Lecture Outlines Chapter 5 Environment: The Science behind the Stories 4th Edition

1. Lecture Outlines Chapter 5 Environment:The Science behind the Stories 4th Edition Withgott/Brennan

2. Study Guide: Environmental systems Ecosystems and their services How living and nonliving entities interact Landscape ecology, GIS and ecological modeling The water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles Human impacts on these cycles

3. Central Case: The Gulf of Mexico’s “Dead Zone” The Gulf of Mexico brings in a billion pounds/year of shrimp, fish, and shellfish Gulf “dead zone” = a region of water so depleted of oxygen That marine organisms are killed or driven away Hypoxia = low concentrations of dissolved oxygen in water From fertilizer, fossil fuel emissions, runoff, sewage

4. Earth’s environmental systems Our planet’s environment consists of complex networks of interlinked systems Matter and molecules Organisms, populations, interacting species Nonliving entities (rocks, air, water, etc.) A systems approaches assesses questions holistically Helping address complex, multifaceted issues But systems can show behavior that is hard to understand and predict

5. Systems show several defining properties System = a network of relationships among parts, elements, or components They interact with and influence one another They exchange energy, matter, or information Systems receive inputs of energy, matter, or information They process these inputs and produce outputs Feedback loop = a circular process in which a system’s output serves as input to that same system Negative and positive feedback loops do not mean bad and good

6. Negative feedback loop Negative feedback loop = output from a system moving in one direction acts as input That moves the system in the other direction Input and output neutralize one another Stabilizes the system Example: predator – prey interactions Most systems in nature

7. Negative feedback

8. Positive feedback loop Positive feedback loop = instead of stabilizing a system, it drives it further toward one extreme or another Exponential growth in human population, erosion, melting sea ice Rare in nature But is common in natural systems altered by humans

9. Positive feedback

10. Systems are active Dynamic equilibrium = system processes move in opposing directions Balancing their effects Homeostasis = a system maintains constant (stable) internal conditions Emergent properties = system characteristics are not evident in the components alone The whole is more than the sum of the parts It is hard to fully understand systems; they connect to other systems and do not have sharp boundaries

11. Environmental systems interact Environmental entities: complex, interacting systems For example, river systems consist of hundreds of smaller tributary subsystems Impacted by farms, cities, fields, etc. Solving environmental problems means considering all appropriate components in the system of interest

12. Eutrophication: a systems perspective Fertilizer from Midwestern farms adds nutrients to the Mississippi River, which causes… Phytoplankton to grow, then… Bacteria eat dead phytoplankton and wastes Explosions of bacteria deplete oxygen, causing… Fish and other aquatic organisms to suffocate Sources of nitrogen and phosphorus include: Agricultural sources, nitrogen-fixing crops Livestock manure, sewage treatment plants, street runoff, industrial and vehicle emissions

13. Eutrophication The process of nutrient over-enrichment leads to: Blooms of algae Increased production of organic matter Decomposition and hypoxia

14. Systems are perceived in various ways Categorizing environmental systems helps make Earth’s dazzling complexity comprehensible For example, the Earth consists of structural spheres Lithosphere = rock and sediment Atmosphere = the air surrounding our planet Hydrosphere = liquid, solid or vapor water Biosphere = the planet’s living organisms and the abiotic (nonliving) portions of the environment Boundaries overlap, so the systems interact

15. Ecosystems Ecosystem = all organisms and nonliving entities that occur and interact in a particular area at the same time It includes abiotic and biotic components Biological entities are tightly intertwined with chemical and physical entities Through interactions and feedback loops Ecosystems receive, process and transform inputs of energy While cycling and recycling matter Outputs produced include heat, water, wastes

16. Systems of interacting entities in ecosystems Energy from the sun flows in one direction Arriving as radiation and leaving as heat Matter is recycled within ecosystem Through food-web relationships and decomposition

17. Energy is converted to biomass Primary production = conversion ofsolar energy to chemical energy in sugars by autotrophs Gross primary production (GPP) = assimilation of energy by autotrophs Net primary production(NPP) = energy remaining after respiration which is used to generate biomass Available for consumption by heterotrophs Secondary production = biomass generated by heterotrophs from consuming autotrophs Productivity = rate at which ecosystems generate biomass

18. Net primary productivity of ecosystems High net primary productivity = ecosystems whose plants rapidly convert solar energy to biomass

19. NPP variation causes global geographic patterns NPP increases with temperature and precipitation on land, and with light and nutrients in aquatic ecosystems

20. Nutrients can limit productivity Nutrients = elements and compounds required for survival that are consumed by organisms Macronutrients = required in larger amounts Nitrogen, carbon, phosphorus Micronutrients = nutrients needed in smaller amounts Nutrients stimulate plant production Nitrogen and phosphorus are important for plant andalgal growth Dramatic growth of algae in water treated with phosphate

21. Nutrient runoff is devastating aquatic systems Nitrogen is the more important limiting factor for primary productivity In coastal ocean waters Iron is an effective nutrient for open ocean waters Satellite imagery gives scientists an improved view of productivity at regional and global scales Phytoplankton blooms off the Louisiana coast

22. Worldwide marine dead zones Over 400 dead zones occur globally Most are off the coasts of Europe and the U.S. Mostly due to farm, city and industrial pollution Some are seasonal, others are permanent Fisheries and ecosystems are devastated Causing over $2 billion/year in lost harvests

23. Ecosystems interact spatially Ecosystems vary greatly in size From a puddle of water to a bay, lake or forest The term “ecosystem” is most often applied to self-contained systems of moderate geographic extent Adjacent ecosystems may share components and interact I.e. prairie and forests interact where they converge Ecotones = transitional zones between two ecosystems Elements of each ecosystem mix

24. Landscape ecology = studies how landscape structure affects the abundance, distribution, and interaction of organisms Helpful for sustainable regional development Patches = form the landscape Are spread spatially in complex patterns (a mosaic) I.e. forested patches within an agricultural landscape Widely spaced patches endanger organisms Landscape ecology

25. Metapopulations and conservation biology Metapopulation = a network of subpopulations Most members stay within patches Some individuals may move among patches or mate with those of other patches Individuals in small, isolated patches risk extinction Conservation biologists = study the loss, protection, and restoration of biodiversity Human development fragments habitat Creating small, isolated patches Habitat corridors that link patches protect biodiversity

26. Remote sensing applies landscape ecology Remote sensing allows scientists to take a landscape perspective Geographic information system (GIS) = computer software used in landscape ecology research Analyzes how elements of a landscape are arranged Helps in planning and land-use decisions

27. Modeling helps us understand systems A model = a simplified representation of a complex natural process Helps us understand the process and make predictions Ecological modeling = constructs and tests models To explain and predict how ecological systems work Researchers gather data and form a hypothesis about relationships Models predict how the system will behave New data refine and increase the model’s accuracy

28. Ecological modeling Ecological modeling resembles the scientific method

29. Ecosystems provide vital services Human society depends on healthy, functioning ecosystems They provide goods and services we need to survive Ecosystem services = provided by the planet’s systems Soil formation, water and air purification, pollination Breakdown of some pollutants and waste Quality of life issues (inspiration, spiritual renewal) Nutrient cycling

30. Ecosystem goods and services

31. Nutrients circulate through ecosystems Matter is continually circulated in ecosystems Nutrient (biogeochemical) cycles = the movement of nutrients through ecosystems Atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere Pools(reservoirs) = where nutrients reside for varying amounts of time (the residence time) Flux = the rate at which materials move between pools Can change over time Is influenced by human activities

32. Main components of a biogeochemical cycle Source = a pool that releases more nutrients than it accepts Sinks = a pool that accepts more nutrients than it releases

33. The hydrologic cycle Water is essential for biochemical reactions It is involved in nearly every environmental system Hydrologic cycle = summarizes how liquid, gaseous and solid water flows through the environment Oceans are the main reservoir Evaporation = water moves from aquatic and land systems into the atmosphere Transpiration = release of water vapor by plants Precipitation, runoff, and surface water = water returns to Earth as rain or snow and flows into streams, oceans, etc.

34. Transpiration

35. Groundwater Aquifers = underground reservoirs of sponge-like regions of rock and soil that hold… Groundwater = water found underground beneath layers of soil Water table = the upper limit of groundwater in an aquifer Water may be ancient (thousands of years old) Groundwater becomes exposed to the air where the water table reaches the surface Exposed water runs off to the ocean or evaporates

36. The hydrologic cycle

37. Human impacts on the hydrologic cycle Removing forests and vegetation increases runoff and erosion, reduces transpiration and lowers water tables Irrigating agricultural fields depletes rivers, lakes and streams and increases evaporation Damming rivers increases evaporation and infiltration Emitting pollutants changes the nature of precipitation The most threatening impact: overdrawing groundwater for drinking, irrigation, and industrial use Water shortages create worldwide conflicts

38. The carbon cycle Carbon is found in carbohydrates, fats, proteins, bones, cartilage and shells Carbon cycle = describes the route of carbon atoms through the environment Photosynthesis by plants, algae and cyanobacteria Removes carbon dioxide from air and water Produces oxygen and carbohydrates Plants are a major reservoir of carbon Respiration returns carbon to the air and oceans Plants, consumers and decomposers

39. Sediment storage of carbon Decomposition returns carbon to the sediment The largest reservoir of carbon May be trapped for hundreds of millions of years Aquatic organisms die and settle in the sediment Older layers are buried deeply and undergo high pressure Ultimately, it may be converted into fossil fuels Oceans are the second largest reservoir of carbon

40. The carbon cycle

41. Humans affect the carbon cycle Burning fossil fuels moves carbon from the ground to the air Cutting forests and burning fields moves carbon from vegetation to the air Today’s atmospheric carbon dioxide reservoir is the largest in the past 800,000 years It is the driving force behind climate change The missing carbon sink: 1-2 billion metric tons of carbon are unaccounted for It may be taken up by plants or soils of northern temperate and boreal forests

42. The nitrogen cycle Nitrogen comprises 78% of our atmosphere It is contained in proteins, DNA and RNA Nitrogen cycle = describes the routes that nitrogen atoms take through the environment Nitrogen gas cannot be used by organisms Nitrogen fixation = lightning or nitrogen-fixing bacteria combine (fix) nitrogen with hydrogen To form ammonium Which can be used by plants

43. Nitrification and denitrification Nitrification = bacteria convert ammonium ions first into nitrite ions then into nitrate ions Plants can take up these ions Animals obtain nitrogen by eating plants or other animals Decomposers get it from dead and decaying plants or other animals Releasing ammonium ions to nitrifying bacteria Denitrifying bacteria = convert nitrates in soil or water to gaseous nitrogen Releasing it back into the atmosphere

44. The nitrogen cycle

45. Humans affect the nitrogen cycle Haber-Bosch process = production of fertilizers by combining nitrogen and hydrogen to synthesize ammonia Humans overcame the limits on crop productivity Fixing atmospheric nitrogen with fertilizers Increases emissions of greenhouse gases and smog Washes calcium and potassium out of soil Acidifies water and soils Moves nitrogen into terrestrial systems and oceans Reduces diversity of plants adapted to low-nitrogen soils Changed estuaries and coastal ecosystems and fisheries

46. Humans put nitrogen into the environment Fully half of nitrogen entering the environment is of human origin

47. The phosphorus cycle Phosphorus (P) is a key component of cell membranes, DNA, RNA, ATP and ADP Phosphorus cycle = describes the routes that phosphorus atoms take through the environment Most phosphorus is within rocks It is released by weathering There is no significant atmospheric component With naturally low environmental concentrations Phosphorus is a limiting factor for plant growth

48. The phosphorus cycle

49. Humans affect the phosphorus cycle Mining rocks for fertilizer moves phosphorus from the soil to water systems Wastewater discharge also releases phosphorus Runoff containing phosphorus causes eutrophication of aquatic systems Produces murkier waters Alters the structure and function of aquatic systems Do not buy detergents that contain phosphate

50. Solutions to the dead zone The Harmful Algal Bloom and Hypoxia Research and Control Act (1998) Called for an assessment of hypoxia in the dead zone Solutions outlined included: Reduce nitrogen fertilizer use in Midwestern farms Apply fertilizer at times which minimize runoff Use alternative crops and manage manure better Restore wetlands and create artificial ones Improve sewage treatment technologies Evaluate these approaches