AP environmenal final

The environment

consists of biotic factors (living things), and abiotic factors (non-living things)

Humans and the environment

- humans exist within the environment and are a part of the natural world
- humans depend on a properly functioning planet for survival
- human interactions with the environment matter

Environmental science

the study of how the natural world works, how our environment affects us, and how we affect our environment

Renewable resources

a resource that can be replaced by a healthy ecosystem/cannot be depleted
ex: sunlight

Nonrenewable resources

a resource that cannot be replaced/can be depleted
ex: oil

Ecological footprint

the area of land and water required to produce the resources a person/population uses, plus the amount needed to dispose of their waste

Environmental problem

Any undesirable change in the environment

Applications of science

- policy decisions
- management practices
- technology

The nature of science

- a systematic process for learning about the world and testing our understanding of it
- the accumulated body of knowledge that results from this process

Scientific method

A logical method for testing ideas with observations

Manipulative experiments

controlled experiments where results are strongest

Natural/Correlational experiments

Occur naturally, results are not as strong but are often neccessary to prove something

Hypothesis

An educated guess, to be tested

Theory

a well tested and widely accepted explanation, validated by much previous research

Paradigm

a dominant view, may shift if new results show old results or assumptions to be wrong

Tragedy of the commons

a situation in which people acting individually and in their own interest use up commonly available but limited resources, causing the resource to become depleted
ex: overfishing in the worlds oceans

Systematic process

information is gathered, analyzed and knowledge is generated, adds to existing knowledge in some way

Systematic process order

specification, representation, assessment, analysis, application

Body of knowledge

the collection of concepts, skills, terms, activities, and teachings required to pursue a certain field or career

Environmental problem

an issue that affects nature or the world around us in a negative way

Environmentalism

a social movement dedicated to protecting the natural world

Ecological footprint

a measure of how much an individual consumes, expressed in area of land

Science process skills

observation, classification, measurement, communication, inference, prediction

Scientific method steps

question, research, hypothesis, experiment, analyze the data, conclusion

Ethics

the branch of philosophy that involves the study of good and bad, and right and wrong

Worldview

a person or groups beliefs about the meaning, purpose, operation, and essence of the world

Economics

the study of how people decide to use scarce resources to provide goods and services
- ethical and economic decisions are influenced by a set of factors

Culture

knowledge, beliefs, values, and learned ways of life shared by a group of people

Ethical standards

criteria that helps differentiate right from wrong

Environmental ethics

the study of ethical questions regarding human interactions with the environment

Anthropocentric worldview

A worldview that focuses on human welfare and well-being.

Biocentric worldview

a worldview that holds that humans are just one of many species on Earth, all of which have equal equal value.

Ecocentric worldview

a system-centered view that values ecosystems, not just the individual parts

Ralph Waldo Emerson

american transcendentalist who was against slavery and stressed self-reliance, optimism, self-improvement, self-confidence, and freedom. Opposed materialism

Henry David Thoreau

american transcendentalist who started the movement of civil disobedience when he refused to pay the toll tax to support the Mexican War. Opposed materialism, viewed nature as divine

John Muir

naturalist who believed the wilderness should be preserved in its natural state. He was largely responsible for the creation of Yosemite National Park in California

Gifford Pinchot

head of the U.S. Forest Service under Roosevelt, who believed that it was possible to make use of natural resources while conserving them. Name most associated with national forests

Aldo Leopold

urged people to view themselves as part of nature and to strive to maintain the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community

Environmental justice

fair treatment of all people with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
- poor people and minorities suffer more than their share of environmental problems

Environmental justice and the Navejo

Navejo miners were not warned of radiation risks nor provided protection by the industry or the US government when they worked in uranium mines

Economics

the study of how people use resources to provide goods and services in the face of variable supply and demand
- most environmental and economic problems are linked

Subsistence economy

people meet needs directly from nature and agriculture; do not buy most products

Centrally planned economy

national government decides how to allocate resources

Capitalist market economy

buyers and sellers interact to determine prices and production of goods and services

Government roles in a market economy

- eliminate unfair advantages/monopolies
- manage the commons
- mitigate pollution
- provide safety nets

Conventional view of economic activity

conventional economics focuses on interactions between households and businesses
- views the environment only as an external "factor of production"

Environment and economy are linked

- economies receive inputs from the environment that enable human society to function
- environmental and ecological economists accept that human economies depend on the environment
- ecosystem services support the life that makes economic activity possible

Environmental view of economic activity

environmental economists see the human economy as within the environment, receiving resources and services from it

Natural resources

goods we get from our environment

Ecosystem services

The process by which natural environments provide life-supporting resources
ex: soil formation, pollination, water purification, nutrient cycling, climate regulation, growing plants

Adam Smith

economist who said that competition between people free to pursue their own economic self interest will benefit society as a whole

Neoclassical economics

economic theories and approaches that studies how people make decisions to allocate resources like time, labor, and money in order to maximize their personal benefit

Cost-benefit analysis

a study that compares the costs and benefits to society of providing a public good

Precepts of neoclassical economics

-resources are infinite or substitutable
- long-term effects are discounted
-costs / benefits are internal
-growth is good
- each may contribute to environmental problems

Environmental policy

a set of plans and principles to address problems and guide decision making in specific instances

Public policy

consists of laws, regulations, orders, incentives, and practices designed to advance societal welfare

What can hinder environmental policy?

- opposition from landowners fearing loss of control over land
- opposition from businesses, developers, and industry groups fearing government regulation
- human tendency to focus on short term problems and ignore long term problems

US federal government

in the US government, power is shared among 3 branches: legislative, executive, and judicial

1st wave of environmental policy

Laws to promote land settlement and resource extraction

Land settlement

US policy encouraged settlers to move west

2nd wave of environmental policy

laws to manage our natural resources; conservation and preservation. Also addresses the impacts of the first wave, for example:
- creation of national parks
-creation of national forests
-soil conservation policy
- wilderness act- 1964

3rd wave of environmental policy

modern environmental activism and policy arose in response to pollution and other problems like pesticides, and rivers on fire

EPA

Environmental Protection Agency
- conduct and evaluate research
- monitor environmental quality
-set and enforce standards
- assist states in meeting standards
- educate the public

NEPA

National Environmental Policy Act
- created council on environmental quality
- mandated EIS for public projects
- prioritized understanding our impacts on environment
- prevented environmentally destructive development
- given citizens a say in the policy process

Command and control

- government regulation
-limits/standards were set
-penalties for violations
- statutory and case laws

Green taxes

taxes charged on environmentally harmful activities

Marketable permits

firms can buy/sell/trade permits to emit certain amounts of pollutants

Extinction

the loss of an entire species from earth

Exterpation

loss of a species from a region; local extinction

Speciation

a new species forming from an existing one

Sympatric speciation

a population splits in presence of the original species, are often reproductive timing or major genetic change

Allopatric speciation

a population evolves to be a different species after being separated from the rest of the populations

Generalist

able to use a wide variety of resources
- tend to thrive in changing habitats or across multiple habitats

Specialist

very narrow niche breath; very specific requirements
- need habitats that are stable

Population growth

birth rate - death rate

Exponential growth

growth without limits (J shaped graph); happens when there is a new environment or a new resource

Logistic growth curve

S shaped growth curve where growth is constrained by limiting factors

Survivorship curve

these show how different species have evolved to deal with the balance of reproduction, parental care, and survival

R selected species

species that reproduce early in their life span and produce large numbers of usually small and short-lived offspring in a short period.

K selected species

species that produce a few, often fairly large offspring but invest a great deal of time and energy to ensure that most of those offspring reach reproductive age.

Population density

the number of individuals per unit area

Population distribution

the spatial arrangement of organisms within a particular area

Uniform population distribution

individuals are evenly spaced; competition for space/resources

Random population distribution

no pattern in distribution; plentiful resources

Clumped population distribution

most common; habitat/resources are unevenly spaced

Density dependent limiting factors

increase as population density increases
- push exponential growth into logistic growth pattern
- typically biotic
- competition
- predation
- parasitism/disease

Density independent limiting factors

affect all densities of the population
- typically abiotic
- natural disasters
- droughts

Carrying capacity

Largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support

Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

an estimate of the average number of children that each woman in a population will bear throughout her childbearing years

Replacement fertility

the total fertility rate (TFR) that maintains a stable population size (usually 2.1)

Symbiosis

a close, long-term relationship between two organisms in an ecosystem

Mutualism

A relationship between two species in which both species benefit

Commensalism

A relationship between two organisms in which one organism benefits and the other is unaffected

Parasitism

A relationship between two organisms in which one benefits and the other is harmed

Habitat

the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.

Niche

an organism's particular role in an ecosystem, or how it makes its living.

Shannon Diversity Index

a formula for quantifying diversity that takes both species richness and species evenness into account

Competition

the struggle between organisms to survive in a habitat with limited resources

Resource partitioning

occurs when species competing for similar scarce resources evolve specialized traits that allow them to use shared resources at different times, in different ways, or in different places

Vertical zonation (lowest to highest)

desert (shrub desert), temperate grassland (prairie), temperate savanna (oak woodland), temperate deciduous forest (oak forest), boreal forest (pine, spruce, fir), taiga (spruce and fir), tundra (alpine meadow)