Environmental Interactions

Environmental Interactions

Weather vs Climate

•Weather - day to day condition at a particular time

and place.

•Climate - average year after year conditions at a

particular place

– Average temperatures (Fall, Winter,

Spring, Summer) - averages made
annually, monthly, daily, etc.

– Precipitation - amount of rainfall, snow, hail, etc.

Multiple Choice

What is weather?

• When it is freezing cold all year round.

• The conditions of the atmosphere (air/sky) over a short period of time.

• The speed in which the wind travels.

• The atmosphere (air/sky) over long periods of time.

Multiple Choice

What is climate?

• The conditions of the atmosphere (air/sky) over a short period of time.

• The changing of weather throughout the day.

• The way in which we feel when it is hot or cold.

• The atmosphere (air/sky) over long periods of time.

Effect of Climate on

Ecosystems

•Climate shapes Ecosystems

– Climate is the primary Abiotic Factor that

determines what type of community that will be
found in a particular area.

– Temperatures and rainfall determine what type of

plants (producers) can be found in an area

•This also determines the type of animals
and number of animals that can be found
in an area (biomass)

Effect of Latitude on Climate

• Near the equator the angle

of solar radiation is more
direct

• More solar radiation

will penetrate the
atmosphere near
equator

– Warmer and wetter as a
result

• 3 distinct zones created: tropical, temperate, and

polar

Multiple Select

How does climate affect an ecosystem? Select all that apply.

• Climate determines the types of plants and animals in the ecosystem.

• Climate determines the number of plants and animals that can live in a particular ecosystem.

• Climate determines the seasonal and day/night temperatures

• Climate determines the type of precipitation and its seasonal totals

Multiple Choice

All of the following impact climate EXCEPT

• latitude

• ocean currents

• prevailing wind

• tectonic plates

• atmospheric pressure

Multiple Choice

How does latitude influence climate?

• The closer you are to the equator the higher the temp

• Winds bring rain to the coast from the seas

• The higher the altitude the colder the temperature

• Ocean Currents affect precipitation

Multiple Choice

Region between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. The sun's rays are most intense and the temperatures are always warm.

• tropical zone

• temperate zone

• polar zone

• warm front

• Solar Radiation Heats Earth
• Earth Heats Atmosphere
• Some Heat Trapped in Atmosphere by

Greenhouse Gases (CO2, CH4, and N2O)

Without greenhouse effect Earth would

be VERY COLD!

Multiple Choice

The greenhouse effect is a natural process

• true

• false

Multiple Choice

The greenhouse effect is caused by

• more heat arriving at the Earth from the sun

• the Earth releasing more heat at night

• gases in the air trapping heat released by the Earth

Biomes of the World

Fill in the Blank

What biome do we live in?

The Niche

An organism’s “role” within the
ecosystem

– Feeding Relationships

– Resource partitioning

Where does it belong in food
chain?

– Physical requirements

(temperature, shelter, ect…)

– Other relationships with

other species

Community Interactions

• Competition - organisms of the same or different

species trying to use the same resource at the same
time

– Water, nutrients, light, food, space ect…

• Predation - one organism captures and feeds upon

another organism

– Example: Deer and wolf

• Predator - Wolf

• Prey - Elk

Multiple Choice

The animal in an ecological relationship that results in another animal being hunted, killed, and eaten…

• autotroph

• habitat

• predator

• herbivore

• producer

Multiple Choice

The non-living part of the natural environment where an animal, plant or other organism lives…

• niche

• habitat

• community

• ecosystem

• biosphere

Multiple Choice

This is the job or role of a specific organism within its habitat...

• producer

• prey

• carnivore

• niche

• photosynthesis

Community Interactions

• Symbiosis - when two organisms live close to one

another and have some sort of Relationship

– Mutualism - a relationship in which both species

benefit. Ex: Oxpecker and cattle

– Commensalism - a relationship in which one

species benefits and the other is neither helped nor
harmed. Ex: Tree and bird

– Parasitism - a relationship in which one species

benefits and the species is harmed. Ex: Tapeworm
(parasite) and Animals (Host)

• Parasite vs. Host

Match

Match the following types of relationships to their descriptions:

• Both organisms are harmed by fighting over a resource

• One organism benefits at the expense of the other

• One organism benefits while the other remains neutral

• Both organisms benefit (help each other)

Competition

Parasitism

Commensalism

Mutualism

• Competition

• Parasitism

• Commensalism

• Mutualism

Biodiversity

Biodiversity - all the different species living on Earth,
the diversity of community populations within an
ecosystem.

– Human activity has significantly lowered the

amount of biodiversity on Earth.

Are we currently causing a mass extinction?

– Extinction is a natural process however

• It is estimated that human activity has increased

the rate of extinction by 1,000 to 10,000 times
the natural rate.

• If the trend continues, 30-50% of all

species will be extinct by mid-century
(2050)

Invasive(non-native) Species

• Introduction of Invasive (non-native) species

has a negative impact on ecosystems.

– Invasive species can outcompete native species

for resources and disrupt balance or
relationships within a natural ecosystem

Why Care?

• Human survival is tied to biodiversity
• Keystone Species - a species whose presence

maintains the balance within the ecosystem. The
loss of the keystone species disrupts the balance and
threatens the existence of the other biotic and
abiotic factors within that particular ecosystem.

• Invasive Species - living things that are non-native

to an ecosystem. Their introduction causes an
imbalance and can have dramatic consequences to
the ecosystem.

Multiple Choice

An invasive species can be natural (as in a result or imigration due to habitat loss) or can be a result of human activity. True or false?

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Invasive species alter the ecosystem by __________in number quickly,this leads to _____ food for the native species.

• increasing, less

• declining,more

Multiple Select

What are the three main parts of Biodiversity? (Check all that apply)

• Endangered

• Species

• Genetic

• High Risk

• Ecosystem

Poll

Is the loss of biodiversity a risk in our community?

• No

• Yes

• Never thought about it

• I know the answer is yes, but I have never thought about it before!

Human Actions

● Habitat Destruction/Alteration - This is the leading

cause of extinction.
○ Examples: Urban development, Industrial

development, Dams/Alteration of Aquatic
Environments, Agricultural Development
Deforestation

● Habitat Fragmentation - splitting of ecosystems

into pieces (islands)
○ many organisms such as brown bears need a

large area to survive

○ Fragmentation can equal extinction

Overfishing, Overhunting,

Poaching

Multiple Choice

How does habitat fragmentation reduce genetic diversity in species?

• Habitat fragmentation makes nonnative species introduction possible.

• Habitat fragmentation opens migration routes.

• Habitat fragmentation isolates a large population into smaller groups.

• Habitat fragementation encourages open gene flow.

Multiple Select

Habitat loss means less space for animals to __________, __________, and _____________. (Choose 3 answers)

• feed

• breed

• locate new species

• raise their young

Multiple Choice

What will help prevent habitat destruction?

• Spreading out farms and urban developments

• Finding a balance between what humans and animals need

• Decreasing animal populations

• Decreasing plant populations

Pollution

● Acid Rain - pollutants combine with water vapor

in the atmosphere to form nitric and sulfuric acid;
then, fall as precipitation.
○ Lowers the pH of both aquatic and terrestrial

ecosystems.

● Toxic Waste - harmful materials of all forms that

can contaminate air, soil, and/or water.
○ Biological Magnification- build up of toxins as

they pass through food chain.
■ Some toxins do not degrade (asbestos)
■ These toxins reach lethal levels as they are

consumed to the upper levels of a food
chain (DDT)

Ozone Depletion

• CFCs and other atmospheric

pollutants destroy the ozone layer.

– Ozone (O3) is in the upper layer

of the atmosphere called the
stratosphere.

– Ozone successfully deflects

much of the UV-B radiation from
the sun.

• melanoma - an aggressive form

of skin cancer, cataracts

• global warming - an increase in

the earth’s overall average
temperature.

Global Warming

• Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide gas

into the Earth’s atmosphere.

– CO2 is a greenhouse gas and traps heat
– CO2 dissolves into water and creates carbonic acid

(HCO3).

■Acids like HCO3 react with calcium carbonate (CaCO3).

■Calcium carbonate makes up the shells of marine invertebrates
like clams and coral. The excess CO2 in oceans dissolves those
shells.

​Carbon Dioxide gas in Water

​Watch the video above.

In it, a student breathes air into a straw that is submerged in water. The water has bromothymol blue added to it. Bromothymol blue changes color in the presence of acidic conditions.

Fill in the Blank

What gas in being added to the solution in the video?

Conservation vs. Preservation

Conservationists seek a

sustainable relationship between

humans and the environment.
Where the public can still visit
and use its resources; however,

these resources are tightly

monitored and usage is

controlled.

Preservationists seek

boundaries which protect areas
of land from human influence.

This portion of land or sea can be

protected by its indigenous

peoples but is otherwise

untouched by men.

Open Ended

Tell me whether you are more of a conservationist or a preservationist and why?

Is it more important to regulate how people use land and forest resources (conservationism) or should we minimize/eliminate the presence of people altogether (preservation)?