UNIT
1 COMPILATION
1. Understanding
our Environment
A. What is the importance of
Environmental Science?
1. Challenges
Our Environment Faces/Signs of Hope
B. How Humans & Living Conditions
Affect the Environment
1. Rich
vs. Poor
2. Sustainability
C. Where do Environment’s Ideas come from?
1. 4
Distinct Stages
a. Resource
Conservation
b. Nature Preservation
c. Health Concerns
d. Global Environmental Citizenship
2. Environmental Systems
A. Energy
1. Different
types of energy
2. Thermodynamics
B. Energy for Life
1. Producers
2. Photosynthesis
C. Ecosystems
1. Food
Chain, Trophic Levels, Consumers
D. Biochemical Cycles in the Environment
1. Hydrologic
Cycle
2. Carbon Cycle
3. Nitrogen Cycle
4. Phosphorus Cycle
5. Sulfur Cycle
3. Evolution,
Species Interactions & Biological Communities
A. Where Do Species Come From?
1. Theory
of Evolution, Natural Selection & Adaptation
B. Species Interactions
1. Competition
2. Relationships between species
C. Properties of Communities
1. Diversity
& Abundance
2. Changing
Communities
4. Biomes
& Biodiversity
A. Biomes
1. Types
of Biomes
a. Marine Environments
b. Freshwater Ecosystems
B. Biodiversity
1. Three types of Biodiversity
2. Benefits of Biodiversity
3. How Biodiversity can be threatened
URL: http://www.romonet.com/files/bigstockphoto_Green_Forest_1418593.jpg
UNDERSTANDING
OUR ENVIRONMENT
A.
Environmental Science is important because it helps us to better understand the
natural world around us and work collectively as a species to take all the
measures possible to preserve it. Because the world is becoming overpopulated
by human beings, there’s bound to challenges that will need to be addressed and
resolved.
What
exactly are those challenges? The most common ones are climate change, hunger,
air quality, and biodiversity loss just to name a few. A dramatic shift in
climate could cause certain species to decline in numbers because they are not
able to adapt to their new surroundings. Air quality has been an environmental
issue for decades, mainly because pollution is on the rise, particularly in
other countries such as Asia and other parts of North
America. Among all the challenges our environment faces, there are
some measures that have been taken in parts of the world to ensure a healthier,
more prosperous environment. Education has played a big role in helping to
preserve our environment, and certain environmental programs have been
implemented in several of the world’s regions in order to make people gain a
greater awareness and knowledge of our environment and what we can do to help.
Conservation of forests has also helped a great deal in saving our environment
and preservation of these areas has continued to increase over the years.
URL:http://www.unescap.org/unis/What_s_Ahead/2010/Apr/poverty.jpg
B. Humans
and their living conditions can have a big impact on the safety and well-being
of our environment. The idea of sustainable
development relates closely to humans being that it depends on the
development of humans and their well-being that can be stretched over several
generations.
When we
speak of rich versus poor, it’s not based on the salary they earn yearly, but
more so in the way that they live, and the environment they live in. In nearly
every part of the world, indigenous people exist, or those are not powerful and
often neglected. The surprising fact here is that the millions of indigenous
people live in their traditional home environments, and can be safe havens for
rare species.
C. There
are four major stages that were adopted by historians in relation to the
environment.
-Stage
1: Resource waste triggered pragmatic resource conservation
Utilitarian Conservation came about from this stage. President
Theodore Roosevelt and his adviser argued that forests should be saved for one
sole reason: for the peoples’ sake, so that they would have homes and job, and
resources should be used for the greater good. So instead of working to
preserve the environment, they worked to benefit the American people instead.
-Stage
2: Ethical and aesthetic concern inspired the preservation movement
John Muir opposed Pinchot’s views and
policies, and instead sought preservation
of the natural world so that they may live the way nature intended. Aesthetic
and spiritual ideals created Muir’s philosophy of nature preservation.
-Stage
3: Rising pollution levels led to the modern environmental movement
The modern environmental movement was
primarily led by Rachel Carson, David Brower and Barry Commoner. The term modern environmentalism came about
during this stage when Rachel Carson made the public aware of threats
endangering the environment and several others followed suit.
-Stage
4: Environmental quality is tied to social progress
In this stage, environmentalists have
begun linking the quality of the environment to social progress in a global
manner. The term sustainable development
is also introduced in this stage because it correlates to both the environment
and society, meaning economic improvement can be possible in poor countries
without harming the environment.
ENVIRONMENTAL
SYSTEMS
A. Energy
is important to understand when looking at how certain species live in their
environment. There are several types of energy: kinetic energy (energy in
moving objects), potential energy (stored energy), chemical energy (stored in
food and gas), and heat (energy transferred between objects of different
temperatures).
B.
Thermodynamics is another important concept to have knowledge of because it
studies how energy is transferred in natural process. There are two laws of
thermodynamics: The First Law of Thermodynamics, stating that energy is
conserved and is not created or diminished in normal conditions. The Second Law
of Thermodynamics deals with the idea that when with each successful transfer
of energy within a system, the energy is not used again and less becomes
available.
Without
producers and photosynthesis, it would be nearly impossible for animals and
humans alike to get the adequate carbohydrates needed for energy.
C.
Ecosystems are made up of specific biological communities and the physical
environment they live in. Ecosystems are important to understand because they
are the foundation for species living in a specific habitat, and also determine
how they survive, what they eat, etc. One of the most crucial parts of an
ecosystem is its productivity, or the amount of biological material that is
generated in a specific area. Within an ecosystem is a food chain, or food web,
which helps to better explain and understand why certain species survive and others,
do not. Organisms are categorized under different trophic levels depending on
what they eat. The animals at the higher trophic level require the most food
and energy to survive within their ecosystem. This can be difficult at times
for certain ecosystems to sustain the needed amount of food, which is why there
are so few of these animals and often a reason why they become extinct.
D. There
are four cycles within our environment that involve the elements we need to
live on earth. The first cycle is The
Hydrologic Cycle, which deals how water flows through our environment and
what its responsibilities are. Water has a great deal of responsibility in
living things, not only because it our body cannot live without it, but also
because it also maintains the proper flow of nutrients through ecosystems as
well as certain metabolic processes. The second cycle is The Carbon Cycle, which goes through a specific cycle beginning
with photosynthesis and then carbon converting to sugar molecules. Carbon is
important to life because it is the foundation of organic molecules and the
bonds in carbon atoms provide the energy.
The third
cycle is The Nitrogen Cycle, which
involves certain plants getting nitrogen to create a certain nitrogen-fixing
bacteria, which in turn fix nitrogen to combine with other elements. Nitrogen
re-enters the environment mainly through organisms that are already dead, and
they begin the cycle over again. Because nitrogen is in important molecules
that we need to survive, it is of vital importance to organisms and nutrients.
The fourth cycle is The Phosphorus Cycle,
which is used mainly when minerals are present in the environment.
Phosphorous is mainly transported in water and occurs at the cellular level.
Consumers will take in phosphorus, use what they need, and then pass it on,
which helps this element run evenly through ecosystems. The fifth cycle is The Sulfur Cycle, which is also present
in minerals and works alongside phosphorous. Sulfur plays an important role in
determining many of the earth’s weather-related issues, like rainfall and
volcanoes. It contains proteins that are essential for organisms to perform
well within their ecosystem.
URL:http://faculty.fortlewis.edu/dott_c/Bio%20320-Ecology/220%20Lectures/EAGLE-FOX.jpg
EVOLUTION,
SPECIES INTERACTIONS & BIOLOGICAL COMMUNITIES
A. In
order to understand different species and how they originated, it’s important
to understand the theory of evolution, or Darwinism. After studying several
species in different environments, Charles Darwin concluded that individuals
with higher performing attributes were more likely to survive in their element
and produce offspring. Because those better suited would produce offspring, it
would benefit the environment, which brought about natural selection. Natural Selection is an important concept
because it determines how well an environment will survive depending on how
many traits the offspring have inherited that is essential for survival.
Adaptation
and natural selection are similar in the sense that adaptation requires certain
traits to be acquired in order for a species to survive in its environment.
It’s important to note that adaptation has a bigger affect on entire
populations rather than individuals because if the population cannot adapt well,
the chances of survival will be slim, and the chance for extinction will rise.
B. The way
species interact with one another plays an important role in how they will
adapt to their environment. Competition between species seems to be the most
prevalent factor when studying interaction. The need for competition is almost
necessary because some species living in the same environment have to compete
with one another for food, living spaces, and energy to name a few. Members of
the same species that compete with one another are known as intraspecific competition and those who
compete but are different species is known as interspecific competition.
Another
important concept to understand in regards to species interaction is their
relationships with one another. Symbiosis
is the most common relationship that species develop, meaning that they
live together in the same spot, and can have many benefits, and increase the
chance of survival among both individuals. There are also other relationships
that evolve from symbiosis, such as mutualism, commensalisms, and parasitism.
C. In
order to create the most beneficial environment and ecosystems for organisms
living in them, several different species work with one another to create
specific properties for their environment. Two important terms to know about
concerning biological communities are diversity
and abundance. Why are these two
terms important? For starters, they are both quite similar in regards to what
they predict for a certain environment or ecosystem. Diversity is important
because it serves as an explanation for the genetic variation in a community,
and abundance seeks to find the number of species individuals in a specific
area. Ecosystems that contain a large amount of diversity often contain very
few individuals of one particular species.
Because
our environment is constantly changing, it can be determined that biological
communities will change over time as well. It’s important to understand how
communities change over time so that biologists and all living things for that
matter can know how to adapt when certain situations arise. There are always
new patterns occurring within an environment, and the way those patterns are
implemented makes a difference on how successful the environment will remain. One
important factor to take into consideration when thinking about these changes
is the climax community. Basically,
climate community relates to that environment’s climate and how it and the
organisms living there could be affected if it is disturbed in its natural
state.
Succession
is also changing within certain environments and there are two important types
of succession: primary succession and
secondary succession. Primary succession occurs when a bare piece of land
is inhabited by living things for the first time. Secondary succession, which
we definitely see the most today, occurs when an existing piece of land or
community is interrupted, and a new one develops over it. Another change we
should look at in regards to biological communities is disturbance of an
environment and its living organisms. Disturbances can be caused by nature, or
humans, and while we think that these disturbances are automatically harmful to
all species, they can actually benefit some. It can be most beneficial for
less-equipped species because the greater species have been run out, giving the
others a chance to adapt to a new environment without being harmed.
As noted
above, there are several factors that influence how well biological communities
and species will flourish in their environment. Therefore, the more educated we
are about these topics and changes, the more we can help bring about positive
change and preserve our environment and its species.
 |
| URL:http://edu.glogster.com/media/4/36/84/31/36843116.jpg |
 | |||||||
| URL:https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6YIievp2F3u25gYbBxaeQ3usa6MdvpWw5hjIEYh93mGDfprMnITw28AOKw0aoGlXmOtixGAtFINdOHkKJ1FkCrFw_8j9didn3DDVGu-_AD3zYF8Qgnqjtk4_1W9Yt5aFA790bw2WlTbQ2/s735/biomes_montage_final.jpg |
BIOMES
& BIODIVERSITY
A. When we
talk about Biomes and Biodiversity, we are talking about a biological species,
the variety of those species, and the biological communities they live in.
Biomes are important to understand in order to fully comprehend the different
variables that can occur in Biodiversity. Biomes are not all the same, and
differ depending on what climate and what part of the world they exist in. Temperature
and precipitation are good indicators in determining what type of biological
community is the most likely to exist in a specific part of the land. Biomes flourish
the most when there is a limited amount of human disturbance and other
nature-related interruptions.
There are
several types of biomes, and one of the most diverse ones are tropical
rainforests, which are consistently warm and wet all year. Because of their
constant rainfall and wetness, one would think that soil and nutrients thrive
in this type of environment, but they actually do not. In fact, nearly millions
of species live in this type of biome, particularly insects. Another biome is
the tropical seasonal forests, meaning that they are not constantly green and
rich year-round. They are usually dry for the majority of the year, but
rainfall does occur in order to support the trees and other living organisms
that live there. Conversely, the soil in this type of biome is more
nutrient-rich than rainforests and is more productive. Tropical savannas and
grasslands are another biome that is different from rainforests and seasonal
forests. Savannas and grasslands do get rain, but not enough to support a lot
of the trees and other organisms living there. When dry seasons occur, it’s
almost inevitable to avoid fires, which destroy almost all of the landscape and
trees. Not as many living animals inhabit these biomes, but they more so graze
for a period of time, and move on. Deserts are very dry climates and rarely see
rainfall, but several animals are able to adapt to this type of environment. It
is common for this type of biome to undergo several droughts throughout the
year, and the soil becomes ineffective, losing its ability to retain water,
leaving plants and other matter to become even drier.
Another
common type of biome is temperate forests, such as deciduous forests,
coniferous forests, tundra, and boreal forests. Deciduous forests are probably the
most common types of forests we see around us because they lose their leaves in
the winter and blossom again in the spring. This is also the type of forest in
which we can see beautiful autumn colors on many trees in the fall because of
the loss of green chlorophyll. Coniferous forests can grow in several regions,
and can grow in either a wet or dry climate. Temperate rainforests can be
categorized under coniferous forests because they flourish in very wet
climates, and the plants are a very vivid green.
Marine
environments are also another set of biomes and vary depending on their
location in the region. Marine environments primarily deal with oceans, lakes,
and anything water-related. Several biological marine environments depend
heavily on algae or phytoplankton to supply the necessary supply of food needed
to survive. Coral Reefs are extremely
important in marine environments because of their productivity and diversity.
They are rich in calcium but cannot tolerate large amount of nutrients.
Freshwater
Ecosystems include swamps, rivers, lakes, and streams. Depending on what
environment their in and the climate, they have different roles they play for
organisms living there. Conditions that exist locally in lakes can affect the
organisms living there, such as the amount of nutrients available, temperature,
the lake’s currents, and connections to other aquatic systems.
Wetlands
are much smaller than lakes or swamps, but they have big responsibilities in
preserving the environment around them, like helping to reduce flooding and filter
out excess water that could harm the area. Wetlands have specific names
depending on their vegetation, like swamps, marshes, bogs and fens. In their
own way, each type of wetland has a different climate and they have high or low
biological productivity depending on the environmental conditions.
B. When we
talk about Biodiversity, we want to know about the variety of living things and
what makes them so diverse in their environments from those in other ones.
Biodiversity is categorized into three categories: Genetic Diversity, Species Diversity, and Ecological Diversity.
Genetic Diversity is the measure of different varieties of the same genes
within a specific species. Species Diversity deals with the amount of organisms
that exist within individual ecosystems. Ecological Diversity describes the
abundance and involvement of a biological community, which can include several
factors.
Scientists,
environmentalists and conservationists alike have stressed the importance of Biodiversity
and what it can do for our environment. First, it provides food and medicines
because many of the foods we eat and medicines we take come from plants and
animals. Therefore, we have to maintain a clean and safe environment for these
organisms to flourish in so that we may also flourish from them. Biodiversity
can also assist in keeping ecosystems stable and can help species living in
those communities recover from stress at a faster rate. Lastly, for us to
appreciate human nature at its finest is of importance because when we realize
exactly how our daily habits are affecting the natural world, we may take a
step back and re-assess ourselves so that others can live in peace.
It’s also
important to know what factors can threaten Biodiversity, and have a better
knowledge of what we can do to ensure we don’t continue repeating these habits.
There are 5 major factors that have come to surface and have threatened
Biodiversity. Those factors are Habitat Destruction primarily by humans,
Invasive Species, Pollution, Human Population, and Overharvesting. Habitat
Destruction has caused natural lands and habitats to become nearly extinct, and
the installment of housing, roads, and cities has made this threat even
greater. Because the human population is growing at such an alarming rate,
there is going to be a need for more roads, housing, and more land development.
Invasive
Species continue to threaten Biodiversity because other species begin to
inhabit in an environment where there is no more room. Whether they’re
intentionally or accidentally released, this threat is growing bigger and is
causing harm to natural land, soil and organisms. Pollution can be considered
the longest environmental threat, and it continues to invade species’ habitats
due to the release of harmful toxins and chemicals in the air, soil, and water.
The threat of pollution is hard for a lot of species and organisms to avoid, so
it’s no surprise that one of the main causes of death in animals and organisms
is pollution. Population Growth, particularly human population growth is
steadily increasing, which has led many scientists to question whether or not
healthy natural ecosystems can be maintained in a high level of Biodiversity
when there is an overpopulation of humans invading our natural environment.
Overharvesting is also on the rise, because more individuals are being taken in
than reproduction can compensate for. When this happens, the overabundance of
species is most often targeted by human hunters in order to level out the population.
They may also be used to produce consumer products or sold illegally.
Whether or
not someone is an activist for the environment, we can all take necessary steps
to ensure that we do our best to preserve the natural and beautiful world we
live in. We can help to preserve the environment by using our earthly resources
effectively and not being wasteful, conserving water and electricity,
recycling, and being more conscious about pollution. The true natural beauty of
our environment should be seen as just that, and not as a dumping ground where
we become selfish beings and not let other organisms live freely among us.
URL:http://www.e-wia.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/save_the_earth_.jpg
