EnviSci Midterm Study Guide PDF

Chapter 1: Environmental Problems, their Causes, and Sustainability Environmental Science - studies how the earth works, our interaction with the earth, and ways to deal with environment problems and live more sustainably. Three Principles of Sustainability: 1. Solar Energy 2. Biodiversity 3. Che...

Chapter 1: Environmental Problems, their Causes, and Sustainability Environmental Science - studies how the earth works, our interaction with the earth, and ways to deal with environment problems and live more sustainably. Three Principles of Sustainability: 1. Solar Energy 2. Biodiversity 3. Chemical Cycling Natural Capital – the natural resources and services that keep us and other forms of live alive (Natural Capital = Natural Resources + Natural Services) Ecological Footprint – the amount of biologically productive lang and water needed to provide the people in a particular country with an indefinite supply of renewable resources and to absorb and recycle the wastes produced by such resource use IMPACT (I) = Population (P) x Affluence x Technology (T) Causes of Environmental Problems 1. Population Growth 2. Unsustainable Resource Use 3. Poverty 4. Excluding Environmental Costs from Marketplace Environmental Worldviews 1. Planetary Management - “we are separate from and in charge of nature, that nature exists mainly to meet our needs and increasing wants.” 2. Stewardship - “we can and should manage the earth for our benefit but encourages environmentally beneficial economic growth discourage harm to the environment.” 3. Environmental Wisdom - “we are part of, and dependent on, nature and that nature exists for all species, not just for us. Ang mag share ani nga document dili maka.uyab or ilaron sa ilang mga current nga uyab… Chapter 2: Science, Matter, Energy, and Systems Scientific Method Matter - anything that has mass and takes up space Elements - has a unique set of properties and cannot be broken down into simpler substances Compounds - combinations of two or more different elements bound in fixed proportions. Atomic Theory – “All elements are made up of atoms” Atoms – basic building block of matter Molecules – combination of two or more atoms held together by a chemical bond Ions - an atom or group of atoms with one or more net positive charges Organic Compounds - “atleast two carbon atoms plus atoms of one or more elements” Inorganic Compounds - “all other compouds with one exception, methane (CH4)” Simple organic compounds example: hydrocarbons, chlorinated hydrocarbons, simple carbohydrates Complex Organic Compounds – complex carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids Matter undergoes change: physical change, chemical change, nuclear change Law of Conservation of Matter - whenever matter undergoes a physical or chemical change, no atoms are created or destroy Energy comes in many forms: kinetic energy, potential energy Law of Conservation of Matter - Whenever energy is converted to one form to another in a physical or chemical change, no energy is created or destroyed. Second Law of Thermodynamics - when energy is changed from one form to another, it always goes from a more useful to a less useful form Systems have inputs, flow, and outputs Feedback Loop - “occurs when an output of matter, energy, and information is fed back into the system as an input and leads to changes in that system” Positive Feedback Loop - causes a system to change further in the same direction Negative Feedback Loop - causes a system to change in the opposite direction from which is it moving Time Delay - lack of response during a period of time between the input of a feedback stimulus and the system’s response to it Tipping Point - the point at which a fundamental shift in the behavior of a system occurs Ang mag share ani nga document dili maka.uyab or ilaron sa ilang mga current nga uyab… Chapter 3: Ecosystems: What are they and how do they work? Components of Earth’s Life Support System Atmosphere (Troposphere, Stratosphere) Geosphere Hydrosphere Biosphere Three Factors that sustain life: one-way flow of high-quality energy cycling of nutrients gravity Ecology - studies how organisms interact with each other and their nonliving environment Organisms - an individual living being Population - group of individuals of the same species living in an area Communities - populations of different species interacting and living in an area Ecosystems - Community of interacting with one another and the nonliving environment Biosphere - parts of the earth's air, water, and soil where life is found Producers – uses photosynthesis to make nutrients from components in the environment Consumers – gets their nutrients by feeding on other organisms Decomposers – breaks down organic detritus into simpler inorganic compounds Detritivores – feed on waste or dead bodies Types of Respiration: Aerobic Respiration Anaerobic Respiration Food Chain - a sequence of organisms, each of which serves as a source of food or energy for the next Food Web - a complex network of interconnected food chains Biomass – dry weight of all organic matter contained in its organisms Pyramid of Energy Flow shows the decrease of usable chemical energy available at each succeeding trophic level in a food chain or web. The model assumes that with each transfer from one trophic level to another, there is 90% loss in usable energy. Ex: 10,000 kcal in producers -> only 1,00 kcal will be left as usable energy for consumers Gross Primary Productivity - rate at which an ecosystem’s producers convert solar energy to chemical energy and biomass Ang mag share ani nga document dili maka.uyab or ilaron sa ilang mga current nga uyab… Net Primary Productivity - GPP minus the rate at which they use some of this stored chemical energy through aerobic respiration Water Cycle Nutrient Cycles (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur) Scientists study the ecosystems via field research, technologies (remote sensing devices, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), laboratory research and computer simulations Ang mag share ani nga document dili maka.uyab or ilaron sa ilang mga current nga uyab… Chapter 4: Biodiversity and Evolution Biological Diversity (Biodiversity) - is the variety of the earth's species, the genes they contain, the ecosystem in which they live, and the ecosystem processes of energy flow and nutrient cycling that sustain all life. Major Components of Biodiversity: Species Diversity Ecological Diversity Genetic Diversity Functional Diversity Biological Evolution - is the process whereby Earth's life changes overtime through changes in genes of populations in succeeding generations. Natural Selection – “individuals in the populations with specific advantage (ex. characteristic or trait) over other individuals in the population most likely to survive and produce offspring” Speciation - process where one species split into two or more different species which happens in two phases: geographic isolation and reproductive isolation Biological Extinction – the process by which the entire species ceases to exist Local Extinction – occurs when a population of a species becomes extinct over a large region, but not globally Endemic Species: these are species that is found in only one area which makes it vulnerable to extinction Background Extinction: species slowly disappear over time Mass Extinction: widespread extinction Species Diversity – the number and variety of species it contains Species Richness – the number of different species present Species Evenness – comparative number of individuals of each species present Ecological Niche - is a species' way of life in an ecosystem, everything that affects survival and reproduction. Generalist Species - can live in many different places, can eat a variety of food, can tolerate a wide range of environments. Specialist Species - can live only in a very specific environment which makes them prone to extinction when environmental conditions change Major Roles of Species within the Ecosystem 1. Native - those that normally live and thrive in a particular ecosystem. 2. Non-native - those that migrate into, or are deliberately or accidentally introduced into, an ecosystem but can threaten native species 3. Indicator - species that provide early warnings of damage to a community or an ecosystem 4. Keystone - species whose roles have a large effect on the types and abundance of other species in an ecosystem Ang mag share ani nga document dili maka.uyab or ilaron sa ilang mga current nga uyab… 5. Foundation - are species that shape their communities by creating and enhancing their habitats in way that benefit other species. Ang mag share ani nga document dili maka.uyab or ilaron sa ilang mga current nga uyab… Chapter 5: Species Interaction and Population Control Species interact in five major ways: Interspecific Competition Predation Indicator Keystone Foundation Limiting Factor Principle: Too much or too little of any physical or chemical factor can limit or prevent the growth of a population, even if all other factors are at or near the optimal range of tolerance. Environmental Resistance: combination of all factors that act to limit the growth of a population Carrying Capacity: the maximum population of a given species that a particular habitat can sustain indefinitely Exponential Growth - occurs when a population has unlimited resources to support its growth. A graph of population size over time of an exponential growth has a J-shaped curve Dieback or Population Crash - can occur when a population uses up its resources and exceeds the carrying capacity of its environment. Ecological Succession: the gradual change in species composition in each area Primary Ecological Succession: involves the gradual establishment of biotic communities in lifeless areas where there is no soil in a terrestrial ecosystem or no bottom sediment in an aquatic ecosystem Secondary Ecological Succession: occurs with a series of communities or ecosystems with different species develop in places containing soil or bottom sediment Living Systems are sustained through constant change. Inertia or Persistence: One aspect of stability is inertia, or persistence, which is the ability of a living system, such as a grassland or forest, to survive moderate disturbances. Resilience: A second aspect of stability is resilience, which is the ability of a living system to be restored through secondary succession after a more severe disturbance. Ang mag share ani nga document dili maka.uyab or ilaron sa ilang mga current nga uyab… Chapter 6: Human Population and its Impact to the Environment Important Trends World`s population grew at a rate of 1.20 in 2018 Human population growth is unevenly distributed People have moved in large numbers from rural to urban areas Factors affecting human population size (Birth + Immigration) – (Death + Emigration) 1. Fertility Rate 2. Migration 3. Age Structure and Population Growth 4. Slowing Human Population Growth - Reduce poverty - Elevate the status of women - Encourage family planning and reproductive health care P.S. Dedicating this song to you: All the best on you Midterm Exams! - Sir Romnel Ang mag share ani nga document dili maka.uyab or ilaron sa ilang mga current nga uyab… Ang mag share ani nga document dili maka.uyab or ilaron sa ilang mga current nga uyab…