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Environmental Biology Module 1
Environment✔✔The biological and physical surroundings in which any given living organism exists
Environmental science✔✔an interdisciplinary field of research that draws on the natural and social sciences and the humanities in order to understand the natural world and our relationship with it (including natural sciences like biology, social science like anthropology, business sciences, social sciences how we feel about it)
Applied science✔✔research whose findings are used to help solve practical problems (making a better solar cell) applied science uses empirical science
Empirical science✔✔a scientific approach that investigates the natural world through systematic observation and experimentation (investigating the properties of light) getting information from the world around you which you use in applied science
Wicked Problems✔✔Environmental problems that are multifaceted and difficult to solve (Multiple causes, multiple consequences, stakeholder differences, solutions come with trade offs)
Triple bottom line/three Ps✔✔solutions must be good for the environment, good for society, affordable) (people, planet and profit)
Living sustainably means✔✔living within your means within the environment and not diminish the ability to sustain life in the future
Sustainable development✔✔development that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to do the same
Anthropocene✔✔a proposed new geologic epoch that is marked by modern human impact
Anthropogenic✔✔caused by or related to human action
Characteristics of a sustainable ecosystem✔✔rely on renewable energy, recycle matter, have population control, depend on local biodiversity
Sustainable✔✔capable of being continued indefinitely (natural ecosystems)
Renewable energy✔✔energy that comes from an infinitely available or easily replenished source (most energy is from the sun)
Biodiversity✔✔the variety of species on Earth (population control in ecosystems)
Nonrenewable resources✔✔resources whose supply is finite or not replenished in a timely fashion
biomimicry✔✔a field of science that uses nature as a model, mentor, and measure for our own systems
Social traps✔✔decisions by individuals or groups that seem good at the time and produce a short-term benefit but that hurt society in the long run (pesticide use and evolution of resistance)
Tragedy of the commons✔✔the tendency of an individual to abuse commonly held resources in order to maximize his or her own personal interest. can be prevented by thinking of long term solutions
Worldview✔✔the window through which one views one's world and existence; this influences individual environmental ethics.
Environmental ethic✔✔the personal philosophy that influences how a person interacts with his or her natural environment and thus affects how one responds to environmental problems
Anthropocentric worldview✔✔a human-centered view that assigns intrinsic value only to humans
Biocentric worldview✔✔a life-centered approach that views all life as having intrinsic value, regardless of its usefulness to humans. Each organism has intrinsic value.
Ecocentric worldview✔✔a system-centered view that values intact ecosystems, not just the individual parts (everything even the nonliving things like soil and wing)
Science✔✔a body of knowledge (facts and explanations) about the natural world and the process used to get that knowledge
Empirical observations✔✔information detected with the senses, or with equipment that extends our senses
Scientific method✔✔the procedure scientists use to empirically test a hypothesis
Inferences✔✔conclusions drawn based on observations
Precautionary principle✔✔acting in a way that leaves a safety margin when the data are uncertain or severe consequences are possible
Information literacy✔✔the ability to find and evaluate the quality of information
Primary source✔✔Information source that presents original data or firsthand information
Secondary source✔✔Information source that presents and interprets information solely from primary sources
Tertiary source✔✔Information source that uses information from at least one secondary source
Media literacy✔✔The ability to evaluate digital sources of information
Logical fallacies✔✔Arguments that attempt to sway the reader without using reasonable evidence
Critical thinking✔✔skills that enable individuals to logically assess information, reflect on that information, and reach their own conclusions.
Ecology✔✔Focuses on how species interact with other components in their environment.
Biosphere✔✔The total area on earth where living things are found-the total sum of all its biomes
Biome✔✔regions identified by their distinctive collection of vegetation, such as boreal forest or tallgrass prairie
Ecosystem✔✔includes all the organisms in a given area (the biotic) in addition to the nonliving (abiotic)
Biotic✔✔the living (organic) components of an ecosystem, such as the plants and animals and their waste (dead leaves, feces)
Abiotic✔✔The nonliving components of an ecosystem such as rainfall and mineral composition of the soil
Population✔✔All the individuals of a species that live in the same geographic area and are able to interact and interbreed
community✔✔all the populations (plants, animals and other species) living and interacting in an area
Matter cycles✔✔movement of life's essential chemicals or nutrients through an ecosystem (matter stays in the biosphere)
Energy flow✔✔the one way passage of energy through an ecosystem (energy can leave and enter earth, it can leave the biosphere)
sinks✔✔Abiotic or Biotic components of the environment that serve as storage places for cycling nutrients
range of tolerance✔✔the range within upper and lower limits of a limiting factor that allows a species to survive and reproduce
Photosynthesis✔✔The chemical reaction performed by producers that uses the energy of the sun to convert carbon dioxide and water into sugar and oxygen
Producers✔✔an organism that converts solar energy to chemical energy via photosynthesis
Consumer✔✔An organism that obtains energy and nutrients by feeding on another organism
Cellular respiration✔✔The process in which organisms break down sugar to release its energy, using oxygen and giving off C02 as a waste product
Carbon cycle✔✔Movement of carbon through biotic and abiotic parts of an ecosystem via photosynthesis and cellular respiration as well as in and out of other reservoirs such as oceans soil rock and atmosphere.
nitrogen cycle✔✔a continuous series of natural processes by which nitrogen passes from the air to the soil to organisms and then returns back to the air or soil
Nitrogen fixation✔✔Conversion of atmospheric nitrogen carried out by bacteria found in soil or via lightning
Nitrification✔✔Conversion of ammonia to nitrate
denitrification✔✔Conversion of nitrate to molecular nitrogen
phosphorus cycle✔✔a series of natural processes by which the nutrient phosphorus moves from rock to soil or water to living organisms and back to soil
Range✔✔The geographic area where a species or one of its populations can be found
Logistic growth✔✔The kind of growth in which population size increases rapidly at first but then slows down as the population becomes larger produces an S shaped curve when plotted over time
density dependent factors✔✔Factors such as predation or disease whose impact on a population is influenced by the size of that population
Density independent factors✔✔factors such as a storm or an avalanche whose impact on a population is not related to population size (natural disasters)
life history strategies✔✔Biological characteristics of a species such as life span and fecundity that influence how quickly a population can potentially increase in number
R-selected species (species that have a high biotic potential and that share other characteristics
such as short life span early maturity and high fecundity✔✔species that have a high biotic potential and that share other characteristics such as short life span early maturity and high fecundity
GO BACK AND FILL THIS OUT ^^^^ 2.2✔✔
Community Ecology✔✔The study of all the populations (plants animals and other species) living and interacting in an area
Niche✔✔The role a species plays in its community including how it gets its energy and nutrients what habitat requirements it has and with which other species and parts of the ecosystems it interacts
Niche Specialists✔✔A species with very specific habitat or resource requirements that restrict where it can live
Niche Generalists✔✔A species who occupies a broad niche because it can utilize a wide variety of resources
Indicator species✔✔A species that is particularly valuable to ecosystem perturbations and that when we monitor is can give us advance warning of a problem
Trophic levels✔✔Feeding Levels in a food chain
Detritivores✔✔Consumers (worms, insects, crabs) that eat dead organic material
decomposers/detritivores✔✔Organisms such as bacteria and fungi that break organic matter all the way down to a constituent atoms or molecules in a form that plants can take back up
Why does energy go down as you go up the trophic pyramid?✔✔Energy enters at the base of the food chain in the first trophic level via photosynthesis and is passed on to higher levels as consumers feed on other organisms (pyramid is smaller on top) ADD GRAPHIC IMAGES TO CYCLES AND PYRAMIDS LIKE PHOSPHORUS AND THIS)
Species Richness✔✔The total number of different species in a community
Species Evenness✔✔The relative abundance of each species in a community
Ecotones✔✔Regions of distinctly different physical areas that serve as boundaries between different communities
Edge Effects✔✔The change in species diversity that occurs due to the different conditions that either attract or repel certain species at an ecotone
Keystone species✔✔a species that impacts its community more than its mere abundance would predict, often altering ecosystem structure
Resource partitioning✔✔The use of different parts or aspects of a resource by different species rather than direct competition for exactly the same resource
Symbiosis✔✔A close biological or ecological relationship between two species
Mutualism✔✔A symbiotic relationship between individuals of two species in which both parties benefit
Commensalism✔✔A symbiotic relationship between individuals of two species in which one benefits from the presence of the other but the other is unaffected
Parasitism✔✔A symbiotic relationship between individuals of two species in which one benefits and the other is negatively affected
Ecological succession✔✔Progressive replacement of plant (and then animal) species in a community over time due to the changing conditions that the plants themselves create (more soil, shade, etc)
primary succession✔✔Ecological succession that occurs in an area where no ecosystem existed before (on bare rock with no soil)
