Sustainability of Ecosystems Study Guide PDF

Sustainability of Ecosystems Climate Change Causes, Solutions, Theory, Causes: Greenhouse gases, fossil fules, deforestation, agriculture, volcanic activity, ocean currents, all cause climate change. Solutions: Renewable energy, Energy efficiency, carbon capture, reforestation, sustainable agricul...

Sustainability of Ecosystems Climate Change Causes, Solutions, Theory, Causes: Greenhouse gases, fossil fules, deforestation, agriculture, volcanic activity, ocean currents, all cause climate change. Solutions: Renewable energy, Energy efficiency, carbon capture, reforestation, sustainable agriculture. Theory: Alternative Energy Sources Pros Cons Hydroelectric No CO2 produced Floods, Habitat loss Wind Turbines No CO2, No wind=No power Not a lot of space needed Solar panels No CO2 No sun=No Power Expensive, Large SMNR Lots of electricity Nuclear waste Very expensive Energy Conservation Using less energy for daily taste or finding more efficient ways of ‘spending’ energy. Human Impacts on the Environment Monocultures- When only one species is present in a certain area. Ex. Farming, raising cattle. Food is brought in from the outside, predators are kept out, and other animals (Bugs, gophers) are killed. Forestry- The environment is changed so much that only simple life can live there Strip Mining- Removing earth larger and larger to get mineral deposits Uranium Mining- Once uranium is mined, the tillings left over are left on the surface, these tillings often have trace amounts of uranium in them. Rain and melting snow can carry these trace amounts into the ground making it impossible to remove. Many ecosystems ar permanently destroyed. Ecology Bioconcentration Bioconcentration- When a toxin is present in an ecosystem and is unable to be broken down. If an organism somehow survives, the toxin will become more and more concentrated as time goes on. Bioaccumulation- Happens within one trophic level. Biomagnification-If a herbivore eats a plant that has a lot of the toxin stored up inside of it, the herbivore will die since they ingested all of the toxin at once. Population Dynamics Density Dependant Factors- Depending on how many organisms live in one area, it affects their population. Too many organisms in one area causes an increase in competition for food, nesting/living conditions, and disease. Density Independant Factors- When a population is altered by things that don’t have to do with their density, things like natural disasters and drought. Biotic Potential- the maximum number of offspring that a species could produce with unlimited resources. Law of Tolerance- The range an organism can survive within a certain range of an abiotic factor. The greater the range of tolerance, the greater the organism's ability to survive. Carrying Capacity- The maximum number of individuals in a species can be supported indefinitely. Declining population Extirpated species- no longer exists in a certain area, but exists in others Threatened species- most likely to become endangered. Vulnerable species- at risk Endangered species- close to extinction Extinct species- no longer exists on Earth. Swift fox- the swift fox once inhabited southern Alberta, Saskatchewan, Texas, and New Mexico, but now only exists in about 3% of its historical range. It has been listed as threatened since 2012. The species is now restricted to small grassland areas in Canada, where over 80% of native grasslands have been lost, leaving swift foxes vulnerable to predators and with fewer places to raise their young. The swift fox disappeared from the prairies by the 1930s but was reintroduced in 1973. Conservation efforts include habitat restoration by the Nature Conservancy of Canada and federal strategies like protecting den sites, translocating foxes from the U.S., and studying competition with red foxes. There are currently around 647 swift foxes in Canada, with a goal to increase the population to over 1,000 by 2027. Without the swift fox, the grassland food chain would be disrupted, affecting various prey species and predators like coyotes. Ecological Pyramids Pyramid of Energy- The amount of available energy at each level Pyramid of Numbers- The number of organisms at each trophic level Pyramid of Biomass- The amount of dry mass of the dry tissue in plants/animals. Weather vs Climate Biomes Violent Storms Tornados- When warm air gets trapped between two layers of cold air the warm air rushes out in a spiral causing a massive drop in pressure. The center of a tornado has a much lower pressure than the surrounding area (Including the inside of buildings). Low pressure=Fast High pressure=Slow Low pressure=warm air High pressure=Cold air Bernoulli Principle: When the speed of a fluid is high, the resulting air pressure is low. When the speed of a fluid is low, the air pressure is high. Hurricanes are when low pressure areas develop over the water in the tropics. The storm gets carried by the wind and begins to rotate. When they hit land, they bring water with them that often floods the mouths of rivers. Hurricanes bring wind and water. Weather Forecasting We track temperature, air pressure, and moisture in the air. Isobars are maps that have wind direction, precipitation, and pressure (High or low). Fronts are drawn to show the boundaries where two masses meet. Ocean Currents Ocean currents flow straight north/south due to the rotation of the earth. Water is heated at the equator and expands out onto the surface, cold water pools on the ocean floor at the poles. Surface currents are warm waters that start at the equator. Upswelling is a type of current that brings up nutrients from the ocean floor. Coriolis effect: Because the Earth rotates on its axis, circulating air is deflected toward the right in the Northern Hemisphere and toward the left in the Southern Hemisphere Other Trophic levels Producers (Plants), primary consumers (herbivores), Secondary Consumers, (Carnivores) The largest level is the producers, and the population gets smaller as you move up. The energy transfer from level to level is 10% Biotic & Abiotic Biotic- The living part of an ecosystem Abiotic- The non-living part of an ecosystem. Cycles of Matter Water Cycle- Water is a renewable resource that is naturally recycled by the environment. The cycle goes as follows: Precipitation, collection, evaporation/transpiration, and condensation. Atmospheres Air pressure is measured by a barometer, barometric pressure decreases with altitude. Troposphere- layer closest to the earth, where weather is. Stratosphere-Where the Ozone layer is Mesosphere- about 50km high Thermosphere-about 400km high Ionsphere-Overlaps with the other layers. Air pollution Air pollution is the presence or introduction into the air of a substance which has a harmful or poisonous affect. Carpool, Bike, Bus, telecommute or use electric vehicles all reduce air pollution. The paris agreement is the biggest way world leaders are reducing air pollution. Air pollution can cause cancer amoung other illnesses.