BIO Exam 2

linear economic system

one way model

raw materials come in, humans transform them, then discard the waste

circular economic system

product is folded back into the resource stream when its disposed of

provisioning service

food production, water, wood and fiber, fuel

supporting service

nutrient cycling, soil formation, primary production, habitat provision

cultural service

spritual, aesthetic, educational, recreational

regulating service

climate regulation, flood regulation, water purificatioin

millenium ecosystem assesment

the past 50 years, humans transformed global ecosystems faster than any time in history

non market values

dont have a price

ex. use, existence, option, aesthetic, scientific, educational, cultural

EPA

environmental protection agency

regulation of pollution and clean up

benefits outweigh costs

Lee Zeldin

GPI

genuine progress indicator

starts with GDP then subtracts social and environmental costs and adds non market benefits

greenhouse effect

heat trapping gasses trap heat from the sun to sustain life

carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, nitrous oxide

make up 0.1% of atmosphere; -17C without greenhouse gases

global changes

CO2 has been way higher in the past compared to now

continents covered by water when CO2 was high

CO2 now = 426 ppm

feedback loop

2 factors are related

negative + positive

positive feedback

amplifies effect by enhancing B

ex. labor

negative feedback

stabilizing relationship effect maintaining homeostasis

solar radiation

influences precipitation, temperature, and air currents

abiotic factors

nonliving

climate, sunlight, water

trophic levels

feeding levels in a food chain

most energy is lost as heat and only small percentages are passed to the next lebel

detrivores

consumers that eat dead organic material

decomposers

break organic matter down so plants can use the nutrients

carrying capacity

max population size of a species that an environment can sustain

(human carrying capacity will decrease with an increase in meat consumption)

energy flows

energy comes in one-way and is lost

nutrients cycle

nutrients are recycled and reused

10% rule

only about 10% of energy moves up to the next trophic level

biogeochemical cycling

how elements move between living and nonliving across the Earth

community ecology

study of all the populations living and interacting in an area

predation

one feeds on another ( + / - )

ex. wolves and deer

competition

vying for limited resources ( - / - )

mutualism

both parties benefit ( + / + )

ex. bees and plants

parastitism

one benefits and other is negavitively affected ( + / - )

ex. ticks/fleas

commensalism

( + / 0 )

ex. crabs and shells

herbivory

( + / - )

ex. animals grazing

trophic cascade

adding/removing top predators triggers changes in lower food chain levels

can remove natural processes and cause too much or too little to happen to an ecosystem

anthropocene

time period where human acitivity was a driver for change on Earth

Industrial Revolution - 1750 increase in CO2

Agricultural Development - 12000 - holocene

Atomic Age - 1940s/1950s

double population rate

(100 x ln(2)) / (annual growth rate)

population reaches 1 billion in 1804

antibiotics are a likely factor behind populaiton increase

exponential growth

unlimited resources

logistic growth

limited resources (carrying capacity)

r

intrinsic rate of increase

= birth rate - death rate

r < 0 decreasing pop

r > 0 increasing pop

factors influencing TFR

health, education, economic conditions, culture, religion

IPAT

impacts = population x affluence(consumption) x technology

high population sizes have high total impacts

TFR

total fertility rate

number of children average woman has in her lifetime

= 2.5

global replacement fertility

TFR needed for a generation to replace itself

demographic transition

model that describes expected drop in once high population growth rates as economic conditions improve the quality of life in a population

preindustrial (DT)

birth and death rates are high but similar

industrializing (DT)

better conditions lead to lower death rates, but birth rates remain high

mature industrial (DT)

birth rates begin to fall, but outnumber death rates

post industrial (DT)

birth rates are like death rates

internal costs

cost for raw materials, manufacturing costs, labor, taxes, utilities, insurance or rent

external costs

something that is not considered for a good or service

true cost

= internal cost + external cost

discounting

giving weight to more short term benefits and costs than to long term ones

tragedy of the commons

individuals act in short-term self interest, depleting the environment of its resources