Part I.

Introduction to
Environmental Science
Environmental Science
Environment – surrounding external
- interdisciplinary study of
conditions influencing development or
humanity’s relationship with
growth of people, animal or plants,
other organisms and the
living or working conditions, etc.
nonliving physical environment
All living things around us with which
we interact: - the academic field that takes
physical, biological, and
- Living things (Animal, Plants,
chemical sciences to study the
Fungi, etc)
environment and discover
- Non-living things (Soil, Water,
solutions to environmental
Rocks, etc)
problems
- Our built environment
 includes concepts and
(Buildings, human-created living
ideas from multiple fields
centers)
of study
- Social relationships and
 decisions have impacts in
institutions all these fields of study
Understanding the Environment Why we study environmental
 Lithosphere – solid component science?
of the earth
- We depend on our environment
 Atmosphere – gases (the air)
- Environmental science is our
 Hydrosphere – all water
modern way of seeking answers
 Biosphere – all life
to the questions
Elements of the Environment - Our environment improves the
quality of our lives
 Physical Elements –
- Environmental science teaches
everything we see/ touch,
us how to protect our
subject for tourism and
environment in the face of
recreation
rising human population and
 Biological Elements – all life
anthropogenic activities that
forms (animals, plants, fungi,
degrade natural resources and
etc.)
ecosystems
 Cultural Elements – norms,
way of life, and traditions
Environmental Ethics – discipline
The Great Law of the Iroquois
that studies the moral relationship of
Confederacy
human beings to the environment
“In our every deliberation, we must
consider the impact of our decisions in
the next seven generations”
 pesticides on large predatory
birds, particularly the bald eagle
- Documented impacts of DDT on
Two Main Categories of Ethics in wildlife
Human Culture in Modern History: - Began public awakening to
threats of pollution and toxic
Anthropocentrism – the view or
chemicals to humans as well as
belief that human beings are superior
other species
to all other organisms
- This movement is called
 Emphasizes on short-term Modern Environmentalism
benefits while disregarding
long-term consequences
Global Environmentalism – explores
 Protects and promotes human
issues and problems over the entire
interests or well-being at the
world
expense of other factors
Following 1970s, environmentalism
Ecocentrism – perspective that
began to consider issues that affected
places importance on the ecosystem
the entire planet:
as a whole
 Biodiversity loss
Hetch Hetchy Debate – debate
 Food Production
about whether to build a dam in the
 Climate Change
Hetch Hetchy Valley to provide water
 Human Population Growth
supply or to preserve wilderness
 Economic Inequality Between
between 1908 and 1913
Nations
 Dam was eventually
constructed
Demographic Divide
 Justified by Gifford Pinochet,
the first man in charge of the Developing Countries (e.g.
U.S. Forest Service Philippines, Indonesia)
 “The greatest good of the
 Economically poor
greatest number in the long
 Less Educated
run”
 Higher Fertility Rates
Resources Conservationist  Lower standard of living
 Lower rates of consumption
- to protect open land
- National Park System and
National Forest System were Developed Countries (USA, Japan,
both created during this time Korea)

Modern Environmentalism  Economically wealthy

 More educated
- Rachel Carson published a  Lower fertility rates
book in 1962 entitled Silent  Higher standard of living
Spring about the effects of
  Higher rates of consumption Genotype – genes from parents

4 Basic Principles of Organismal Diversity – familiar

Environmental Science expressions of biodiversity (e.g.
richness of species)
 Systematic Principle of
environment  Domains
 Principle of Environmental  Phyla
Capacity  Families
 Symbiosis principle between  Genera
human and environment  Species
 Entropy Principle  Subspecies
 Populations
 Individuals
Part II. Ecological Principles and
Concepts
Kingdom of Humans: Animalia
Ecology – study of interactions
between different organisms and their
surrounding environment
Ecological Diversity
Biological Diversity (Biodiversity) –
 Species – group of organisms
variation of organisms or diversity
that can interbreed and produce
within species
fertile offspring
3 Types of Biodiversity  Population – group of
individuals of a single species
Genetic Diversity
living together within a specific
 Components of genetic coding area
between individuals  Community – different
 Raw material in which populations
evolutionary processes act  Ecosystem – community of
 Basic measure of genetic living organisms
diversity – genome size of 35 pg  Biome – group of ecosystems
(base pairs)  Biosphere – encompasses
- Populations subsystems
- Individuals
- Chromosomes
- Genes
- Nucleotides

DNA – means Deoxyribonucleic Acid

RNA – means Ribonucleic Acid

Phenotype – Appearance 2 Types of Ecosystems:

  Natural Ecosystem –  Carnivores – animals
dependant on solar retaliation, with diet consisting of
not man-made, no human meat, and other animals
modifications  Omnivores – organism
 Man-made Ecosystem – that eat both plant
induced by human efforts matters and animals
 Decomposers –
organisms whose diet is
Ecosystem Services
based on decaying
 Provisioning Services – matter
directly benefit people
2 Types of Food Chain:
 Regulating Services –
moderates natural phenomena  Grazing – live products are
 Cultural Services – non- passed off the food chain
material benefit  Detritus – unalive products are
 Supporting Service – indirect the main diet of the food chain
benefit to people
Food Web – overall food relationship
between organisms
Biotic Factors – Living things
Energy Pyramid – graphical
Abiotic Factors – Non-living things representation of energy found within
trophic levels of ecosystem

Ecological Succession – term used

Trophic Levels
to refer to the mix of species and
 Producers habitat in an area that changes
- Sunlight is main source of overtime
energy
2 types:
- Also called
“autotrophs”  Primary Succession – no
- Use light or chemical to interferences/ disturbances in
make their own food the habitat with less diverse
 Consumers species
- Also called  Secondary Succession –
“heterotrophs” rampant destruction of habitat
- Organism that relies on that induces much diverse
other organisms for food species
or resources

Types:
 Herbivores – animals
that eat plant, fruits,
leaves, seeds, etc.
Interaction between Organisms in
the Ecosystem

 Competition – fight for

resources
 Niche – place where organism
lives and roles that an organism
as in its habitat
 Habitat – physical environment
in which a species has adapted
to
 Predation – one organism
captures the other for food
 Predator
 Prey
 Symbiosis – relationships
between two organisms

Types of Symbiosis

 Mutualism – both organism

benefit from each other
 Commensalism – only one
benefits but no one is harmed
 Parasitism – one organism
lives and the other is harmed
(e.g. fleas and ticks on a dog)