Environmental sci/policy Tlecture 1-6

ontology

The study of what exists in the world/study of the nature of being

epistemology

the study how we know what the know/study of the ways of knowing

uni multi inter trans disciplanry

how scientists/scholars do research; how different people collaborate and how they answer questions

environment

physical, chemical, and biological factors and processes that determine the growth and survival of an organism or community

environmental science

the study of these factors and processes

Biome

regional complex of similar communities; recognized by its dominant plant type and vegetation structure;10 terrestrial biomes

biomes are a function of what factors?

temperature and precipitation

what are the three climate zones?

polar, temperate, and tropical; temp is key driver of each zone and precipitation is the key driver within each zone.

what drives climate zones?

sunlight/thermal energy and convective cells

Tropical zone

equator to 25 degree north and south; warm year round, most precipitation here, but still varies; sit of the intertropical convergence zone

temperate zone

btw 25-60 degrees latitude; warm summers and cool winters; less precipitation than the tropical zone

polar zone

above 60 degrees north or south; cold year round with low precipitation

Convergent evolution

when no related species adapt overtime to fill similar environmental niches in their biomes

climatographs

show the relative climate of a region; shows rainfall and temperature. For example areas if the temperate zone have the same temperature but different rainfalls.

mountains

considered a region not a biome; rain shadow effect, rapid changes in temp and precipitation

ecocline

gradual change in species composition/characteristics between two ecosystems or communities across and environmental gradient

a change in plant species as altitude increases

ecotone

a distinct transition zone between two ecosystems or communities; more of a physical border

where a forest meets the grasslands

important factors defining aquatic biomes

temperature, salinity, and flow

ecoregions

finer scale than biomes but broader than ecosystems; ecological zone within a biome

reflect the best compromise for all organisms; dont form distinct edges; contains habitats that differ from their assigned biome

the congo basins or the great plains for example

anthropogenic biomes/anthromes

globally significant ecological patterns shaped by interactions between people and ecosystems including urban, village, cropland, rangeland, and cultured anthromes; response to human interaction with ecosystems

anthromes are a function of what?

population density and land use

modeling anthropogenic biomes

toblers 1st law of geography (near things are more related than distant things); cluster analysis is used since there are no assumptions made about relationships of data beforehand; this helps us find patterns in the data and reduce complexity

anthropogenic biomes model V1

6 levels, 21 classes; used cluster analysis; ecosystem processes are a fucntion of density, land use, biota, climate, terrain, and geology; ecosystem processes are influenced by population density and land use

anthropogenic biomes model V2

used classification rules to allow for comparison of years since it is more consistent each time; 19 classes

anthromes vs biomes

anthromes are driven by human modification and use of land while biomes are driven climatic effects on landscapes that shape plant type and structure

what is the anthropocene

a new epoch of human influence of the biosphere; still being debated since the persistence of human evidence is unlikely on a geological timescale

what are the different scales of ecology?

population, community, landscape, and ecosystem

ecology

the study of interactions among organisms and the relationship between organisms and their environment

population ecology

study of the dynamics of population change including factors affecting distribution and abundance

community ecology

the study of patterns/how organisms interact among a specific environment; a set of populations of different species that live together in a particular area

ecosystem ecology

study of energy and nutrient flows by examining biotic and abiotic interaction

landscape ecology

study of biotic and abiotic interactions across ecosystems

intra specific resource competition

when members within the same species compete for limited resources

inter specific resource competition

when member of different species compete for limited resources

resource partitioning

results from niche differentiation; when two species evolve to divide avaliable resources through specialization

interspecific competition example: paramecium

two different species had lowered growth rates due to resource competition when they were grown together since they were competing for the same resources; when grown separately, they both survived due to niche differentiation

competitive exclusion principle

two species that directly compete for the same resources cannot coexist; assumes constant environmental condtions overtime; limitations include changes to environmental conditions like seasons, coastlines where water mixes, climatic shifts

niche differentiation

when two species evolve to minimize competition amongst each other for the same resources

fundamental niche

range of all environmental conditions needed to support a species; where would the species occur if there were no competition

realized niche

range of conditions where a species occurs given the constraints of competition

example of niche differentiation

5 different species of Warbler birds were observed feeding on the limited resources of spruce budworms. All species used all parts of the tree through their fundamental niche. However, the birds spent more time in different sections of the tree within their realized niche

exploitation competition

competitors are able to utilize resources more efficiently; indirect competition for resources

interference competition

competitors with aggressive or territorial behavior; direct competition when species prevent the other from accessing a resource

what prevents herbivores from devouring all plant life?

predators of herbivores, and plant defence mechanisms

coevolution

predator prey relationship in which species co-evolve forming specific relationships and dependencies; for ex monarchs resist milkweed toxins and milkweeds depend on monarchs for fertilization

prey switching

can cause what appears as boom and bust cyles on graphs; when predators switch to feeding on more abundant species

symbiotic relationships

parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism

parasitism

one species benefits while the other is harmed; ticks or fleas

commensalism

benefits one species without harming the other; hermits crabs and their shells

mutualism

the relationship benefits both species; acacia tree and ants

endosymbionts

when one organisms lives inside the other in their symbiotic relationship

obligate mutualism

the host and symbiont are interdependent on each other for survival; the fig tree and the fig wasps

trophic levels

feeding levels; the position an organism has within the food chain

energy flow

transfer and transformation of high energy organic molecules

biomass energy

food that can be consumed by higher trophic levels; food energy is stored as biomass

trophic level efficiency

energy transferred to the next trophic level; usually 10%

what are earths two energy sources?

photosynthesis and hydrothermal vents; the sun and geothermal energy

scale

time and space of an object of process

level of organization

a place for something within a biotic hierarchy

grain

finest level of spacial resolution; size of the individual units for observation

resolution

precision of measurement; grain size if spatial

extent

the size of the study area or the duration of time

temporal scale

entire timespan of interest (extent) and the smallest unit of time which observations are taken (grain)

ex: fine scale- grain:hours extent: 0-48 hours

broad scale- grain: centuries extent: 0-50 centuries

broad scale

refers to larger areas, lower resolution, and less detail

small scale

refers to small areas, greater resolution, and more detail

why is scale important?

human scales are not relevant to other organisms; biological interaction in environment occur across scales; used to understand patterns and processes at broader scales; answers to questions depend on scale; changing quadrat size or extent changes study results

finer scale questions ask about things like efficiency, mean biomass or productivity

broader scale questions ask things like where ecosystems end and begin using moister-temp gradients

how does variability change extent and grain size

when extent held constant, increasing grain size results in less variability since everything averages out

when grain held constant, increasing extent results in more variability and variety within the area

epistemological moment

physical scale or dimensions of something; attribute of how one observes something; scale limits observable patterns and processes

ontological moment

spatial/temporal relations; levels of organization and observation; natural scales

terrestrial carbon cycle

C moves between pools (producers, atmosphere, consumers, decomposers, fossil fuels) thru fluxes ( respiration,combustion)

net primary production

energy/carbon stored in plants that can be passed to consumers; most occurs in the tropics

net ecosystem production

net flux of carbon into an ecosystem; after consumers and decomposers; equals zero when photosynthesis=respiration

aquatic/marine carbon cycle

large pools/lots of carbon stored; unblanced exchange since more C is pushed into the ocean than released so NPP is higher, more biomass is avaliable to consumers

why ocean NPP>land NPP

non green storage and predation of phytoplankton cause quick turnover rates. More carbon is avaliable to consumers than released?

succession

process of post disturbance change in a community; can increase population density and species richness

ecological legacies

environmental features left behind a disturbance

primary succession

pioneer species initiate the process and leave behind organic matter; driven by facilitation; hundreds of year to reach climax community

secondary succession

ecological legacies jump start recovery

cyclic succession

succession increases the chances of disturbance; fire based ecosystems; return time is the length of time btw disturbances

climax community

community that does not change; at equilibrium with the climate

ecosystem services

benefits an organic system creates through its function; not recovered immediately after disturbances

forest products/wood products

50% for energy, 31%products, 17% for paper

four stages of forest stand life history

establishment, thinning, transition/gap, and old growth stage

establishment stage

after disturbance, trees sprout and ample resources avaliable; low c storage and NEP

thinning stage

intense inter/intra specific competition; biomass increases but amount of trees decreases; high NEP

transition stage

biomass remains steady, reduced competition, diversity increases

old growth stage

high structural complexity and diversity due to abundant trees and logs; takes hundreds of years

forest landscapes

patches respresenting different stages of forest development

minimum dynamic area

area needed to maintain different patch types and populations given the patterns of disturbances; how much area do we need to mitigate the area and ensure we protect diversity

large MDA

irregular disturbances lead to patch stages changing a lot overtime; needs a larger area to maintain all patch types

small MDA

common dsiturbances meaning relative abundance of patch stages is constant

forest management

maintaining vegitation, restoring ecosystems, reducing hazards, and maintaining forest health

max sustainable yield

max amount of resource extraction with out completely depleting the resource;looks at population growth models; half of carrying capacity

population growth rate

change in number of individuals over time; assumes no immigration or emigration

exponential growth

when the rate is independent of other factors, exponential growth occurs; j shape

ecosystem based management

minimize impact on ecological processes that provide resources

adaptive management

testing different approaches and improving methods through time