Topic 1
What is the First Law of Thermodynamics?
Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed
What are the two types of niche?
Realized and fundamental
What is the name for the process by which plants return water to the atmosphere?
(Evapo)Transpiration
What drives water cycle?
Solar radiation
Define humus.
material formed from decaying leaves and other organic matter
Which feedback mechanism tends to return an equilibrium back towards its starting point?
Negative
What is the name of the process through which a non-polar pollutant increases in concentration as it moves up through a food chain?
Biomagnification
Define species
A group of organisms with the same phenotypic characteristics that can produce viable offspring
We observed high BOD at one zone of the river. What does this indicate in terms of oxygen in the water and microbes' activities?
Low dissolved oxygen because there is active decomposition happening (demand is high)
*High BOD = High organic pollution
*BOD = biochemical oxygen demand; how much O2 is needed by microbes for decomposition purpose in water.
Topsoil (A) is the most fertile layer, teeming with life. It's a mix of minerals from the parent rock below, along with decomposed organic material from the O horizon. This layer is crucial for plant growth.
O
A
B
C
R
Systems: Rainforest ecosystem (open),
nitrogen cycle, the carbon cycle, and the hydrological cycle (closed);
*An isolated system is a hypothetical concept
Model: food chains; food webs; pyramids of numbers, biomass & productivity, predator-prey curves; negative & positive feedback; diversity indices
After a lava flow, where there is new, lifeless rock exposed. The process goes through a series of intermediate stages leading to a climax community. This is an example of_
Primary succession
Giant panda is an example of
Flagship species
What is Ocean Gyres?
Plastic accumulates in large circulating ocean currents (gyres), creating massive "garbage patches" (e.g., Great Pacific Garbage Patch)
Distinguish Detritivores and Saprotrophs.
Detritivores are organisms that ingest detritus and digest it internally. Saprotrophs are heterotrophs that secrete enzymes to externally digest detritus and then absorb the resulting nutrients.
eg) Earthworms=d, fungi/decomposer bacteria=s
Which environmental value system concentrates on the use of technology to address environmental issues?
Technocentrism
What is the name given to a species whose presence in an ecosystem is vitally important to avoid the collapse of an ecosystem?
Keystone species
This argument involves valuation of ecotourism, of the genetic resource and commercial considerations of the natural capital.
Economic Arguments for conservation/preservation
Reducing Plastic Use (Circular Economy Approaches): Moving towards biodegradable alternatives, banning single-use plastics
Clean-up Initiatives: Beach clean-ups, initiatives like The Ocean Cleanup project
Policy Changes: International treaties, like the UN Clean Seas campaign
State one factor that may affect the speed of soil erosion.
slope, precipitation, wind, loss of vegetation cover, tillage, invasive species altering soil biota, etc.
If atmospheric carbon dioxide increases, what happens to coral reef? Include at least 5 steps.
Atmospheric CO₂ increases
↓
More CO₂ dissolves in oceans
↓
Ocean acidification increases (pH drops)
↓
Fewer carbonate ions available
↓
Coral calcification decreases (weaker coral skeletons)
↓
Coral reefs degrade or die
(then Biodiversity decreases and carbon-storing organisms decline)
What name is given to the first species which arrive during primary succession?
Pioneer species
What is the most commonly used measure to estimate population size by mark-recapture?
Lincoln Index
What is the name given to a pollution incident with a definite source of origin?
Point-source
Outline one positive and one negative outcome of the Green Revolution.
Cons: soil degradation, monoculture/genetic narrowing, rely on fossil fuels, unequal benefits, increase in input costs might harm small business, increase rural-urban migration, might lose traditional knowledge.