Nitrogen
Oxygen
• Air contains 78% __________, 20% ________, and less
than 1% ______________
Carbon Dioxide (and very small amounts of
various other elements). These gases are essential to life
on earth.
directly from the air, but NOT
• We can breath oxygen _________
nitrogen Bacteria convert nitrogen into the soil so
___________.
use
eat
plants can __________
it. We ______
the plants and get
abiotic
the nitrogen. What would happen if there were no
bacteria??? No
_______________________________
nitrogen cycling through the food chain!!
3% of all water on earth if freshwater (97% saltwater)
Only _______
– and of that freshwater, 68% is trapped in glaciers!!!!
Are we running out of freshwater????
No. Water cycles through the ecosystem. Plants and
abiotic
animals “breath” water into the air where it cools and forms
clouds – then returned via rain.
protect the soil from _________.
erosion
Roots of plants and grass ________
wind ______,
rain
Unprotected topsoil can by worn away by ______,
and ____________.
water
This loose topsoil contains ______
oxygen and
nutrients for plant growth. Without it, the land
essential __________
barren
can become ______________.
abiotic
Oil
coal and ____________.
Natural gas
_______,
________,
We use
these for industrial purposes, such as running our
cars
homes
________
and heating our __________.
abiotic
wells
Fossil fuels are found in huge underground _______,
NOT replaceable!! What are we going to
and are _______
do when all these wells dry up???
all food chains. Plants also make
• Using the sun’s energy, plants begin ______
oxygen which all animals need.
_________
medicine used by humans.
• Primary source of ______________
habitats for most life on earth.
• Plants make up forests – which are ___________
• Plants reproduce, and therefore are a _____________________.
Renewable resource A field
can re-grow in a few years…a forest may take_____________
years.
25-100
biotic
• Unfortunately, plants can’s “migrate”, so when the land is developed by
Can become extinct
humans for home-building, those plants die and _____________________.
renewable resource. However, if they die
• Animals reproduce, and are a ____________
quicker than they can reproduce, animal species may become endangered and
possibly _______________.
extinct
• “Endangered” animals are close to becoming extinct…tiger, panda, blue whale,
albatross, orangutan are endangered.
Extinct in the wild
• South China Tiger is “___________________”.
Survive now only in captivity.
almost __ endangered.
• “Threatened” animals are _________
endangerment
biotic
• Illegal hunting and deforestation are huge causes of animal ______________.
Resources that can be __________
recycled or re-used.
sunlight
wind
Examples are ________,
and ______________.
Water, plants, and animals are considered renewable if they are
replaced
used up
___________
quicker than they’re __________.
Could water, plants, and animals be considered NON-renewable?
______
coal and ______
oil take millions of
years to form. They are being used
quicker
much ____________
than they are
being replaced.
It is estimated that the earth will
exhaust these resources in a few
decades
_____________!!!
77 million barrels of oil per DAY!!!
Section Review
1. Give three examples of how technology has influenced human population growth.
Advances in medicine: reduce infant mortality, increase life spans
Advances in industrial technologies: transportation and agriculture have
increase food production and distribution
Plumbing and seqage treatment: improved sanitation, reducing waterborne disease and illness.
2. What is the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources?
Renewable: can be replenished by Earth’s natural processes
Nonrenewable: difficult to replenish in a time span meaningful to humans
3. Describe how a population can use resources in a sustainable way.
Use recyclable goods
Use renewable energy sources: wind and solar power
Support ONLY sustainable fisheries and agriculture: minimize their use
of products that contain toxins
4. What factors can limit the growth of the human population?
DISEASE
CROP PESTS
DROUGHT
WAR
OVEREXPLOITATION OF LIMITED RESOURCES
5. Read pages 486-487 in the text, how could the Easter Islanders have prevented
their population crash?
They could have limited their use of the island’s forests.
EARTH’S ATOMOSPHERE
I. A dynamic mixture of __________that
GASES
envelop the Earth.
II. It is important for MAINTAINING
__________and
driving a number of
LIFE
______________near the surface of
PROCESSES
the Earth.
III. The gases of the atmosphere have a
significant impact on the
_______________budget
and the
HEAT
availability of ______________across
MOISTURE
the Earth.
The atmosphere is made up of several
gases:
I. Constant Gases
78%
I. Nitrogen, (N2) __________
21%
II. Oxygen, (O2) __________
.93%
III. Argon (Ar)
__________
II. Variable Gases
3.6%
I. Carbon Dioxide _________
II. Other particles of Neon,
Helium, Methane, Krypton,
Hydrogen
HOW DOES THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT WORK?
1.
Radiation either enters
the Earth’s atmosphere
or is reflected back to
space
2.
Some of the radiation
will warm the Earth
3. Some of the radiation
will escape the
atmosphere
Some of the radiation
4. will be trapped by the
atmosphere and
continue to warm the
Earth
HOW THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT WORKS.
1. Visible light from the Sun arrives at the top of Earth's atmosphere.
2. As the light enters the atmosphere, some of it is
a. Scattered by air molecules
b. Reflected from white clouds back into space.
3. Since air is mostly transparent to visible light, much of the light that isn't
reflected back into space goes through the atmosphere to Earth's surface.
4. Some of the light that makes it to the surface is also reflected back into space
(especially if the surface is bright, as is the case when snow or ice covers the
ground).
5. However, since the average albedo of Earth's surface is around 15%, most of
the light that makes it to the surfaces is absorbed, warming our planet
6. Overall, slightly less than half of the the sunlight at the top of our atmosphere
is absorbed by Earth's surface.
IN A NUT SHELL:
SCATTERED
SOME IS _______________
SOME IS _______________
REFLECTED
HALF IS ________________
ABSORBED
The BUILDUP of Greenhouse Gases
Greenhouse gases are emitted in a variety of ways including:
DEFORESTATION
1. ___________________________-This
is the disappearance of trees,
which allows more greenhouse gases to become trapped within the
environment.
2. _________________-When
trash, brush, wood, and fossil fuels are
BURNING
burned, carbon dioxide is also released into the atmosphere.
APPLICANCES
3. ELECTRICAL
__________________________-Many
electrical appliances in your
home emit gases referred to as Chloroflourocarbons or CFCs. These
gases are found in refrigerators, some cleaners, and aerosol cans.
4. _________________________________Simply
the increase in the
HUMAN POPULATION
population of the world can cause the greenhouse effect. Industries and
manmade machines contribute to the greenhouse theory.
THE BIG PICTURE
Humans contribute to
greenhouse gases which
leads to
HIGHER TEMPERATURES
_______________________
BOTTOM LINE
CARBON DIOXIDE
The more ____________________
released in the atmosphere,
The greater the
TEMPERATURE
_______________________,
HEAT
The less ____________out
of
atmosphere, which means
THE __________________THE
GREATER
______________________.
TEMPERATURE
Section Review
6. Name and describe two ways in which pollution affects ecosystems.
Results in smog and acid rain:
Smog is caused by the interaction of sunlight with pollutants produced by
fossil fuel emissions.
Acid rain results from the mixture of these emissions with water vapor.
7. How does the greenhouse effect keep Earth warm?
Infrared energy radiating from Earth’s surface is absorbed by
greenhouse molecules such as water, carbon dioxide, and methane.
This energy, (heat), is released and absorbed by other molecules of the
Earth’s surface or the atmosphere.
8. Explain how a build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could increase Earth’s
global temperature.
MORE GREENHOUSE MOLECULES = less heat escapes = HIGHER TEMPERATURES
9. Describe how acid rain falling in a forest could disrupt the trophic structure of the
ecosystem.
Destruction of leaves in general– less food altogether??
With the destruction of ‘canopy’ leaves, more sunlight hits forest floor,
plants that aren’t adapted to high light, may be overtaken. Herbivores
that feed off of low light plants, and the second consumers may starve.
10. Name two important functions of greenhouse gases at the Earth’s surface.
Water vapor condenses to form precipitation that is part of hydrologic cycle
Carbon dioxide is essential for photosynthesis.
chemicals are
• The burning of _____________
Fossil fuels adds harmful gases into the air. These _________
given off in toxic amounts!
smoke and _________.
fog
• Smog is a combination of _______
It creates a blanket over our cities
and _________
harmful chemicals.
traps
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is given off when fossil fuels are burned. This excess CO2
• _______________
does not allow heat to _____________
and causes “______________________”
(what is it
escape
Greenhouse effect
like in a greenhouse??)…can you imagine earth as a greenhouse?
• The _____________
Ozone layer layer protects the sun’s harmful radiation from reaching earth. As it
radiation
is broken down by pollutants, this _______________
gets through.
rivers
streams and huge
Most of the earth’s drinking water comes from _________,
_________,
underground ___________.
are chemicals used to control
reservoirs __________________
Pesticides
poisonous
insects- but they drain into our drinking water and are ____________.
Most pesticides,
such as DDT are illegal in the USA (but still used in some other countries)
biodegradable
Many insect-killing chemicals are not _________________
– they can not be recycled or
broken down into a usable form.
water
PCB’s are toxins found in __________
and (like DDT) is illegal to produce and dump in
1973
the USA since _______.
But because it is not biodegradable, it still remains in our
__________________________!
ecosystems
acidic
basic something is. The scale ranges
• pH is a measurement of how _________
or _______
from _________.
7 is considered _________.
Anything below 7 is acidic and anything
0-14
neutral
above 7 is basic.
• __________
vinegar and lemon juice have pH’s lower than 7, and are considered acidic.
bleach have pH’s above 7 and are considered basic.
• Baking powder and __________
water
• __________
is neutral, and has a ph of 7. It is neither acidic or basic.
burned
• Sulfur dioxide is given off when fossil fuels are __________.
This gas reacts with water
in the atmosphere and consequently creates “___________”.
When this rain falls, its
Acid rain
high acidity damages _______________
_____________
____________
___________.
forests
crops
soil
buildings
Section Review
11. What does an indicator species tell us about the health of an ecosystem?
Types of pollutants in the ecosystem.
A decrease in an indicator species population is probably the result of high
levels of pollutants into the environment.
12. How do PCB’s affect bird populations through bio magnification?
PCB’s travel up through the trophic structure of an ecosystem and
accumulate in large amounts in the eggs of large birds.
PCBs can negatively impact growth and development within the egg,
causing genetic mutations, deformities, and death.
The population of birds may crash as a result..
13. How are the concepts of carry capacity and indicator species related?
If the population of an indicator species is far below an ecosystem’s carrying capacity
for that species, it may indicate the presence of toxins or another pollutant that is
causing a decline in the species population.
14. Would a buffalo or a mountain lion be more affected by biomagnification? Why?
A mountain lion would be more affected because it is higher on the
food chain and would ingest more contaminants from its food supply.
15. How does the biomagnification pyramid compare to with the energy pyramid?
The are opposite
Energy decreases as you move up the food chain, but pollutants increase.
biodegradable
Plastic is not __________________.
Consequently, it is not broken down.
dumped
When we plastic in our trash, it must be ______________.
We are running
landfill
out of places to dump these items (_______________).
Each person in
America produces about _____________
of trash per year!!!
ONE TON
How can we address this issue??
Recycling!!
energy
A species that can _________
disrupt
the natural flow of ______
and the overall ___________
of an ecosystem.
stability
INVASIVE
These are considered _____________
SPECIES.
Burmese python was
introduced to the US as a
pet. Irresponsible owners
released them into the wild.
In the Florida Everglades,
they have disrupted
populations of rats, birds,
racoons, and compromised
the overall stability of that
ecosystem.
Kudzu plants were
introduced to the US from
Japan as an ornamental
flowering plant. It grows up
to 2 inches per DAY and
has blanketed trees and
shrubs, and depriving them
of necessary sunlight.
Bamboo is also a fast
growing invasive species of
plant.
Imported Red Fire Ant were
accidentally introduced from
Brazil on a cargo ship to
Alabama. This stinging ant
is now found in most
southern states and are
highly aggressive and
dangerous to small animals.
Efforts are currently
underway to eliminate this
species.
DEAD THINGS
“The organic remains of ________________”.
carbon
After you are dead, the ___________
that makes up all organic matter
ecosystem
will recycle through the ___________________
for future generations to
deal with
_________________.
What kind of “footprint” do you want to leave
behind?
Nuclear energy
_______________
is clean and
efficient. It does
not involve burning
of
Fossil fuels
_______________
.
Support
_________________
of
conservation
wildlife. It protects and
shelters animals in the
wild.
Conserve water, recycle, and
don’t unnecessarily waste
power which burns fossil fuels.
Gov’t initiatives:
• Clean Air Act
• Clean Water Act
• Endangered Species Act
1. What’s the difference between extinct, endangered, and threatened?
2. Why must new sources of energy be found?
3. It is estimated that 100 species of plants become extinct per DAY!! How many
species of plants become extinct per year? _____
4. What is the major sources of air pollution?
5. What is acid rain? Why does it exist?
6. Bald eagles almost became extinct because of the chemical DDT. The eagles got
the DDT from the fish they ate. Where did the fish get it?
7. What problem arises from the use of plastics?
8. What is a carbon footprint?
9. Sulfur dioxide is an air pollutant. Where does this chemical come from?
10. What is the difference between a renewable and nonrenewable resource?
11. Look up an invasive species NOT mentioned in your notes. Describe the impact it
has made in its ecosystem.
12. Define Biodegradable.