128 Cards in this Set
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Which humans activities contribute the most to greenhouse gasses?
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Power, Industry, Transportation
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Climate effects from carbon dioxide
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fossil fuels, industry, burning coal
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Climate effects from methane
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farming, landfills,fossil fuels, fermentation,anerobic decay
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Climate effects from nitrous oxide
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agriculture, excessive use of N fertilizers
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What percent of energy use is from fossil fuels?
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80%
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What are some examples of conventional fossil fuels?
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coal, oil, natural gas
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Types of coal
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brown coal: lowest energy
bituminous: medium energy
anthracite: highest energy
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How is oil used as a conventional fossil fuel?
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typically broken down in marine sediment
broken down with help of geothermal heat into hydrocarbons
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How is gas used as a conventional fossil fuel?
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reserves ready to access
ex. Keystone XL
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What are some renewable resources
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wind, dolar, wave, tidal, hydropower
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How is hydropower used as a renewable resource?
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dam: stores water
reserviors hold excess water in reserve and release it when power is demanded
can have high flow/ low head
low flow/ high head
does not produce greenhouse gases
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What is a penstock?
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carries water to turbines in hydropower dams
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What is a generator in terms of hydropower?
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rotates the turbines to generate electricity
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Seneca Saw-Mill
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co-generation plant
18.8MW
uses waste from saw mill to fire bioler and elctrical power plant
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What are the different types of devices used in wave energy?
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oscillating water
attenuator
overtopping
point absorber
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Earths solar Flux
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drives the cycling of water between Earth's surface and the atmosphere and heats the upper layer of the oceans
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What are nonconventional examples of fossil fuels?
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tar sands, oil shales, clathrates
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How many and which plants provide humans with most of our caloric intake?
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We rely heavily on 17 in a half million plants. Grass seed eaters
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Photosynthesis
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carbon dioxide and water using energy from the sun to produce carbohydrate and release oxygen gas as waste
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How much water is needed in photosynthesis
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400:01:00
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Where does the water from photosynthesis go?
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transpiration loss
water is an unavoidable consequence of carbon dioxide uptake
helps cool and transport nutrients
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Is oxygen or carbon dioxide more plentiful in the atmosphere?
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oxygen is 5000times more plentiful than CO2
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Photorespiration
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when plants combine O2 instead of CO2 in an early step of photosynthesis, waste of plant energy
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Cool Season Grasses
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Oats, Wheat, Barley, Rice
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Warm season grases
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maize, sugar cane
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What are the characteristics of warm season grasses?
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less oxygen near the CO2 binding enzyme
-less oxygenation so plants are more efficient when photo-respiration is likely
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Plant nutrients: Carbon, Oxygen, Hydrogen
What are they used in and obtained from?
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used in: basic skeleton of organic molecules
obtained from: atmosphere
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Plant Nutrients: Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Sulfer
What are they used in and how are they obtained?
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used in: constituents of proteins, nucleic acids
obtained from: soil solution
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Plant Nutrients: Clacium, Potassium, Magnesium
What are they used in and how are they obtained?
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used in: osmotic regulation, membranes
obtained from: soil solution
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Plant Nutrients: Iron, Magnese, Molybdenum
What are they used in and how are they obtained?
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used in: enzyme cofactors
obtained from: soil solution
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All proteins consist of what?
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amino acids joined into 3 dimensional shapes
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Structural Proteins
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actin, myosin in muscle
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Rubisco
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most abundant enzyme on the planet (in chloroplasts)
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All amino acids consist of what amine group?
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NH3
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How many standard amino acids are there
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20
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How many amino acids are essential for humans and why?
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8 amino acids are essential for humans because your body does not synthesize these amino acids making it essential to include them in ones diet in order to obtain them
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How do animals deal with excess nitrogen?
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3 compounds that vertebrates use to rid their bodies of nitrous waste:
Amonia, Urea, Uric Acid
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How plants deal with excess nitrogen
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plants make up all their own amino acids and only take up what nitrogen they need
plants biggest problem is obtaining nitrogen
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Nitrogen exists in various forms in the ______ .
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biosphere
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Plants get fixed nitrogen and bacteria get ______.
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energy (carbohydrates)
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How do plants use nitrogen?
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plants themselves cannot use nitrogen from the air, but they can recruit bacteria to set up nitrogen-processing hubs in nodules on roots
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Humans are responsible for about ______ of all nitrogen added to ecosystems
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half
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True or False:
Nitrogen is limiting in most terrestrial systems
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TRUE
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Much less Nitrogen leaves or enters the system than is recycled internally through ____________ and _____________.
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assimilation, decomposition
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Eutrophication
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an influx of nutirents support algae, which consume all the dissolved oxygen in the water
- oxygen depletion
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What are some nitrogen deficiency symptoms?
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stunted, yellowish plants. Older leaves or whole plants are yellowish green
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UO tactics to reduce nitrogen pollution
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permeable parking surfaces
-green roofs
-bioswales
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Nitrogen Fixation
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diatomic nitrogen converted to ammonia
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Nitrification
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ammonia is converted to nitrates
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Dentrification
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nitrates are converted to diatomic nitrogen
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History of sustainable argiculture
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reaction to negative consequences of the Green Revolution
- reaction to soil erosion, water pollution, air pollution
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Practice of sustainable agriculture
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techniques for building soil health, improving water quality, ensuring long-term sucess
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What are the different techniques used in sustainable argiculture
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integrated pest management, crop diversification, no-till methods, weed suppression, drip irrigation and mulch, cover crops, compost, on farm energy production and conservation
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GreenRevolution
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new seed varieties for high yields
distribution of seeds, synthetic fertilizer, irrigation and pesticides to subsistence farmers
pest problems heavy use of pesticides
plant disease issues
increased poverty due to high cost of mechanization
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Haber-Bosh Process
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Industrial Process of heating diatomic nitrogen and adding pressure to convert it to ammonia
Uses 1% of all worlds energy
Humans put 50% of all N into ecoystems
Manure, guano used prior
industrial fixation: ammonia used process
takes huge amount of energy
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Non-point sources of fertilizers
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runoff from the fields, parking lots
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Point Sources of fertilizers
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sewage pipes, septic tanks, rivers
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Atrazine
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herbicide to kill weeds
works by blocking photosynthesis
shown to emasculate some animals
levels in groundwater sparked controversy
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One way to decrease use of chemicals in agriculture?
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IPM, strategy to supress pest levels naturally
using natural enemies
pesticides last resort
promote polyculture vs. monoculture
mulching, crop rotation
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Population
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a group of individuals of one species in one area
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community
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an assemblage of populations
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Ecosystem
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a community and its physical environment
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Biotic Potential
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the maximum reproductive capacity of a population under optimum environmental conditions
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What variables directly effect population size
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change in population size =
(Births) - (Deaths) (+immigrants - emigrants)
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b represents what in terms of population ecology?
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# individuals born per individual in the population per year (per capita birth rate)
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d represents what in terms of population ecology
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# individuals dying per individual in the population per year (per capita death rate)
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Carrying capacity
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(K) is the density at which a population is at population equilibrium (birth = deaths)
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What causes growth rate to decline when populations increase in size?
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b (per capita birth rate) decreases or d (per capita death rate) increases
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New logistic equation after you modify r as N
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(dn)/(dt)-rmax x (K-N)/K x N
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Logistic Growth
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density dependent
-per capita rate of growth is not a constant, it varies with population size
- graph relationship: negative slope
-rmax (top left corner)
-r is high when N is small
- r is low when N is near carrying capacity
- N=K (at the bottom right corner)
-Y= per capita growt…
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Exponential Growth
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density independent
-b and d and per capita growth rate are constant
- doubling time also constant
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Doubling Time
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Td vaires with logistic growth model
-Td constant in exponential growth model
-the doubling time is constant only if r is constant
- human population is not growing exponentially
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What factors besides food availability might regulate populations in density dependent fashin?
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Factos influencing birth rates:
availability of nests, stress induced reduction in fertility
Factors influencing death rates:
Disease, Predators, Waste build up
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What is another type of density independent regulation?
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boom bust cycle in response to outside environmental factors
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Total Growth:
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Population Size (N) x Per capita growth rate (r)
In a population that is growing in a density dependent manner
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How does total growth rate change as the population size increases?
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total growth rate peaks at intermediate population size
Logistical model: per capita growth rates decrease with population size
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Maximum Sustainable Yield
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Occurs at intermediate population size
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What is the doubling time for global population today?
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58 years
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Total Fertility Rate
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an estimate of the number of live children a woman would bear if she passes through all her childbearing years (roughly 15-44) conforming to current age-specific birth rates
TFR of 2.1 is considered replacement rate
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Example of Exponential Growth in terms of species
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whooping cranes, caribou
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Example of Logistical growth model in terms of species
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parameica, pond snails
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Example of boom and bust growth model in terms of species
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Crabs, Insects
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Demographic transition
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changing birth and death rates
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Sea Level Rise
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the height of the sea measured relative to a mark on the nearby land called the Tide Gauge, Benchmark or some other reference
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What causes sea level variations
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tides, waves, storms, regional ocean circulation, glacial rebound, climate change, human induced effects
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Current Trends in sea level rise
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massive dam building in the 20th century led to sea level decline compensated for in many regions by increased groundwater use, leads to subsidence ( land moving downward) causing sea level rise
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What are the different techniques used to measure sea level rise?
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tide gauges, satellite altimeter
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Tide Gauges
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represent longest observational record of sea level
quality and quantity vary over time and space
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Satellite altimeter
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principle of altimetry: a space borne tide gauge
S: distance measured by the board altimeter
H: the position and height of the satellite is computed
SSH=S-H: the sea surface height above is a reference ellipsoid obtained
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Sea Level Predictions
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half of the worlds population lives in coastal zones. Ten percent within ten meters of mean sea level. predicted flooding, increased storm surge, increased erosion and loss of habitats.
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What is the rate of sea level rise
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3mm/yr
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What are the major causes of current sea level rise?
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Thermal expansion: water density decreases as it heats up, causing sea level (or mass in oceans) to increase
Melting of Ice Sheets: freshwater added to oceans from mountain glaciers and ice sheets melting
Increase ground water use: causes the land to move downward, also known as subside…
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Causes of sea level decline
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glacial rebound: as ice melts, land lifts up
dam building
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positive feedback
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self reinforcing system. increase in one variable leads to further increase in that variable and vice versa: decrease leads to decrease.
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Negative feedback loop
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self regulating. if you change the status of one variable, the other will react in the opposite way until stability is reached.
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causation
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the act of causing an effect on another. independent variable has a causal relationship with the dependent variable
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steady state systems
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number of organisms stay the same
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dynamic system
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when a change in storage wouldn't equal zero
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calculating residence time
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how long on average a unit stays in a reservoir.
v= volume
f= flux
t = residence time
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species richness
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the total number of species in a designated area
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species evenness
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how evenly the total number of individuals is distributed between present species
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effective species number
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reflects the species evenness of an environment
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How is Simpson's index related to the effective number of species?
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Simpson's index is inversely proportional to the effective number of species
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dead zones
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areas of low(hypoxic) or no oxygen (anoxic) in oceans that cause severe degradation of the marine ecosystem
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Climate Change Trends in Oregon
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Costal upwelling: seasonal feature on the PNW shelf, where deep waters are drawn up onto the shelf (affected by large-scale ocean circulation, wind strength, and the Coriolis Effect)
Deep Waters: those up-welled waters are cold and nutrient rich, driving productivity in eastern boundar…
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Reasons for hypoxia
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1. Deep waters are already low in oxygen compared to surface waters because there is less turbidity to mix oxygen into the water
2. Respiration on the shelf lowers oxygen levels even more
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Oregon energy use
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Oregon mostly relies on coal, hydro power, then natural gas, biomass, then wind and geothermal energy
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Invasive species
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species introduced in one way or another to an area not their own. They harm the environment they are introduced into, , especially since most invasive species do not have natural predators
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Indicator Species
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an organism or species that, by their presence, abundance, or chemical composition, demonstrate some distinct aspect of the character or quality of the environment they inhabit
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Keystone Species
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a species that has a disproportionate effect on its environment in relation to its abundance or prevalence. Such species affect many other organisms in an ecosystem and help to determine the types and numbers of various other species within the community it inhabits
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Ecosystem Services
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Regulatory: erosion/flood control, nutrient cycling
Support: habitat, soil development
Provisioning: food, clean water
Cultural: recreation, spiritual enrichment
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Greenhouse Effect:
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Greenhouse gases absorb long wave radiation and radiate it which warms the Earth's surface.
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Most abundant greenhouse gas
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water vapor
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Anthropogenic Sources of carbon dioxide
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main sources are fossil fuel combustion, deforestation, and land use changes, manufacturing of cement
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What is the largest anthropogenic contributor to the rise of CO2 levels in the atmosphere?
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1. burning fossil fuels
2. deforestation
3. urbanization of the carbon stores
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What human activities (by sector) contribute the most to CO2 levels (methane and nitrous oxide, respectively)
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CO2= fossil fuel combustion, industry
Methane: decaying of organic material (landfills, wetlands, rice fields)
Nitrous Oxide: fertilizer and animal waste management a little in fossil fuel burning
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What are the top three sources of energy generation in Oregon
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1. Hydropower
2. Coal
3. Natural Gas
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What is the main function of nitrogen? Is there an issue with nitrogen waste/ excess nitrogen in plants? How is nitrogen obtained?
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nitrogen provides proteins- essential for all living things
a plants biggest problem is obtaining nitrogen, so yes.
nitrogen is obtained by plants by recruiting bacteria to set up nitrogen-processing hubs in nodules on roots
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How do conventional and non-conventional types of fossil fuels differ?
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conventional are more easily accessible and the non-conventional are energy intensive processes and require new technologies to recover
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What are the benefits of poly-culture?
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- -pest management
-increase in soil nutrients
-biodiversity
resistance to disease
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What does input substitution refer to?
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Organic pesticides for large scale organic farming.
Methods include:
- certified organic means NO GMOs
- IPM without synthetics
-composting, crop/livestock rotation, no-till
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What are the major concerns about GM crops for the environment and farmers?
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What are the major concerns about GM crops for the environment and farmers?
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What are two problems with the widespread production of grass seed in the Willamette Valley?
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- Takes up area that could be used for food production
- loss of biodiversity (monoculture)
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What is agroecology? What are four strategies used in agroecology?
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The discipline that provides the basic ecological principles for how to study, design, and manage an agroecosystem (community of plants and animals interacting with physical and chemical environments)
Strategies:
Integration of Animals
Diversification
Water Conservation
Crop Rotat…
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True or False: Sea rise is a purely human-induce phenomenon
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FALSE
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List three processes that increase the rate of sea level rise and two that decrease the rate of sea level rise
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Increase: melting glaciers, thermal expansion, over extraction of groundwater
Decrease: Isostatic rebound, dams
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Four Stages of demographic transistion
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1. high birthrate, high death rate
2. lower death rate
3.lower birth rate
4.balance of lower birth and death rates
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Population Momentum
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population growth at the national level which would occur even if levels of childbearing immediately declined to replacement level
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ENVS 202:Final