APES Unit 1: Ecosystems

The Living World - Ecosystems

Isotope

Same element, different mass

Types of macromolecules

Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids

Rule of 70

(for doubling time)

70 / (percent)=doubling time

70 / (doubling time) = percent

Commensalism

Species relationship: one benefit, other unaffected

🙂 😐

Interspecific competition

Between two members of diffERent species

Intraspecific competition

Between two members of sAme species

Resource partitioning

Avoid conflict by using same resource at different times / different ways

Ecology

Study of relationships between living organisms and their environments

Niche

How organism utilizes conditions / fits into ecosystem, each unique

Competitive exclusion principle

No two species of the same niche can exist in the same place and time: one must out compete the other.

Symbiosis

Mutualism, commensalism, parasitism

3 scientific principles of sustainability

Solar energy dependence, nutrient cycling, biodiversity

Sustainable yield

The highest rate that humans can use a renewable resource without decreasing supply.

Natural capital

Resources and natural services

Full cost pricing

Econ principle, charge more for environmentally harmful products

Win-win solutions

Policy principle

Responsibility to future generations

Ethical principle

More developed vs less developed countries

Smaller pop + use more resources vs larger pop + use less

Private land vs public land

Used for livestock/agri/mining/etc vs gov managed

Ecological footprint

Amount of land/water to sustain a population, evaluates biocapacity

Biocapacity

Ability of the environment to regenerate renewable resources

Per capita ecological footprint

Average ecological footprint per 1 person in an area

IPAT

Environmental IMPACT = POPULATION x AFFLUENCE x TECHNOLOGY

Poverty linked to environmental science

People more focused short term survival > long term environmental

^ kids for help —> ^ population

Human + manufactured capital

Labor/creation + machinery

High-throughput economy

Econ growth w ^ matter/energy input —> unsustainable, waste/pollution

Subsidies

Gov give, help jobs/econ BUT encourage bad environ impacts

Tentative science

Preliminary, not yet / in process of peer review

1st Law Thermodynamics

No energy created or destroyed

2nd Law Thermodynamics

Energy always high quality → low quality

Lots of energy lost thru processing

GPP

Gross Primary Productivity, rate of photosynthesis

NPP

Net Primary Productivity, photosynthesis - cellular resp = energy avail to herbivores

*limits # of consumers that can survive on earth

Troposphere

Inner atmosphere, contains breathing air

Stratosphere

Outer atmosphere, contains ozone

Faster carbon cycling

Carbon through biosphere / briefly in atmosphere

Slower carbon cycle

Decomposition, sediment,fossil carbon

→quick return (extract and combust)

→slow return (limestone weathering)

Front (weather)

Boundary between two different air temperatures

Warm front

Warm replace cool, warm rises → clouds, precipitation

Cold front

Cold replace warm, warm pushed up → thunder/wind, cool temps

High pressure

→ cool sinks, warmer overall, good weather w/o clouds

Low pressure

→ warm inner rises and cools, dew and clouds → stormy

Jet streams

Move air mass, powerful due to equator temperature differences

ENSO

AKA El Nino

Tornado - how does it work

Big dry cold front hits warm humid, warm rises, sucks up cool air in vert spin

Tropical cyclone - how does it work

Caused by low pressure air over a warm sea…

Low pressure air draws on high pressure, spins due to planet axis rotation, moist air rises in a vortex

• Atlantic = hurricane

• Pacific = typhoon

Why global climate differences?

Ocean currents distribute heat + precipitation

Factors influencing climate

1. cycling (convection) air movement from solar heat

2. uneven sun heating (tilted axis), insolation (solar input in area) vary w latitude

3. axis tilt → season temp change

4. axis rotation: spin faster @poles, Coriolis effect (deflected currents bc spin)

Gyres

Round ocean current patterns between continents

Milankovitch cycles

1. round earth becoming elliptical

2. axis tilt changing

3. orbit changes over time

Nekton

Swimming consumers turtles, fish, etc)

Benthos

Bottom dwelling organisms

Euphotic zone

aquatic zone where photosynthesis occurs

Bathyal zone

Middle open ocean zone w zooplankton + small fish

Lentic

Standing freshwater

Lotic

Flowing freshwater

Lake zones

Littoral

Limnetic

Profundal

Benthic

Oligotrophic

Type of lake w little nutrients

Eutrophic

Type of lake w many nutrients

Eutrophication

Humans put too many nutrients in lake