environmental studies exam 1

the first exam of many

Otherness,  nature and each other.  What is the value of viewing oneself as part of nature?  What is the value of viewing oneself as separate from nature?

to view yourself as part of nature allows for a sort of closeness with nature, making the impending threat of habitat and species loss feel more personal and urgent.

What do we mean by “narcissistic wounds to society”? 

the three narcissistic wounds to society focused on in class included quotes from Copernicus, Darwin, and Freud. These quotes rebelled against the anthropocentrism tendencies of society at the time, and approached humans from an evolutionary perspective. in calling it a “narcissistic wound to society,”

What are the basic principles of sustainability?

the basic principles of sustainability consist of ethics, economics, and politics.

What are the downsides of not being able to put monetary value on ecosystem services?

Your textbook separates resources into three categories, inexhaustible, renewable and non-renewable.  What are the limitations of these categorifications?

restriticve, “renewable” doesnt include the ecological timeframe in which resources are renewed, or the way that they are renewed. just because they might be renewable currently, if we continue to ruin ecosystems and its’ producers, renewable resources might not be as renewable as we once thought.

Explain the concept of the “tragedy of the commons”.  Is it a useful concept?  Why and why not?

the tragedy of the commons is an idea that when something benefits the individual at the cost to their community, it is rational for the individual to exploit it. this concept is useful, although maybe slightly an overgeneralization. the idea that the needs of the community are at odds with the needs of the individual in commonly used areas

Describe Earth’s life support system

Describe the water cycle

the water cycle is composed of evaporation, transpiration, condensation, and precipitation. the water cycle is the repeated movement of water moving throughout earth, involving every form of water regardless of it's state.

Describe the role of photosynthesis in the carbon cycle.  If you are a regional planner trying to maximize carbon uptake by plants, how would address proposals to develop terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

in the carbon cycle, photosynthesis moves carbon from the atmosphere (in the form of carbon dioxide. ) into the biosphere and it is stored inside of the plant. when the plant dies, the carbon will once again be released into the atmosphere by decomposers. If i were a regional planner, I would ensure that terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem development included a large amount of designated areas all over to maximize photosynthesis and subsequent carbon uptake.

What is a species?  What is a species’ ecological niche?  What are examples of generalist species and specialist species?

a species is defined as a population of organisms that interbreed and produce viable offspring. a species ecological niche is then defined as the range of conditions in which it may survive, grow, and reproduce. a generalist species is a species that is able to survive under a wide range of conditions, and is generally more resilient. for example, a coyote is a generalist because of it’s opportunistic predation— it eats a wide variety of things. a specialist has a very narrow niche with specific conditions in which it may survive grow and reproduce. an example of a specialist would be an orangutan, because it is highly specialized to eat fruit— and only occurs in a very small region on two southeast asian islands.

Choose a species and describe 1) genus and other species within the genus, 2) distribution, 3) how it interacts with other species in the community.

An American Blackbear falls under the Ursus family, which also includes brown bears and polar bears. The american blackbear is only found residing along north america, with t’he majority of its’ population being found in canada. they inhabit both coniferous and deciduous forests. blackbears are generalist omnivores, as well as oportunistic scavengers. they dispense seeds due to their affinity for fruit, scavenge remains from already-dead carcasses, and hunt their own prey.