SCI112 Quest #1

What is meant by "the environment"?

a sum of all the conditions surrounding us that influence life.

What is the difference between the terms "biotic" and "abiotic"?

Biotic: the living part of the earth

Abiotic: the nonliving part of the earth

What components make up an ecosystem?

The biotic & abiotic components

How are biological indicators used in environmental science?

Used to describe the current state of the environment.

What are the three forms of biological diversity?

Genetic diversity, species diversity, ecosystem diversity

Environmental scientists monitor natural systems for signs of _________.

Stress

What is the relationship between carbon dioxide and temperature?

Directly proportional

Another environmental indicator is ___________ depletion.

RESOURCE depletion

Sustainability

The practice of living on Earth in a way that allows humans to use resources without depriving future generations of those resources.

In order to live sustainably, environmental systems must not be damaged beyond their ability to ____________.

ability to RECOVER

What is one of the unique challenges of environmental science?

There is no "control" planet with which to compare the Earth. This means there is a lack of "baseline" data.

Ecological Footprint.

A measure of how much a person consumes, expressed in area of land.

A ________hypothesis is a statement that can be proved wrong.

NULL hypothesis

What is the first step of the scientific method?

Observations and questions

Define accuracy in measurements.

How close a measured value is to the actual or true value

Define precision in measurements.

How close the repeated measurements are to one another

What is the difference between an atom and a molecule?

An atom is the basic building block of all matter. It is the smallest particle that can contain the chemical properties of an element. = smallest part of a matter

Molecules are particles containing more than one atom.

What is the pH difference between an acid and a base?

Acid: less than 7

Base: greater than 7

What value starts the pH scale and what value ends the pH scale?

Starts at 0, ends at 14

A water molecule has the unique property of ____________ due to its __________

COHESION OF THE MOLECULES

POLARITY

What are the four unique properties of water that support life?

Surface tension

Capillary action

Boiling and Freezing

Dissolving ability

A nucleus contains...

Protons & neutrons

Energy is the ability to do _____________.

WORK

First Law of Thermodynamics.

Just as matter can neither be created nor destroyed, energy is neither created nor destroyed.

It can only be converted from one form to another

Second Law of Thermodynamics

When energy is transformed, the quantity of energy remains the same, but its ability to do work diminishes

Isotope

Atoms of the same element with different numbers of neutrons.

Why does ice float on water?

Because solid water (aka ice) is less dense than liquid water.

Greenhouse Gases

Naturally occurring atmosphere as that trap heat in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming

Global Warming

Global warming "refers to the recent and ongoing rise in global average temperatures near the Earth's surface. It is caused mostly by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere"

Climate Change

Climate change "refers to any significant change in the measures of climate lasting for an extended period of time...changes in temperature, precipitation, wind patterns" etc.

What are the Anthropogenic sources of CO2?

Coal

Oil

Natural gas

What is the evidence for climate change?

Global temperature rise

Glacial retreat and ice loss

Sea level rise

Extreme weather events

What is an ecosystem?

A particular location on Earth distinguished by its particular mix of interacting biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components.

What is the formula for photosynthesis?

Solar energy + 6H2O +6CO2 → C6H12O6 + 6 O2

Primary Producer

aka Autotrophs

Produce usable energy through photosynthesis

Why are primary producers important in ecosystems?

Primary producers store energy in forms that make it available to other organisms that eat them, and are therefore essential to the flow of energy through the biosphere.

Give an example of a primary consumer.

Rabbits, zebra

What is a secondary consumer?

aka Heterotrophs

Obtain energy by consuming other organisms

Explain the distinction between an autotroph and a heterotroph.

Autotrophs are producers who prepare their own food.

Heterotrophs are consumers who depend on other sources for their food

Why is photosynthesis such an important process for ecosystems and the entire biosphere?

It provides energy for nearly all ecosystems. By transforming light energy into chemical energy, photosynthesis provides the energy used by organisms, whether those organisms are plants, grasshoppers, wolves, or fungi.

How efficiently is energy transferred between trophic levels in an ecosystem?

Only about 10% of energy is transferred, 90% is lost between each level

What are dominant elements (including macronutrients) in life forms?

The elements N, K, Mg, Ca, and S are termed macronutrients.

What are the 4 cycles we talked about?

Hydrologic Cycle

Nitrogen Cycle

Carbon Cycle

Phosphorus Cycle

What is the difference between resistance and resilience in an ecosystem?

Resistance: A measure of how much a disturbance can affect the flows of energy and matter.

Resilience: The rate at which an ecosystem returns to its original state after a disturbance.

List the five main steps in Natural selection.

Individuals produce an excess of offspring

Not all offspring can survive

Individuals differ in their traits

Differences in traits can be passed on from parents to offspring

Differences in traits are associated with differences in the ability to survive and reproduce

List the four random processes involved in natural selection.

Mutations

Genetic drift

Bottleneck effect

Founders effect

What is a mutation? How does it affect evolution?

A random change in the genetic code

Effects evolution because they add to the genetic variation of a population

Genetic Drift

A random change in allele frequencies in a population over time, often due to chance events. This can lead to reduced genetic variation and can significantly impact the evolution of a population.

Bottleneck Effect

A sharp reduction in population size that results in a loss of genetic diversity due to environmental events or human activities.

Founders Effect

When a small group of individuals establishes a new population, there is a reduced genetic variability and potential differences in allele frequencies compared to the original population.

What factors determine the rate of evolution of a species?

The rate of environmental change

The amount of genetic variation in the species

The size of the population involved

How fast the species reproduces

Define a density dependent factor

Cause a population's growth rate to change (typically decrease) with increasing population density.

Define a density independent factor

affect growth rate independent of population density.

Ecosystem Diversity

Variety of ecosystems in a given region.

Species Diversity

The number of different species in a region or habitat

Genetic Diversity

The range of different inherited traits within a species

What is the difference between species richness and species evenness?

Species richness: The number of different species within a given area

Species evenness: Measurement of the abundance of species

What is the simplest and most common measure of biodiversity?

Simpson’s Diversity Index

What values represent low and high diversity in Simpson's diversity index?

Closer to 0 = low

Closer to 1 = high

What takes Simpson's diversity index into account?

Species richness and species evenness

Genetic drift states that a change in the genetic composition of a population over time happens as a result of __________ __________

Random mating

What factors determine the rate of evolution of a species?

Natural selection, mutation, genetic drift, gene flow

What are dominant elements (including macronutrients) in life forms?

The elements N, K, Mg, Ca, and S are termed macronutrients.

What are the 4 cycles we talked about?

Hydrologic Cycle

Nitrogen Cycle

Carbon Cycle

Phosphorus Cycle

What is the difference between resistance and resilience in an ecosystem?

Resistance: A measure of how much a disturbance can affect the flows of energy and matter.

Resilience: The rate at which an ecosystem returns to its original state after a disturbance.

Humans live in what portion of the atmosphere?

Troposphere