Download THE BEAUTIFUL EARTH! (5.2, G3, G4)

THE BEAUTIFUL EARTH!
(5.2, G.3, G.4)
By: Monica Gapud
5.2 The Greenhouse Effect

Carbon is constantly recycled
• Photosynthesis
• Combustion of forests
• Cellular resp
• Fossil fuels
The Carbon Cycle
The Enhanced Greenhouse
Effect
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Sunlight enters atmosphere
b/c gases are transparent to
light
Sunlight reflects off Earth’s
surface & back out
Some of light energy  heat
energy & warms the Earth
Greenhouse gases retain
some heat & trap it in the
atmosphere
Earth’s natural g. house
effect = atmosphere is
warmer than space
What are the greenhouse
gasses?


Carbon
Methane
• Cattle ranching, waste disposal in landfills,
production & distrib. of natural gas

Oxides of nitrogen
• Produced by human activities; burning fossil fuels,
organic/commercial fertilizers, industrial
processes (prod. of nitric acid)

Low concentration = prevents too much
heat retention
Effects of Global Warming…?





Increase in
photosynthetic rates
Changes in climates,
ecosystems
Extinction of certain
species
Melting glaciers
Rise in sea level=
flooding of coastal
areas
The Precautionary Principle

An ethical theory which
says that action should
be taken to prevent
harm even if there’s not
sufficient data to prove
that the activity will
have severe negative
consequences
Draw the Carbon Cycle !
G.3 Impact of Humans of
Ecosystems

Biological diversity;
• Richness - # of diff organisms in a
part. area
• Evenness – how the quantity of
each diff. organism compares with
the other

Simpson diversity index –
measures the amount of diversity
in a part. area
• D = diversity index
• N = total # of org. in eco.
• n = # of individ. of each
species
Remember the equation?
Time to Calculate !

Did the forest of
jungle have more
diversity?
• Forest: D=4.29
• Jungle: D=6.14

THE JUNGLE HAS
MORE DIVERSITY
because of its higher
# of species
Why Conserve Biodiversity?




Economic
Ecological
Ethical
Aesthetic
Arguments Against
Conservation


Alien species disrupts
communities and outcompete native species
reducing biodiversity.
Examples?
• Kudzu
• Zebra Mussels
• Prickly Pear
Impact of Alien Species



Interspecific competition: outcompeting other species
Predation: eating another species
Species extinction: out-compete 
extinction of native species

Biological control- idea of using a natural
predator to control unwanted or invasive
species
• Purple loosestrife
• Red fire ants

Biomagnification- process by which
chemical substances become more
concetrated at each trophic level
• DDT
Effects of UV Rays






Non-lethal skin cancer
Lethal skin cancer
Mutation of DNA
Sunburn
Cataracts
Reduced biological
productivity

Ozone layer
• “protective sunscreen for planet”
• Absorbs UV radiation
• Formed in stratosphere when O2 breaks
apart & reacts with another oxygen mol. to
form ozone

CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons)
• Thinning of ozone layer
G.4 Conservation of Biodiversity

Indicator species- sensitive to enviro.
change
• Lichens; sensitive to pollution
• Macroinvertabrates; presence or absence can
be used to judge water quality

Biotic index

Nature Reserves
• Determinations of size
• Edge effect
• Corridors

Management of Conserv. Areas
• Restoration
• Recovery of threatened species
• Removal of introduced species
• Legal protection against development or
pollution
• Funding & prioritizing
In Situ Conservation Methods


Placing endangered species in the
situation where they belong
Goals?
• Protect species by maintaining habitat
• Defends target species from predators
• Removes invasive species
• Large area= maintain large pop.
• Large pop= maintain genetic diversity
Ex Situ Conservation Method


Last resort
Captive breeding
• Increase reprod. output to ensure survival of
offspring





Artificial insemination
Embryo transfer
Cryogenics
Human raised young
Keeping a pedigree
• HOWEVER, spread of disease & disadv. in wild


Botanical gardens
Seed banks