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.