AICE Environmental Management AS Level Exam Review (UNITS 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8)

identify & name world's continents and major oceans

WTR: PAAIPS acronym. look at how the oceans are lined up (pacific, atlantic, arctic, indian, pacific again, and then southern at the bottom)

low income country

gross national income under 1k (afghan)

middle income country

gross national income btwn 1000-13000 (egypt)

high income country

gross national income above 13000 (US)

sustainability

ability to meet needs of present w/o compromising ability of future generations to meet their own needs

condensation

gas -> liquid

precipitation

any form of water from clouds

interception

water can't reach surface bc trees/grass

infiltration

water on ground surface enters soil

surface run-off

water stays on soil SURFACE, RUNS OFF to source

through flow

water FLOWS THROUGH the soil

groundwater flow

water flows beneath ground

transpiration

water evaporates from plant leaves

earth's major atmosphere gases

WTR: "NOCAWT"

nitrogen,

oxygen,

carbon,

argon

water vapor

trace gases

atmosphere layers

(farthest -> closest)

WTR: TMST mnemonic - the mess started there

thermosphere

mesosphere

stratosphere

troposphere

ozone layer

in the stratosphere, absorbs portion of sun's UV rays preventing skin cancer and cataracts.

natural greenhouse effect

- UV rays goes thru atmosphere & get absorbed by earth's surface

- some of that energy goes back into the atmosphere as IR rays

- greenhouse gases absorb the IR rays & prevent it from leaving the atmosphere.

biome

broad area of similar ecosystems, soils, and climates spread out around world based on latitude

ecosystem

place where organisms meet needs (food, shelter, water)

habitat

natural enviroment where organism lives

population

# of individuals of same species/area/time

community

grps of diff organisms living @ same place/time

niche

organism role in ecosystem

biotic factors of an ecosystem

- producers

- consumers (1st, 2nd, 3rd)

- decomposers

abiotic examples

- temperature

- humidity

- water

- oxygen

- salinity

- light

- pH

biotic interactions

- competition (interspecific & intraspecific)

- grazing

- predation

grazing

wild herbivores eat grass

WTR: graz = grass

biotic factors affecting organism size/diversity

- disease

- predation

- parasitism

- competition

photosynthesis word process

plants synthesis glucose using carbon dioxide, water and energy from sunlight

in land/oceans, it's a vital part of the carbon cycle & has important effect on CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere by forming carbon stores.

photosynthesis word/chemical equations

6CO2 + 6H2O →light→ C6H12O6 + 6O2

carbon dioxide + water →light→ glucose + oxygen

photosynthesis rate limiting factors

- water/light availability

- CO2 concentration

trophic levels

feeding levels within food chains

food chain

energy transferred btwn organisms, starting w/ producer

how much energy is lost in food chains?

90%

aerobic respiration chemical/word equation

C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2O

glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water

aerobic respiration

chemical reactions in cells breaking down glucose molecules & releasing energy, CO2, and water

factors influencing whether to use random/systematic strategy

- size

- ease of access

- environment knowledge

frame quadrat (pros & cons)

square frame divided into small grid. species type & number in each grid is recorded.

- easy to collect sample

- easy to estimate size

- can be time-consuming

- may not be evenly spaced

point quadrat (pros & cons)

frame w/ horizontal bar & set intervals for points in ground. each plant touching point is recorded.

- accurate bc u can see the plant touching point

- easy to collect data

- can damage plant

- time consuming

pitfall traps (pros & cons)

dig hole ground lvl, put antifreeze cup & funnel before covering w/ tarp

- estimate of insect population

- insects wont escape antifreeze

- predators can eat insects

- hard to identify insects

sweep nets (pros & cons)

catch insects in areas of long grass

- time consuming

- can damage plants

- easy to do

- cheap

beating trays (pros & cons)

lightly hit branch and collect falling insect w/ tray

- cheap

- easy to do

- can damage plant

- time consuming

kick sampling (pros & cons)

kick water, hold net opposite flow & catch any organisms flying out.

- easy to get large sample

- good for deep waters

- species can be stuck to rocks

- small species can be missed

light traps (pros & cons)

get flying-organisms attracted to light like moths

- gets certain species

- easy to do

- some insects attract light @ long range, not short

- temp/humidity can limit species caught

capture-mark-recapture (benefits + lims)

collect sample, mark w paint, release. after some time, collect more & see how many marked.

- shows population growth

- estimate large populations

- increases predation

- paint can kill

secchi disc (pros & cons)

circular disk to measure turbidity. lower into water until invisible, & depth = turbidity.

- easy to do

- cheap

- measured w/ eyes, vulnerable to research bias

- can be time consuming

ACFOR abundance scale

abundant: 80-99%

common: 60-79%

frequent: 40-59%

occasional: 20-39%

rare: 0-19%

frequency

# of times plant shows up in # of quadrants as %

data collections w/ technology

- geospatial systems

- satellite sensors

- radio trackin

- computer modelling

- crowd sourcing

big data

data so huge that traditional data processing apps can't work

benefits & lims of big data analysis

- amt/type of data stored

- speed which new data generates

- data's trustworthiness

- ways data can be used

factors influencing population density/distribution

- environmental

- economic

- social

- political

- historical

population pyramid stages

1: expanding (preindustrial)

2: expanding (agricultural)

3: stationary (industrial)

4: contracting (post-industrial)

factors affecting population size/composition

- birth rates (less contraceptives)

- death rates (less healthcare/sanitation)

- migration rates (living standards)

dependency ratio

(population 0-14) + (population 65+) * 100 divided by population 15-64

why HIC/LIC have diff pop pyramids

- sanitation/hygiene

- education for women

- contraceptives

- healthcare

- gender equality

- living standards

- early marriage

impacts of aging populations

- lower tax

- higher pension spending

- pressure on healthcare

- pressure to raise retirement age

strategies to manage a changing population

- education/opportunities for women

- pronatalist/antinatalist policies

- improved healthcare

- availablity/education contraception

lincoln index

n1 = 1st sample

n2 = 2nd sample

m = marked recpatured

gross primary productivity

TOTAL gain in biomass/energy per unit time

net primary productivity

gain in biomass/energy per unit time AFTER respiratory loss

primary succession

on newly formed habitats w/ no existing community (glaciers/volcano), pioneer species form

secondary succession

on sites that previously supported communities (hurricane), climax species

ecosystem productivity

biomass production rate for ecosystem

tundra soil

thin w/ permafrost underneath

tundra climate

around 90 degrees latitude, extremely cold

tundra vegetation

herbs, lichens, mosses

grassland climate

around 40-50 degrees latitude, seasonal rainfall

grassland soil

rich in organic matter

grassland vegetation

tall/wet & short/dry grasses

tropical forest climate

around 0 degrees latitude, hot & humid

tropical forest soil

thin layer fertile

tropical forest vegetation

nuts, coffee, chocolate

desert climate

hot days & cold nights, around 30-60 degrees latitude

desert soil

thin, porous, alkaline

desert vegetation

scattered shrubs & lichen rocks

pyramid of biomass

pyramid of energy

pyramid of numbers

chlorophyll

catches light energy for photosynthesis

producer

organism makes its own food

primary consumer

feeds directly on producers

secondary consumer

eats primary consumers

tertiary consumer

eats secondary consumers

decomposer

breaks down waste & obtains energy from dead organic matter

carbon cycle

photosynthesis: plants produce oxygen & glucose

respiration: oxygen & glucose is used to release CO2

feeding: moving carbon in form of biological molecules

decomposition: minerals decay in a dead body

fossilization: sediment fossilized to be used as fossil fuels

combustion: organic material burned in presence of oxygen to give off product of CO2, H2O, & energy.

scientific method

involves interplay between observations & formation/testing/evaluation of hypotheses

dependent variable

outcome/effect/response of the independent variable

independent variable

manipulated

hypothesis -> theory

with consistent support by investigation & observation

historical data development

in terms of climate change, there has been advancements in scientific theory, a previously limited amount of historical data, and advances in technology

how has bias led to the misuse of scientific data

creating false conclusions & misrepresentation from unreliable data

sampling strategies

used to collect representative data

random & systematic sampling

aim to ensure samples are well distributed with a low risk of bias due to standardization/randomization

simpson index of diversity

∑ = sum of (total)

n = the number of individuals of each type present in the sample (types may be species and/or higher taxa such as genera, families, etc.)

N = the total number of all individuals of all types present in the sample

native species

naturally evolved in an area

invasive species

introduced by humans, not natural to area. harms biodiversity as they dont have natural predators or competition

benefits of conserving biodiversity

- potential medicine resources

- food/wood/fibers/oils/fuels

- diversity in genes

- ecological services

- cultural/recreational values

describe/evaluate legislation & protocols as methods of conserving biodiversity

- protection of species

- regulation of sustainable harvesting

- international trade in endangered species (CITES)

- international whaling commission (IWC)

- european union common fisheries policy (EU CFP)

- international tropical timber organization (ITTO)

- international union for conservation of nature (IUCN) red list

role of the EDGE program in the conservation of biodiversity

focuses specifically on unique threatened species w a scientific framework to identify them. aims to put species on map and use conservation action to secure their future