Systems + Models
What are the main three components of a system model?
Storages, Flows, and Boundaries
Solar energy comes into the earth as short wave radiation and is reradiated out as long wave radiation that can be trapped in the atmosphere. Known as the ____________________.
greenhouse effect
_________ are defined by their climatic condition resulting from the insolation (amount of solar radiation that reaches the earth’s surface), precipitation and temperature they receive. The main 5 include, _______, ________, _______, _______, ________.
biomes, forest, grassland, tundra, desert, aquatic
For measuring ______ factors we can measure at numerous points/times, it is possible to show: change along an environmental gradient, or change over time through succession, or change before and after a human impact. For measuring _______ factors we often want to measure diversity and species abundance within an ecosystem.
abiotic, biotic
______ (e.g., USA, Japan) feature high income, advanced services, and high life expectancy. _______ (e.g., Kenya, Bangladesh) generally rely on agriculture, with lower income and, often, higher population growth.
More Economically Developed Countries (MEDCs), Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs)
What are the three types of systems?
Open, closed, and isolated
Energy is lost as heat while going up the food chain and is re-radiated to the atmosphere from every tropic level. The tropic levels (going from bottom to top) are the _______, _______, ______, _______, and eventually to the ________.
producers, herbivores, carnivores, top carnivores, decomposers
An __________ is a community and the physical environment with which it interacts, linked together by energy and matter flows. Divided into 3 types: _________, _________, _________.
ecosystem, marine, freshwater, terrestrial
__________ are graphical models of the amount of living material stored at each trophic level of a food chain by either numbers (record the number of individuals at each trophic level), biomass (represents the biological mass of the standing stock at each trophic level at a particular point in time measured in units), or productivity (shows the flow of energy) for a given area and time.
pyramids
Factors that affect ________: status of women, level of education, wealth, urban vs rural, religion, health, the cost of children, level of development policies, and governments.
fertility
What are the 1st and 2nd Laws of Thermodynamics?
1.
2.
1. Conservation of energy: Energy in an isolated system, cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed.
2. Entropy, the amount of disorder in a system, increases over time. Energy in a system reaches a lower energy level (heat flows hot to cold). This is why there is a decrease in the available energy as we move along a food chain.
As hot air rises from the equator creating low pressure at the surface (_______ cell), pushing warm air towards the cold poles. Then air cools and sinks, creating high pressure at the surface (________ cell). Lastly, the high pressure air travels towards areas of low pressure (_______ cell).
hadley, ferrel, polar
_________ is the clear change in ecosystems along an environmental gradient.
zonation
Two common sampling methods are point (quadrat) and line/belt transects. Sampling can be: ______,_______,_______,_______,_________.
continuous, interrupted (transect), random, stratified random, systematic
____________ is a term used for natural resources that can produce a sustainable natural income of goods or services (can be renewable or non-renewable). ___________ is the yield obtained from natural resources.
natural capital, natural income
1. A _________________ is the minimum amount of change within a system that will destabilize it, causing it to reach a new equilibrium or stable state.
2. A _________________ is one that tends to maintain its stability.
1. tipping point
2. resilient system
The carbon cycle is the continuous process of carbon moving between living organisms, the atmosphere, ocean, and Earth's crust. It involves essential steps like ___________ (removing CO2), _________ (releasing CO2), and _________, which returns carbon to the atmosphere or soil. It acts as a vital regulator of Earth's temperature by storing and releasing carbon.
photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition
________ is the change of an ecosystem over time and is most clearly seen when an environment is low in species diversity and population. There are 2 types:
1. _______: Begins on barren, sterile landscapes (bare rock, sand) where no soil exists.
2. _______: Occurs after a disturbance destroys the existing community (e.g., forest fire, flood, hurricane, harvesting) but leaves the soil intact.
succession, primary, secondary
Species abundance refers to the number of organisms in a species relative to its environment (______ Index). A function of the number of species and their relative abundance can be compared (______ Index).
________ may be:
• non-point (coming from many places) or point source.
• persistent (pollutant can not be naturally broken down) or biodegradable.
• acute (effect is seen shortly after pollutant is present) or chronic (pollutant has an effect over a long time).
• primary (active on emission) or secondary (arising from primary pollutants undergoing physical or chemical change).
pollution
1. A negative feedback loop maintains _______, by counteracting change.
2. A positive feedback loop amplifies _______, accelerates the system away from "normal" to reach a new state.
1. stability
2. change
The nitrogen cycle is the continuous, five-stage process that converts atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into usable forms for living organisms. The process: ________, ________, _________, _________, ________.
nitrogen fixation, assimilation, ammonification, nitrification, denitrification
__-strategists are ideal pioneer species (ex: weeds, bacteria, rabbits, short lifespan, early maturity) whereas ___-strategists require a more established environment (ex: people, late maturity, long lifespan).
r, K
________: the amount of energy/biomass converted by producers per unit area per unit time. (g/m2 year).
________: the gain (after respiration) by producers in energy/biomass per unit area per unit time. (g/m2 year) Where NPP = GPP − R.
Gross Primary Productivity (GPP), Net Primary Productivity (NPP)
The most visually emotive type of pollution is the discarded items from our own homes, officially termed as ____________. Some solutions to reduce this includes: reduce, reuse, recycle; composting; incineration (burning waste); landfill (big holes in the ground); dumping into the sea.
solid domestic waste (SDW)