tragedy of the commons
situation in which people acting individually and in their own interest use up commonly available but limited resources, creating disaster for the entire community
in this context - when anyone is authorized to remove natural resources from the environmen
inductive reasoning
A type of logic in which generalizations are based on a large number of specific observations
deductive reasoning
reasoning in which a conclusion is reached by stating a general principle and then applying that principle to a specific case
uncertainty
a quantitative measure of how much your measured values deviate from a standard or expected value
Remediative Uncertainty
can be reduced through better or further research, providing more or better date or observations
Irremediative Uncertainty
caused by non-linear feedback that cannot be dispelled through better measurement
cognitive uncertainty
occurs when we do not know what the beliefs and attitudes of the other person are
accuracy
how correct we are in a measurement, prediction, or conclusion
precision
measure of how exactly we think we know the measurement, prediction, conclusion
linear interactions
those in which the response to a change in a forcing factor is proportional to the change in forcing
non-linear system
A system in which at least one of the equations is not linear
response of system is not proportional to the change in forcing
system
an entity composed of a number of parts, or components, each of which contribute to the function of the whole
open system
a system in which exchanges of matter or energy occur across system boundaries
closed system
A system in which no matter is allowed to enter or leave
feedback
interaction between driver and response within a system
negative feedback
take an input driver and reduce its magnitude - stabilize the system
positive feedback
output from system may be amplified and serve as increased input
unstable
exponential growth
growth whose rate becomes ever more rapid in proportion to the growing total number or size
Uniformatarianism
normal day to day processes dominate the behavior of the system as whole and extreme events may occur but are so rare that their effects are eventually smoothed out
the past is the key to the future
catastrophism
history is driven by unusual, extreme events that determine subsequent events and obliterate the record of day to day more mundane processes
stock
amount of a certain entity in a reservoir within a system
flux
rate of exchange of material into or out of reservoir
Gaia Hypothesis
life affects its physical environment
life has altered its planetary environment such that it persists
life controls the global environment on purpose
hysteresis
to be driven far beyond the original condition to cause the system to switch back
what is the rate of world growth
3 people per second
where is the most growth occurring
developing countries
90% in these countries where 80% of the world lives
demographic transition
The process of change in a society's population from a condition of high crude birth and death rates and low rate of natural increase to a condition of low crude birth and death rates, low rate of natural increase, and a higher total population
when does a population boom occur
high mortality and fertility and low mortality with fertility
global growth rate
1.2% per year
what determines age structure
history of birth and death rates of a segment of the population
developing countries have younger, developed have old
ecosystem
A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment
C3 plants
the most common and the most efficient at photosynthesis in cool, wet climates
C4 plants
plants that have adapted their photosynthetic process to more efficiently handle hot and dry conditions
what is productivity of an ecosystem controlled by
autotrophs
potential energy
stored energy
kinetic energy
energy of motion
net primary productivity
the rate at which biomass accumulates in an ecosystem
determined by plants
Net Ecosystem Productivity
Difference between the rates of net primary productivity and carbon lost through consumer and decomposer respiration
Net ecosystem exchange (NEE)
The combined fluxes of CO2 into and out of an ecosystem principally by net primary production and autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration
ecological niche
the occupation and living needs of a species and only one species can occupy it at a time
competitive exclusion principle
Ecological rule that states that no two species can occupy the same exact niche in the same habitat at the same time
diversification
species can split into several evolutionary paths driven by variability of niches available
why do niches form
climate change, extinction of food or predators, human activities
primary succession
An ecological succession that begins in an area where no biotic community previously existed
secondary succession
reestablishment of a damaged ecosystem in an area where the soil was left intact
facilitation
the process of soil alteration by early successional species to provide nutrients and physical environment needed by later successional species
interference
the process of forming impenetrable ground cover or other means to prevent later successional species from taking root
symbiotic
a close relationship of mutual dependence
Commensalism
relationship between species in which each helps the other in ways that are not critical for survival
parasitism
relationship between species in which one lives off the energy from the other but does not kill the host
predation
relationship between species in which one organism eats another killing it in the process
biogeochemical cycle
process in which elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another
fertilization
when a limiting factor is added either naturally or artificially
Carbon Cycle Steps
photosynthesis, respiration, exchange, sedimentation and burial, extraction, and combustion
solubility pump
the uptake of atmospheric co2 by ocean surface water in response to increasing atmospheric co2 concentration in order to maintain chemical equilibrium between partial pressure of co2 in the air and adjacent water at the interface
biological pump
the incorporation of dissolved co2 in surface ocean water by phytoplankton and other marine organisms to make their shells
missing sink
the discrepancy between the known global atmospheric carbon emissions and know uptake by terrestrial and marine sinks - terrestrial sink has been underestimated
nitrogen cycle steps
nitrogen fixation, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification
nitrogen fixation
Process of converting nitrogen gas into ammonia
nitrification
ammonia is converted to nitrate ions (NO3-)
Denitrification
Conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas
Sulfur Cycle Steps
weathering makes sulfate ions (SO4^-2) available in water/soil for plants to absorb
phosphorus cycle steps
-Assimilation + Mineralization
-Sedimentation, Geological Uplift + Weathering