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Chapters 1 - 4 - Coggle Diagram
Chapters 1 - 4
Chapter 1: Introduction
Introduction: the environment is all things and factors external to organisms; environmental science is a multidisciplinary branch of science concerned with environmental issues vs. studies which has more of an emphasis on environmental issues, ethics, economics, politics, social aspects, and environmentalism
How do we know the Earth is in peril?
Population growth
ecosystem degradation
biodiversity loss
global climate change
Environmentalists: those with strong focus on the environment and environmental concerns
John Muir, Teddy Roosevelt, Muhammed Yunus, Garrett Hardin, Rachel Carson, Aldo Leopold
environmentalist's paradox: human well-being has improved in the past 40 years, BUT natural ecosystems providing goods and services have declined, 4 hypotheses (R = rejected, A = accepted)
measurement of human well-being is flawed/ declining (R)
enhanced food production outweighs ecosystem services lost (A)
technology makes us less dependent on ecosystems (A)
lag between well-being and ecosystem services lost (A)
3 THEMES
Sustainability: the practical goal toward which our interactions with the natural world should be working
Sound Science: has data and evidence to back it up, scientific method
essential transitions:
population: continually increasing human population to one that is stable/ declining
resource: transition to an economy that is not dedicated to growth and consumption, but instead protects the ecosystem capital from depletion
technology: transition from pollution intensive economic production to environmentally friendly processes
political/ sociological: transition to public policies that embrace a careful and just approach to people's needs and that eliminate large scale poverty
community: transition from car dominated urban sprawl to the "smart growth" concepts of smaller functional settlements and more livable cities
Stewardship: managing natural resources through actions and programs and human well-being for the greater good of society
Chapter 3: Basic Needs of Living Things
ecology: study of distribution and abundance of organisms and processes that influence their interactions and environments
linnaen taxonomy: classifies organisms, helps distinguish between closely related species
domain (prokarya, eukarya), kingdom (plantae, animalia, fungi, protista, archaea), phylum, class, order, family, genus, species (species can't interbreed)
species
population (make up a reproducing group)
community
ecosystem
ecotone
landscape
biome
biosphere
Factors that affect an organism's ability to survive
conditions: variable but not used up (i.e. temp., light, salinity)
resource: consumable (i.e. water, oxygen, nutrients)
what happens if these factors change
die
adapt
migrate
habitat (where species is adapted to live in) vs. niche (sum of all conditions and resources)
spheres:
lithosphere: geologic material
atmosphere: all gasses on the planet
hydrosphere: all water on the planet
all life on the planet
trophic levels
Chapter 2: Economics, Politics, & Public Policy
economics: social science involving production, distribution, and consumption of goods and with theory management of economic systems
centrally planned: rulers decide (dictatorship) vs. free market: market decides what will be exchanged (capitalist)
Types of capital: produced, natural, intangible
Gross National Product (GNP): sum of all goods and services produced by a nation over a period of time 2. Gross Domestic Product (GDP): net income from abroad (current method) 3. Genuine Product Indicator (GPI): environmental economists means of measuring economic progress
Public Policy: means for which our government maintains order to address the needs of its citizens
Action from 3 branches of government:
legislative: come up with environmental policies
executive: find money for programs
judicial: interpret the law, are we following it?
policy options:
command and control: legislators set standards and polluters are commanded to abide
market approach: user fees like paying to enter a park
policies in U.S.: federal (EPA) vs. state/ local (DEP)
Cost - Benefit Analysis:
pollution control costs add value
few job layoffs are environmentally related
environmental regulation related to job growth
healthier workers are more protective
Chapter 4: Populations and Communities
population: group of species living in an area
population dynamics: need to examine pattern of change equation and carrying capacity
analyze curve: constant, exponential, or logistic
biotic potential: number of offspring under ideal conditions
environmental resistance: biotic vs. abiotic factors cause mortality and limit population increase
reproductive strategies: R (unstable and unpredictable environments) vs. K (stable environment)