Environmental Science and Sustainability PDF

WEEK 1 Environmental Science and Sustainability Environment – is everything around us. It includes living and non-living things. Source of raw material, energy, receive/reprocess waste, buffer from conditions. Environmental sci...

WEEK 1 Environmental Science and Sustainability Environment – is everything around us. It includes living and non-living things. Source of raw material, energy, receive/reprocess waste, buffer from conditions. Environmental science – a study of how the nature works and how human actions impact the environment. Ecology - the biological science that studies how living things interact with one another and with their environment. Organisms – living things. Species – group of organisms that has a unique set of characteristics. Ecosystem - a set of organisms within a defined area of land or volume of water that interacts with one another and with their environment of nonliving matter and energy. Environmentalism - a social movement dedicated to trying to sustain the earth’s life-support systems for all forms of life. Sustainability - the capacity of the earth’s natural systems and human cultural systems to survive, flourish, and adapt to changing environmental conditions into the very long-term future. Natural Capital - the natural resources and ecosystem services that keep us and other species alive and support human economies. Natural Resources - are materials and energy in nature that are essential or useful to humans. - inexhaustible resources (such as energy from the sun and wind), - renewable resources (such as air, water, topsoil, plants, and animals) - nonrenewable or depletable resources (such as copper, oil, and coal). Ecosystem services - are processes provided by healthy ecosystems that support life and human economies at no monetary cost to us. Resource - anything that we can obtain from the environment to meet our needs and wants.  WEEK 2 Ecosystems Earth’s life support system ATMOSPHERE (air)– a thin spherical envelope of gases surrounding the earth’s surface. - mostly made of gases that surrounds the earth. Composition of Atmosphere - 78% Nitrogen - 21% Oxygen - 1% Trace Gases Troposphere Stratosphere Mesosphere Thermosphere Greenhouse effect - keeps the planet warm. Gravity - allows the planet to hold onto its atmosphere and helps to enable the movement and cycling of chemicals through air, water, soil, and organisms. BIOSPHERE (living things) - called the “life zone”, includes all living organisms and matter. Hydrosphere (water) – contains all the water found on our planet. - 71% Ocean water - 3% Freshwater - 70 % Freshwater that is frozen Lithosphere / Geosphere (rock, soil, and sediment) – the solid earth that includes continental and oceanic crust. - 94% of the earth is composed of oxygen, silicon and magnesium. Crust Mantle Core - Inner core - Outer core  How do Earth’s sphere interact Matter and Energy 1. By exchange of matter ▪ Water Cycle – water evaporates in the atmosphere ▪ Nitrogen Cycle – bacteria release into the soil from the atmosphere 2. By exchange of energy ▪ Moves back and forth between spheres ▪ Solar energy Earth’s System Science – the study of how the four spheres of the Earth system interact and each affect the other. ___________ Ecosystems – community of living things/ organisms and their physical environment. Ecology – the study of connections in the natural world. - 1.4 million of species are identified, estimated (3.6 to 100 million). Solar energy makes the earth warm to support life - 34% of radiation is reflected back by atmosphere - 66% radiated by atmosphere as heat - Abiotic (non-living), Biotic (living) Producers – or autotrophs (self-feeders) make the nutrients they need from compounds and energy obtained from their environment. Photosynthesis – is when plants capture solar energy that falls on their leaves and use it in combination with carbon dioxide and water to form organic molecules, including energy-rich carbohydrates which store the chemical energy that plants need Consumers – or heterotrophs (other-feeders) which cannot produce the nutrients they need through photosynthesis or other processes. Primary consumers and Secondary consumers Herbivores – plant eaters Carnivores – meat eaters  Omnivores – both plant and meat eaters. Decomposers - release nutrients from the wastes or remains of plants and animals and return those nutrients to the use for producers. Food chain - A sequence of organisms, each of which serves as a source of nutrients or energy for the next. Food web – more complex than food chain.  WEEK 3 Biodiversity and Evolution Biological diversity, or biodiversity - the variety of the earth’s species, the genes they contain, the ecosystems in which they live, and the ecosystem processes such as energy flow and nutrient cycling that sustain all life - Estimated number of species is 7 million to 100 million - Best guess of 7–10 million - Biologists have found 2 million species—most of them being insects. Species diversity- the number, and variety of the species present in any biological community, is the most obvious component of biodiversity. Genetic diversity- the variety of genes found in a population or in a species that enable the earth’s species to survive and adapt to dramatic environmental changes. Ecosystem diversity - the earth’s variety of deserts, grasslands, forests, mountains, oceans, lakes, rivers, and wetlands - is another major component of biodiversity. Functional diversity - the variety of processes such as energy flow and matter cycling that occur within ecosystems as species interact with one another in food chains and food webs. Generalist species - They can live in many different places, eat a variety of foods, and often tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions. Specialist species - They may be able to live in only one type of habitat, use only one or a few types of food, or tolerate a narrow range of environmental conditions. Niche – species roles Native, non-native, indicator, keystone Native species - are those species that normally live and thrive in a particular ecosystem. Non-native species - also referred to as invasive, alien, migrating, and exotic species. Indicator - species that provide early warnings of environmental change in a community or an ecosystem. Keystone species - are species whose roles have a large effect on the types and abundance of other species in an ecosystem. Speciation - one species splits into two or more different species. Biological Extinction - the process in which an entire species ceases to exist.  WEEK 4 Ecological Succession Ecological succession – a change of species composition in an area. Primary Ecological Succession – establishing a community in lifeless areas. - takes hundreds to thousands of years to fully establish a community ▪ Three stages of Primary Ecological Succession - Pioneering stages - Intermediate stages - Climax community Secondary Ecological Succession – different species develop in places containing soil. - it only takes a few weeks Primary and Secondary Ecological Succession are examples of natural ecological restoration 5 types of interactions among species Competition – occurs when members of one or more species interact to use the same limited resources such as food, water, light, and space. - Interspecific competition – competition with the same species - Intraspecific competition – competition with other species Resource partitioning – sharing resources with another species. Predation - a member of one species (the predator, or hunter) feeds directly on all or part of a living organism (the prey, or hunted). predator-prey relationship - a species interaction that has a strong effect on population sizes and other factors in many ecosystems. ❖ Predators to their prey - Herbivores – walk, swim, or fly - Carnivores – running fast  ❖ Prey protects from predators or avoid predation ▪ Abilities – run, swim, or fly fast ▪ Senses – sight, sound, smell ▪ Adaptations- shells, thorns, spines, thick bark ▪ Chemical Warfare – poisonous, irritating or foul-smelling, bad-tasting warning coloration- brightly colored advertising that helps experienced predators to recognize and avoid them. ▪ mimicry – acting like other species ▪ puffing up, spreading their wings. Parasitism - occurs when one species (the parasite) feeds on another organism (the host), usually by living on or inside the host. In this relationship, the parasite benefits, and the host is often harmed. Mutualism - two species behave in ways that benefit both by providing each other with food, shelter, or some other resource. Commensalism - an interaction that benefits one species without harming the other. Population - a group of interbreeding individuals of the same species - Grow - Shrink - Remain Stable 4 variables of population change - Births (+) - Deaths (-) - Immigration (+) - Emigration (-) Population’s age structure - its distribution of individuals among various age groups - can have a strong effect on how rapidly it grows or declines. Age groups - pre-reproductive stage - reproductive stage - post-reproductive stage Reproductive Patterns r-selected species - short lifespan but have many, no parental care ex. bacteria, insects K-selected species - long lifespan but only have a few, with parental care ex. mammals  WEEK 5 Endangered Species and Threatened Species Mass extinction -the extinction of many species in a relatively short period of geologic time Causes of mass extinctions - volcanic eruptions - global warming or cooling - large asteroids hitting the planet Edward O. Wilson and Stuart Pimm – biodiversity researchers sixth mass extinction - caused primarily by human activities and taking place within one century. Endangered species – are few individual survivors that the species could soon become extinct. Threatened species - are plants and animals that are likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future HIPPCO: Habitat destruction, degradation, and fragmentation; Invasive (nonnative) species; Population growth and increasing use of resources; Pollution; Climate change; and Overexploitation