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Chapter 2
Pages 16-45
Matter and Energy
Read section 2-2 on Matter and Energy
Background to many ES issues and future
chapters
We will discuss some but not all
Science and Critical Thinking
Constructing the Hypothesis
The goal of science is to discover facts about the
natural world and the principles that explain
these facts.
How does one measure the natural world?
Use senses, see, hear, feel, taste smell, as well as tools
to extend these senses
Observations
Can quantify, through statistics can validate
Scientific Knowledge is ultimately traced to
Observations
Constructing the Hypothesis
The scientific method can be best described
as procedures used to learn about our
world.
Waste energy is
low quality and
cannot be reused
Second Law of Thermodynamics
What are some other examples of the
Second Law of Thermodynamics?
Water is heated due to energy loss from the flowing water and turbines
20-25% of the chemical energy in gasoline is converted to mechanical energy.
The rest is lost into the environment as low quality heat energy.
5% of electricity is changed into useful light. 95% is lost as low-quality heat.
Photosynthesis
is the process of
converting solar
energy into
chemical energy
stored in food
CO2 + H20 --->
C6H12O6 + O2
Respiration is the process of releasing
chemical energy stored in food to be used by
living things.
C6H12O6 + O2 ---> CO2 + H20
Ecological Concepts
One-way flow
of energy from
Sun
Cycling of
crucial elements
Gravity
Solar Capital: Flow of Energy to and
from the Earth
Greenhouse gasses
water vapor
CO2
Methane
Ozone
As greenhouse gasses
increase, temperature of
troposphere increases.
Ecosystem Components
Abiotic factors
Biotic factors
Range of tolerance for each species
what factors are important for
Ecosystem Components
Limiting factors determines distributions
Law of Tolerance
The existence, abundance and distribution
of a species is determined by levels of one
or more physical or chemical factors.
Common limiting factors
Limiting factors more important in regulating
population growth than other factors.
Terrestrial ecosystems (on land)
precipitation
temperature
soil nutrients
Aquatic ecosystems
temperature
sunlight
nutrients
dissolved oxygen
salinity
Biological Components of Ecosystems
Producers (autotrophs)
Consumers
(heterotrophs)
Herbivores, carnivores,
omnivores
Decomposers and
detritivores
detritus = dead organic
material
Biodiversity
Genetic diversity variety of genetic material
within a species or a population
Species diversity the number of species
present in different habitats
Ecological diversity the variety of terrestrial
and aquatic ecosystems found in an area or on
earth
Functional diversity biological and chemical
processes needed for the survival of species,
communities and ecosystems
Energy Flow in Ecosystems
reality tends
to be more
complex
than a linear
food chain
Primary Productivity of Ecosystems
Gross primary productivity (GPP)
The rate at which an ecosystem's producers capture
and store a given amount of chemical energy as
biomass in a given length of time.
Net primary productivity (NPP)
Rate at which all the plants in an ecosystem produce
net useful chemical energy; equal to the difference
between the rate at which the plants in an ecosystem
produce useful chemical energy (gross primary
productivity) and the rate at which they use some of
that energy through cellular respiration.
Through photosynthesis,
Converts to carbohydrates.
O2 consuming producers
respire,breaking carbo-
hydrates back to CO2.
Waterlogged
soil
Ammonia not taken up by plants
Toxic to plants
Usable by plants
Human Influence on the
Nitrogen Cycle
Add large amounts of nitric oxide by burning fuel
Gas converted to nitrogen dioxide gas and nitric
acid (acid rain)
Add nitrous oxide through anaerobic bacteria
breaking down livestock wastes (global warming).
Release nitrogen stored in soils and plants by
destroying forests, grasslands and wetlands.
Add excess nitrates for agriculture
Remove nitrogen from topsoils through harvesting
various crops
The Phosphorus Cycle
Slow