Unit 1 Compilation

TABLE OF CONTENT

Understand Our Environment

Scientific Methods

Critical Thinking

Stages Of Environmentalism

Elements, Atoms, and Molecules

Energy

Feeding Status

Element Cycles

Biodiversity

Biomes

Endangered Species

Evolution

Living Requirements

Species Population

Communities

The Changes of a Community

Unit 1 Compilation

(review of chapters one, two, five, and three)

Understand Our Environment

It is essential that we understand our environment so that we can identify and solve problem that affect our lives. In our environment we face many challenges like population growth, climate change, hunger, clean water, and many more problems. Being educated in environmental science helps us to form solutions such as medical developments, renewable energy, conservation and more. Education is key in making the world a better place.

You can see how a better understanding of our environment can improve life by looking at the case study of the reefs in Apo Island. The people of the island were fishing the reefs and depleting their food source. Through scientific methods they were able to observe and fix the problem by developing a sanctuary for the fish.

Living Corral Reef
Reference Link

Dead Corral Reef
Reference Link

Scientific methods

We can better understand our environment by using scientific methods. In science you have important procedures to follow that insures the results are unbiased and can be reproduced in repeating studies. The standard steps of science are: observe, testable hypothesis, explanation, test hypothesis, gather data, and interpret. There are also different ways to study or conduct an experiment such as: natural experiment, manipulative experiment, controlled study, blind study, and double-blind study.

Being able to think critically helps you learn environmental science and analyze information. Identify and evaluate, acknowledge and clarify uncertainties, distinguish between fact and values, recognize and assess assumptions, examine your source, recognize and understand.

Stages Of Environmentalism

US Ranger
Reference Link

We can look back in history and find many people that have dedicated their lives to making the world a better place for the future. We see four stages of environmentalism. The first stage is the development of resource conservation. The second stage added onto this by not only conserving resource but also aesthetic conservation. The best example of this is Yosemite national forest. 

Problems with extensive pollution brought about stage three, the movement to lower rising pollution in our environment.  With the fourth stage of environmentalism we see that in order to have a high quality environment we also need to have social progress through sustainable development.

Humans have unbalanced the ecosystem in the everglades in Florida. An ecosystem is a delicate balance or network of components. Because humans have changed the flow of water for farmlands the everglades are drying up and dieing. We can learn how to restore balance in Florida by using scientific methods. 

Elements, Atoms, and Molecules

Everything that takes up space is made out of matter. Matter never disappears it only changes from one state to another. There are 115 known elements. 96% of all living mass is made up of four main elements and they are oxygen, carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen. Each element is made up of atoms and electric charges keep atoms together. Atoms often join to form compounds and a molecule is a pair of atoms that exist as one unit. 

Energy

Sun Flare
Reference Link

Energy is essential to life. Green plants are the primary producers of energy. They get their energy from the sun through photosynthesis. As omnivores, humans get energy from eating plants and animals. Energy exists in all life and in every cell.

In every ecosystem there is a food web and every organism has a feeding status or tropic level. An ecological pyramid helps to describe the tropic levels. At the bottom of the pyramid you have plants because they are the primary producers of energy.

Feeding Status & Element Cycles

Like the food web we also have a cycle that sustains us using elements called the biogeochemical cycles. In the biogeochemical cycle is made up of the following element cycles: hydrologic cycle or water, carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, phosphorus cycle, and sulfur cycle.

Biodiversity & Biomes

When looking at biomes we find diversity in different types of terrestrial biomes that vary with latitude. Some of the different biomes are: tropical rainforests, tropical seasonal forest, tropical savannas and grasslands, deserts, temperate grasslands, temperate scrublands, temperate forest, boreal forest. All of these terrestrial biomes face dangers that may eliminate them or change their biodiversity. Over hunting and fishing, cutting down trees, introducing invasive species, pollution, over harvesting, and farming are all potential treats to the biomes.

There are many different marine environments as well. The ocean consists of different levels or zones. The deeper you go into the ocean, the zone changes and so does the plants and animals. The Benthic communities are on the bottom of the ocean floor. Tidal shores, coral reefs, mangroves, tide pools, estuaries, and salt marshes are other marine environments. The marine environments face dangers like terrestrial biomes.

Freshwater has an ecosystem and biodiversity that is being threatened. Lakes, rivers, and wetlands are being polluted, drained for farmland and real estate.

There are three kind of biodiversity: genetic diversity, species diversity, and ecological diversity. There are great benefits of having biodiversity. Even organisms that seem insignificant can play an irreplaceable role in our lives. Think about food and medicines, stability, and aesthetic value.  The major threats of biodiversity are Habitat destruction, Invasive species, Pollution, Population of humans, and Over harvesting, or HIPPO.

We can see in the case study of the wolves in Yellowstone national park that biodiversity helps keep the balance of nature. If you kill all the wolves you have an unbalanced system.

Endangered Species

Saving Habitat SAVES Species
Reference Link

Fixing the problems that we have created over hundred of years is expensive and time consuming but we must take steps in the write direction. The Endangered Species Act not only regulates and provides protection for species at risk it also protects their habitat. Working with landowners, business owners, and the government to try to but right what went wrong.

Evolution

Charles Darwin posed the theory of evolution in 1842 after a voyage he took. Even though his theory was solid in 1842 he did not publish his findings until sixteen years latter. Darwin saw evidence of the species had adapted or modified to the their environment. He called this natural selection.  

Living Requirements

All species have requirements that make an environment tolerable for a species to live and they all play a roll in a given ecological environment. Throughout time species adapt, change, or parish. Species either compete for resources or learn to coexist. Symbiosis is when two or more species live together in order to survive.

Species Population

The growth of a species population depends on many variables. The density-dependents refer to litter size and how a normal litter size of 8 can be reduce to 1 if the environment is over crowded. Some species reproduce frequently to over come high mortality, these species are called r-selected species. K-selected species reproduce slower and have a slower growth conditions near the carrying capacity of the environment.

Communities

Lion
Reference Link

A community has predators including herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores. Species develop defenses against these predators, some real and some mullerian mimicry. Communities also include non-predators like scavengers, detrivores, and decomposers. A community of diversity is more likely to survive a disturbance. The properties of a community depend on species diversity.

The Changes of a Community

There is a sequence of community stages. The climax community is a fixed, or established community where the species replace each other in predictable groups. The history of a community development starts with either primary succession or secondary succession. Primary succession is when living organisms develop where none have lived before colonizing the bare soil. These species are called pioneer species, usually moss, microbes, and/or lichens. These pioneers can handle harsh environments and when they die they leave rich organic matter for more delicate plants to grow. In a secondary succession community you find that a new community of species is developing from the biological legacy of old species after a disturbance like a fire.


Cited Works


Principles of Environmental Science by William Cunninghan and Mary Ann Cunninghan, chapters 1,2,3, and 5.


Photo one (Living Corral Reef): http://www.global-warming-awareness2007.org/Globalwarming-Coral-Reefs-Climate.html


Photo two (Dead Corral Reef): http://www.sustainablewaters.com/green-sunscreen-protect-yourself-protect-coral-reefs/


Photo three (US Ranger): http://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm

Photo four (Sun Flare): http://www.suntrek.org/magnetic-sun/solar-explosions/why-flares-happen.shtml


Photo five (Saving Habitat SAVES Species): http://www.balloon-juice.com/2008/08/12/the-endangered-endangered-species-act/


Photo six (Lion): http://www.biologyreference.com/Ce-Co/Community.html#b