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Environmental 101 Notes โ Study of โ The natural and โbuiltโ world โ How humans interact with their environment โ Abiotic vs Biotic โ Abiotic is a nonliving factor while biotic is living factor โ Ecosystem Services and the Environment โ Trees (services) โ Oxygen โ Water โ Energy and power โ Hydration โ Transportation โ Land โ Holds nutrients โ Environmental Ethics โ Inherent value โ Has a value because it exists, intrinsic right โ Instrumental value โ Ties to usefulness โ Stewardship โ Environmental Justice โ Combining civil rights with environmental protection โ Hazardous waste landfills are predominantly located in poor communities increasing pollution risks โ Minority communities are then more exposed to lead, fumes, landfills and other such risks 8/ โ History of Environmental Conservation and Protection in the U.S. โ Preservation vs, conservation โ Preservationists : Wilderness should be left untouched and preserved indefinitely โ John Muir โ Conservationists : conserve areas so they are not completely destroyed but they should be thought about with usefulness (cutting down trees etc. ) โ Gifford Pinchot And Teddy Roosevelt โ Land should be used wisely and scientifically โ Algo Leopold โ Helped found the us wilderness society 1953 โ Sand County Almanac
โ Rachel Carson โ Silent Spring โ Famous biologist โ DBT , used to combat mosquitos but it was an extremely dangerous pesticide โ She used her book to highlight the issues with pollution โ At the end of the 60โs many new policies are being passes โ Bill Mckibben โ Started student led organizations at Middlebury โ Raised public awareness about climate change โ Van Jones โ Was Obama's special advisor for Green Jobs โ Wangari Mathai โ Green belt movement โ Nobel peace prize โ Greta Thumberg โ A leader of the global environmental movement โ Specifically speaking on climate change in terms of global environmentalism โ Raising awareness that young people can be impactful when addressing climate change โ School climate strike โ Sustainable Development โ Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs โ Protection of Resources โ How do we protect resources long term? โ Garrett Hardin (1968) - all of this is due to tragedy of the commons โ Means that people are selfish and will use resources in a way that only benefits themselves without thinking about how others will be impacted โ Combating this โ Establishing property rights โ People will want to preserve their own land so they can use it for a long period of time โ Regulation โ Having the state make rules and requirements for pieces of property โ Excluding uses and making rules to keep the land long lasting โ Ex. National parks
Matter and Energy โ Matter โ Anything that has mass and takes up space โ Elements: โ Any substance that cannot be broken down into other substances by chemical reactions โ Atoms โ Elements are made up of atoms โ What makes up an atom - protons neutrons electrons โ Atomic number โ Total number of protons in the atom โ Isotopes โ Elements that exist in different forms โ Different mass โ What are molecules โ Two or more atoms of the same or different elements joined by chemical bonds โ Organic molecule โ Carbon-based molecule โ Ions โ Atoms or molecules that are electrically charged as a result of gaining or losing an electron โ Large Biological Molecules โ Macromolecules โ Polymers โ Carbohydrates โ Sugars โ Our primary source of dietary energy โ Monosaccharides โ Simple sugars that cannot be broken down (the monomers โ Disaccharides: โ Constructed from 2 monosaccharides โ Ex. lactose
โ Ex, sucrose โ Polysaccharides โ Ex. cellulose โ Proteins โ Monomer: amino acids โ Lipids โ Hydrophobic โ Nucleic Acids โ Stores information and provides instructions to build the protein โ Energy โ Ability to do work โ Kinetic Energy โ Energy in motion โ Potential energy โ Stored energy โ First law of thermodynamics โ No energy is created or destroyed โ Energy Efficiency โ Measure of how much work results from each unit of energy put into a system 8/ โ Trophic levels โ Showing who's eating what on each level โ Look at the base to see who provides chemical energy to the rest โ This is an autotroph/producer โ Next level up is our primary consumers/herbivores โ Secondary consumers/ carnivores โ scavengers/detritivores/decomposers โ A loss of energy occurs as it moves through trophic levels โ Evolution โ The process through which life forms are changing genetically over time โ One major way species have evolved is through natural selection โ Individuals with certain genetic traits are more likely to survive and reproduce under a specific set of environmental conditions โ Individuals are not only surviving but reproducing โ Passing of these important genetic traits involves reproduction โ Charles Darwins โ Evolution occurs by the process of natural selection โ Studied finches and their different varieties
โ Ecological Niche โ How a species uses its habitat โ How other organisms in the habitat use that species โ Habitat the species occupies โ Generalists vs specialists โ Specialists are more likely to go extinct โ Endemic species โ A species found in only one area โ Resource Partitioning โ Species will divide up a resource โ Tolerance limits and indicator species โ Ex lichen โ Symbiotic relationship between algae and fungi โ Get their energy from the atmosphere โ Indicator species survival will give you a clue as to how the environment is doing โ Species Interactions โ Interspecific competition โ interspecific โ Between species โ Intraspecific โ Within the species โ Herbivory โ Consumption of plants by animals โ (+ -) โ Adaptive defenses against this โ Ex. thorns โ Predation โ (+ -) โ Adaptive response to predation โ Coevolution occurring between Predator and Prey โ Predator defenses โ Chemical defenses โ Cryptic coloration โ Flashing coloration โ Warning coloration โ Aposematism โ Used by animals that are toxic or have chemical defenses
โ Batesian mimicry โ Model - inedible species โ Mimic - edible species that resembles the model โ Mullerian mimicry โ All are toxic โ Some are just colored differently โ Parasitism โ (+ -) โ Parasite: obtains nourishment from a host โ Ex. mites, lice, dog heartworm โ Species Diversity โ The number and abundance of the different kinds of species living in an ecosystem โ Two measurements โ A โ Energy Capture โ Primary productivity โ Rate of biomass production through photosynthesis โ Species Richness - number of different species โ Species Evenness - comparative abundance โ 1. Grasses โ Photosynthetic tissue because little energy is required for support tissues (stems) โ 2. Shrubs โ A plant with multiple woody, persistent stems (no central trunk) and a height under 4m โ 3. Trees โ Will invest more resources in stems and other supporting structures โ Increased height and access to light โ Biomes โ Tropical rainforest โ Tropical Seasonal Forest โ Tropical Savannas and grasslands โ Minimal rainfall โ Warm seasons โ Plants adapted to drought โ Deserts โ Cold at night and extreme heat in day
โ Reproductive patterns and survivorship โ R-strategists โ Produce large numbers of offspring but provide few resources for their support โ K-strategists โ Produce relatively few young but invest considerable resources into their support โ Reproductive patterns and carrying capacity โ Survivorship curves โ Genetic diversity โ Can help a population survive and reproduce โ Small population size - vulnerability โ What causes the population to become so small โ Hunting โ Climate change 9/ โ External factors that cause disease including elements of the natural, social, cultural, and technological worlds in which we live โ Disease โ Abnormal change in the bodyโs condition that impairs important physical or psychological functions โ Emergent diseases โ Zoonotic diseases โ Diseases that jump from other types of animals to humans โ We have been coming into contact with these wild animals more โ Bats and white-nose syndrome: fungus thrived on their noses which was killing the bats โ Antibiotic resistance โ CAFOs โ Concentrated animal feeding operations โ 80% of all antibiotics used in the US are used on animals โ Environmental toxicology โ The study of toxic substances and their effect on living organisms and how they interacted and are transformed as they move through populations and ecosystems โ Exposure โ Acute โ sudden , short term โ Chronic โ long term, repeated โ Synergistic effect
โ an effect that arises between two or more agents, entities, factors, or substances that can produce an effect greater than the sum of their individual effects โ Bioaccumulation and biomagnification โ In bioaccumulation โ Increased concentration of contaminants in the tissues of a specific animal โ In biomagnification โ Concentration of contaminant is increasing as you go higher up on the food chain โ Determining toxicity โ LD โ The dose that is lethal for 50% of the population โ Assessing Risks and Rationality โ Risk โ Possibility of suffering harm or loss โ Risk assessment โ Scientific process of estimating the threat that particular hazards pose to human health โ Neonicotinoids 9/ โ Population is increasing but it is not at the speed it was at the past so the population growth rate is declining โ I = PxAxT โ P - population โ A - affluence โ T - technology โ What can we conclude from this formula? โ Total fertility rate โ The average number of children born to women of childbearing age in a population โ Life expectancy โ The average number of years a person born in a particular year can be expected to live โ Globally โ 72 years โ In the US- 77 โ Age structure โ The number of percentages of males and females in young, middle, and older age groups in that population
