AP Environmental Science Unit 1

Minamata Bay, Japan

A factory alongside the bay began to pump out Mercury into the bay. The fish consumed this chemical and people who ate the fish acquired Minamata Disease. This disease caused kids to be born paralyzed or partially lose control of their limbs.

DDT

An insecticide and biomagnified that was banned in 1972. This was used by farmers to control pests and protect crops. Rachel Carson was worried about our use of DDT because she saw how bad the chemicals really were for our environment and how it even targeted non-target organisms.

Greenpeace

An organization that was created because they wanted to prevent whales from being hunted for oil and other natural resources by other countries.

Love Canal, New York

A company buried their poisonous waste underground and sold the land to the government. The government later built the city of Love Canal above the poisonous waste which later caused the poison to grow above ground. Many residents of Love Canal started to gain unusual medical conditions from the poisonous waste like seizures and epilepsy. The residents of Love Canal were later relocated.

Basel, Switzerland

A factory explosion led to chemicals escaping and polluting the Rhine river which ended up killing the fish that lived in the river.

Bhopal, India

A chemical power plant explosion killed 2,000 people due to poisonous gas.

Chernobyl, Ukraine

A nuclear power plant exploded which ended up killing people due to radiation poisoning and later on by cancer. Countries all over Europe were affected by this event.

Biomagnification

A fat soluble substance that increases through the food chain

Bioaccumulation

The amount of chemical within an organism

Bioremediation

Using a living organism to clean up a human introduced contamination

Polyculture

Multiple types of crops are farmed on one piece of land

Monoculture

One type of crop is farmed on one piece of land

Ecology

Study of how organisms interact with each other and with their non-living surroundings

Biotic

Living component

Abiotic

Non-living component

SPONCH

Most important elements that make up living organisms (Sulfur, phosphorus, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen)

Limiting Factors

Any factor whose shortage restricts species success (Biotic or Abiotic)

Range of Tolerance

Range of conditions an organism can survive in (Ex: pH and Temperature)

What type of water do bass like?

Warm water

What type of water do trout like?

Cold water

Habitat

Home of an organism

Niche

An organism’s job

Species

Category of organisms where individuals in a group can produce viable offspring

Producers

Organisms are able to use sources of energy to make complex organic molecules (sugar) from simple inorganic molecules in the environment

Equation for Photosynthesis

6CO2+6H2O→C6H12O6+6O2

Net Primary Productivity (NPP)

Total sugar left over for organisms from photosynthesis

Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)

All the sugar produced in photosynthesis

Consumers

Organisms that consume organic matter to provide themselves with energy and organic matter necessary for growth and survival

Primary Consumers

Herbivores (Plants)

Secondary Consumers

Carnivores (Meat)

Tertiary Consumers

Omnivores (Plants and Meat)

Decomposers

Organisms that digest molecules in detritus into simpler compounds and absorb nutrients (Bacteria and Fungi)

Keystone Species

Species who play a critical role in maintenance of specific ecosystems and have a significant role in determining community structure

What is important about matter?

Matter is recycable

Trophic Level

Each step in the flow of energy through an ecosystem

How much energy is lost as it moves from one trophic level to the next?

90% of energy is lost as heat

Why is 90% of energy lost from one trophic level to the next?

Cells use energy for their own metabolism so it can’t be passed on

2nd Law of Thermodynamics

As energy changes shape, it becomes more unusable

Predation

One animal kills/eats another (Predator benefits while prey hurts but adapts)

Competition

Two organisms compete to obtain the same limited resource and both are harmed to some extent

Intraspecific Competition

Members of the same species compete for resources

Interspecific Competition

Members of different species compete for resources

Principle of Competitive Exclusion

No two different species can occupy the same ecological niche in the same habitat at the same time (Less fit species evolve or die out)

Symbosis

Close, physical relationship between two different species (At least one derives benefit)

Parasitism

A parasite lives in or on another organism where it derives nourishment

Ectoparasites

Lives on host’s surface (Fleas)

Endoparasites

Lives inside host

Commensalism

One organism benefits, other is not affected (Remoras and Sharks)

Mutualism

Both species benefit which is obligatory since neither can exist without the other (Ox Peckers and Herbivores)

Why is it better to eat lower on the energy pyramid as opposed to higher?

There is more energy available per meter when you eat food lower on the energy pyramid and it takes less land.

Why can dams negatively impact the lives of trout and salmon?

It prevents them from reaching their habitat and it increases the temperature of the water.

When insects evolve to become resistant to pesticides, what future problems does this hold for us humans?

Insects can harm our crops which can cause use to create stronger pesticides meaning we may consume more chemicals.

Why are there more mice than snakes?

There is more energy per meter for mice and there needs to be more mice than snakes.

succession

series of regular predictable changes in plant structure of a community of time (organisms change their surroundings and make the environment suitable for other kinds of organisms)

what is the end product of succession?

climax community

climax community

stable, long-lasting, diverse community determined by climate

primary succession

begins with bare mineral surfaces or water and total lack of organism

secondary succession

begins with disturbance of an existing ecosystem

pioneer species

collection of organisms able to colonize bare rock (lichens, mosses, microbes)

lichens

fungi and algae or fungi and bacteria that breakdown rock and accumulate debris helping form a thin soil layer

terrestrial primary succession

lichens breakdown rock and accumulate debris which helps form a thin layer of soil, the soil layer begins to support small life form, annual plants replace lichen community, new community replaces perennial → shrubs → sun trees → shade trees → climax community

aquatic primary succession

all aquatic systems receive soil particles and organic matter from surrounding land, gradual filling of shallow bodies of water, roots and stems below water accumulate more material (wet soil established)

biome

major types of terrestrial climax communities with wide geographic distributions, usually defined by undisturbed natural plant communities

what are two main nonbiological factors for climate and biomes?

temperature and precipitation

what happens as altitude increases?

average temperature decreases

what happens as you move from sea level to mountain top?

it’s possible to experience several biomes

what type of biome is usually found from 0 to 30 degrees latitude?

tropical biome

what type of biome is usually found from 30 to 60 degrees latitude?

temperate biome

what type of biome is usually found from 60 to 90 degrees latitude?

polar biome

island biography

study of the distribution of organisms of islands

why are islands more likely to have specialist?

limited resources

where would we find the highest island biodiversity?

larger islands that are closer to the mainland

what two regions is the marine ecosystem divided into?

coastal zone and open ocean (pelagic)

coastal zone

contains 90% of marine species due to the most sunlight and nutrients from land and ocean currents

what are the layers of the open ocean (pelagic)?

euphotic, bathyal, and abyssal layer

euphotic layer

upper zone of the open ocean where photosynthesis occurs, nutrients are low, and dissolved oxygen is high

bathyal layer

dimly lit middle zone of the open ocean that doesn’t do photosynthesis, has low dissolved oxygen, and little nutrients

abyssal layer

dark lower zone of the open ocean that is very cold, has low dissolved oxygen, and has lots of nutrients

what are the four layers of freshwater lakes?

littoral, limnetic, profundal zone, and benthic

littoral layer

near the shore and deep enough for plants to grow, has high biodiversity

limnetic layer

open top portion of the lake where photosynthesis occurs

profundal zone

deep open water with no sunlight so no photosynthesis can occur

benthic layer

bottom of the lake where organisms can tolerate no oxygen, low temperatures, and lots of nutrients

how are freshwater nutrients cycled?

lakes have fall and spring turnovers where temperature differences create mixing, this brings bottom nutrients to the surface and surface dissolved oxygen to the bottom

when is water the most dense?

at 4 degrees celsius

how are ocean nutrients cycled (upwellings)?

as wind blows water away from the shore, the outgoing water is replaced by an upwelling of cold nutrient rich bottom water

el nino (southern oscillation)

name given to the pattern where the wind stops blowing and the warm water is not replaced by cold water and nutrients aren’t cycled, this movement devestates fish population (peru and sardines)

where is the el nino commonly found?

eastern tropical pacific ocean and pacific ocean

what does el nino cause?

areas of droughts (western tropical pacific ocean) and areas of heavy rainfall (eastern pacific ocean)

la nina

cooling trend that also does not cycle nutrients

how often do el nino and la nina occur?

last 4-8 years and are occurring more frequently

what is a mutually beneficial relationship that occurs in coral reefs?

coral and tiny single celled algae (zooxanthellae), algae provides the coral food and oxygen while the coral provides shelter for the algae

why are coral reefs vulnerable to damage?

they grow slowly, are disrupted easily, and thrive only in clear, warm, and fairly shallow water with constant salinity

what temperatures can coral live in?

64 to 86 degree fahrenheit

when does coral bleaching occur?

when 1 degree fahrenheit increases above the maximum

why is upwelling important?

cycles nutrients from the bottom to the top for phytoplankton

how will increased sediment runoff affect coral reefs?

blocks sunlight for photosynthesis and increases water temperature

what is the top layer of the lake that has no plants attached to the ground?

limnetic layer

which layer of open ocean has the most nutrients?

abyssal layer

name and discuss one way oceans regulate atmospheric co2 levels

oceans regulate atmospheric co2 levels by removing some co2 by photosynthesis