LOYC 205
How do the pools of nutrients interact
Abiotic to biotic (plants transferring nitrate from the roots) Transfers go back from living organisms to abiotic - death, respiration, poop A lot of cycling between these twos A small amount of transfer from whether in rocks, volcanic activity, human activity makes this a bigger arrow. Releasing the carbon from a tree hundreds of years old when cut down, burning of coal and oil, mining.
Evolution by habituation/acclimatization or adaption?
Acclimatization is short-term habitual trait that doesn't become genetical change unlike adaption
What is DDT? and its implications in the environment.
An insecticide with major environmental impacts, things escalated when it was released for civilian use. Its overuse led to the evolution of super races. It has a notable effect on biomagnifications. The process of banning it in 1972 was the realization that chemistry can be harmful. Bald eagles were lifted from endangered.
Tree thinking
Ecologists organize animals by tree diagrams that represent an actual history of evolutionary lineages that have branched over time.
Resource Conservationists
Efficient use of resources for human benefit
Holistic
Ensure that your reductionistic solution to a problem doesn't create unintended consequences.
Three Spheres of Sustainability
Environmental, Social, Economic.
Human exertion on species
Evolutionary effects for the last 10,000 years have caused, advertent: domestication, inadvertent: resistance
What do highways do?
Fragment and decrease populations, underpasses and overpasses help.
hierarchical levels of ecology largest to smallest
Global>Landscape>Ecosystem>Community>Population>Organism
What is lost in ecological reactions for entropy
Heat is mostly lost - wolf eats deer, humans eats meal. Energy is this system is in energy created to consume.
What does mapping home ranges for large animals show us?
Home range is the amount of space that an animal uses. Carnivores also need more space than herbivores. Therefore Carnivores need larger parks. the MVP for 1,000 animals in a part can be 200-ish hectors if you want to conserve plants. In a park setting, if the home range doesn't represent the population than they are also living outside the park to make up for it. Creating greater the risk for bad interactions with humans. Ex. killing cows in farms, eating garbage. This is an example in Yellowstone for Grizzly bears. Because of the necessary home-range needed carnivores are rare, and they are at higher extinction rates.
1st law of thermodynamics
Conservation in mass, atoms//molecules are not destroyed during chemical or ecological reactions, but are rearranged and recycled.
What is succession?
Directional and continuous patterns that always occur at a site. Communities never stay the same and they only change gradually. We have been able to anticipate that after fire/destruction of some kind or changes in resources and microclimate (ecological niches) - that the pattern goes from pioneer to landscape. And in-between there are many different species that come in and change the microclimate. And thus how the progression of succession will become.
What is entropy?
Disorganization, over time you create more because for example a heater in the room the more it's heated the room and the heater could become the same temp and there is no more structure between the two anymore.
what can reset successions?
Disturbances such as fires and coastal areas.
Example of elements cycling
Mercury contamination in fish. We cannot make more in the planet but change the place and the form where it isn't bothering people. Lead to gold definitely cannot happen but lead in todays world is definitely in the wrong place.
Metapopulations
Movement of individuals between patches which decreases the chances of extinction. conservation of metapopulations rather than isolated populations is the goal as a conservationist.
Population is the unit of evolution, not the species
Much of biodiversity is within the species level. ex. different types of butterflies and ladybug patterns - these population differences can be very important
Ecological conservationists
Nature as ecosystems; humans as citizens of nature
Romantic Preservationists
Nature as the source of spirituality
Is there a perfect balance of nature because we can anticipate succession?
Nature is not in balance, it functions on flux. Meaning that disturbances are frequent. But this isn't bad
Populo-centric ethic
Populations need to persist within species , considers how humans are affecting this. Importance in terms of endangered species
What type of predators are humans?
Super, unlike all other creatures we target the largest adult prey. And exploit more than others.
Sustainability
The possibility that human and other forms of life on earth will flourish forever.
food webs
The structure is flexible, the wiring of the food web depends and changes in response to large fluctuations. The producers are generally listed in the bottom, then the primary consumers, secondary consumers, and tertiary consumers. As well as the decomposer. arrows provide where the transfer of energy occurs.
Where does energy in life initially come from?
The sun, organisms have adapted through various forms to take in sun for energy. At each step the energy gets stuck in the biomass to the next organism and some gets lost to the environment. Dissipating into the atmosphere
Area effect
bigger islands have more species because the more diversity of habitats, larger populations and less chance for extinction. Also happens in the main land
Ecosystem ecology
biological community and interactions with the abiotic world. Energy flow and nutrient cycling ex. carbon
Evolution
changes in the genetic composition of a population over time, in response to pressures from the environment
Pioneer species
first phase of succession as they get to a site faster than others.
Population ecology
group of individuals of the same species living in the same area. Factors that affect population size and distribution.
Community ecology
group of populations of different species living in the same area and their interactions: competition(-/-), predator and prey(-/+), mutualism(+/+)
50-year rule
have to wait for at least 50 years before declaring a species is extinct.
Ecological niche
how a species uses the biotic and abiotic resources in the environment, their "role" in the community.
Organismal ecology
how individuals organisms meet the challenges of the environment ex. a marine organism will have evolved to take in salt and loose water
Gause's competitive exclusion principle
in an area of the same resource or ecological niche one one of the two will outcompete the other to extinction. IRL we see multiple species of organisms feeding off the same resource, but they are not using the resource in exactly the same way.
Biophilia
innate emotional affiliation of human beings to other living organisms
Clearcutting
is unethical since it destroys habitats, unless in mimication of natural disturbances
Draw a diagram of energy flow and dissipation from the sun
it is a one way flow from the sun onwards. Always circles around. And it is a closed loop system that does not escape.
Invasive species
lack co-evolved relationships but become dominant over native species. ex. Emerald ash borer originated in East Asia, feeds on ash trees and North American ashes are more susceptible than Asian ones.
Populations evolve in response to "environmental" change
leads to local adaption of populations. ex fish above and below a waterfall
How to plan for succession?
map the site, white is not old enough to harvest You plan out the different colors of which get harvested first - finishing with dark yellow
Should we focus on extinction of species?
no, creates an overly optimistic view - out of 5000 mammal species only 80 have gone extinct since 1500
Logistical growth model
occurs when populations reach a carrying capacity established by a limiting resource and initially experience large growth but then level off. However, they do not exist exactly at carrying capacity. They fluctuate above and below.
Habitat isolation
patches of habitats in an area that is isolated. ex. lakes
Reductionism
seeking explanations at a lower level of analysis. Understanding the whole by understanding how the parts work.
Complex community simulate
simulation of the real world with relatively few species.
What is the second law of thermodynamics?
that as energy is transferred or transformed, more and more of it is wasted
Rescue effect
what is the probability of a population surviving 100 years? Metapopulations have a 99% of survival in 100 years over 36.6% in isolation.
Land Ethics
written in the 40's by Aldo Leopold, the father of Wildlife conservation - conservation based on human economic interest, humans can only be ethical to things we can see, feel, understand. This is an Anthropocentric ethic since it only considers direct immediate beneficial qualities to humans and not the whole web of nature. Cultures all around the world have had some form of positive land ethic
10:50 rule of park conservation
10% of an area can be protect 50% of species
Population growth rate equation
(Births + immigration) - (deaths + emigration)
Sustainability II
- Harvested populations live within biological communities - Harvesting one species has effects on other species - optimal yield should be calculated within a community context
How to sustainably harvest a population with a K (carrying capacity)
- catch below K - lower mortality rate - Maximum sustainable yield at K/2 - K and MSY can also fluctuate so adjustments are needed
UN Report - Nature's Dangerous Decline
- current global response is insufficient and we need transformative changes - interests can be overcome for public good - most comprehensive assessment of it's kind - 1,000,000 species threatened with extinction - humans can no longer seperate arguments on development of human lives over the environment
15 Principles of Ecology
1. Populations evolve 2. Species co-evolve 3. One true tree of life 4. Populations fluctuate in abundance 5. Populations cannot grow indefinitely 6. Populations can be harvested sustainably 7. Communities are composed of interacting species 8. Every species has it's niche 9. Patterns in biodiversity are predictable 10. Communities are always changing 11. Energy flows & dissipates 12. Nutrients cycle 13. Ecosystems provide services 14. Tragedy of the commons 15. Humans are cooperative by nature
Antibiotic resistance
1. high number of bacteria. A few of them are resistant to antibiotics 2. Antibiotics kill bacteria causing the illness, as well as good bacteria protecting the body from infection 3. The resistant bacteria now have preferred conditions to grow and take over. 4. Bacteria can even transfer their drug-resistance to other bacteria, causing more problems
What are the two consequences of Nutrient cycling?
1. some atoms are recycled over time, human activity modifies global nutrient cycles 2. Anything we create may not go away. If biodegradable they are decomposed into molecules or atoms. If not, they are around forever. Most pollution problems are linked to nutrient cycling. - we are changing the cycle by releasing the unavailable pool Lead, mercury These materials will now stay in the circulation pool of molecules , never to disappear since they are not biodegradable
Sustainable Development (SD) Brundtland Report
Meeting the needs of the present generation w/o compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
Silent Spring
A book written to voice the concerns of environmentalists. Launched the environmentalist movement by illustrating an image of civilization. Written by Rachel Carson
Human footprint geological time period
Anthropocene
Why should we eat less meat according to different environmental ethics?
Anthropocentric: less cholesterol, less fat. Biocentric: killing animals or raising animals in bad conditions. Populocentric: Not many Tuna so we need to not eat them. Ecocentric: Raising cattle takes out ecosystems, it will also help lower your carbon footprint.
Species adaption to human activity
Antibiotic resistance in bacteria, starch digestion by house sparrows, mosquitos in London underground
What is the ecology for Ecosystems?
Biological communities live in a physical space where interactions with the abiotic world shapes them. Here there is energy flow and nutrient cycling
what is an ecosystem
Biological community and its interaction with the abiotic world. Includes energy flow and nutrient cycles.
3 pools pf nutrients
Biotic(living and dead biomass), abiotic(air water and soil) and minerals in rock or fossil biomass.
How Landfill Sites works
CO2 and CH4 generates out of organic materials recycling, this creates a toxic solution for the liner at the bottom of the pit to dissolve and the garbage to leak into the groundwater.
Concordia waste audits
Changing what is coming in the upstream is better than the in the downstream
Ecocentric ethic
Human ethics to ecosystems. populations interact with communities/ecosystems.
Organism ranking
Humans create arbitrary ones based on traits of intelligence, feels pain, cuteness, what we eat, laws
Elements in humans
Humans have taken in and evolved to take in numerous nutrients. Oxygen (65%), carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, chlorine, magnesium, and then numerous trace elements.
Examples of energy transfers
In a lake: from the plant mass the phytoplankton eat it first, then zooplankton, minnow, Lake trout.
Most diverse species in the world?
Insects - we only have 1.28 million described out of 8 million. 98% are invertebrates
Diversity peaks at what level of disturbances?
Intermediate
What happens to energy?
It flows and dissipates through organisms, but the elements remain. They are always cycling.
What are the implications to changing forestry laws?
It takes many years to see differences but it also gives time for researchers to document all the different other things happening at the same time.
What is the best predictor for most biodiversity?
Latitude: warmer areas are stable and older ecosystem allowed for more development for species since areas had shorter time being frozen over.
How does evolution progress?
Like a bush, it is not a constant progression upwards.
Basic separation in Evolutionary classification?
Prokaryotes: unicellular and eukaryotes: multicellular
Biocentric ethic
Romanticized view - human ethics applied to individuals of all other species. Most similar to humans has more value.
Implications of stoking or moving organisms
Salmon farming: interbreeding of farm threatens the wild ones. Local populations are important for seed banks.
What is the efficiency of energy flow?
Similar to entropy there is always a loss of usable energy. We cannot create technology that creates perpetual motion in the machine. So that energy dissipates on earth first warmer and then colder, and then eventually re-radiated to space. This occurs because Earth is an open system of energy.
2nd law of thermodynamics
Some of the energy is inevitably lost in the heat which goes to entropy
How does energy transfer work in animal consumption?
The higher up you go in the food chain, less of that plant you get since the animal you eat, previously ate plants. Therefore if you eat plants you are in the first level. But generally there is a pyramid of energy or net production, it is a law of physics with a 10% rule of thumb removal of energy each level of the food chain.
Biomagnification
The increase in chemical concentration in animal tissues as the chemical moves up the food chain. Typically fat soluble compounds. Pollutants are then passed up the food chain. This is why you should eat small fish over big The higher you up in the food chain you are and there is mercury in the lake the more you will get when you consume Your body is good at regulating sodium by excreting when there is excess Dry cleaner fluid that the body has not adapted to tends to get absorbed in the fat. And then fed to a baby if female in the breast milk. And when they die the fluid would pass on
Ecosystem Thinking
Thinking about the specifics of the whole and connections
what is the MILPA cycle
Traditional farming technique from Southern Mexico. It is a form of agriculture that works with succession, it starts with burning land, allowing for natural succession and then using the land for agriculture. The idea is that cultivation lasts 2 years and you allow 8 years for the natural succession.
How is Evolution classified?
Unlike arbitrary (libraries) Evolutionary classification is the only has one true tree diagram, that we still don't know what it will look like. Taxonomists study this
Entropy stats
When charging a car: 8-20% energy is lost. Burning oil for electricity there is 65% energy lost. Usable energy is always less than what is used or available.
What is old-field succession?
a type of community change that occurs usually when farmland is abandoned. The annual plants that were already there are out-competed by perennial plants and grasses - which are the pioneers. And they are constantly being out-competed as they change the environment to become more hospitable. Pioneer species are able to withstand the sunny and dried out environment. They provide shade and when they decompose they make a richer soil for other species come in which outcompete the pioneer ones who started changing the conditions of the environment. Such as shrubs, softwood trees and pines to hardwoods to replace them. Bigger species of plants like trees generate different areas of shade tolerances. Hardwoods are the climax of the community where the conditions become perfect for powerful fires or disruption.
management of antibiotic resistance
appropriate use of drugs, vaccination, other infection protection methods, develop new drugs, switch between drugs
Humans
around 2 million
Eukaryotic life
around 2.5 billion
Prokaryotic life
around 3.5 billion
Darwin
didn't invent theory of evolution, but a mechanism. Natural selection, the differential reproductive success of individuals within a population based of heritable traits causes evolution. ex finches, have a wide variety based on what they eat but all have a common species. Organisms only develop modifications from descendants.
"balance" in populations
does not exist, all populations eventually go extinct because population size=0 occurs with probability>0. Small and variable populations are more likely to go extinct. Species only fails when the last population fails.
Overuse of phosphorus leads too...
eutrophication of water
What is eutrophication?
excessive richness of nutrients in a lake or other body of water, frequently due to runoff from the land, which causes a dense growth of plant life and death of animal life from lack of oxygen.
Ecology is environmental activism
false, but there are cross-overs. ex Jane Goodall
why its bad to put out forest fires
small controlled fires are good, some trees need that extreme temperate for new growth, and constantly putting them out can cause an accumulation of fuel which will lead to major destructive fires. This is maintaining the dynamic - active management. Top predators don't survive well outside the park so maintenance you need to manage populations and their habitat. You need to manage herbivores if there are no predators Fire needs to be managed to not burn humans Flooding - naturally generated rivers now are controlled by dams. You get wetland areas that become forests which is bad for frogs and ducks etc. Laissez-faire also leads to lower biodiversity
Ecology
study of the interactions between organisms and their environment
Predator target
the old and weak: easier. Thus species co-evolve because they exert evolutionary effects on other species.
Centinelan extinctions
unknown and undescribed species that go extinct without us knowing - happens alot
How should management plan for succession?
using a map, create a diagram of the area, and then you plan the different colors of