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Definition
| branch of science that focuses on natural living systems; study of matter & energy of whole natural systems |
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| all different kins of living things in an area ("the community") plus the physical surroundings of these living things; can be of many scales/sizes |
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| obtain atoms & energy from ecosystems & make organic molecules |
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| sustained by consuming producers |
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| bacteria, fungi, and others who renew the raw materials of life |
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| living(biotic) & non-living(abiotic) parts of ecosystems that interact; biotic=ecological community (all interacting organisms that work together to maintain life) |
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Definition
| describe the biotic/abiotic parts of the community characteristics: |
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| chain/web--order of consumption of one organism by another; levels--grouping of community members |
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| what is food chain/web? trophic levels? |
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| by food chains and trophic levels; plants(photosynthetic)>>herbivores>carns>decomposers |
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| explain how energy flowing through ecosystems is a community characteristic: |
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| only ___% of energy moves bw trophic levels |
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| passage of carbon from surroundings to members of the community & back |
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| mode of survival, a particular way of obtaining matter & energy with an ecosystem |
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| a balance reflecting the fact that matter & energy are limited resources that must be shared by all individuals |
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| balance bw food & population size in an ecosytem,etc. |
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Definition
| whats an effect of homostasis? |
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| climate change, plate tectonic movement, species evolution, migration, extinction |
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Definition
| examples of ecosystems changing over time? |
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| natural (volcanic eruptions, gas from sea water, sediments); man-made (fossil fuel combustion) |
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Definition
| What are the abiotic sources of carbon (carbon dioxide)? |
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| respiration of animals, decomposition of dead tissue |
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Definition
| what are the biotic sources of carbon & carbon dioxide? |
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| short term (living tissue, sediments, ocean water, atmosphere); long term (fossil fuels,rocks) |
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Definition
| what are the places where carbon & carbon dioxide reside? |
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| it is virtually impossible to change one aspect/variable of a complex system without affecting other aspects/variables in the system, ususally in unpredictable or unexpected ways. |
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Definition
| what is the law of unintended consequences? |
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| 1) solid waste disposal, 2) ozone layer degradation, 3) air pollution & acid rain, 4) greenhouse effect |
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Definition
| list 4 specific problems/threats to global ecosystems & environments-- |
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| dump in pit, compact trash pit, cover with soil, repeat until landfill space is exhausted; look for another landfill area |
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Definition
| whats the modern method of solid waste disposal-- |
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Term
| burial inhibits natural C & N recycling, trash is cut off from air & water, bacteria dont decompose normally, components not naturally reycled (is better to recycle before it gets to landfill) |
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Definition
| what are the problems with solid waste disposal method? |
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Term
ozone hole is a damaged area of the ozon layer due to reaction with Cl; cause of this is--
2O3 + Cl + sunlight = 3O2 + Cl |
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Definition
| what is an ozone hole? the reaction causing this damage is-- |
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Cl donor: man-made chemicals (chlorofluorocarbons, or "freon") that are used in pressure spray cans, a-c systems, & others;
soution: gov restrictions on freon (& similar chemicals) that accumulate in the upper atmosphere |
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Definition
| in ozone layer degradation, what is the main Cl donor? the solution? |
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Term
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Definition
| ozone layer degradation is more common where? |
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oxidation (burning) produces CO2, H2O, & pollutants
(N-oxides, S-compounds, & hydrocarbons) |
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Definition
| describe how air pollution & acid rain can be a threat to global ecosystems/environments-- |
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Term
nitrogen oxides: NO, NO2 (nit dioxide), No3, etc.
sulfur compounds: SO2 & other S-O compounds released by burning petroleum & coal |
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Definition
| name the nitrogen oxides & the sulfur compounds involved in air pollution/acid rain-- |
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Term
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Definition
| long chain moleculesthat are not burned completely in modern energy-consuming devices (eg--automobiles) |
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Definition
| sunlight striking N-compounds & hydrocarbons produces O3, a caustic gas when breathed |
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Definition
| brown air that contains O3, N- compounds, & hydrocarbons (involved in air pollution) |
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Definition
water droplets & sunlight plus chemicals in the air ->
droplets of nitric & sulfuric acid |
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CO2 released by burning fossil fuels accumulates in atmosphere over time
(if contributed faster than it can be removed naturally)
CO2 absorbs UV photons & heat is added to atmosphere |
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Definition
| describe greenhouse effect |
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Term
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Definition
| _____, which is progressing at an unnaturally fast rate, is largely due to greehouse effect |
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| rapid melting of glacial ice at high altitudes/latitudes will cuase rapid sea level rise & inundation of shoreline areas where a high % of Earth's human pop lives |
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Definition
| if global heating continues & present greehouse effects get worse, whats going to happen??? |
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Term
species loss;
warm regions |
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Definition
global heating will continue to accelerate the rate of _____
and turn more & more of the Earth's surface into ___ |
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Term
approx 1/day in the tropics;
10 times |
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Definition
the present rate of species loss is ___;
this is about ____ times the estimated extinction rate at time of death of all dinosaurs (65 mil yrs ago) |
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