Biology- Climate Change

infrared/solar radiation

energy emitted by the sun

greenhouse gases

- allow heat to trap

- without any the earth is uninhabitable (30c)

- too much causes excessive heat to be trapped

greenhouse gases

any gas that absorbs infrared radiation and traps heat in the atmosphere

methane (CH4)

a gas emitted by cattle and landfills

carbon dioxide (CO2)

byproduct of burned fossil fuels - nitrous oxide

chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

from aerosol sprays and refrigerants

water vapor (H2O)

gas from evaporation transpiration and volcanic activity

solar radiation passes through the atmosphere

1.)

some radiation is reflected back to space

2.)

radiation is absorbed by earth and converted by heat

3.)

greenhouse gases absorb radiation and reflect it in all directions causing earth's surface to gain more heat

4.)

albedo

the amount of radiation an object reflects; albedo score is between 0-1 and reflects the percent reflection

large amounts of radiation

high albedo reflects what?

small amounts of radiation

low albedo reflects what?

snow-temperature feedback

as global temperatures rises, snow melts. white snow reflects large amounts of radiation. lack of snow leads to less reflection of radiation causing more radiation to be absorbed and temperatures to increase. "positive loop feedback"

carbon sink

an artificial or natural reservoirs that collects and carbon containing compounds; there are two primary natural of these

ocean/bodies of water

CO2 is dissolved and utilized by phytoplankton and turned into organic matter

forests

trees photosynthesize and remove CO2 from the atmosphere and store it in sugar compounds

- increase in wildfires

- global temperature increase

- ice caps melt (sea level rising)

- flooding

- people displaced from homes

- lack of fresh water availability

what are 6 global effects of climate change?

population

a group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same geographic area. to recognize a population, its geographic boundaries need to be defined

range

the geographic area in which a species can be found

density

the number of individuals per unit of area or volume

(ex: 4 beetles/m2)

distribution

how organisms are spaced out in a space

random distribution

the individuals show no regular pattern in how they are distributed, little social interaction between individuals

uniform distribution

the population shows a uniform spacing between individuals; territorial or are competing

clumped distribution

in social animals - family groups or in colonies, during swarms, or when food and shelter are patchy

growth rate

describes whether the population's size is increasing, decreasing, or remaining constant. population size is affected by move ins, birthrate, death rate, immigration, and emigration.

exponential growth

growth at a constant rate of increase per unit of time. under ideal conditions with unlimited resources, a population can grow exponentially, producing a j-shape curve

logistic growth

growth that increases at a constant amount per unit of time. occurs when a populations growth slows and then stops following a period of exponential growth

population growth stops

what happens when the birthrate and death rate equal?

carrying capacity

the maximum number of individuals of a species that a particular environment can support

limiting factors

these determine the the carrying capacity of an environment for a given species

density dependant limiting factors

affect population growth when the population density reaches a certain limit

density independent limiting factors

affect a population regardless of its density

this includes:

- floods/ droughts

- cold spells/ heat waves

- natural hazards (wildfire, earthquake, volcano, meteor impact)

symbiosis

means "living together" but when we use the word symiosis in biology, we're talking about close, long-term interaction between two different species

mutualism symbiosis

both species benefit from the interactions

commensalism symbiosis

one species enjoys a benefit and the other is not significantly affected

parasitism symbiosis

one species benefits, while the other has a negative affect