Humans and Ecology

1. Humans and Ecology

2. Natural Resources AIR Nitrogen Oxygen • Air contains 78% __________, 20% ________, and less than 1% ______________ (and very small amounts of various other elements). These gases are essential to life on earth. Carbon Dioxide directly • We can breath oxygen _________ from the air, but NOT ___________. Bacteria convert nitrogen into the soil so plants can __________ it. We ______ the plants and get the nitrogen. What would happen if there were no bacteria??? _______________________________ nitrogen use eat abiotic No nitrogen cycling through the food chain!! WATER 3% Only _______ of all water on earth if freshwater (97% saltwater) – and of that freshwater, 68% is trapped in glaciers!!!! Are we running out of freshwater???? No. Water cycles through the ecosystem. Plants and animals “breath” water into the air where it cools and forms clouds – then returned via rain. abiotic

3. Soil protect erosion Roots of plants and grass ________ the soil from _________. Unprotected topsoil can by worn away by ______, ______, and ____________. This loose topsoil contains ______ and essential __________ for plant growth. Without it, the land can become ______________. wind rain water oxygen nutrients barren abiotic Fossil Fuels Oil coal Natural gas _______, ________, and ____________. We use these for industrial purposes, such as running our ________ and heating our __________. Fossil fuels are found in huge underground _______, and are _______ replaceable!! What are we going to do when all these wells dry up??? cars homes wells NOT abiotic

4. Plants all • Using the sun’s energy, plants begin ______ food chains. Plants also make _________ which all animals need. • Primary source of ______________ used by humans. • Plants make up forests – which are ___________ for most life on earth. • Plants reproduce, and therefore are a _____________________. A field can re-grow in a few years…a forest may take_____________ years. • Unfortunately, plants can’s “migrate”, so when the land is developed by humans for home-building, those plants die and _____________________. oxygen medicine habitats Renewable resource 25-100 Can become extinct biotic Animals renewable • Animals reproduce, and are a ____________ resource. However, if they die quicker than they can reproduce, animal species may become endangered and possibly _______________. • “Endangered” animals are close to becoming extinct…tiger, panda, blue whale, albatross, orangutan are endangered. • South China Tiger is “___________________”. Survive now only in captivity. • “Threatened” animals are _________ __ endangered. • Illegal hunting and deforestation are huge causes of animal ______________. extinct Extinct in the wild almost endangerment biotic

6. Renewable Resources Resources that can be __________ or re-used. Examples are ________, and ______________. Water, plants, and animals are considered renewable if they are ___________ quicker than they’re __________. Could water, plants, and animals be considered NON-renewable? recycled sunlight wind replaced used up Non-renewable Resources ______ and ______ take millions of years to form. They are being used much ____________ than they are being replaced. It is estimated that the earth will exhaust these resources in a few _____________!!! coal oil 77 million barrels of oil per DAY!!! quicker decades

7. Section Review • Give three examples of how technology has influenced human population growth. • What is the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources? • Describe how a population can use resources in a sustainable way. • What factors can limit the growth of the human population? • Read pages 486-487 in the text, how could the Easter Islanders have prevented their population crash? 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 water-borne disease and illness. Renewable: can be replenished by Earth’s natural processes Nonrenewable: difficult to replenish in a time span meaningful to humans 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 DISEASE DROUGHT OVEREXPLOITATION OF LIMITED RESOURCES CROP PESTS WAR They could have limited their use of the island’s forests.

8. EARTH’S ATOMOSPHERE • A dynamic mixture of __________that envelop the Earth. • It is important for MAINTAINING __________and driving a number of ______________near the surface of the Earth. • The gases of the atmosphere have a significant impact on the _______________budget and the availability of ______________across the Earth. • The atmosphere is made up of several gases: • Constant Gases • Nitrogen, (N2) __________ • Oxygen, (O2) __________ • Argon (Ar) __________ • II. Variable Gases • Carbon Dioxide _________ • Other particles of Neon, Helium, Methane, Krypton, Hydrogen GASES LIFE PROCESSES HEAT MOISTURE 78% 21% .93% 3.6%

10. HOW DOES THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT WORK? 1. 2. 3. 4. Radiation either enters the Earth’s atmosphere or is reflected back to space Some of the radiation will warm the Earth Some of the radiation will escape the atmosphere Some of the radiation will be trapped by the atmosphere and continue to warm the Earth

11. HOW THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT WORKS. • Visible light from the Sun arrives at the top of Earth's atmosphere. • As the light enters the atmosphere, some of it is • Scattered by air molecules • Reflected from white clouds back into space. • 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. • 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). • 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 • 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: • SOME IS _______________ • SOME IS _______________ • HALF IS ________________ SCATTERED REFLECTED ABSORBED

12. The BUILDUP of Greenhouse Gases • Greenhouse gases are emitted in a variety of ways including: • ___________________________-This is the disappearance of trees, which allows more greenhouse gases to become trapped within the environment. • _________________-When trash, brush, wood, and fossil fuels are burned, carbon dioxide is also released into the atmosphere. • __________________________-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. • _________________________________Simply the increase in the population of the world can cause the greenhouse effect. Industries and manmade machines contribute to the greenhouse theory. DEFORESTATION BURNING ELECTRICAL APPLICANCES HUMAN POPULATION

13. THE BIG PICTURE Humans contribute to greenhouse gases which leads to _______________________ HIGHER TEMPERATURES BOTTOM LINE The more ____________________ released in the atmosphere, The greater the _______________________, The less ____________out of atmosphere, which means THE __________________THE ______________________. CARBON DIOXIDE TEMPERATURE HEAT GREATER TEMPERATURE

14. Section Review • 6. Name and describe two ways in which pollution affects ecosystems. • How does the greenhouse effect keep Earth warm? • Explain how a build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could increase Earth’s global temperature. • Describe how acid rain falling in a forest could disrupt the trophic structure of the ecosystem. • 10. Name two important functions of greenhouse gases at the Earth’s surface. 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. 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. MORE GREENHOUSE MOLECULES = less heat escapes = HIGHER TEMPERATURES 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. Water vapor condenses to form precipitation that is part of hydrologic cycle Carbon dioxide is essential for photosynthesis.

15. Air Pollution chemicals • The burning of _____________ adds harmful gases into the air. These _________ are given off in toxic amounts! • Smog is a combination of _______ and _________. It creates a blanket over our cities and _________ harmful chemicals. • _______________ (CO2) is given off when fossil fuels are burned. This excess CO2 does not allow heat to _____________ and causes “______________________” (what is it like in a greenhouse??)…can you imagine earth as a greenhouse? • The _____________ layer protects the sun’s harmful radiation from reaching earth. As it is broken down by pollutants, this _______________ gets through. Fossil fuels smoke fog traps Carbon dioxide escape Greenhouse effect Ozone layer radiation

16. Water Pollution rivers streams Most of the earth’s drinking water comes from _________, _________, and huge underground ___________. __________________ are chemicals used to control 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) Many insect-killing chemicals are not _________________ – they can not be recycled or broken down into a usable form. PCB’s are toxins found in __________ and (like DDT) is illegal to produce and dump in the USA since _______. But because it is not biodegradable, it still remains in our __________________________! reservoirs Pesticides poisonous biodegradable water 1973 ecosystems

17. Acid Rain acidic basic • pH is a measurement of how _________ or _______ something is. The scale ranges from _________. 7 is considered _________. Anything below 7 is acidic and anything above 7 is basic. • __________ and lemon juice have pH’s lower than 7, and are considered acidic. • Baking powder and __________ have pH’s above 7 and are considered basic. • __________ is neutral, and has a ph of 7. It is neither acidic or basic. • 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 high acidity damages _______________ _____________ ____________ ___________. 0-14 neutral vinegar bleach water burned Acid rain forests crops soil buildings

18. Section Review • 11. What does an indicator species tell us about the health of an ecosystem? • How do PCB’s affect bird populations through bio magnification? • How are the concepts of carry capacity and indicator species related? • Would a buffalo or a mountain lion be more affected by biomagnification? Why? • 15. How does the biomagnification pyramid compare to with the energy pyramid? 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. 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.. 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. A mountain lion would be more affected because it is higher on the food chain and would ingest more contaminants from its food supply. The are opposite Energy decreases as you move up the food chain, but pollutants increase.

19. Land Pollution biodegradable Plastic is not __________________. Consequently, it is not broken down. When we plastic in our trash, it must be ______________. We are running out of places to dump these items (_______________). Each person in America produces about _____________ of trash per year!!! How can we address this issue?? dumped landfill ONE TON Recycling!!

20. Introduced species energy A species that can _________ the natural flow of ______ and the overall ___________ of an ecosystem. These are considered _____________ SPECIES. disrupt stability INVASIVE Examples 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.

21. Our Carbon Footprint DEAD THINGS “The organic remains of ________________”. After you are dead, the ___________ that makes up all organic matter will recycle through the ___________________ for future generations to _________________. What kind of “footprint” do you want to leave behind? carbon ecosystem deal with • 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 Nuclear energy Support _________________ of wildlife. It protects and shelters animals in the wild. _______________ is clean and efficient. It does not involve burning of _______________. conservation Fossil fuels

22. What's your goal? What's your role?

23. Questions • What’s the difference between extinct, endangered, and threatened? • Why must new sources of energy be found? • It is estimated that 100 species of plants become extinct per DAY!! How many species of plants become extinct per year? _____ • What is the major sources of air pollution? • What is acid rain? Why does it exist? • 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? • What problem arises from the use of plastics? • What is a carbon footprint? • Sulfur dioxide is an air pollutant. Where does this chemical come from? • What is the difference between a renewable and nonrenewable resource? • Look up an invasive species NOT mentioned in your notes. Describe the impact it has made in its ecosystem. • Define Biodegradable.