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134 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What is the enviornment |
all the living and nonliving things around us
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non renewable resource |
cannot be readily replaced by natural means on a level equal to its consumption.
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examples of non renewable resource |
crude oil, natural gas, coal, copper |
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renewable resource |
is replaced naturally and can be used again
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examples of renewable resource |
sunlight, wind energy, wave energy |
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what two events contributed to major population growth |
agricultural revolution, industrial revolution |
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Is human population growing at the same rate all over the world
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higher in developed countries, lower in devolving countries |
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industrial revolution |
shift from rural life to urban life |
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agricultural revolution |
shift from hunter gather life to an agricultural life |
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ecological footprint |
environmental impact of a person or population |
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countries with largest ecological footprint |
US, canada, france, Mexico |
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theories regarding rapa nui |
ecocide- clearing forests thinking they would grow back hunt and lipo- rats prevented new growth by eating new plants |
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3 special qualities of water |
surface tension. less dense in solid form, stable in all three forms |
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mineral |
naturally occurring substance, representable by a chemical formula, that is usually solid and inorganic, and has a crystal structure.
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rock |
naturally occurring solid aggregate of one or more minerals or mineraloids.
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8 most common elements in earth's crust |
Oxygen (O) Silicon (Si) Aluminum (Al) Iron (Fe) Calcium (Ca) Sodium (Na) Potassium (K) Magnesium (Mg)
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most common minerals in the Earth’s crust
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silicates |
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rock cycle |
igneous- sediments- sedimentary- metamorphic- magma and lava |
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two crust types |
oceanic and continental |
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3 rock types |
sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous
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how are igneous rocks formed |
cooling and crystalization of magma |
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how are sedimentary rocks formed |
lithification of sediments |
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how is metamorphic rock formed |
heat and pressure of sedimentary rock |
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how is magma and lava formed |
melting of metamorphic rock |
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plate tectonics |
plates composed of crust and upper mantle (Lithosphere) that move slowly, change size, and shape.
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3 types of plate movement |
transform, divergent, convergent |
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tranform |
slide past one another |
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convergent |
plates come together. two contenential plates form mountains, one and land plants- ocean goes under. one crust is destroyed |
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divergent |
plates go away from each other form volcanoes. new crust is generated |
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compostional layers from surface |
Continental crust, oceanic crust, mantle, core |
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mechanical layers from surface |
lithosphere, athenosphere, mesosphere, outter core, inner core |
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How do we understand the internal structure of the Earth
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seismic waves |
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p waves |
travel through a continuum and are the first waves from an earthquake to arrive at a seismograph.
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s waves |
shakes the ground back and forth perpendicular to the direction the wave is moving.
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how do we know earth has a magnetic field |
Convection in liquid outer core plus spin of solid inner core generates Earth's magnetic field.
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What is a species?
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pop. or group of populations whose members share characteristics and can freely breed with one another and produce fertile offspring |
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Who first proposed the theory that became known as Natural Selection
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Darwin and Wallace |
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What are the 3 domains of life and how do they differ?
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-Archaea, bacteria, Eukarya
-Organisms in bacteria domian: have no nucleus -Organisms in Archaea Domian: Organisms with prokaryoticcells,but which are very unusual and quite different from bacteria. Archaea tendto live under extreme conditions of heat, salinity, acidity -Organisims in Eukarya: Organisms with eukaryotic cells. include animals, plants |
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During what Eon did: Eukaryotic cells first appear?Prokaryotic cells first appear?
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Eukaryotic: Proterozoic Prokaryotic: Hadean |
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Did multicellular organisms rapidly proliferate, or was it gradual?
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gradual. multicellular life has span across four time periods |
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What are the 5 observations that Natural Selection is based on?
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-more offspring produced than can survive maturity -variation exists among offspring -competition among offspring for food, habitat, and mates -offspring with favorable characteristics more likely to survive -beneficial traits are passed down |
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What were Mendel’s contributions to our understanding of evolution?
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demonstrated the mechanism by which traits are passed to offspring.
discovered that heredity in plants is determined by what we now call genes. Genes are recombined during fertilization. Genes are linked together to form chromosomes
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Genes
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regions of DNA coding for particular proteins that perform particular functions |
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DNA |
carry herdidtary info from organisms and are responsible for passing traits form parents to offspring |
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Adaptive Radiation |
branching of a population to producedescendants adapted to particular environments and living strategies. ex bill shapes
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Evolutionary Bottlenecks |
event that drastically reduces the size of a pop. to only a few. this decreases the gene pool because genes in the original population was lost. ex.cancer in Tasmanian devil |
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Speciation
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The process through which new species arise.
Happens when a population is split by a barriereach population becomes isolated. over time the two populations are not able to interbreed |
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Convergent Evolution
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unrelated species may acquire similar traits because they live in similar environments
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Artificial Selection
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the process of selection conducted under human directionProduced the great variety of dog breeds and food crops
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What are the primary taxonomic groups?
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Domain
Kingdom Phylum (plural = phyla) Class Order Family Genus (plural = genera)Species (singular and plural) |
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Population ecology
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investigates the dynamics of population change
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Community Ecology |
focuses on patterns of species diversity and interactions
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Ecosystem Ecology |
studies living and nonliving components of systems to reveal patterns
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What is a realized niche vs an absolute niche
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Realized Niche: the range of abiotic and biotic conditions under which a species lives. This determines the species distribution, or areas of the world where it lives. |
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What are some advantages and disadvantages to species with narrow niches vs broad niches?
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Specialist: Extremely good at what they doBut vulnerable when conditions change
Generalist: Use a wide array of habitats and resourcesCan live in many different places |
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Population distributions
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spatial arrangement of organisms
Random = haphazardly located individuals, with no pattern Uniform = individuals are evenly spaced Territoriality, competition Clumped = organisms found close to other members of population |
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What are some common limiting factors that create carrying capacity?
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-physical, chemical, and biological attributes of the environment that restrain population growth -Space, food, water, mates, shelter, suitable breeding sites, temperature, disease, predators
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K-selected species vs R-selected species
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K selected: species with long gestation periods, few offspring, and strong parental care
R selected: species that reproduce quickly and offer little or no care for offspring |
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Explain the process of Eutrophication?
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ccurs when excessive fertilizers run into lakes and rivers. This encourages the growth of algae (algal bloom) and other aquatic plants. Following this, overcrowding occurs and plants compete for sunlight, space and oxygen.
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What causes ocean dead zones?
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excessive nutrient pollution from human activities coupled with other factors that deplete the oxygen required to support most marine life in bottom and near-bottom water
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Autotrophs vs Heterotrophs
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Autotrophs: organisms that can produce their own food from the substances available in their surroundings using light
Heterotrophs: cannot synthesize their own food and rely on other organisms — both plants and animals — for nutrition. |
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Photosynthesis (generalized formula)
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6CO2+6H20----->C6H12O6+6O2 |
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Respiration (generalized formula)
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C6H12O6 (s)+ 6 O2 (g)→ 6 CO2 (g)+ 6 H2O (l)+ heat
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What is a trophic cascade?
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powerful indirect interactions that can control entire ecosystems.
Trophic cascades occur when predators limit the density and/or behavior of their prey and thereby enhance survival of the next lower trophic level. |
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Why are predators so important?
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the prey species would overpopulate their land, over feed
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Tropic Levels
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Producers or autotrophs (“self-feeders”) comprise the first level.
Primary Consumers: Organisms that consume producers comprise the second level.Secondary Consumers: Organisms that prey on primary consumers. Tertiary Consumers: Organisms that prey on secondary consumers. Detritivores and decomposers consume non living organic material. |
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Compare Parasitic with Mutualistic relationships
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Mutualism is a relationship in which two or more species benefit from an interaction
Parasitic relationship: one organism benefits at the expense of the other |
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Why is the equator warmer than the poles?
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direct sunlight it receives. high rate of productivity of plants |
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Hadley cells |
from the equator poleward
descending cool air, dry air |
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Ferrell cells |
mid latitude convection cell flowing from ~30˚ to 60˚S/M.
rising warm, moist air |
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polar cells |
Polar cell moves from ~60˚ towards the poles.
Descending cool, dry air |
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Temperate deciduous forest
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Seasonal disappearance and appearance of the canopy. Warm moist summers and mild winters
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Temperate grassland
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-Dominated by grasses, small trees and large shrubs.
-Seasonal droughts occasional fires and grazing by large mammals all prevent woody shrubs and trees -almost no undisturbed grassland left in North America |
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Outline the Hydrologic Cycle
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-Water Enters the Atmosphere by evaporation
-Water returns to the earth and surfacewater by precipitation and runoff -Water within the earth as ground water and aquifers |
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macronutrients |
elements and compounds required in large amounts (nitrogen, carbon and phosphorus)
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micronutrients |
elements and compounds required in small amounts (Iron, copper, iodine, zinc and flouride)
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Why are certain parts of the ocean more productive than others?
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Regions where plants rapidly convert solar energy into biomass are said to have high net primary productivity
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What influences productively on land? How is this different than productivity in the aquatic system?
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In terrestrial systems high productivity tends to correspond to higher temperature and precipitation.In aquatic systems high productivity tends to correspond with light and nutrient availability.
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carbon cycle |
Photosynthesis by plants, algae and cyanobacteria
-Removes carbon dioxide from air and water -Produces oxygen and carbohydrates -Plants are major reservoirs of carbon |
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human impact on carbon cycle |
Burning fossil fuels moves carbon from the ground to the air
Cutting forests and burning fields moves carbon from vegetation to the air |
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nitogen cycle |
-Lightning or nitrogen fixing bacteria combine nitrogen with hydrogenTo form ammoniumWhich can be used by plants
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human impact on nitrogen cycle |
Humans synthesize ammoniaHumans use nitrogen with fertilizers
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Phosphorous Cycle
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-Most phosphorus is contained in rocksIt can be released by weathering
-With Naturally Low Environmental ConditionsPhosphorous is the limiting nutrient |
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human impact on Phosphorous Cycle |
-Mining rocks for fertilizer moves phosphorus from the soils to water systems
-Waste water discharge also releases phosphorus -Runoff containing phosphorus causes eutrophication of aquatic systems |
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What are the least productive biomes?
Most productive? |
Least: Deserts,Tundra and open ocean
Most: Freshwater wetland, tropical forests, coral reefs. |
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Explain the relationship between trophic pyramids and energy requirements.
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the higher up the trophic pyramid, the lower the energy requirements |
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What is the difference between an instrumental value and an intrinsic value?
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intrinsic value means that something is valuable in itself. you don't need it to get anything else. example would be happiness. instrumental value means that something is valuable of value from an outside source. example would be money |
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Explain how Ecocentrism differs from Anthropocentrism?
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anthropocentrism is a belief that humans are the central concern for everything ecocentrism believes that the environmental concerns should be above human concerns. |
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How would the views of Gifford Pinchot differ from those of John Muir in regards to the environment?
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Muir was eccocentric and believed that the enviornment should be preserved for its beauty Pinchot believed that the the enviornment should be used wisely for the most people possible. he was anthropcentric |
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What is the invisible hand?
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it is the unintentional good caused by people's own self interests |
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Explain the basics of Neoclassical Economics
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people think that something has a greater value other than what it cost to make which effects cost and demand |
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What is GDI and why would we use it?
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gdi is the sum of all of the income within a nation while producing goods and services |
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What are Non Market Values?
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environmental goods and services such as clean air and water that are not traded in markets. how much people want to pay for them is not in market prices |
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Why do we have Environmental Policies?
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to have laws and regulations that protect the environment or to combat an issue relating to the environment |
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What are externalities?
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costs are benefits that involve other people besides the buyer and the seller |
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Explain the 3 stages of Environmental Policy in the US
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Stage 1: promoted settlement and the extraction of resources. people believed land use was infinite. homestead act which meant anyone could have land Stage 2: More of a concern for environment. yellow stone was first national park. wildlife refuge system was made Stage 3: technology and more industrial use led to good economic status but bad environmental status |
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What caused the dust bowl
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drought and poor farming practices |
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Rachel Carson
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published silent spring which focused on pollution especially by pesticides and the harmful effects of both. led to the banning of DDT |
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Hugh Bennett
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the father of soil conservation. combated soil erosion by changing farming techniques. led to the soil conservation act. |
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one child policy |
implemented by chinese govt. to combat the issues of overpopulation. mandated the families only have one child |
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What are the most successful ways to reduce population?
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contraceptives, birth control, women empowerment, poverty control |
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Why does erosion degrade ecosystems
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when soil is tilled the topsoil becomes exposed and is washed away by water. this results in runoff into other ecosystems |
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Till vs Non-Till Agriculture
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Till: Mechanically agitating soil Non Till: Growing crops or pasture without disturbing the soil through tillage. More beneficial than tilling. |
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What is salinization?
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the buildup of salts in surface soil layers
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Federal Agricultural Improvement Act
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Aimed to reduce subsidies and government influence over farm products
Promotes and pays for conservation practices in agriculture |
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Inorganic vs organic fertilizers
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Inorganic: mined or synthetically manufactured mineral supplements
Organic: the remains or wastes of organisms |
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Contour Farming
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plowing furrows sideways across a hillside, perpendicular to its slope, to prevent rills and gullies
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Crop rotation
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alternating crops from one season or year to the next
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what is the green revolution |
a large increase in crop production in developing countries achieved by the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and high-yield crop varieties.
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Why do pest build immunities?
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overtime traits for immunity of a pesticide are passed down and it creates an evolutionary arms race that forces pesticides to change |
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Intercropping
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planting different types of crops in alternating bands or other spatially mixed arrangements
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Terracing
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level platforms are cut into steep hillsides, sometimes with raised edges
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Shelterbelts
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also called windbreaks, are rows of trees planted along edges of fields
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Genetically modified foods (proponents, opponents)
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Proponents: Increased nutritional content, efficiency, pest resistance Opponents: risks not yet known |
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Transgenic foods
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contains DNA from another species
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Feedlots
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also called Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) are huge warehouses or pens designed to deliver energy-rich food to animals living at extremely high densities
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Aquaculture
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raising aquatic organisms for food in a controlled environment
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Organic
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produce and other ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers
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What are the relationships between animal husbandry and disease?
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animals must be taken care of properly in order to minimized the risk of diseases. |
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Explorethe relationship between energy/trophic levels and what foods you eat?
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90% of energy is lost every time energy moves from one trophic level to the next.
The lower on the food chain from which we take our food sources, the more people the Earth can support. |
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How much grain, water, land is required to raise 1kg of milk, eggs, beef, chicken and pork.
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Milk: 1.1kg, 250kg, 23.5 m Eggs: 4.5, 15, 22 Beef: 20, 750, 245 Chicken: 2.8, 50, 14 Pork: 7.3, 175, 90 |
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What are the top 4 causes of biodiversity loss?
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Habitat alteration, Invasive species, PollutionOverharvesting
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What is the 5th largest cause of loss of biodiversity?
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global climate change |
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Approximately how much loss in biodiversity has occurred since the industrial revolution (in percentage of species)?
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33% terrestrial, 35% freshwater, 14 marine species
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What is the relationship between Island size and species richness?
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Large islands have high species richness
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What is the relationship between island distance (from the main land) and species richness?
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an island that is close to the mainland will have a high species richness |
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What is the ESA? Why is it controversial?
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forbids the government and private citizens from taking actions that destroy endangered species or their habitats.
Opponents feel that the ESA values endangered organisms more than the livelihood of people. Private land use will be restricted if an endangered species is present |
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What is an umbrella species? What is a flagship species?
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Umbrella: Species that conservation biologists as tools to conserve communities and ecosystems.
Flagship species: large and charismatic species used as spearheads for biodiversity conservation |
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What is a biodiversity hotspot?
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prioritizes regions most important globally for biodiversity. they support a great number of endemic species.
must have at least 0.5% of the world total endemic species It must have lost 70% of its habitat due to human impact |
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What is the greenhouse effect and how does it work?
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Gases in the atmosphere such as carbon dioxide do what the roof of a greenhouse does. During the day, the Sun shines through the atmosphere. Earth's surface warms up in the sunlight. At night, Earth's surface cools, releasing the heat back into the air.
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Describe the relationship between CO2 and temperature
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the higher the C02 levels the higher the temperature |
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why we have seasons |
It is summer in June in the Northern Hemisphere because the sun's rays hit that part of Earth more directly than at any other time of the year. It is winter in December in the Northern Hemisphere, because that is when it is the South Pole's turn to be tilted toward the sun.
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keeling curve |
graph which plots the ongoing change in concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere since 1958
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Describe 3 major (and current) consequence of Anthropogenic Climate Change.
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global sea level rise
ice caps shrinking warming ocean
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