Please enable JavaScript.

Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.

Chapter #1, Chapter 4: Dynamics of Natural Problems - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Legislative - Implements and enforces the environmental laws through agencies
      - Executive - Environmental laws are initiated, debated, and passed by legislative branch.
      - Judicial - Interprets environmental laws, resolve disputes, and determine whether government actions comply with environmental regulations
      - Policy Options: Command and Control vs Market Approach
      - Environmental Laws include Protection of Natural resources, pollution prevent/control, environmental impact assessment, compliance + enforcement.
        
        The four stages of Environmental Policy include 1. Agenda Setting 2. Policy Formulation 3. Policy Implementation 4. Policy Evaluation
        
        Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are private, non-profit organizations independent from government control and typically formed by a person or groups of people with a common interest.
  - - - Human well-being is important with no growth at all costs
      - Preserves ecosystem resources and services
      - Precautionary principle in terms of emerging technology
      - Resources (A "green" economy)
        
        Produced Capital - human made structures
        
        Natural capital - Goods and services supplied by natural ecosystems (renewable) + mineral resources (nonrenewable)
        
        Intangible Capital - Includes Human and Social capital as well as knowledge assets
- - - - Natural Phenomena -> Observation -> Questions -> Hypothesis -> Experiment
      - Either the Hypothesis will be supported or not
      - If supported: Peer review, replication, professional discussion.
      - If not: find alternative research Hypothesis
- - - - Kingdom -> Phylum -> Class -> Order -> Family -> Genus -> Species
        
        Biotic (Living) vs Abiotic (Nonliving)
        
        Each species in a biotic community is represented by a certain population
        
        Clusters of interacting ecosystems are known as landscapes. Biomes are large area of Earth's surface that shares climate and similar vegetation. This all form one huge system called the biosphere
        
        Populations live in biotic communities -> Ecosystems are interactive complex of communities + abiotic environment affecting them in a particle area -> transitional regions between the ecosystems are ecotones.
  - - - A factor that limits growth = limiting factor. Liebigs law of minimum = any one factor outside the optimal range will cause stress and limit growth, reproduction, and survival of a population
        
        Synergistic Effects: Two+ factors interacting cause much greater effect than two acting separately.
        
        Habitat - area where a species is biologically adapted to live
        
        Niche - sum of all the conditions and resources under which a species can live. (What + where is feeds, find shelter and nests, responding to abiotic factors.)
  - - - Atmosphere - thin layer of gases separating earth from outer space
        
        Organic compounds - our bodies are composed of large chemical compounds: These compounds usually contain 6 key elements: Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H), Oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S)
        
        The chemical compounds making the tissues of living organisms are referred to as organic
        
        Inorganic refers to molecules or compounds with neither carbon nor carbon-hydrogen bonds.
      - Lithosphere - earth's crust
      - Hydrosphere is water in all of its liquid + solid compartments
      - Biosphere (Living systems)
  - - - Potential Energy - Energy storage (chemical energy)
      - Calories: unit that denotes energy required to heat and raise temp of 1g of water by 1 degree Celsius
      - Laws of Thermodyanmics
        
        1, Energy is never created or destroyed but may be converted from one form to another
        
        Every energy conversion, some of the energy is converted to heat and some heat always escapes the system.
      - Kinetic energy - Energy of motion
- - - - Biotic potential - number of offspring that members of species can produce
      - Environmental Resistance: Biotic vs abiotic factors that cause mortality and limit population increase
        
        Interplay of these two drives the success of two common productive strategies
        
        R-strategist: productive strategy of species that involves producing large numbers of young (a high reproduction rate) and survival of smaller numbers over time.
        
        K -strategist: Species where there is low reproduction rate but good survival of young due to care + protection by adults. Often have populations close to carrying capacity.
- - - - Top down regulation: control of population by predation vs Bottom up regulation: control of population due to resource scarcity
        
        Critical number: minimum population for species to survive in environment
        
        Sharp decline = threatened
        
        Below critical number = endangered classification
        
        Extinction: Species no longer exists in the wild
  - - - Commensalism: one species benefits, other unaffected
      - Amensalism: one species unaffected while other is harmed
      - Neutralism: neither species are harmed or benefited
    - - Types of competition Intraspecific: competition for resources between same species vs Interspecific: competition for resources between different species