoted prudent, efficient, sustainable use of resources Aldo Lepold: ecocentric ethical outlook calls for people to view themselves and the land as members of the same community. Sustainability/ Sustainable Development: Living within our planet s means.. Leaving our descendants with a rich, full world by (ex) conserving resources for future generations CHAP 2 Nitrogen and Phosphorus sources: Aka food for plants, if too much they make alge and grow like crazy. When alge die, they use all the oygen in water, making it harder for fish and others to survive. Eutrophication: The process of nutrient over-enrichment; characterized by blooms of algae, increased production of organic matter, and ecosystem degradation. Earth's Environmental Systems: A network of relationships among components that interact with and influence one another, exchange of energy, matter, or information is a process of inputs that produce outputs Lithosphere- rock and sediment Atmosphere- the air surrounding the planet Hydrosphere-all water on Earth Biosphere- the planet's living organisms plus the abiotic (nonliving) parts they interact with All tropical levels + heterotrophs (consumers) and autotrophs (producers use photosynthesis) Producers- Primary consumers- Secondary consumers- Tertiary consumers- Quaternary consumers Ecotone-Transitional are between two biological communities/ ecosystems Biogeochemical cycles- The movement of nutrients through ecosystems- Biological, geological, and chemical processes Carbon cycle- Carbon forms essential biological molecules- Through photosynthesis, producers move carbon from the air and water to organisms-Respiration returns carbon to the air and water Oceans are the second largest reservoir of carbon- Absorb carbon from the air, land, and organisms-Decomposition returns carbon to the sediment, the largest reservoir of carbon-Ultimately, it may be converted into fossil fuels Hydrologic cycle- (Water cycle) Evaporation- Transpiration - Precipitation !!!!Nitrogen cycle- which nitrogen is converted into many forms, consecutively passing from the atmosphere to the soil to organism and back into the atmosphere. It involves several processes such as nitrogen fixation, nitrification, denitrification, decay and putrefaction. Aquifers: Underground reservoirs of spongelike regions of rock and soil that hold groundwater (water found underground beneath layers of soil) CHAP ¾ Species: A population or group of populations whose members share characteristics and can breed with each other to produce fertile offspring Evolution: Change over time- Genetic changes often lead to modifications in appearance or behavior Natural Selection: The process whereby inherited characteristics, that enhance survival and reproduction are passed on more frequently to future generations than those that do not Adaption: Characteristics that promote reproductive success Darwin and Wallace: proposed natural selection as the mechanism of evolution, Darwin- was a British naturalist who proposed the theory of biological evolution by natural selection. Darwin defined evolution as \"descent with modification,\" the idea that species change over time, give rise to new species, and share a common ancestor. Wallace: Artificial Selection: The process of selection conducted under human direction. (EX)the great diversity of dog breeds and crops Biological Diversity: The variety of life across all levels of biological organization- Genes Species, Populations, Communities Carry Capacity : the maximum population size of a species that a specific environment can sustain Mass Extinctions: Killed off massive numbers of species at once Endemic Species: Exists only in a certain, specialized area, Populations are usually small Native/Invasive Species: native species are naturally found in an area and have adapted to that environment, while invasive species are non-native and can harm the environment Keystone Species: a species that plays a critical role in an ecosystem and influences the abundance and type of other species in the habitat. Without a keystone species, an ecosystem would change or cease to exist Speciation: The process of generating new species Ecological Niche: An organism's functional role in a community !!!Natural/ Artificial Ecosystems: A natural ecosystem is an environment where organisms interact with each other and their surroundings without significant human interference, like a forest or ocean, while an artificial ecosystem is a human-made system where organisms interact in a controlled environment, such as a farm, aquarium, or zoo; Ecotourism: Tourists visit protected areas; a type of tourism that aims to minimize its impact on the environment and support local communities while traveling to natural areas Exponential Growth: A population increases by a fixed percent-Graphed as a J-shaped curve CHAP 6 China's One Child Policy: In 1970, China's 790 million people faced starvation The government instituted a one-child policy-It worked -The growth rate plummeted -The policy is now less strict but has unwanted consequences: -Killing of female infants -Black-market trade in teenaged girls Current Human Population: 8.1 billion Yearly Increase: over 80 million each year IPAT MODEL: Population x Affluence x Technology, is a framework used to measure the environmental impact of humans on the planet. It was developed in the early 1970s by Paul Ehrlich and John Holdren. I: Represents environmental impact P: Represents population A: Represents affluence, or economic activity per person T: Represents the environmental impact per unit of economic activit Age Structure Diagrams: Wide base- Many young that haven't reproduced yet, Population will soon increase rapidly Small base: Population is decreasing, too many post-reproduction ages not enough pre-reproduction Medium: Stable, what you want it to be at Population Growth Rates: Poor societies have higher population growth rates-Poverty and population growth make each other worse !!!Resource Demand biggest problem: is that it is unsustainable and is leading to environmental degradation and economic consequences; Overconsumption, Competition for resources, Future generations !!!Diminishing Population Rates: a result of declining fertility rates and other factors, such as migration, A graph with a narrow base and wide top, similar to an inverted pyramid or triangle, represents a population that is shrinking. !!!Developing vs Developed Countries: Developed countries are industrialized, have strong economic growth, and high standards of living. Developing countries have weak economies with slow or nonexistent growth- Access to healthcare is often low in developing countries. CHAP 7 Agriculture: started 10,000 to 12,000 years ago- used to be hunters/ gatherers Monoculture: only one type of crop/plant grown in one large area (ex) just plant corn or just wheat in their entire field Polyculture: multiple types of plants are grown together in same space instead of just one type of specific plant. Industrial Agriculture: Has allowed food production to keep pace with population growth- But has many bad environmental and social effects- Water, fossil fuels, fertilizers, and pesticides worsen pollution, erosion, and desertification- Requires far more energy than traditional methods Sustainable Agriculture: Maintains healthy soil, clean water, and genetic diversity- Treats agricultural systems as ecosystems-Uses smaller amounts of pesticides, fertilizers, growth hormones, antibiotics, water, and fossil fuels than industrial agriculture Pesticides and Synthetic Fertilizers Organic Farming: Benefits: Lower input cost- enhanced income-reduced chemical pollution-Risk: Organic approaches must be used for 3 years before products become certified and sold at higher prices Pollination: Male plant sex cells fertilize female sex cell- Flowers are evolutionary adaptations to attract pollinators Beneficial Insects: Not all insects are pests; some are absolutely vital-Over 800 cultivated plants rely on pollinators Bee Colony Collapse: Entire beehives have died-One-third of all U.S. honeybees have died- Causes are unknown but may involve: Insecticides -New parasites Genetically Modified crops: (GMOs)has led to efforts to conserve wild relatives of crops- Wild crops contain genes we will need in the future Seed Banks: Institutions that store seed types-Important for protecting genetic diversity-Seeds are collected, stored, and periodically planted Rasing Animals for Food: Land and water are needed to raise food for livestock-Eggs and chicken meat require the least -Producing beef requires the most 1 Kilogram = 2.2 Pounds 40 lbs of feed to get 2 lbs of beef 14 lbs of feed to get 2 lbs of pork 6 lbs of feed to get 2 lbs of Chicken Aquaculture: Raising aquatic organisms in a controlled environment-Open-water pens or land-based ponds- Reduces pressure on overharvested wild fish- Escaped fish introduce disease or outcompete wild fish Desertification: Loss of land productivity due to erosion, soil compaction, deforestation, overgrazing, drought, salinization, water depletion, climate change Soil Erosion: Removal of material from one place to another by wind or water-A problem when it happens faster than soil formation Degradation: Loss of soil quality and productivity- Has caused 13% loss of grain production in last 50 years- Too many animals eat too much of the plant cover and impede plant regrowth-Soil is degraded and compacted CHAP 10 Rachel Carson's Book Silent Spring: showed DDT's risk to people, wildlife, and ecosystems-This best-seller generated social change in views and actions towards the environment- DDT was banned in the U.S. in 1973 Eggshell Damage Caused by DDT Carcinogens: cause cancer-Hard to identify because of the long time between exposure and onset of cancer Toxicants: Toxicants come in different types-Toxicants move long distances through aquatic systems- Toxins can degrade quickly and become harmless- Or they may remain unaltered and persist for decades Radon Gas: gas you can not see or smell, if breathed in for a long time it can hurt your lungs and even cause lung cancer. Bisphenol A: (BPA) is in hundreds of products-Plastic water bottles and food containers, cans, plastic utensils, baby bottles, laptops, toys- been proven to cause cancer, nerve damage, and miscarriages- Some countries and states have banned it Endocrine Disruptors: affect the endocrine (hormone) system-Hormones stimulate growth, development, sexual maturity Vector/Disease causing species: An organism that transfers disease to a host (ex) Zika Virus -- A. -Infectious diseases account for 50% of deaths in poor nationsaegypti mosquito Precautionary Principle: Assumes a substance is harmful until it is shown to be harmless-Identifies troublesome toxicants before they are released Innocent until proven Guilty: Assumes a substance is harmless until it is shown to be harmful-Promotes technological innovation and economic activity- But allows dangerous substances to be used Toxic Substance Control Act: (TSCA) (1976)-EPA monitors chemicals made in or imported into the U.S.- EPA can ban substances that pose excessive risk-Many health advocates think the TSCA is too weak-Industry screening is minimal The European Union's REACH: (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of CHemicals)- Shifts the burden of proof for safety to industry- 30,000 chemicals will have to be registered with the European Chemicals Agency Stockholm Convention of 1949: Enacted in 2004 and ratified by over 150 nations-The "dirty dozen": the 12 most dangerous POPs- Sets guidelines for phasing out these chemicals- Encourages transition to safer alternatives