* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download es_123_test_one_notes
Survey
Document related concepts
Molecular ecology wikipedia , lookup
Ecological resilience wikipedia , lookup
Conservation psychology wikipedia , lookup
Biogeography wikipedia , lookup
Natural capital accounting wikipedia , lookup
Ecological fitting wikipedia , lookup
Biodiversity action plan wikipedia , lookup
Storage effect wikipedia , lookup
Latitudinal gradients in species diversity wikipedia , lookup
Biosphere 2 wikipedia , lookup
Ecosystem services wikipedia , lookup
Renewable resource wikipedia , lookup
Overexploitation wikipedia , lookup
Restoration ecology wikipedia , lookup
Habitat conservation wikipedia , lookup
Environmentalism wikipedia , lookup
Transcript
What is environmental Science? It is the study of how humans interact with the environment What is the environment? It includes the natural world as well as things produced by humans! Environmental Movement: Differing World Views As you know, the environment has not always been our top priority. It is actually more of a recent phenomenon. In Canada, we felt that because we had a large land mass (10 million square kilometres) which is only 6.7% of the total land mass of the planet, and a smaller population (30 million) our resources were unlimited and the environment should not be our concern. Now we know the environment is important and globally this view has begun to change. Two world views towards the environment Expansionist world view believed that although wastefulness was to be avoided in a developing society, nature could be exploited for gains in personal wealth and in the name of progress Ecologist world view asserts that all living things are valuable, regardless of their use to humans, and that any human activity must work within the confines of the healthy Functioning of the Earth's natural processes. Environmental History Industries popped up and expanded More automobiles were purchased Environmental problems became obvious i.e. color of air was darker, people developed more respiratory problems, beaches were filled with garbage and sewage etc. Wilderness was beginning to disappear therefore environmental groups were developed i.e. Sierra Club, Canadian Forest Industry etc. Two waves of environmentalism The first wave - department of the environment developed in Canada - first earth day celebrated in the US in 1970 - population concerned about - pollution - energy crisis - nuclear power - Populations The Second Wave population concerned about - global warming - ozone depletion - oil spills - resource depletion The Scientific Method Pure and Applied Science We use science to help us learn about the environment. There are two basic types of science: Pure science seeks to answer questions about how the natural world works. Ex: Physics and biology Applied science uses the information provided by pure science to solve problems. Ex: Engineering and medicine What is Science? Science is something you know - it is all the information gathered by scientist throughout history. Science is something you do - it is the way of getting the answers about our world. The way scientists get answer is through the scientific method. Scientific Method 1) Problem: Identify a problem from what you know 2) Form a Hypothesis: a hypothesis is a prediction of what the correct answer will be based on what you know 3) Materials: gather and record your materials that you are using 4) Experiment: (Procedure)Test the hypothesis. When testing you need a control and a variable. Hypothesis, Theory, Law A hypothesis is an educated guess. A hypothesis can be supported or rejected. A theory summarizes a hypothesis that has been supported with repeated testing. A theory is valid unless there is information to disprove it. A theory tells you why something happens. A law is a description of a principle but it does not explain them. Ex: Newton's law of gravity predicts what happens when an object falls, but not why it falls. What are our Main Environmental Problems? Environmental Problems -Pollution - Extinction - Resource Depletion Resource Depletion When a natural resource is used up it is called resource depletion. Natural resources include sunlight,plants,animals, forests and fossil fuels. Two types of resources: Nonrenewable resources: resources that cannot be replaced. Ex: Fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas. Renewable resources can be replaced such as sunlight, vegetation like corn and trees. Pollution Pollution is the poisoning of our air, water or soil. Pollutants are such things as car exhaust, pesticides or radiation. Extinction Extinction means that the last individual member of a species has died and the species is gone forever. The extinction rate has increase due to habitat destruction and pollution. Why does this matter to us? All livings things exist in an area surrounding the Earth called the biosphere. The biosphere extends 8 km above the surface of the Earth to 8 km below the surface into the deepest part of the ocean. Root of environmental problems Although all humans live in the biosphere, people in different countries have different immediate needs and priorities. There are two types of nations: Developed countries have good industry with high average incomes such as the US, Canada and Australia. Developing countries less industry and have lower average There are two main environmental problems: Population crisis which means the number of people is growing too quickly for the Earth to support Consumption crisis which means people are using up, wasting or polluting natural resources faster than they can be renewed, replaced or cleaned up. The Goal of Environmental Science The goal of environmental science is to achieve a sustainable world where all populations can continue to exist with a high standard of living and health. What is an Ecosystem? An ecosystem includes all the different organisms living in a certain area, along with their physical environment. An ecosystem is like a car, all the parts work together to make the car move. If one part breaks, the car may not run. Ecosystems are not an isolated unit. They do not have clear boundaries. Ecosystems are composed of two factors: biotic factors: living parts of an ecosystem. Ex: animals, plants and micorganisms abiotic factors: nonliving parts of the ecosytem. Ex: temperature, sunlight, humidity, water supply and minerals Ecosystem have a level of organization. (Smallest) Organism Population Community Ecosystem (Biggest)Biosphere organism - an individual living thing species - a group of organisms that are able to reproduce together and that resemble each other in appearance, behaviour and internal structure. Population - a group of individuals of the same species living in a particular place. Community - a group of interacting populations of different species Habitat- the place where the organism lives. Niche- the way of life of an organism. This includes everything an animal does and how it interacts with everything in its environment. Ecosystem, Biome, and Biosphere Before we continue discussing ecosystem structure, we must understand how everything fits together. Ecosystem (Smallest) Biome Biosphere (Biggest) How species interact with each other. Within an ecosystem, different species can affect each other negatively or positively. We will look closely at five major types of species interactions: Predation Competition Parasitism Mutualism Commensalism Predation, Predator, Prey Predation is the act of killing and eating another organism i.e. a lion kills a zebra the organism that kills and eats another organism is called the predator the organism that is killed and eaten is called the prey Competition the relationship between species that attempt to use the same limited resources Animals compete for the limited resources available to them. Resources can include food, sunlight, space etc. Parasitism the relationship between a parasite and its host Parasites are organisms that feed on or live within another organism without killing it immediately. However some parasites can lead to death. Examples of parasites = tapeworm, ticks, fleas, leeches The organism the parasite infects is called the host. Can you think of any reason why the parasite may not want to kill its host? Mutualism A relationship between two species in which both species benefit Ex. Anemones and clownfish are known to benefit from each other in an intimate relationship. The clownfish becomes immune to the stinging nematocysts of the anemone. The anemone provides protection and food scraps for the fish. The fish lures other creatures into the anemone's tentacles and may also remove dead and dying tissue from the anemone. Commensalism A relationship between two species in which one species benefits and the other species is neither harmed nor helped.