001 introduction environment & ecology. environment – the natural world that we live in and...
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001 Introduction
Environment & Ecology
Environment – the natural world that we live in and interact with.
Ecology – the study of the interaction of organisms with their environments.
The word "ecology" coined from Greek word "oikos", which means "house" or "place to live”.
It involves understanding biotic and abiotic factors influencing the distribution and abundance of living things.
Biotic factors are all the living things or their materials that directly or indirectly affect an organism in its environment.
Some Biotic Factors • Parasitism • Disease • Predation• Food availability• Habitat availability• Competitors• Symbiotic Relationships
Biotic Factors
Abiotic factors are the nonliving things in an environment.
Some Abiotic Factors • pH• Temp• Nitrates• Rainfall• Climate Conditions• Natural disasters• Salinity• O2 levels
Abiotic Factors
Fig. 52-2Organism
Population
Community
Ecosystem
Landscape
Biosphere
Studies in Environment
& Ecology
• A population is all the members of a given species in a given area.
Example - All the green turtles in Kaneohe Bay
Population
Community• Community - all the species in a given
area. Example - all the living things in Kaneohe Bay
Environment• Environment – encompasses the interaction
between the living and nonliving world in a particular geographic area.
Niche• A plant's or animal's niche is a way of life that
is unique to that species. • Niche and habitat are not the same. While
many species may share a habitat, this is not true of a niche. Each plant and animal species is a member of a community.
• The niche describes the species' role or function within this community.
• Moray eel’s habitat might include coral reefs, coral rubble, and caves, is shared with many animals .
• The niche is that of a predator.
• Only the moray occupies this niche in the coral reef community. However, a different species of animal may occupy a similar niche to that of the moray.
Niche
What niche does the Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse fill?
Niche
What niche does the Ewa blenny fill?
Niche
Niche
No two animals can occupy the same niche at the same time.
Result = competition
Environmental Science
EnvironmentalismA social movement dedicated to protecting the natural world from undesirable changes brought about by human actions.
An interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and biological sciences, (including physics, chemistry, biology, soil science, geology, and geography) to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems.
Environmental EthicsA process of applying a set of ethical standards to the relationships between human and nonhuman entities.
Sustainable Ethics
• The earth has a limited supply of resources.
• Humans must conserve resources. • Humans share the earth's resources with
other living things. • Growth is not sustainable. • Humans are a part of nature. • Humans are affected by natural laws. • Humans succeed best when they
maintain the integrity of natural processes sand cooperate with nature.
Environmental Ethics
• Loggers • Nuclear Power • Oil Companies• Hydroelectric plants
AnthropocentrismCost-benefit analysis
Environmental Ethics
Biocentrism
Environmental Ethics
Ecocentrism
Nature has moral considerationbecause it has intrinsic value, value aside from its usefulness to humans.
http://www.malamahawaii.org/
Environmental EthicsEcocentrism10
Voluntary Human Extinction Movementhttp://www.vhemt.org/
Environmentalists
John Muir
Alfred Leopold- wildlife ecology
Rachel Carson
Wangari Maathai- green belt S. Africa
Chico Mendes- Brazil
Environmental Justice
Fair and equitable treatment of all people with respect to environmental policy and practice, regardless of their income, race or ethnicity.
Ecological Footprint
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html
Sustainable Solutions
How would you address the following concerns?
• Energy demands
• Water use
• Population
• Land management
• Waste management
Mass Extinction Events
Recent Extinctions
Recent Extinctions
Yangtze river dolphin2007
Tasmanian Tiger 1936
Who’s next?
West African Black Rhino2006
Golden toad 2007
Steller’s sea cow~1770
Pre-European contact
Amazon Rainforest
Deforestation
Indigenous cultures
Dustbowl
Potato Famine
BP Deepwater Horizon 2010
Fukushima Power Plant 2011
Hurricane Katrina (2005)
Natural Disasters
Earthquakes/Tsunami
Natural Disasters
Haiti 2010
Chile 2010
Indonesia2005
Japan 2011
Polynesian Migration
Rapa Nui
• Polynesians arrived 700 AD, sailing from the west.
• They lived an isolated existence for the next thousand years
Ecological Disaster• Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
– Isolated Pacific island with poor soil and little water– Originally covered by Chilean Wine Palms– No native edible plants– Rich in seafood and nesting animals
Ecological Disaster• Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
– Settled by 25-50 Polynesians in 5th century
• Survived easily on seafood, chickens, bananas, taro and yams, plenty of free time
• Developed elaborate competition between clans with moai (statues)
– Civilization peaked at 1550, with population of ~12000
• Rapa Nui (Easter Island)– Reached by a Dutch ship in 1722
• Found about 2,000 people living in caves• Primitive society, constant warfare
– Rapa Nui’s carrying capacity had been drastically lowered by society’s actions:
• Transportation of moai had required cutting down trees
• Erosion of soil made yams scarce• Lack of canoes made fishing difficult and escape
impossible
Carrying Capacity
Moai• Ancestor worship• With their backs to the
sea they could inspire and protect the Islanders.
• Moai carving and transport were in full swing from 1400 to 1600, just 122 years before first contact with European visitors to the island.
The Cost of the Moai• The Moai took a tremendous
amount of natural resources and human energy
• Movement required human energy, ropes, wooden sledges, lifting logs and/or rollers.
• There are nearly 900 moai in various stages of completion, some stones weighed 80t, and were transported 16km from the quarry.
Archaeological evidence includes:
• disappearance of trees
• disappearance the island's bird life
• disappearance of evidence of people eating porpoise and tuna.
• wooden carvings of emaciated people
• the appearance of a new implement - spear tips.
Catastrophe
Stone Tools
chiselsFish hooks
knives
Civil Warfare
Rapa Nui’s Lesson
The islanders carried out for us the experiment of permitting unrestricted population growth, profligate use of resources, destruction of the environment and boundless confidence in their religion to take care of
the future. The result was an ecological disaster leading to a population crash … Do we have to repeat
the experiment on a grand scale? … Is the human personality always the same as that of the person who
felled the last tree?
Paul Bahn and John Flenley,Easter Island, Easter Island 1992
http://sendables.jibjab.com/originals/big_box_mart
QUESTION: ReviewThe term “environment” includes:
a) Living things, such as animals and plantsb) Non-living things, such as rivers and soilc) Buildings and citiesd) All of the above are included in this term
QUESTION: Review
A Neo-Malthusian would say that predicted massive human starvation has not yet occurred because:
a) Diseases have been eradicatedb) Enough people are dying from war and conflictc) Agriculture has postponed massive starvationd) People are too dumb to limit their population
growth
QUESTION: ReviewWhich of the following is correct about the term “environmentalism”?
a) It involves pursuing knowledge to understand the natural world.
b) It is a social movement to protect the environment.c) It usually does not include advocacy for the
environment.d) It requires trying to remain objective.
QUESTION: Review
An anthropocentric worldview would consider the impact of an action on:
a) Plants only
b) Animals only
c) Humans only
d) All living things
e) All non-living things
QUESTION: Review
Which ethic holds that resources should be wisely used?
a) Preservation ethic
b) Land ethic
c) Conservation ethic
d) Deep ecology
e) Biocentrism
QUESTION: ReviewWhat is the definition of “sustainable development”?
a) Using resources to benefit future generations, even if it means lower availability now
b) Letting future generations figure out their own problems
c) Letting each country decide what is its best interestd) Using resources to satisfy current needs without
compromising future availability
QUESTION: Weighing the Issues
Which do you think is the best way to protect commonly owned resources (i.e., air, water, fisheries)?
a) Sell the resource to a private entityb) Let organizations themselves decide if they want to
participate in protecting the resourcec) Enact governmental regulationsd) Do nothing and see what happens
QUESTION: Weighing the Issues
Do you think the rest of the world can have an ecological footprint as large as the footprint of the United States?
a) Yes, because we will find new technologies and resources to overcome environmental problems.
b) Yes, because the footprint of the United States is not really that large compared to other countries.
c) Definitely not. The world does not have that many resources.
d) It does not matter. It’s not that important.
QUESTION: Interpreting Graphs and Data
According to this graph, what has happened to the population over the last 500 years?
a) It has grown enormously.
b) It has grown slower than food production.
c) It has decreased.
d) It has slowed down recently.
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