URM-108 Environmental Culture Lecture 1 2024 PDF

Lecture 1 Environmental Culture URM-108 Rearranged by Dr. Hanan Sayed Mahmoud Outlines 1) Guidelines for Environmental Culture course 2) Key Questions and Concepts, What is the science? 3) What is the environmental science? 4) The difference be...

Lecture 1 Environmental Culture URM-108 Rearranged by Dr. Hanan Sayed Mahmoud Outlines 1) Guidelines for Environmental Culture course 2) Key Questions and Concepts, What is the science? 3) What is the environmental science? 4) The difference between Environment & Ecology 5) Levels of biological organization 6) Quote of the day 7) Critical Thinking.  Environmental Science Prof. Hamada Mohamed Mahmoud Assistant Prof. Hanan Sayed Biodiversity Habitat Air Pollution Mahmoud Global climate change Stratospheric ozone depletion Urban air pollution Acid deposition Outdoor pollutants Major 1 1 Indoor pollutants Environmental Noise Water Pollution Problems Sediment Nutrient overload Toxic chemicals Infectious agents Oxygen depletion Pesticides Oil spills Excess heat Scott Brennan Jay Withgott 1) Guidelines for Environmental Culture course Suggested Instructions for the First Day of Classes Prepared by H.M. Mahmoud Vice Dean of Education and Students Affair Faculty Of Science Beni-Suef University ▸ Instructor contacts Dr. Hanan Sayed Mahmoud Assistant Prof. of Animal Ecology Zoology Department Email: [email protected], [email protected] Whats up: 01019681509 Office: 3rd floor (B1-R50) Office hours: 8 hours daily except Saturday ▸ Course name: Environmental culture ▸ Course code: URM-108 ▸ It is a 2 credit hours course: #2 hours (one lecture) per week for one semester #(no laboratory work). The goal of this course is to: 1.Give main idea of our environment and focus on the difference between environmental science and ecology. 2. Highlight spots on biotic and abiotic factors and their mutual interaction in nature. 3.Learn students how and why deal with environmental problems and how to save our native nature. 4. Clarify the renewable and non-renewable resources to explain the culture of sustainable use of our resources.  Guide for Reading Lecture notes Suggested Textbook: 1- Biology (1998) 2- Elements of Ecology (2012) 3- Principle of Environmental Science (2016), 4- Ecology (2017), 4th edition 4- Environmental Science (2018), 8th edition, 5- Mother Nature (2023), 6- KINGS OF THEIR OWN OCEAN (2023), 7-The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet (2023), 8-Better Living Through Birding: Notes From a Black Man in the Natural World (2023) 9- Faculty electronic book  Evaluation methods and deadlines ▸ All activities (i.e., critical thinking, reports and other assignments) are due by the end of the day on the dates announced in class. ▸ Assignments handed in late will be penalized 10% for each day they are late. ▸ Assignments more than 1 week late will not be accepted. ▸ There will be oral exam, one mid-term, one training quiz over the course of the term and a comprehensive final exam. ▸ All exams will have similar formats including multiple choice, matching, true or false.  Grade breakdown Item Weight Oral 10 Midterm 15 Sheet=Activities 15 Final 60 Total 100  Attendance ▸ The ability to comprehend, condense and absorb spoken material is a vital skill emphasized in University life. ▸ Attendance will help you to improve your grade in regular exams ▸ As I will not match the lecture material exactly to the text, so you will want to hear it to be prepared for exams. ▸ You will be also graded on participation. ▸ There are no allowed absences without an excuse from the clinic or office of Student Affairs. ▸ Repeated absences may result in a failing grade or the recommendation that the students drop the course.  Make up Exams ▸ Make-up exams are available only under the most extreme circumstances. ▸ To miss a scheduled exam you must discuss it with me before the scheduled time ▸ If I agree that you have a valid excuse, you may take it early. ▸ If you miss a scheduled exam, without clearing it with me prior to the time it is scheduled, you may not make it up.  Cheating ▸ Cheating is dishonest and unethical. ▸ Students found cheating will be subject to University discipline, but at the minimum will leave this course with an F. ▸ Remember, each assignment must be your own work. ▸ Assignments that are so similar with each other will be considered cheating. ▸ You must cite the reference(s) you use in preparing your reports and assignment because if you didn’t it will be considered plagiarism.  Lecture courtesy ▸The ethical rules of classroom are: 1. Arrive on time, 2. Please avoid conversations with others in class while the instructor is lecturing, 3. Limit food to those that can be eaten quickly and quietly, 4. Please turn cell phones to silent while in class, 5. You may use laptop for note-taking; but chatting, email checking, facebooking, etc. are not allowed during class time. ▸ E-mail or What's up communication should be limited to quick and easy-to-address questions. ▸ More difficult or involved questions should be discussed during lecture time(at the end of lecture) or during office hours. ▸ NOTE: I rarely check email or what's up group on weekends. Week # Lecture Schedule Topic 1. Understanding our Environment 2. Environmental Systems: Matter, Energy, and Life 3. The scientific method and the scientific process. 4. Culture, worldviews and environmental ethics & Perspectives 5. Mid-term + Factors controlling organism distribution 6. Environmental Conservation: Forests, Grasslands, Parks, and Nature Preserves 7. Biodiversity and Sustainability are dynamic duo 8. Species evolution and classification 9. Environmental Health and Toxicology 10. Interplay between Climate change & Air pollution 11. Water: Resources and Pollution 12. Environmental Policy for Sustainability and radiation pollution 13. Human Population 2024/2025  Scott Brennan Jay Withgott Skills of Learning  2)Key Questions and Concepts What is science? Concept 1: Scientist collect data, and develop theories, models, and laws about how nature work. In another words: Science is a Search for Order in Nature. What are systems and how do they respond to change? Concept 2A: Systems have inputs, flows, outputs of matter and energy, and their behavior can be affected by feedback. Concept 2B: Life, human systems and earth's life-support system must conform to the law of conservation of matter and the two laws of thermodynamics.  What is Science? “A systematic process for learning about the world and testing our understanding of it” or “A dynamic process of observation, testing, and discovery the accumulated body of knowledge that results from this process”  3) Environmental science …֍ is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical, biological and information sciences including many diverse disciplines. Figure 1.6 What is the difference between ecology and environmental science? ECOLOGY: is a branch of biology, Environmental Science: is an interdisciplinary field that includes concepts from natural sciences (including ecology) and social sciences (ethics, politics and economics). Comparison Environmental Science Features Ecology 1-Defination Interaction between biotic is an interdisciplinary field that and abiotic factors includes concepts from natural sciences (including ecology) and social sciences (ethics, politics and economics). 2-Core Highlights causes, sources, Focus on how; impacts and solutions for * human can affect his environmental problems environment **we address environmental problems 3-Example Pollution Problem Pollution Problem Ecology studies the pollution Environmental science focuses on effect on natural systems as how social sciences (political and ecosystem (including animal, economic systems) can participate plants, human and abiotic to reduce pollution components).  Environmental science It mainly answers the following questions: How does the natural world work? How does our environment affect us? How do we affect our environment? Applied goal: Developing solutions to environmental problems.  Environmental Science “An interdisciplinary study of human relationship with other organisms and the earth” Biology Ecology Geography Chemistry Geology Physics Economics Sociology Demography=population science Politics  Environmental science ………… is NOT the same as environmentalism. It is science, NOT advocacy (support). Figure 1.7 4) The difference between Environment & Ecology  What is Environment? Environment consists of both: A) Biotic factors (living things) + B) Abiotic factors (nonliving things) that surround us and with which we interact.  Outlines To Study The Environment 1-The nature of environmental science 2-The scientific method and the scientific process 3-Natural resources and their importance 4-Culture and worldviews 5-Environmental ethics 6-Sustainability  ECOLOGY֍ ⁕Ecology: “is the science that study the interactions between organisms and their environment.” ⁑Environment: “includes (= the sum of) both abiotic (non-living) and biotic (living) components.” Abiotic: Climate (temperature, light, water and humidity), nutrients, chemicals, rocks, etc.  Who is the ecologist? ECOLOGIST: Refers to 2 meanings: a) First one : is an environmental activist, b) Second one: is a scientist who study ecology and some ecologist are activist in contrast to others who are not environmental activist. 5) Levels of biological organization 1) Individual 2) Population 3) Community 4) Ecosystem 5) Biome 6) Landscape 7) Biosphere  Levels of Biological Organization 1- Individuals: organisms 2- Populations “A group of organisms of the same single species that live in a particular are and interact with one another.” *Must compete for resources 3- Community “It is an association of interacting populations of different species” *Changes in one population will cause changes in the others *Communities can cover large or small area of land. *They differ mainly in number and species composition. 4- Ecosystem “The community of organisms plus their physical environment in which they live.” or “A natural system consisting of a community of organisms and its physical(surrounding) environment” *Ecosystem categories: 1. Terrestrial – land 2. Aquatic – fresh or salt water 3-Wetlands – intermediate ecosystems between terrestrial and aquatic ones.  Some Earth's Communities (A) A savanna community in (B) A rainforest canopy in the Serengeti National Park. Tanzania Amazon region of Ecuador. (Courtesy of Andrew Sinauer) Source: Ecology Book (2017),4th edition, page 11 (C) An alpine meadow in (D) A tropical coal reef in bloom. Mount Rainier National shallow waters of the Tubbataha Park, Washington Reef Natural Park, the Philippines Source: Ecology Book (2017),4th edition, page 11 5- Biomes: “are large ecological units on the basis of dominant vegetation.” 6- Landscape: “larger spatial regions compose of multiple ecosystems or biomes and essentially vary from one space to another “ 7-Biosphere: ” it is the highest level of biological organization and consists of all living organisms on Earth plus the environment they exist.” Biosphere: portion of the Earth that supports life with very diverse climate Extends several kilometers above the Earth’s surface and several kilometers below the surface of the ocean ant it is similar to peel of an apple Example: How can we study ecosystem? We detect: 1) the rate at which chemical (nitrogen or pesticide) enters the community 2) how it influences on organisms live there 3) how species living there affect what happens to this chemical.  The Environment (Earth) Life has existed on earth for 3.8 billion years Earth well suited for life Water covers ¾ of planet Habitable temperature Moderate sunlight Atmosphere provides oxygen and carbon dioxide Soil provides essential minerals for plants But humans are altering the planet; not always in positive ways  Earth As a System System “A set of components that interact and function as a whole” Global Earth Systems “climate, atmosphere, land, coastal zones, ocean” Systems approach to environmental science ”Helps us understand how human activities effect global environmental parameters”  FUTURE PLAN Researchers must help to define science-base targets for water, nutrients, carbon emissions and more to avoid cascading effects and stave off tipping of the earth's systems  Scott Brennan Jay Withgott 6) Quote of the day "The brain changes in its needs moment to moment, hour to hour, week to week"  7)Critical Thinking 1-What are the characteristics of living things? 2-Metion the following: a) law of conservation of matter and the b) two laws of thermodynamics.  Keep Smiling Thanks so much