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91 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Environment:
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all external conditions, factors, matter, & energy, living and nonliving, that affect any living organism or other specified system
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Environmental Science:
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Interdisciplinary study using information & ideas from the physical sciences w/ those from the social sciences & humanities to learn how nature works, how we interact w/ the environment, & how we can help to deal w/ the environmental problems
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Ecology:
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Biological science that studies the relationships between living organisms & their environment; study of the structure & functions of nature
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Environmentalism:
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Social movement dedicated to protecting the earth’s life support systems for us and other species
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Discuss Exponential Growth
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(Growth in which some quantity increases ata constant rate per unit of time). It begins slowly, but at some point grows in huge numbers-our earth population is growing exponentially and is beginning to shoot up
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Sustainability:
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The ability of earth’s systems to survive and adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely
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Natural Capital:
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Natural RESOURCES and natural SERVICES that keep us and other species alive & support our economies
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Natural Resources:
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Materials like air, water, soil, & energy in nature that are essential/useful to humans
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What is Nutrient Cycling?
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The circulation of chemicals necessary for life, from the environment through organisms & back to the environment
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What is Solar Capital?
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Energy from the sun—essential for photosynthesis and other processes
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What is an Environmentally Sustainable Society and How can it be achieved?
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a. A society that meets the current & future basic resource needs of its people w/out compromising the ability of future generations to meet their basic needs
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We are living unsustainably by...
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...Spending/using resources more quickly than earth can produce them
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Natural Income
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RENEWABLE resources like plants, animals and soil provided by natural capital
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What is economic growth and how is it achieved?
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An increase in a nation’s output of goods and services (GDP)
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Developed Country
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a country that is highly industrialized and has a high GDP per capita
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Developing Country:
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low to moderate industrialization & GDP; mostly Africa, asia, etc
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What is meant by environmentally sustainable economic development?
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Meets basic needs of everyone w/out preventing future generations from meeting their basic needs
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Resource
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anything obtained from the environment to meet human needs & wants
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Renewable Resource
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can be replenished naturally as long as it’s not used up faster than it is replaced (trees, water, fresh air)
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Non-Renewable Resource
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exists in a fixed amount in the earth; aka exhaustible resources
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Perpetual
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inexhaustible resource because of continual renewal (solar energy)
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Relationship between Sustainable yield & environmental degradation
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Sustainable yield is the highest rate at which a renewable resource can be used without reducing its available supply, while environmental degradation is the depletion of resources that occurs from using resources above the sustainable yield
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What is the tragedy of the commons?
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Overuse of a renewable resource that can be used by anyone (fish in the open oceans)
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When a resource becomes economically depleted, what five choices do we have?
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Go without, find a substitute, recycle....
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What is an ecological footprint and what country has the largest per capita ecological footprint?
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The amount of biologically productive LAND & water needed to supply the people in a particular country or area w/ resources & to absorb & recycle the wastes & pollution produced by such resource use
United Arab Emirates |
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What is pollution?
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undesirable change in the physical, chemical, or biological characteristics of air, water, soil, or food tha can adversely affect the health, survival, or activities of humans or other living organisms
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What are two types of sources of pollution?
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1) Point sources- identifiable sources
2) Nonpoint sources- difficult to identify |
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Discuss different ways of dealing with pollution
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Pollution cleanup- clean and remove pollution after it is released; pollution prevention- reduces or eliminates the production of pollutants
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5 basic causes of environmental problems the author presents?
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a. Population growth, unsustainable resource use, poverty, excluding environmental costs from market prices, trying to manage nature w/out proper knowledge about it
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How does global poverty affect the environment?
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People in poverty are concerned only about short-term survival & use recourses regardless of possible overuse
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What is affluence and how does it contribute to environmental degradation?
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Affluent consumers consume high levels of resources & often unnecessarily waste them
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Provide an example of how affluence has positively affected environmental quality
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Affluence also leads people to become concerned about the environment and use money to counteract environmental degradation
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What are some different views that people have about environmental problems and what are their solutions?
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1. Planetary management worldview- nature only exists to meet our needs; do whatever benefits us most
2. Stewardship Worldview- we should manage the earth for our benefit, but we have an ethical responsibility to be good stewards & encourage environmentally friendly use 3. Environmental Wisdom Worldview- we are part of & dependent on nature & it exists for all species, not just us.—discourage anything that hurts the earth |
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Does increasing human population lead to further environmental decline?
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Yes- we are using resources way past our sustainable yield
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What is the significance for us of the Easter Island Experience?
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Easter Island shows a small scale civilization that overused its renewable resources and eventually completely exhausted them. Because of this, the once-thriving civilization virtually ceased to exist. On a bigger scale, we as humans on earth are using up our resources much faster than they can be renewed. Will we end up as the Easter Islanders did? Easter Island has bears much significance in that we must learn from their mistakes and begin to consume less resources, and in a much more efficient manner. We need to conserve and reverse our use before it is too late.
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Science:
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Science is an endeavor to discover how nature works and to use that knowledge to make predictions about what is likely to happen in nature (based on assumption that events in the natural world follow orderly cause-and-effect patterns)
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difference between a scientific hypothesis, scientific theory and a natural law?
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A scientific hypothesis is a possible & testable explanation of a scientist’s observations ion nature. An example of a scientific hypothesis is Borman and Liken’s hypothesis that when a forest is cleared, it retains less water. If a hypothesis is well-tested and widely accepted, it then becomes a scientific theory. One famous theory is the Big-Bang theory which some believe is how the universe was formed. Furthermore, a natural law is a description of some event that has been seen in nature repeatedly without exception, such as the law of gravity.
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Inductive Reasoning:
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Inductive reasoning is a “bottom-up” type of reasoning where one uses a specific observation to form a general conclusion.
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Deductive Reasoning:
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deductive reasoning uses a generalization and logic to arrive at a specific conclusion.
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Discuss the notion of something being "scientifically proven" by inductive reasoning
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No general conclusion can be “scientifically proven” by inductive reasoning. Tests and experiments can suggest that there is a very low probability of an event occurring, but there is always a slight chance that something will be an exception.
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When you hear that something has been scientifically proven, you should assume…
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The observation has been tested, widely accepted, and seen in nature with no exceptions. The probability that it is correct is very high. However, no law can be proven infallible.
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In scientific thinking a paradigm shift occurs when...
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...the majority of scientists in a field or related fields accept a new paradigm, or framework for theories and laws in a particular field.
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describe the difference between frontier science, unreliable science and reliable science
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Frontier science is preliminary scientific data, hypotheses, and models that have not been widely tested and accepted. Many headline news articles are frontier science. For example, last week a headline news report spoke of how some believe that cancer is directly linked to ground zero. Until it is tested widely, it will remain frontier science. Unlike frontier science which is obviously only preliminarily tested, unreliable science is presented as reliable science, but it in fact has not been peer-reviewed. Many online websites present their information as reliable because of the ease of access. Also, many claims of global warming were unreliable science. The final category of science is reliable science. Frontier science that is tested and found widely accepted is called reliable science. The fact that all humans will die is a very obvious reliable scientific fact.
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Matter:
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a. Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space. On earth, where gravity is present, we Weigh an object to determine its mass. (Solid, Liquid, Gas, Plasma)
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Organic Compounds:
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compounds containing carbon atoms combined w/ each other and with atoms of one or more other elements (Examples: table sugar, aspirin, plastic)
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Define high and low quality matter and relate the idea to material use efficiency
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High Quality matter is concentrated and contains a high concentration of a useful resource (Coal, Aluminum Can, Salt)
Low Quality matter is dispersed or hard to reach, and contains a low concentration (gas, automobile emissions, aluminum ore) |
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13. When you think about “How Matter Can Change”, what are some limitations concerning pollution that we put in our environment? How can we dispose of or store pollution safely?
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a. We can never destroy matter, so when we try to burn waste or “delete” it from existence, the matter doesn’t actually go away. It simply converts into another form, usually one that is low-quality or impossible to reuse. To safely dispose of pollution we can reuse whatever we find, or find ways to convert it into a usable energy source. We could also contain it in specified areas.
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What is energy? what is work?
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Energy is the capacity to do work or transfer heat
Work is done when something is moved. Work = force x distance |
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Define high & low quality energy
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High-quality energy is concentrated and has a high capacity to do useful work. Examples are nuclear fusion, energy from burning coal and gas, and high-temperature heat
Low-quality energy is dispersed and has little capacity to do useful work. Examples are light breezes, and heat that is dispersed through large amounts of matter like the ocean. |
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Summarize the first and second laws of energy (thermodynamics)
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The first law says that when energy changes form, it can’t be created or destroyed. For example, water is boiled, it seemingly disappears. The water is simply evaporated into the air, but no matter is created or destroyed.
The Second law shows how when energy changes form, it always converts into less usable energy. For example, when gas is used to power a car, only a small amount of it actually moves the car, and the rest is converted to low-quality heat and dispersed throughout the environment. |
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Use the law of conservation of matter and the first and second laws of thermodynamics to explain the need to shift from a high-throughput economy to a matter-recycling economy and eventually to a low-throughput economy.
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There is a limited amount of energy on earth, and even though it is never destroyed, it is always converted into less usable energy. Therefore, we need to stop using energy so carelessly and at such a high-rate. The first step is to at least recycle and reuse the energy we use. This will allow us to conserve more. Our long-term goal should be a low-throughput economy, or, one that is based on working with nature by recycling, preventing pollution, and eliminating unnecessary waste. Failing to take these steps will one day result in a deficit of needed energy to run society.
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What is the law of conservation of matter and how is it important to us
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The law of conservation of matter states that matter is neither creator nor destroyed but merely changed into a different form by rearranging into different spatial patterns or combinations. It is important because it makes known that all energy is used and can never be destroyed, so we should take charge not to pollute. Also, it can’t be created, so we should not use wastefully
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What is a feedback loop and give an example of a positive feedback loop.
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A feedback loop occurs when an output of matter, energy, or information is fed back into the system as an input and leads to changes in that system. One example of a positive feedback loop is when your decrease vegetation, it leads to erosion and nutrient loss which causes more vegetation to die.
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If a system shows a time delayed response what will be the likely outcome? Give an example
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A time delayed response is when there is a delay in time between the input of a feedback stimulus and the response to it. The likely outcome is that systems will reach a tipping point, or, the threshold level at which an environmental problem causes a fundamental and irreversible shift in the behavior of a system. For example, with population growth, the population will reach exponential numbers while keeping the same resources until there is not enough to support them all and a fundamental change will have to occur.
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What is a synergistic interaction
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Synergistic interaction (synergy) occurs when two or more processes interact so that the combined effect is greater than the sum of their separate effects
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Discuss Rainforests
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a. Rain forests are absolutely vital parts of earth’s biosphere. They are very unique and important areas in that they contain about one half of the world’s known plants and animals. Also, these rain forests are warm year-round and have high humidity and rain. However, these crucial ecosystems are rapidly disappearing due mostly to industrialization and modernization. Humans are cutting down trees as a resource, and clearing land for crops, cattle, and settlements. Already, about half of the rain forests
have already been destroyed, and the rest is going at an alarming rate. Many people don’t realize the devastating effects of eliminating rain forests including an increase in climate change, premature extinction of many exotic species, and changing weather patterns that will prevent the rainforest from growing back. Instead, it will turn into low-diversity grassland |
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What is the ecological importance of microbes
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Microbes are small organisms such as bacteria and fungi that perform many essential tasks in society. Bacteria and fungi are very much responsible for our health, as they break down food in our intestines, keep harmful bacteria out of our lungs, purify our water, and create nutritious foods such as yogurt and cheese. They also work to eliminate much waste. Microbes also add oxygen to the planet and take away carbon dioxide. In conclusion, they are not just important, they are indispensable.
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Organism:
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any living thing; any form of life; individual
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Species:
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a group of similar organisms; for sexually reproducing organisms, they are a set of individuals that can mate and produce fertile offspring. Every organism is a member of a species
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Population:
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group of same species in a specific area; a group of individual organisms of the same species living in a certain area—(a herd of cattle on the same field)
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Habitat:
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the place where a population or an individual organism normally lives;
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Community:
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all the populations of different species that live in a particular place; group of different species in the same area
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Ecosystem:
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a community of different species interacting with one another and with their nonliving environment of soil, water, other forms of matter, and energy, mostly from the sun; group of species interacting with one another & nonliving environment
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Biosphere:
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the parts of the earth’s air, water, and soil where life is found; global ecosystem in which all organisms exist & can interact with one another; part of the planet where you find all living organisms
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What three factors sustain life on earth?
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one-way flow of high-quality energy from the sun, through living things, and into the environment as low-quality energy, the cycling of matter or nutrients through parts of the biosphere, and gravity, which allows the planet to hold on to the atmosphere.
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Range of Tolerance:
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The range of tolerance is the range of chemical and physical conditions that must be maintained for populations of a particular species to stay alive and grow, develop, and function normally
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What percentage of a species can survive a physical condition beyond that species’ upper limit of tolerance for that condition?
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0%
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Limiting Factor:
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a. The principle of a limiting factor states that too much or too little of any abiotic factor can limit or prevent growth of a population, even if all other factors are at or near the optimal range of tolerance
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Producers:
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“self-feeders”; create the nutrients they need from compounds and energy obtained from their environment (algae)
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Consumers:
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“other feeders”- cannot produce the nutrients they need through photosynthesis or other processes and must obtain their nutrients by feeding on other organisms/remains
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Three Levels of consumers:
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Primary – (herbivores) rabbits
Secondary – (carnivores that eat herbivores) frogs Tertiary – (carnivores that eat carnivores) python (mice-eating snake) |
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Omnivores:
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Eat both plants & animals
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Scavengers:
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organisms that feed on dead organisms that were killed by other organisms or died naturally (vulture, flies)
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Detritus Feeders
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“detritivores”; feed on the wastes or dead bodies of other organisms (earthworms)
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Decomposers:
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mainly certain types of bacteria and fungi; consumers that release nutrients from the dead bodies of plants and animals & return them to the soil, water, & air for reuse by producers (bacteria)
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Biodiversity:
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the planets variety of genes, species, ecosystems, and ecosystem processes
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Trophic Level:
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a trophic level is all organisms that are the same number of energy transfers away from the original source of energy that enters an ecosystem. (ex. all producers belong to the first trophic level, and all herbivores belong to the second trophic level
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Biomass:
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the dry weight of all organic matter contained in its organisms
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Ecological Efficiency:
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the percentage of usable chemical energy transferred as biomass from one trophic level to the next
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Gross Primary Productivity:
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the rate at which an ecosystem’s producers convert solar energy into chemical energy as biomass found in their tissues (high gpp: estuaries, swamps, rain forest) (Low gpp: desert, tundra, open ocean):
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Net Primary Productivity:
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GPP minus the energy used in respiration
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Describe the Hydrological cycle
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he purpose of the hydrological cycle is to collect, purify, and distribute the earths fixed supply of water. The cycle, powered by the sun, goes through three main processes. First, evaporation changes liquid water into atmospheric water vapor. Then, gravity brings the water vapor to earth in the form of precipitation such as rain, snow, and dew. Finally, transpiration occurs when water evaporates from plants and from the surface of the water scinto the atmosphere.
(o Transpiration- water comes out of plants o Evaporation- water evaporates into atmosphere o Precipitation- water falls from atmosphere onto land and plants) |
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Carbon Cycle:
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-Carbon is also dissolved in soils in rocks, as calcium carbonate in shells (when shells compress they become limestone)
OR a. Producers remove carbon dioxide from the air or the water. Next, photosynthesis converts the carbon dioxide in complex carbs. Aerobic respiration happens next, which breaks down the complex compounds and changes the carbon back to carbon dioxide in the water or atmosphere for use by other producers |
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Three ways people influence the water cycle
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a. One way that we affect the water cycle in SWFL is by taking water from our fresh water lakes and ponds and and other supplies faster than nature replaces it. We also affect it by clearing vegetation and forests for construction. In SWFL, a major reason for us clearing vegetation is to build new roads. Lastly, we affect the cycle by draining wetlands. A while ago, we tried to drain the everglades, but it only caused flooding in other areas.
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How does the Greenhouse effect occur naturally?
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Only about 1% of the solar radiation intercepted by the earth. The rest of it bounces back in the form infrared radiation. When the radiation is going back up, it causes greenhouse gases like CO2 and water vapor to vibrate and release radiation with longer wavelengths, warming the atmosphere and the earth.
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Two ways people influence the carbon cycle:
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We add co2 to the atmosphere by clearing trees and plants that absorb the co2, and by burning fossil fuels that contain carbon dioxide
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How is carbon important to living organisms?
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Carbon is important to living organisms because most living things are made from it
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Relate the Carbon Cycle to "global warming"
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CO2 is a main part of nature’s thermostat. When the carbon cycle doesn’t remove enough CO2 from the atmosphere, the earth will get warmer
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How are humans affecting the phosphorus cycle?
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We are taking large quantities of phosphate from the ground to use it in fertilizer and clearing forest areas which reduce the amount of phosphorus. This stops or slows the cycle by taking out the phosphate before plants can use it and send it through the cycle.
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3 Reasons insects are important to us:
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Insects are extremely important to us. Three reasons are because 1) they pollinate many of our plants, which suck up CO2 and give us oxygen, 2) they control pest insects, and they 3) decompose dead materials which reintroduces nutrients to the soil 4) insects are in every category of consumers [primary, secondary, tertiary]
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Ecotone
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where 2 different ecosystems overlap; gives Increased biodiversity
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