ENVS: Biodiversity and Conversation

Prof Dr. Sarala Tantirimudalige., Loyola Chicago 2023

Enviornment

all of the physical, chemical, and biological factors and processes that determine the growth and survival of an organism or a community of organism

Environmental Science

the study of the impact of humans on the environment

Ecology

the branch of ES focusing on the abundance and distribution of organisms in relation to the environment

Earth's environment has sustained living organisms for at least \______ years and sustained humans for over \_____ years

3.8 billion; 100,000

Sustainability

meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

150 years ago, Earth's resources seemed \____ and the environment was able to produce an \_____of resources

inexhaustible; abundance

Today, our demand for resources is \____ while our supply of resources is \____.

high: dwindling

We and the environment are constantly \_____.

changing

Triple Bottom Line (TBL)

an economic framework where sustainability is assessed by environmental, social, and economic outcomes (Planet, People, Profit)

In the Triple Bottom Line, "planet" is measured by:

output of pollutants, conversation of endangered species, waste production, energy use

In the Triple Bottom Line, "people" is measured by:

human health and wellbeing, equity, access to social resources, benefit to the community

In the Triple Bottom Line, "profit" is measured by:

money

Natural Systems

open systems whose elements, boundary, and relationships exist independently of human control

Nonrenewable resources \___ with use

decline

We must not ignore the \____ of change and we must not \_____ with the ecosystem's capacity to change

inevitability; interfere

Attempt to change natural processes example:

In some places, people have tried to keep shorelines the same by pouring concrete on the boundaries. This makes sheer cliffs that don't support life.

Hypothesis Testing Steps (4):

Question, Hypothesis, Predictions, Experiment

Precision

likelihood that measurements derived by sampling a subset of the population are representative of the entire population

larger samples \______ precision

increase

Bias

possibility that estimates might be skewed in a particular direction

Ecosystems include all of the \_____ and their \____ and \____ environment within a specific area

organisms; physical; chemical

Biotic

Describes living factors in the environment.

abiotic

Non-living factors in the environment

Ecosystem's boundaries are \______ clearly delineated. The boundaries are often \_____.

not; artificial

Levels of organization definition

Different biological levels of organizations at which life and its interactions with the environment can be studied

Levels of organization list

Cell, organism, population, community, ecosystem, biome, biosphere

Ecosystem Services

the resources and processes that ecosystems supply to humans

Ecosystem Services Categories (4)

Provisioning, regulating, cultural, supporting

Provisioning Ecosystem Services supply us with \____. EX:

resources; Corn fields

Regulating Ecosystem Services are the wats ecosystems \____ important conditions and processes. EX:

control; Climate, flow of water, absorption of pollutants

Supporting Ecosystem Services are the basic ecosystem processes needed to \_____ other services. EX:

maintain; Bees pollinating

Economic Valuation of Ecological Services

assessing people's willingness to pay the costs of conserving/preserving the ecosystem

Ecological valuation

value of ecosystem measured by cost of possible loss of ecosystem

Ways to measure nature wealth (2)

Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Gross National Income (GNI)

Purchasing Power Parity

A monetary measurement of development that takes into account what money buys in different countries.

Evolution

Change in a kind of organism over time; process by which modern organisms have descended from ancient organisms.

Individuals with adaptations that increase their reproductive success are said to have greater \_____.

Fitness

Individuals that are less fit leave fewer offspring, so their features become \____ from society

removed

The Galapagos island was good for Darwin to study because it was \___, rich in \____, and \____ from the mainland.

new; resources; removed

Finch Case Study Details

In the late 1970s, the Galapagos had a drought. There weren't enough seeds so many birds starved- especially the Medium Ground Finches. This was because they avoid large and tough seeds. The larger, stronger birds in the population survived. After the drought, however, the birds returned to their normal size. When smaller seeds are common, larger beaks and bodies may be disadvantageous.

Genetic variations can make individuals more or less \_____.

fit

phenotypic variation

differences in appearance or function that are passed from generation to generation

Genotype

genetic makeup of an organism

Phenotype

An organism's physical, visible traits.

Mutations

a random error in gene replication that leads to a change. Often have minimal effect on fitness.

Natural Selection Conditions (4)

variation, heritability, differences in fitness, competition within population

Types of Natural Selection

directional, stabilizing, disruptive

Directional Selection

population shifts toward having a more extreme trait

Stabilizing Selection

evolves to become more similar

Disruptive Selection

medium phenotypes are less common and extremes for both large/small survive more often

Biologists measure fitness by the \___ \___ \___ an organism can produce

number of offspring

Chace events produce genetic change in populations and enable biological \_____

evolution

Genetic Drift

change in the frequency of an inherited trait in a population, brought about by a chance event

Founder Effect

genetic change resulting from the immigration of a small subset of a population EX: founding finches in Galapagos had skewed traits

Species

A group of similar organisms that can breed and produce fertile offspring.

When there are barriers to interbreeding between separate populations, they may undergo evolutionary changes allowing them to occupy \____ ecological niches

separate

Breeding barriers may be \_____, \____, \_____, or \_____

geographic; temporal; behavioral; structural

Interbreeding

when two members of different species mate and produce offspring.

Interbreeding usually results in \_____ offspring or they're \____ adapted to their environment

sterile; poorly

Breeding Barriers: Geographical Isolation example

physically separated by Roads, islands, deforestation

Breeding Barriers: Temporal Isolation example

Green frog and wood frogs have breeding periods at different times

Breeding Barriers: Behavioral Isolation example

different mating dances

Breeding Barriers: Structural Isolation example

Different flowers attract different pollinators

In new, resource-rich environments, the growth of populations is \_______

exponential

Exponential Growth

pattern of growth in which the number of new individuals added to a population in each generation is a multiple of the number present in the previous generation

Arithmetic Growth

pattern of growth where population increases by the same amount over each time interval

Population Growth Rate

the multiple by which an exponentially growing population increases

Doubling Time

time it takes for a population to double

Growth rate is a consequence of (4)

Birth rate, death rate, immigration, emigration

Population Growth Rate Equation

(birth rate + immigration rate) - (death rate + emigration rate)

Patterns of Survivorship Type 1:

most likely to die of old age EX: Humans

Patterns of Survivorship Type 2:

Probability of dying is the same at all ages EX: Predators

Patterns of Survivorship Type 3:

probability of dying is greatest as young EX: prey

Which pattern of survivorship is most common in nature? (Type 1, 2, or 3)

Type 3

Fertility Rate

the average number of children per female

Age-Specific Fertility Rate

the rate of offspring production for females of a certain age; used to calculate how a population grows

Total Fertility Rate

The average number of children born to a female across all ages

Generation Time

the period between the birth of one generation and the birth of the next generation

Limits on Population growth (2) summary words

Carrying capacity, environmental resistance

Carrying Capacity

Largest number of individuals of a population that a environment can support

Environmental Resistance

the combination of all factors that act to limit the growth of a population EX: few resources, accumulation of toxins

Logistic Growth (S Shaped Trajectory)

Growth pattern in which a population's growth rate slows or stops after exponential growth

J shaped curve

exponential growth

As organisms REACH carrying capacity...
Competition \____, Birth rates \___, death rates \___< rate of population growth \____

increases, declines, increases, declines

when the rate of resource use \= resource supply rate....
Birth rates \______ death rates, population growth \= \_____. This IS \____

equal, zero, carrying capacity

Reasons populations decrease (5)

Resource availability, temperature, climate, toxins, disease

Population Growth Graph Stages 1-3

Exponential, Transitional, Plateau

Density Dependent Factors

degree of impact is affected by population size (EX: food availability)

Density Independent factors

degree of impact is unaffected by population size. Often abiotic. EX: Natural disasters

In organisms with extended or complex life cycles, the effects of limited resources on birth/death rates may be \_____

delayed

Populations (often in extended or complex life cycles) may grow beyond their \_____ \____.

carrying capacity.

4 Stages of Economically Developing Countries

1. Stabile with High birth and death rates
2. Reduce death
3. Reduce births
4. Renewed stability with low birth and death rates

Three Periods of Growth (human history)

Pre-agricultural, agricultural, industrial

Pre-Agricultural Period

High birth and death rates

Agricultural Period

Higher birth rates, lower death rates

Industrial Period

Lower birth rates, lower death rates

4 Stages of Change in Human Population Growth

Pretransition, Transitional, Industrial, Post-industrial

Stage 1: Pretransition

Time before economic development. High birth and death rates. Zero population growth.

Stage 2: Transitional Stage (Mortality Transition)

Improved economic conditions. Lower death rates, birth rates stay high or increase. Sustained population growth.

Stage 3: Industrial Stage (Fertility Transition)

Lower birth and death rates (due to social/cultural changes). Population growth slows.