ENVI 101 Exam 1 Review

What is the tragedy of the commons?

the tendency of a shared, limited resource to become depleted because people act from self-interest for short-term gain

What is the formula to evaluate human impact on the environment and what does each letter stand for?

I=PxAxT

P: population size

A: affluence

T: technology development

Define sustainable development

Development of an economic system that uses natural resources in ways that do not deplete them or otherwise compromise their availability to future generations

Name some examples of sustainable development

Solar and wind power, recycling, regenerative agriculture, less consumption as a society (for example fast fashion is a huge contributor to consumption)

Define ecosystem services

Natural services provided by healthy ecosystems that support life and human economies at no cost to us

Ex: sun provides warmth, trees provide clean air

Define Science

The systematic examination of the structure and functioning of the natural world, including both its physical and biological attributes

What are the steps of the scientific method?

Observation

Question

Hypothesis or Prediction

Experiment or Observation

Conclusion

Report Findings

Define hypothesis

A testable explanation for an observation

Define data

Information/measurements collected

Define sample size

Number of observations

Define sum

Total of your measurements

Define mean

Average

Define standard deviation

How much the actual measurements deviate from the average

Define scientific theory

Well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations and hypotheses, and enables scientists to make accurate predictions about new situations

What is the peer review process?

1. author submits

2. assessed by editor (reject)

3. sent to reviewers

4. reviews assessed by editor (reject and revisions required)

5. accepted

6. production

7. publication

Define matter

Anything that has mass and takes up space (solid, liquid, gas)

Define element

Substance that cannot be broken down into other substances by chemical reactions (Helium, hydrogen, etc)

Define compound

Substances that contain two or more elements (Table Salt NaCl)

What is a proton?

Positively charged particle found in the nucleus

What is a neutron?

A particle that has no charge and that is inside the nucleus

What is an electron?

A negatively charged subatomic particle outside the nucleus

Define atomic number

The total number of protons

Define mass number

The total number of protons and neutrons in a nucleus

Define isotype

Elements that exist in different forms that have the same #of protons but different mass # due to a difference in electrons

Define ion

Atoms or molecules that are electrically charged as a result of gaining or losing an electron

Define molecule

Two or more atoms of the same or different elements joined by chemical bonds

Define organic molecule

Carbon-based molecules- 2 or more carbons

What is a carbohydrate?

Organic compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in a ration of 1:2:1 respectively

What is a lipid?

Fats and oils that store a large amount of energy and are hydrophobic

What is a protein?

A chain of amino acids

What is a nucleic acid?

Store information and provide instructions to build the protein

Define energy

Energy is defined as the ability to do work

What is kinetic energy?

Energy of motion (ex: flowing water, electricity)

What is potential energy?

Stored energy (ex: molecules in food, water behind a dam)

What is the first law of thermodynamics/law of conservation of energy?

Energy can be transferred and transformed, but it cannot be created or destroyed.

What is energy efficiency?

Measure of how much work results from each unit of energy put into a system

Define trophic level

Feeding level based on source of nutrients

What are the trophic levels?

Producer, (plants) primary consumer (herbivores), secondary consumer (carnivores and omnivores), tertiary consumer (carnivores)

Describe the process of photosynthesis

6CO2 + 6H2O------> photosynthesis ----> C6H12O6 + 6O2

What is cellular respiration?

Turns stored chemical energy from food into energy to perform life processes

How does energy travel through the trophic levels?

Plants take in solar energy through photosynthesis, consumers eat the plants, other consumers eat those consumers, decomposers break down the leftovers, which releases chemical nutrients, which turn into heat

natural selection

process where individuals with certain genetic traits are more likely to survive and reproduce under a specific set of environmental conditions

population

group of individuals if same species in a specific time and place

gene pool

collection of alleles in a population at one time

allele

form of a gene

gene

segment of DNA strand

genotype

genetic code of trairs; series of nucleotides

phenotype

an organism's physical appearance, or visible traits.

Mutation

change in coded information in the DNA

Adapatation

acquisition of traits that are determined by natural selection

ecological niche

a way to group species together

two types of ecological niches

generalists and specialists

endemic species

often also referred to as specialists - can only survive in a particular area - vulnerable/prone to extinction

resource partioning

organisms with overlapping ecological niches have to share same environment and adapt to limited food sources

indicator species

species that serve as early warnings that an ecosystem is being damaged as they are senstive to environmetnal conditions and vulnerable to atmospheric pollution

species diversity

number and abundance of species in an ecosystenm

species diversity is assed by

species richness and species evenness

types of species interactions

competition, predation, mutualism, commensalism, predation, parasitsm, herbivory

keystone species

A species that influences the survival of many other species in an ecosystem

ecosystem engineers

a keystone species that creates or maintains habitat for other species

coevolution

process in which two or more species evolve in response to changes in each other and is exemplified by predator defenses

prey defenses examples

warning coloration, mimicry, cyrptic coloration, flashing coloration, chemical defenses

primary productivity

rate of biomass production through photosynthesis

high primary productivity in

swamps mashes and estuaries

low primary productivity in

deserts

Tropical rainforest

biome near the equator with warm climate wet weather and lush plant growth; high temperature and high rainfall

tropical seasonal forest

biome characterized by deciduous and evergreen trees, both dry and rainy seasons

tropical savanna and grasslands

mostly grass, warm temperature, minimal rainfall, occasional rainy seasons

desert

An extremely dry area with little water and few plants, nocturnal animals, leathery leaved plants

temperate grassland

biome characterized by deep, nutrient-rich soil that supports many grass species; midlatitude and mild

temperate shrubland

biome characterized by lots of shrubs with hot and dry summers, cooler winters with virtually all precipitation in the winter

temperate forest

biome dominated by a lot of rainfall, often found in northeast, coniferous and deciduous trees

boreal forest

biome south of the tundra with dense evergreen forests and long, cold, dry winters; dominating coniferous; northern, slow growing

arctic tundra

a biome characterized by low average temperatures, brief growing seasons, high latitude and cold temperatures, intense burst of growth in vegetation, photosynthetic 3 months out of year

alpine tundra

biome at high mountain altitudes, which has vegetation low to the ground due to severe temperatures and wind and uv radiation & short intense growing seasons - air pollution/nitrous oxide more impactful here

ecological succesion

gradual change in a species composition over time in a given area

primary succession

succession that occurs in an area in which no trace of a previous life is present

secondary succesion

succession that occurs in an area where there was previous life forms but it underwent a disturbance

genetic drift

gradual changes in gene frequencies due to random events

metapopulation

a collection of populations that have regular or occasional gene flow between geographically separate units

Gene flow

movement of alleles from one population to another; can exist due to corridors and migration routes and is cause for evolution

bottleneck effect

when a population, and its genetic diversity, are dramatically reduced by a catastrophic event

density dependent factors

depend on population size such as predation, disease, competition for food and water

density-indepedent factors

factors that dont depend on population size such as change in temperatures or habitat destruction

r strategist

produce many offspring, but provide few resources for them

k strategist

produce few offspring but invest in considerable resources for their support

type 1 survivorship curve

most die later in life

type 2 survivorship curve

all die at uniform rate

tyoe 3 survivorship curve

most die early in life or at a young age

genetic diversity

variety of genes within a population or species

environmental health

looks at external factors that cause disease including elements of the sociocultural and technical world

disease

any abnormal change in the body's condition that impairs important physical or physiological function

zoonotic diseases

disease passed form wild animals to humans such as covid, ebola, influenza

antibiotic resistance

the ability of bacteria to withstand the effects of an antibiotic due to a mutation, mutation will be a trait passed on to future generations

environmental toxicology

the study of toxic substances and their impact on living organisms as well as. how they interact and are transfomred as they move through individuals and ecosystems

two types of response to exposure

acute and chronic

acute

sudden and short term exposure, more severe, one time occurrence

chronic

gradual and long term exposure, repeated, long lasting

bioaccumulation

refers to the increased concentration of a contaminant within the tissue of a specific organism

biomagnification

refers to increased concentration of a contaminant as trophic levels increase