Environmental Science Final

Resilience is the ability to tolerate and adjust to environmental change and return to its original state. A more resilient ecosystems has ecological complexity, ecological diversity, genetic diversity, and species diversity. Perturbation can include fire, flooding, insect infestation, extreme weather, air pollution, or eutrophication

Lichens can colonize barren rock. Their decomposition creates soil which allows other species' colonization of that area

A fishery in an industry devoted to commercial fishing, are the places where fish are caught, harvested, processed, and sold

A collapsed fishery exists when a commercial fishery's annual catch falls below 10% of their historic high

- technological advances

- increasing demand for fish

- tragedy of the commons

- discounting future value

A repleted fishery is the result of when more fish are harvested than what is sustainable in the long run, which leads to a population decline and eventually leads to a fish population that is well below historical levels. Consequently, because reproductive capacity is low, recovery will often occur slowly, if at all.

A fishery in which more fish are harvested than is sustainable in the long run, leading to a population decline and possibly a depleted fishery.

Rising sea levels which may decreased sunlight penetration, thus reducing photosynthesis

Rising ocean temperatures which can increase thermal stress, leading to coral bleaching

Exclusive Economic Zones are zones that extend 200 nautical miles from the coastline of any given nation, where that nation has exclusive rights over marine resources, including fish

Greenhouse gases absorb some of the longwave infrared that earth emits, and some shortwave visible solar energy, which they convert to infrared

GHGs re-radiate longwave IR energy in all directions, including back to the lower atmosphere and Earth's surface, warming the planet

By the natural carbon cycle. Carbon as CO2 is released during cellular respiration and it returned to the atmosphere. Carbon as C02 is moved from the atmosphere during photosynthesis and is incorporated into plants.

TB: Temperature and precipitation
AB: Temperature and depth

Biomes

Spatial: Everywhere on Earth where living things are found
Qualitative: All of Earth's ecosystems, including all biota

A specific portion of the biotic and abiotic environmental components that interact

All the populations (group of individuals of the same species living and interacting in the same region) living and interacting in an area. Communities represent the living portion of an ecosystem

Climate, dominant vegetation and other organisms that live there.

Terrestrial, marine, freshwater

reefs: warm and shallow
abyssal: cold and deep

high northern latitudes

midlatitudes

midlatitudes

midlatitudes

mid to high latitudes

found near the equator

in climates with very cold, harsh, long winters and short cool summers, receiving 10-25 Cm of precipitation per year

Found in climates which are cool in winter and hot in summer, receiving 25-75 cm of precipitation per year

Desert biome generally has very hot days and cool nights. it receives less that 10 inches of precipitation per year

Relative mild summers and cold winters. It receives 75-127 cm of precipitation per year

Very cold winters and cool summers. about 50 cm of precipitation per year

They are hot all year round and receive 200-400 cm of rain per year

Depth is important because it indicates the importance of photosynthesis in that area

It is acidic and mineral poor with decayed pine and spruce needles on the surface

It has nutrient poor soil

It has rich topsoil over clay

Has soil poor in animal and plant decay products but often rich in minerals

Nutrient poor soil with a permafrost layer a few inches down

has rich topsoil

Africa

South America

Africa

Freshwater: Lakes, rivers, wetlands

Marine: coral reefs, estuaries

A habitat is the physical environment where a species typically lives while a niche is the role a specie s plays in the ecosystem

A habitat is the physical environment where a species typically lives

A niche is the role a species plays in its ecosystem; not only its habitat requirements, but also how it acquires energy and nutrients, and how it interacts with other species, and non-biotic parts of its ecosystems

limiting

zone of intolerance - zone of physiological stress - zone of optimum rage - zone of physiological stress- zone of intolerance

The range of a limiting factor within which a species can survive and reproduce. a limiting factor is the critical resources whose availability determines species population size distribution

amount of energy trapped by producers and converted into organic molecules

rate at which energy is converted by autotrophs into organic substances (and ultimately biomass)

amount of chemical energy left over after producers have used some for respiration; amount available to higher trophic levels as biomass

when a primary producer is removed, and there is a reduction of population size throughout the community

a trophic scale where a food chain or web is disrupted by the removal of a top predator

overfishing a top predator such as sharks results in an abundance of organism in the immediately lower trophic level, in this case, forage fish. This results in a decrease of zooplankton in the next tropic level and thus an increase in phytoplankton producers

boreal forest

Burn's Bog

carbon

CE is the study of biotic components of ecosystems, including their interactions, and how species contribute to ecosystem services while ecosystem ecology includes understands how humans have altered ecosystem

Services: pollination, water purification, nutrient cycling, maintain trophic structure

function: how space is structured, how species interact, how nutrients and energy flows, how species use resources, how many trophic levels exists

Is particularly vulnerable to changes in the ecosystems and give early warning of problems. Lichens readily take up pollutants in rainwater. they are very vulnerable to air pollution. If they begin to disappear it is a warning that there is a problem in the ecosystem

- a mutualistic relationship between an alga or cyanobacteria (or both) and a fungus)

- combined life form has properties that are very different from properties of either component organism

indicator species, lichens

symbiosis ('living together') any relationship between species that is frequent or common. Close, and often long-term, interaction between two or more different species.
mutualism: a mutually beneficial relationship. symbiosis is a type of mutualism

Through a process called resource portioning where different species of warblers forage in different areas of the tree when others are present

one species benefits and the other is unaffected: flying squirrels and other species take up residence in abandoned cavities made in trees by woodpeckers

one species benefits and the other is harmed: an animal that has too many ticks will be weakened from the loss of blood

both species benefit: the bee gains nutrition while the flower gets pollinated

when organisms that vie for the same resources are in competition with each other. the greatest competition for an individual is from a member of its own species, since both individuals are fighting for the same resources

commensalism

resource partioning

predation

mutualism

parasitism

Species richness: number of different species in an area
Species evenness: the relative abundance of each species in a community

det: organisms (mainly animals) that feed on dead organic matter
decomposers: organisms (mainly bacteria and fungi) that break down decomposing organic matter into its basic constituent parts

keystone species: contribute to the stability of their ecosystem more than their abundance predicts

lower

core: specialize in inner, less disturbed, more uniform areas of an ecosystem

edge: specialize in outer edge zones, where one ecosystems meets another, there is more variability in landscape

ecological succession

genetic diversity and ecological diversity

genetic diversity, ecological diversity, and species diversity

the variety of habitats, niches, tropic levels and community habitats. this variety promotes the conservation of an ecosystem in wake of a variety of disasters whereas the non-diverse ecosystem would be equipped to withstand a fewer number of disasters

insects

Bacteria, vertebrates, molluscs, fungi, plants, insects

Extirpation is when species is extinct in one region but still present elsewhere. Reintroduction to the extinct region is possible. Extinction is when a species is extinct everywhere on earth. reintroduction is currently impossible

plants and animal species that exist only at one location on Earth (they are endemic to that area)

regions that contain large numbers of endemic and threatened species

plants and vertebrates

insects

the net loss of trees in a forested area

30%

50%

60%

98%

<2%

Coffee and sugar

Haitians roast wood to create charcoal they can use for fuel and to sell

carbon sinks

decline with less oxygen being released into the atmosphere

forests remove CO2 from the atmosphere via photosynthesis. they are the world's largest (net) carbon sicks: areas that store more carbon that they release. Removing large quantities of trees would result in a net

Forests use CO2 and produces O, while lungs use O and produce CO2

understory

Emergent layer: tallest

Canopy: the crowns of the dominant trees shade the layers below. Big leaves

Understory: trees and shrubs are adapted to shade; sapling will grow rapidly when a spot in the canopy opens up

forest floor: lowest level, leaf litter, decomposing plant material, herbs, flowers, seedlings

each layer provides distinct food and habitat for animals, fungi, and microbes that help the ecosystem function

watershed services: water purification and provision

disturbance regulation: protection from storm damage, especially in coastal areas

goods: provide many basic goods we depend on such as food, fuel, building materials, other products such as rubber and cork

jobs: more than 10 million ppl make their living in and from forests

conversion into agricultural land, harvesting for wood, urbanization

boreal

agricultural expansion

shelterwood foresting

clear0cutting

low-impact travel to natural areas that contributes to protecting the environment

Forest Stewardship Council

Zero Net Deforestation Act Reduces BC greenhouse has emissions

true

false

true

true

pompous

agricultural expansion

is the process that transforms once-fertile land into desert. the biggest cause is overgrazing: when too many animals feed on a given area of land

agricultural expansion

human goods and services for raising cattle, farmland for cereal crops, grassland plants as potential fuel. provide ecosystem services like nutrient cycling, soil formation, surface water protection, habitat for wildlife

70%

as temps rise, scientists expect that shifting rainfall patterns will push many current grasslands into desert

when grass is overgrazed, the blade can't regenerated and the plant dies. when too many plants die at once, soil has no roots to hold is it place, thus the soil erodes

1 year

nearly 3 decades

less

over 1 billllionnnnnes, 14%

O horizon: surface litter

A horizon: topsoil: contains decaying organic matter (humus) and living soil organisms

B horizon: subsoil: denser than A, higher mineral content, lower fertility

C horizon: contains rock in the process of being broken down (weathering) to produce new soil

R horizon: solid rock that has been broken down

Herders used to graze their stock in tight herds, moving them across swaths of land. Grasses were eaten down severely over a short period, but then left ungrazed for a long time to recover. Ranchers began to partition livestock in the 19th century, leading to undergrazing: animals would pick only the tastiest grasses, leaving weeds to grow.

mechanism: park status

description: designation as a national park or state park status offers protection from overuse

benefits: areas can be managed in ways that protect the habitat and allow recreational use, a benefit to both nature and people

6 mos

The Green revolution. Efforts included: high-yielding seeds, modern farm equipment and methods, newly available pesticides, synthetic fertilizers

Industrial model

water, seeds, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizer, energy, machinery

wheat, corn, rice, soybeans, oats

larger fields, larger machinery, more chemicals, monoculture

young animals, grain feeds, antibiotics, water, confinement buildings or lots, energry

dairy products, eggs, meat, hides

larger numbers of animals • larger buildings or lots • closer quarters for the animals (which means giving them more medications) • specializing in one type of animal

in monoculture farming, crops are often not rotated, which depletes soils, resulting in food of lower nutritional value

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations

Genetic engineering involves laboratory manipulation of genes to increased productivity or grow crops where they normally would not grow. organisms modified by breeding are placed in close contact with each other in the field and reproduce naturally

Pests attack a crop and multiply quickly. There is usually genetic diversity in the population with some pests being more easily killed than others.

Pesticide is applied to kill the pests

Only a few survive including those that are pesticide resistant

The survivors reproduce

Survivors reproduce and pass on their traits to offspring

Pesticide is applied again

Every time pesticide is applied, it kills vulnerable individuals and leaves resistant ones behind to reproduce

A large, pesticide-resistant population now infests the crop

- movement of genes from GMOs to closely related wild plants

- patented and owed seeds resulting in food supply coming under corporate control

• avoids the practice of monoculture

• avoids the use of synthetic chemicals and fertilizers

• implements crop rotation that rebuilds soil

• cycles nutrients from animal waste back to the soil

• creates ecosystems on farms that mimic nature

• often allows animals to live in a more natural habitat

Traded hunter gather lifestyle for agricultural lifestyle. Continual growth of farming enterprise. Overshooting carrying capacity.

emerging fresh water crisis in axis with the climate change exacerbation, agriculture, access to education, water wars and energy crises, as in the they depend on one another/ an overlapping issues intersects all of the key points that we are in

Radiatively Active Gases

CO2

water vapour

CO2

true

bicarbonate

clouds are radiative forcer that can promote either warming or cooling. clouds with a high albedo which acts to reflect a large portion of incoming solar radiation thus working to cool the planet or they can trap reradiated heat from the planet's surface and thus have a warming effect

because they only have short time frame

all of these are factors that contribute to the Milankovitch cycles which have played an important tole in past climate events

no