BIOL 3333
Environmental Biology
Lecture 1: Environmental problems, causes and sustainability
Primack (2006): Chapters 1 and 2
I.
Ecology, environmental science and environmentalism
A.
Environmental science
1.
focus, source of data, applications
2.
ecology
3.
environmentalism
B.
Levels of integration in ecology and environmental biology
1.
individual (species)
2.
population
3.
community
4.
ecosystem
5.
biosphere: collection of ecosystems that makes up the living systems on earth
C.
Ecosystem services
1.
pollination
2.
plants take up carbon dioxide and produce oxygen for a breathable atmosphere
3.
drought and flood control
4.
nutrient cycling
5.
habitat
6.
economic value
D.
Environmental capital: sum of all the resources available to life in the biosphere
II.
Human population growth
A.
Historical human population growth curve and human population growth rates
B.
Effects of humans on the world’s ecology
1.
ecological footprints
2.
comparison of ecological footprints
III.
Resources and pollution
A.
Natural resources
1.
perpetual resources
2.
renewable resources
3.
nonrenewable resources
B.
Environmental degradation
C.
Pollutants
1.
natural versus anthropogenic
2.
persistent versus nonpersistent
3.
point sources and non-point sources
B.
Three effects of pollutants
C.
Responses to pollution
1.
prevention
2.
clean-up
3.
problems with pollution clean up
VI.
Environmental problems: causes and connections
VII.
Physical components of ecosystems
A.
Atmosphere
B.
Hydrosphere
C.
Lithosphere
D.
Biosphere
VIII.
Major biological components of ecosystems
A.
Producers
1.
autotrophs: sunlight as energy source
2.
chemoautotrophs: sulfur as energy source
B.
Consumers (heterotrophs)
1
C.
D.
E.
F.
IX.
Food webs and energy flow in ecosystems
1.
food chains
2.
trophic levels
3.
food webs
Primary production
1.
photosynthetically active radiation (PAR)
2.
photosynthesis pigments
3.
chemical reactions of photosynthesis
6.
ecological efficiencies of plants
Secondary production
1.
ecological efficiencies of animals: Lindeman efficiency
1.
exploitation efficiency
2.
assimilation efficiency
3.
net production efficiency
4.
ecological or food chain efficiency
Energy flow through food chains
1.
homeotherm food chain
2.
poikolotherm food chain
Nutrient cycling in ecosystems
A.
Hydrologic cycle
B.
Carbon cycle
C.
Nitrogen cycle
1.
nitrogen fixation
2.
nitrification
3.
ammonification
2