Sustainability Unit

Carrying Capacity

The maximum number of organisms in a species an environment can support

Ecology

The scientific study of interactions between organisms and their environments

What 2 components is the environment made up of?

Biotic and Abiotic factors

Order of groupings from smallest to biggest

individual, population, community, ecosystem, biomes, biosphere

3 common types of feeding relationships

Predator/Prey, parasite/host, producer/consumer

Producers

 All producers are autotrophs (plants); organisms capable of making their own food and are on the bottom of the food chain

Heterotrophs

Organisms that cannot produce their own food, they rely on other organisms to get their nutrition

Categories of Consumers

Herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, and decomposers

Herbivores

 Organisms that only eat plants (Primary Consumers)

Carnivores

Organisms that only eat meat (Predators/Scavengers)

Omnivores

Organisms that eat plants and meats

Decomposers

Organisms that break down complex dead or decaying organic matter into simpler molecules that can be reabsorbed.

Detritivores

Those that actually consume the dead/decaying matter

Symbiosis

2 species of organisms living together in which one benefits

3 Symbiosis relationships

Mutualism, commensalism, and parasitism

Mutualism

Both species benefit

Commensalism

One species benefits, one is neutrally affected

Parasitism

One species benefits, the other is harmed

2 examples of ecological but not symbiotic relationships

Predation and Competition

Predation

One species benefits, one is killed

Competition

The use of the same limited resource by 2 or more species in the same place and time

What can competition develop?

Can cause developmental differences in niches or even physical characteristics

What does multiple competitors do?

Reduce the amount of resources available to either organism

Adaptive radiation

The process of which organisms quickly diversify in a multitude of forms in response to changes in the environment such as changes in resource availability

What happens to favorable traits suitable to differences in the environment?

They are passed onto future generations

Difference between niche and habitat

Niche is like a role and habitat is like an address

Habitat

The place in which an organisms lives throughout its life, contains the basic necessities for organisms to live

Niche

The role a specific species plays in a community (it’s “job”)

How is a niche determined?

How an organisms uses resources and how it interacts with other species

Limiting factor

Any biotic or abiotic factor that restricts the existence of organisms in a specific environment

What does a limiting factor help determine?

A carrying capacity

Carrying Capacity

The maximum number of individuals of a species that a region can support without environmental degradation

Ecological niche

Describes the functional position of an organisms in the environment it lives in

What does a niche have?

The surroundings of an organism, activity patterns specific to that organisms such as time periods of activity, and the resources the organisms takes from the habitat

What do invasive species do?

Disrupt the food web and change the population of native species

Ecological Succession

The process of change (disturbance) in the species structure of an ecosystem over periods of time

What is healthier for an ecosystem in the long run?

Moderate changes

What do moderate changes do?

Open up a multitude of ways for biodiversity to grow

Stages of Ecological Succession

Primary succession, secondary succession, and climax community stage

Primary Succession

The longest phase - small plants, shrubs, mosses grow during this stage; it takes a while, like hundreds or thousands of years for soil to become truly fertile

Secondary Succession

Occurs in response to disturbances such as wildfires burning down as treas leaving empty but still fertile soil. Takes decades to hundreds to singles of years

Climax Community Stage

The “endpoint” of succession. This ecosystem is fully functioning and has animals returning (as a result of food being replenished). These exist until a large disturbance occurs

What are the first species to colonize and environment?

Pioneer species (bacteria)

What can intermediate species be?

shrubs

What is a reason to live in primary succession?

No competition

What does Stochasticity do?

Makes it so we never know what an environment is going to look like in 100 years

Density-Independent

These are limiting factors that can affect a population no matter the size of the population (Disaster or catastrophes)

Density-Dependent

The effects of these limiting factors can vary depending population density at the time (parasites, predation, competition, disease)

Population Ecology

A subfield of Ecology that looks at the dynamics, changes, of species populations and how they interact with the environment

Big Three Graphs

J-Curve (exponential growth), S-Curve (logistic growth), Boom and Bust cycle (Rise, Fall, repeat)

J-Curve

Population rapidly grows followed by and abrupt crash due to the limiting factors of the environment

When does the J-Curve crash usually happen?

After a population exceeds well beyond the carrying capacity of the environment

S-Curve

Population begins as exponential growth rate but stabilizes as it reaches the carrying capacity

Boom and Bust

Based on Prey and Predator populations

Demographers

Study human population dynamics

What do population pyramids help show?

The distribution of a human population in terms of age group and biological sex

Population pyramids help us predict:

How many people are being born, longevity of life span, age skew of a population, future population rates (and what problems that may entail)

Rapid growth

Most of the population is relatively young and in the “reproductive age range” 

Slow Growth

Age distribution is relatively similar between young and middle ages

Negative Growth

The population of idle and older ages is greater than the population of the younger ages

What is each link in a food chain known as?

A trophic level

10% rule

Only get 10% of energy each level you go, 90% is lost as heat energy or metabolic processes

Biomass

The total mass of organic matter in an habitat

What happens as you go up the food chain?

There is a decrease in both energy and biomass

Food chain

A simple model that shows how matter and energy can move through an ecosystem. Direction of arrow shows the direction of the flow of energy

Food Web

Shows all possible feeding relationships in a community at each trophic level

Keystone Species

A species whose presence has a disproportionate effect on the entire ecosystem and many organisms in an ecosystem depend on to survive

What happens to toxin potency as you move up the food chain?

increases as you move up the food chain in a process called biomagnification

What happens when organisms consume more of other organisms?

they gradually build up the amount of toxins in their bodies

What happened to PCB

Banned in the U.S due to evidence causing negative health effects

What negative affects did PCB have?

Cancer and attacking of reproductive systems, nervous Systems, and immune systems

how does PCB enter the environment?

Poorly maintained hazardous materials sites, illegal dumping/disposals, leaks, and burning of materials in industrial complexes

Bioaccumulation

the process of toxins building up in an individual

How could bioaccumulation occur?

pesticides in water interacting with the cells of an organism

What happens to many chemicals produced by industries?

End up in our waterways through dumping or runoff and many of these chemicals can accumulate in the cells of organisms that live in the water.

What happens when organisms can´t process the chemicals?

 These chemicals then move up through the food chain if they are eaten and can be damaging or fatal to many types of organisms

Biomagnification

The concentration of these chemicals can increase as they move up food chains

Difference between bioaccumulation and biomagnification

Bioaccumulation deals with and occurs within an individual organism while Biomagnification deals with the food web/chain and occurs between trophic levels. 

Renewable resources

Resources that are naturally replenished and can be used infinitely. 

Non-renewable resources

Resource that cannot be easily replaced once they are used

Sustainability

the practice of meeting the needs of people in the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. 

Mineral resources

essential materials found in the Earth that are used in various industries to create products we use every day

Mountain-top removal

Removing the tops of mountains to reach coal or other resources beneath the surface

Vertical-shaft mining

vertical tunnels are dug straight down to reach the mineral deposits.

Open-pit mining

Digging a large open pit in the ground, which exposes the desired minerals for extraction.

Tragedy of Commons

When people use too many resources for the downfall of the entire group

Fertile soil

soil that provides the necessary nutrients and minerals for plants to grow and thrive

What do sandy soils do?

Drain quickly but may not retain enough water

Clay soils

can hold water well but may become compacted

Loamy soils

have a good balance of sand, silt, and clay, are often the most fertile because they retain moisture while allowing for proper drainage and root growth

What does soil fertility depend on?

the presence of organic matter, such as decomposed plants and animals

What does sustainable farming focus on?

long-term viability by conserving natural resources, minimizing pollution, and promoting biodiversity.

What does sustainable farming use?

Organic fertilizers, rotating crops, and practicing conservation tillage.

What does unsustainable farming rely on?

agrochemical inputs, leading to soil erosion, nutrient depletion, and contamination of waterways.

Monoculture practices

a single crop is grown repeatedly on the same land

What can monoculture practices lead to?

decreased biodiversity and increased vulnerability to pests and diseases

What can unsustainable farming practices contribute to?

Greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and loss of wildlife habitats

Agroecology

emphasizes the interconnections of crops, soil, animals, and humans within agricultural systems.

What does food waste lead to?

A loss of biodiversity and a waste of resources

Composting

process of breaking down organic matter like food scraps and yard waste into nutrient-rich soil