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IB ESS Term 1
IB ESS Term 1 (Topics 1 and 2)
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Define "A systems approach" | a way of visualizing a complex set of interactions which may be ecological or societal. The interactions produce the emergent properties of the system and can be applied at a range of scales |
| transfers | a process (or flow) in the system that involves a change in location of the flow of energy and matter |
| transformations | a process (or flow) in the system that involves a change in the chemical nature, a change in state or a change in energy |
| storages | in a system diagram are represented as rectangular boxes. The size of the boxes may be representative of the size/magnitude of the _____________. Increasing these will increase the resilience of a system. |
| flows | in a system diagram are represented as arrows, with the direction of each arrow indicating the direction of the ____. The size of the arrows may be representative of the size/magnitude of the _____. They provide the inputs and outputs of energy and matter |
| Open system | exchanges both energy and matter across its boundary. An example is an ecosystem. |
| Closed system | exchanges only energy across its boundary. __________ _____________ only exist experimentally, although the global geochemical cycles approximate to _______________ ______________. Examples include Biosphere 2 and Planet Earth. |
| isolated system | a hypothetical concept in which neither energy nor matter is exchanged across the boundary. |
| A model | a simplified version of reality that can be used to understand how a system works and to predict how it will respond to change |
| Disadvantages of a model | A model inevitably involves some approximation and therefore loss of accuracy. They rely on the expertise of those making it. Different people may interpret diversely Only as accurate as the data; Different models may show varied effects with same data |
| Evaluate the use of models as a tool in a given situation | Adv - Can predict and simplify complex systems Inputs can be changed and outputs examined without waiting for real events; Disadv - Lack of detail may not be accurate Different models may show different effects with same data |
| Recall the first law of thermodynamics | the principle of conservation of energy, which states that energy in an isolated system can be transformed but cannot be created or destroyed. Can be modelled by the energy transformations along food chains and energy production systems. |
| Recall the second law of thermodynamics | the entropy of a system increases over time. An increase in entropy arising from energy transformations reduces the energy available. This law explains the inefficiency and decrease in available energy along a food chain and energy generation systems. |
| Entropy | a measure of the amount of disorder in a system. There is an increase of this arising from energy transformations in a food chain along with a decrease in the energy available to do work. |
| stable equilibrium | there is a tendency for ecosystems to return to the previous equilibrium following a disturbance. An ecosystem will normally exist in this type of equilibrium (either steady-state or one developing over time) and is maintained by negative feedback loops. |
| steady-state equilibrium | the condition of an open system in which there are not changes over the longer term, but in which there may be oscillations in the very short term maintained by negative feedback loops stabilising the system |
| Negative feedback loops | (stabilizing) occur when the output of a process inhibits or reverses the operation of the same process in such a way as to reduce change—it counteracts deviation. The system returns to the original equilibrium. |
| Positive feedback loops | (destabilizing) will tend to amplify changes away from the original equilibrium and drive the system towards a tipping point where a new equilibrium is adopted. |
| resilience of a system | can be ecological or social. This refers to its tendency to avoid tipping points and maintain the stability of the system. Influenced by the size of storages. |
| factors that contribute to the resilience of a system | Diversity (food webs and biodiversity) and the size of storages within systems will affect their speed of response to a disturbance (time lags). Human action can affect resilience (often by reducing storages and diversity) |
| tipping point | the minimum amount of change within a system that will destabilize it, causing it to reach a new equilibrium or stable state |
| why are tipping points difficult to predict? | delays involved in feedback loops (e.g. speed of response to change (time lags)) and adds to the complexity of modelling systems. |
| Define Sustainability | the use and management of resources that allows full natural replacement of the resources exploited and full recovery of the ecosystems affected by their extraction and use. |
| Define Natural capital | natural resources that can produce a sustainable natural income of goods or services |
| Define Natural income | the yield obtained from natural resources |
| Recall examples of Natural Capital Services | Life-supporting services such as water replenishment, flood and erosion protection, |
| Recall examples of Natural Income Goods | Life-supporting goods such as timber, fisheries, and agricultural crops. |
| The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) | A scientific appraisal of the condition and trends in the world’s ecosystems and the services they provide using environmental indicators, as well as the scientific basis for action to conserve and use them sustainably. |
| Environmental Indicators | Factors such as biodiversity, pollution, population or climate may be used quantitatively as environmental indicators of sustainability. These factors can be applied on a range of scales, from local to global. |
| Environmental Impact Assessment (EIAs) | Assess the environmental, social and economic impacts of a project, predicting and evaluating possible impacts and suggesting mitigation strategies. They are usually consist of a baseline study, an audit, then continued monitoring. |
| Problems with EIA's | Countries and Regions differ. A lack of a standard practice or training; no clear definition of system boundaries; doesn't include indirect impacts. No requirement to implement an EIA’s proposals; and socio-economic factors may influence the decisions |
| Define ecological footprint (EF) | the area of land and water required to sustainably provide all resources and assimilate all waste for a given population. If the EF is greater than the area available to the population, this is an indication of unsustainability |
| Recall 3 significant historical influences on the development of the environmental movement | Gaia hypothesis; Minamata disaster; Silent Spring (1962); An Inconvenient Truth (2006); Chernobyl 1986; Fukushima nuclear disaster of 2011; Bhopal disaster of 1984; Gulf of Mexico oil spill of 2010; Rio Earth Summit 2012 (Rio+20); Copenhagen Accord; |
| Define Environmental Value Systems (EVS) | a worldview or paradigm that shapes the way an individual, or group of people, perceives and evaluates environmental issues, influenced by cultural, religious, economic and socio-political contexts. |
| Describe EVS's as a system | may be influenced by education, experience, culture and media (inputs), and involves a set of interrelated premises, values and arguments that can generate consistent decisions and evaluations (outputs). |
| Describe the ecocentric viewpoint | integrates social, spiritual and environmental dimensions into a holistic ideal. Ecology and nature are central to humanity and a less materialistic approach to life. Prioritizes biorights and emphasizes the importance of education |
| Describe the anthropocentric viewpoint | argues that humans (through governance) must sustainably manage the global system. E.g. the use of taxes, environmental regulation and legislation. Debate would be encouraged to reach a consensual, pragmatic approach to solving environmental problems. |
| Describe the technocentric viewpoint | technological developments can provide solutions to environmental problems. Scientific research is encouraged in order to understand how systems can be controlled, manipulated or changed to solve resource depletion. |
| deep ecologists | extreme ecocentric |
| cornucopian | extreme technocentric |
| Discuss the view that the environment can have its own intrinsic value. | Different EVSs ascribe different intrinsic value to components of the biosphere. EVSs vary greatly depending on cultures and time periods, and they rarely fit simply or perfectly into any classification. |
| Define species | a group of organisms that share common characteristics and that interbreed to produce fertile offspring. |
| Define habitat | the environment in which a species normally live (provides a source of food, water and shelter) |
| Define niche | the particular set of abiotic and biotic conditions and resources to which an organism or population responds |
| Define fundamental niche | the full range of conditions and resources in which a species could survive and reproduce. |
| Define realized niche | the actual conditions and resources in which a species exists due to biotic interactions. |
| Define abiotic factors | The non-living, physical factors that influence the organisms and ecosystem - such as temperature, sunlight, pH, salinity and precipitation |
| Define biotic factors | The interactions between the organisms - such as predation, herbivory, parasitism, mutualism, disease and competition |
| Define carrying capacity | the maximum number of species, or "load", that can be sustainability supported by a given area |
| Define population | a group of organisms of the same species living in the same area at the same time, and which are capable of interbreeding |
| Limiting factors | factors that slow population growth as it approaches the carrying capacity of the system. |
| Define Keystone species | species that are crucial to the maintenance of their ecosystem. Vital in determining the nature and structure of the entire ecosystem. |
| Herbivores | primary consumers that feed only on plants |
| Predation | when a consumer kills and eats another consumer |
| Parasitism | a symbiotic relationship where the parasite gains and advantage at the cost of the host |
| Mutualism | a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship |
| Intraspecific competition | where one or more individuals depend on the same resource and are competing between members of the same species |
| Interspecific competition | where one or more individuals depend on the same resource and are competing between different species why rely on the same resource |
| S population curve | when a population experiences exponential growth then limiting factors/reaching carrying capacity slow the rate of growth of the species e.g. elephants, chimpanzees |
| J population curve | when a population experiences exponential growth with no limiting factors to slow the rate of growth of the species e.g. rodents, pest insects and microbes |
| Environmental resistance | when exponential population growth slows and leads to reduced population growth e.g. lack of food or water, predators, disease |
| K strategists | species with long life spans, few offspring and late maturity all factors that slow population growth (S population curve) |
| r strategists | species with short life spans, many offspring, small body size and early maturity which facilitate fast population growth (J population curve) |
| Define community | a group of populations living and interacting with each other in a common habitat. |
| Define ecosystem | a community and the physical environment with which it interacts |
| Describe Respiration | the process converting of organic matter into carbon dioxide and water in all living organisms, releasing energy. Aerobic respiration can be represented by the following word equation. glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water |
| Describe Photosynthesis | the conversion of light energy into chemical energy by primary producers. Represented by the following word equation. carbon dioxide + water yields glucose + oxygen |
| Define biomass | measured in units of mass (for example, g m-2). Photosynthesis produces the raw material for producing biomass. |
| Define trophic level | the position that an organism occupies in a food chain, or the position of a group of organisms in a community that occupy the same position in food chains |
| Define Producers (autotrophs) | typically plants or algae that produce their own food using photosynthesis and form the first trophic level in a food chain. Exceptions include chemosynthetic organisms that produce food without sunlight. |
| Describe Ecological pyramids | quantitative models that are usually measured for a given area and time. They include pyramids of numbers, biomass and productivity |
| Define Bioaccumulation | the build-up of persistent or non-biodegradable pollutants within an organism or trophic level because they cannot be broken down |
| Define Biomagnification | the increase in concentration of persistent or non-biodegradable pollutants along a food chain |
| Describe a pyramid of numbers | shows the total number of individual organisms at each level in the food chain of an ecosystem. Does not take into account the biomass so can display different patterns; e.g. inverted pyramid when lower trophic levels numbers are relatively large |
| Describe a pyramid of biomass | the total biomass of the organisms at each trophic level of an ecosystem (storage) at a fixed point in time. Measured in units such as grams of biomass per square metre (g m-2) or Joules per square metre (J m-2)(units of biomass or energy). |
| Pyramids of productivity | the distribution of productivity or flow of energy through the trophic levels. Indicating the rate at which that stock/storage is being generated. _____ for the entire ecosystem over a year. It always shows a decrease along the food chain (pyramid shape). |
| Distinguish between pyramids of biomass and pyramids of productivity | pyramids of biomass refers to a standing crop (a fixed point in time) and pyramids of productivity refer to the rate of flow of biomass or energy over a time period (i.e. year). |
| Explain the impact of a persistent or non-biodegradable pollutant in an ecosystem | Toxins such as DDT and mercury accumulate along food chains due to the decrease of biomass and energy |
| Advantages of the use of a systems model | A simple way of visualising a complex set of interactions; the interactions produce the emergent properties of the system; the concept can be applied at a range of scales |
| Describe the 'Tragedy of the Commons' | A situation where a number of users have access to a common resource. When there are no rules about the use of the resource, the common resource tends to be exploited, rather than used sustainably. |
| Define sustainable development | Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. |
| Describe the significant historical influences on the development of the environmental movement | They have come from literature, the media, major environmental disasters, international agreements and technological developments. |
| Can respiration and photosynthesis be considered systems? | Respiration and photosynthesis can be described as processes with inputs, outputs and transformations of energy and matter. |
| Describe the disadvantage of respiration | large amounts of energy are dissipated as heat, increasing the entropy in the ecosystem while enabling organisms to maintain relatively low entropy and so high organization. |
| Describe feeding relationships | involve producers, consumers and decomposers. These can be modelled using food chains, food webs and ecological pyramids. |
| Describe a food chain | a series of organisms each dependent on the next as a source of food. |
| Describe Consumers | the upper trophic levels of a food chain that cannot make their own food and depend on producers or lower-order consumers as a source of food. |
| Describe Decomposers | organisms that break down dead plants or animals into organic substances |
| Describe a food web | a system of interlocking and interdependent food chains |
| Relate the second law of thermodynamics to ecological pyramids | In accordance with the second law of thermodynamics, there is a tendency for numbers and quantities of biomass and energy to decrease along food chains; therefore, the pyramids become narrower towards the apex. |
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DrLeeAGS
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