Unit 1: Intro to Ecology
Define sustainability
using resources in a mindful way as to preserve their existence for future generations.
List the levels of ecosystem structure in order:
Word bank: population, biome, ecosystem, organism, biosphere, community
Organism => population => community => ecosystem => biome => biosphere
Define biodiversity
All of the different forms of life that exist within an ecosystem.
Explain what a toxin is and discuss one way that toxins might enter an ecosystem as a result of human activity
Any antigenic poison or venom that causes harm to the tissues of living organisms.
Ex: spraying pesticides, runoff, pollution from industry, bioaccumulation/magnification etc.
(allow interpretation by host).
Explain why climate change is a threat to biodiversity
Habitats are being compromised as a result of changing climate. This problem is exacerbated by loss of climate sensitive species in these areas that would help maintain ecological balance.
Overuse of resrouces
Increased pollution
Habitat destruction
(allow for interpretation of answer)
Recycle dead organic material and turns it into nutrients that are released back into the environment
list the 5 major threats to biodiversity: H.I.P.P.O
habitat destruction
invasive species
pollution
population growth
overexploitation of resources
What is the difference between bioaccumulation and biomagnification?
bioaccumulation describes the buildup of toxins in the tissue of a single organism over its lifetime
biomagnification describes how toxins within an environment multiply as you move up the food web because of exponential increases in the amount of toxin at each trophic level.
Explain the effect that climate change has had to humans living on the coast
40% of the world's population live within 62 miles of a coastline. Increased sea level as a result of increasing global climate presents a threat to billions of dollars worth of property and infrastructure as well as the general well being and livelihood of people living in those communities.
Explain the trajedy of the commons
the idea that people acting in their own interest will selfishly abuse shared resources even if it means depleting/rendering those resources unusable for others.
The consumers at the top of the food chain help control the populations of the consumers below them and limit their ability to deplete ecosystem resources.
Of the 5 threats of biodiversity, which is considered the biggest and why?
habitat destruction is the biddest threat to biodiversity because species that are displaced from their environment have a severly diminished ability to survive and human activities naturally degrade the environment over time.
Describe the pros and cons of organic farming: at least 3 pros and 3 cons
pros: low ecological impact, produce free of chemicals, preserves biodiversity
cons: low yield, lengthy certification process, more expensive
Discuss how human population growth and climate change are related and why.
As human population increases so too does global climate. This is because increaed human activities result in increased human impact on the environment. (Ex: more greenhouse emissions as a result of increased use of fossil fuels).
Describe how consumers with an affluent lifestyle have a negative impact on the environment
Affluent consumers rarely think about their environmental impact and what affect their lifestyle habits and choices have on resources. Overuse resources, pollute, constantly replacing belonging with new ones etc.
What are the two main factors that determine the biome that is present in a given area?
temperature and precipitation
Explain the impact that population growth has on global temperatures and sea level
as popluation grows global temperature increases and sea level increases
Give one indicator species and discuss how scientists use it to keep tabs on environmental conditions.
(allow for host interpretation)
Define vector borne diseases and explain the effect that climate change has on transmission of such pathogens
Vector borne diseases are any disease that is trasmitted via contact with some kind of organism. For example, malaria is transferred via bites from a mosquito. As global climate increases this makes conditions more favorable for many disease carrying vectors which increases their population numbers as well as the window in which they are active during the year.
Discuss at least 3 practices that were used in Chattenooga Tennesee to reduce the city's overall environmental impact.
Electric busses to reduce emissions
Free bus services and satellite parking to reduce car use
Housing near commercial centers for easy foot travel
Built outdoor parks
Explain at least 3 reasons why the world's coral reefs are currently under threat
irregular ocean temperatures
pollution/runoff in the ocean water
irregular UV index from sunblocks and sunscreens
Explain what a hotspot of biodiversity is and what criteria must be met for an ecosystem to be labelled a hotspot
Hotspots of biodivesity are ecosystems that have a high number of species found nowhere else in the world (endemic species) with that ecosystems biodiversity being threatened.
Requires a high number of endemic species that are under threat.
Describe what happened during the Union Carbide disaster in Bhopal India and how it could have been prevented
Union Carbide accidentally vented a large amount of deadly methyl isocyanate into the atmosphere. This could have been prevent by spending a little under 1 million dollars on safety precautions and equipment maintainence.
Explain at least 3 ways that you as a consumer can reduce your ecological footprint
(allow for host interpretation)