ESS Unit 1

DDT

synthetic pesticide used to control insects. DDT was used to battle malaria Its effects include thinning of eggshells, bioaccumulation in food chains, and potential harm to wildlife and humans.

ecocentrist

places nature and the environment at the center of their values and decision-making, prioritizing ecological well-being over human interests.

technocentrist

believes in the central role of technology in society, often prioritizing technological solutions over other factors. Environmental issues can be solved by development (e.g. trump)

A silent spring

Niche

how an organism makes a living

ecoystem

where plants, animals and other organisms as well as weather work together to form a bubble of life

ecology

study of organisms and their interactions

habitat

environment in which a species normally lives

species

a group of organisms that share common characteristics, that can interbreed and create fertile offspring

biotic

living factors that affect an ecosystem(plants, animals, bacteria)

abiotic

non-living factors that affect an ecosystem(weather, humidity, soil, proximity to water)

carrying capacity

the maximum population that an environment can sustainably support

population density

average amount of organisms within an area (e.g. m²)

population

a group of organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time

Realised Niche

actual conditions and resources in which a species exists due to biotic reactions

fundamental niche

full range of conditions which a sepcies could live in(basic needs)

spatial niche partitioning

differebt species occupy different spaces in a habitat

dietary niche partitioning

different species eat different things

Niche partitioning by resource height

Species occupy same habitat but have access to resources at different heights

Temporal niche partitioning

species share a habitat but feed at differebt times(times of day, seasons, environmental conditions)

Positive Feedback

a cycle that amplifies change within an environment.

Negative feedback

steady-state equilibrium. Cycle that stabilizes itself and always returns to its original state

Limiting factors

factors that slow population growth.

Biotic limiting factors

Density dependent. food, competition, parasitation

Abiotic limiting factors

Density independent. Rainfall, sunlight, temperature

Autotrophs

use energy from the sun to photosynthethise and grow

Mutualism

two species benefit from eachother

Parasitism

one benefits at the expense of the other

Predator and prey

one feeds off of the other

Pathogen

causes a disease

decomposers

break down dead organisms

detritivores

feed by consuming dead matter or faeces

system

shows inputs, outputs and stores of an ecosystem

open system

can exchange both energy and matter with its surroundings

closed system

no matter is lost, energy can be transferred

isolated system

doesn’t excange matter or energy

daisy planet

an environmental model that shows how negative feedback loops affect the temperature of earth

first law of thermodynamics

energy in an isolated system cannot be created or destroyed

second law of thermodynamics

entropy of a system is always increasing

entropy

the dispersal of energy through work: evaporation, waste, respiration

resillience

the ability of a system to return to its initial state after a disturbance

bioaccumulation

build-up of chemicals in an individual organism over time

biomagnification

build-up of pollutants over several trophic levels, the top predator consumes the highrst concentration as they have to eat several small polluted creatures

primary pollutants

are emmited directly from one source

secondary polllutants

form in the atmospherethrough cheical reactions