Natural Systems and Population Dynamics Study Guide
This guide introduces key analytical frameworks for understanding environmental issues. It covers the foundational roles of science and technology, including Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). It addresses navigating uncertainty through the Precautionary Principle and adaptive management. The guide also delves into governance, scale, and jurisdiction, and the crucial human elements of values, politics, and power. Finally, it emphasizes the interconnectedness of these themes in analyzing complex socio-
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Ecological Dynamics, Species Interactions, and Energy Flows
Species Interactions and Ecological Dynamics
This lecture covers species interactions including competition, predation, mutualism, and commensalism, alongside landscape factors such as disturbances, resilience, and succession.
- Competition
- Intraspecific competition
- Interspecific competition
- Competitive exclusion principle
- Niche partitioning
- Introduced species
- Predation
- Batesian mimicry
- Mullerian mimicry
- Mutualism
- Symbiosis
- Commensalism
- Climax community
- Disturbances
- Resilience
- Intermediate disturbance hypothesis
- Succession
Adaptive Management and Ecosystem Energy Flow
Adaptive approaches to managing natural systems involve restoration ecology, energy and material flow in ecosystems, and the laws of thermodynamics.
- Adaptive approaches to managing natural systems
- Restoration ecology
- Energy and material flow
- Photosynthesis
- Trophic levels
- Laws of thermodynamics
- Conservation of energy
- Entropy
- Kinetic and potential energy
- High quality and low quality energy
- Net primary productivity
- Gross primary productivity
- Respiration
- Biomass
Matter and Biochemical Cycles
Review of isotopes, chemical bonds, and biochemical cycles including the path elements take through abiotic systems and living organisms.
- Isotopes
- Chemical bonds
- Ionic bonds
- Covalent bonds
- Biochemical cycles
- Carbonic acid
- Nitrogen fixation
- Nutrient over-enrichment
Organismal Variation and Species Interactions
Organisms vary within species and pass traits onto offspring through inheritance, leading to speciation and various species interactions.
- inheritance
- speciation
- ecological niche
- fundamental niche
- realized niche
- generalist species
- specialist species
- competition
- intraspecific competition
- interspecific competition
- predation
- mutualism
- symbiotic
- commensalism
Organismal Variation and Species Interactions
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Human Interactions and Environmental Dynamics
Human Connections to the Environment
Humans are part of the environment, shaping and being shaped by a dynamic connection to natural systems.
- natural systems
- human connection to the environment
- environmental issues
- technology
- science
- governance
- values and ideas
- politics, interests and power
- scale and jurisdiction
- uncertainty, risk and complexity
Natural and Developed Watershed Dynamics
Understanding the watershed context involves comparing natural and developed watersheds regarding canopy interception, infiltration, baseflow, and surface runoff.
- Natural watershed
- Canopy interception
- Uptake (ET)
- Infiltration
- Ground water recharge
- Baseflow
- Surface runoff
- Developed watershed
- Impervious surface cover
- Hydrograph comparison
- Drinking water protection
- Source water protection
- Water quality
- Water quantity
Interdisciplinary Approaches to Environmental Issues
An interdisciplinary approach to identifying and solving environmental problems using seven cross-cutting themes to analyze and make sense of environmental issues.
- Science
- Governance
- Values & ideas
- Politics, interests & power
- Scale & jurisdiction
- Uncertainty, risk & complexity
- Technology
- Sustainability
- Indigenous Knowledge
- Land ethic
Community-Service Learning Overview
Students participate in Community-Service Learning to volunteer with community organizations, gain experience, and support work done in the local community.
- Community-Service Learning
- Volunteer opportunities
- Community organizations
- Service-learning opportunities
- Community-based environmental actions
Foundations of Environmental Science and Natural Systems
Resilience and Adaptive Management in Natural Systems
Natural systems are dynamic where loss of resilience and biodiversity loss increase the likelihood of nonlinear changes in ecosystems structure and function.
- Resilience
- Keystone species
- Nonlinear changes
- Biodiversity loss
- Ecosystem structure and function
- Adaptive management
Ecological Approaches to Environmental Systems
An examination of natural systems through structure, function, and the dynamics of biotic and abiotic components.
- Ecological approach
- Abiotic and biotic components
- Energy flow
- Biogeochemical cycle
- Carbon cycle
- Levels of ecological organization
- Population dynamics
- Quadrat sampling
- Mark and capture
- Population distribution
- Exponential growth model
- Logistic growth model
- Carrying capacity
- Tolerance limits
- Indicator species
- Natural selection
Introduction to Environmental Science and Sustainability
Environmental science involves studying air pollution, natural systems, and environmental contaminants through an interdisciplinary approach to achieve sustainability.
- Environmental science
- Model of environmental change
- Sustainability
- United Nations goals
- Environmental contaminants
- Science framing environmental issues
Introduction to Environmental Science and Sustainability
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Cross Cutting Themes for Environmental Analysis
Analyze environmental issues through science, governance, values and ideas, politics, interests and power, scale and jurisdiction, uncertainty, risk and complexity, and technology.
- science
- governance
- values and ideas
- politics, interests and power
- scale and jurisdiction
- uncertainty, risk and complexity
- technology
- life cycle assessment
- precaution vs being adaptive or flexible
- laws and regulations
Cross-Cutting Themes for Environmental Analysis
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Structure, Function, and Energy Dynamics of Natural Systems
Energy Flow and Biogeochemical Cycling
Discussion of energy flow in ecological systems, thermodynamics, photosynthesis, net primary productivity, and biogeochemical cycles.
- Energy vs power
- 1st law of thermodynamics
- 2nd law of thermodynamics
- Trophic levels
- Photosynthesis
- Net primary productivity
- Biogeochemical cycling
- Isotopes
- Carbon dating
- Ionic bonds
- Covalent bonds
- Nutrient recycling
- Rate-limiting steps
- Carbon cycle
Introduction to Natural Systems and Ecology
Natural systems are dynamic and require systems thinking to understand their structure, function, and the flow of energy or nutrients through biotic and abiotic components.
- Systems thinking
- Dynamic natural systems
- Structure and function
- Energy and nutrient flow
- Biotic and abiotic components
- Scales of ecological organization
- Individuals
- Species-populations
- Community-landscape
Natural Systems and Population Dynamics
Examines how the population of a species changes over time and space through population models, tolerance limits, and ecological niches.
- Estimating population size
- Quadrat
- Mark & recapture
- Population distribution
- Population dynamics
- Exponential growth model
- Logistic growth model
- Carrying capacity
- Limiting factors
- Tolerance limits
- Indicator species
- Natural selection
- Speciation
- Ecological niche
- Fundamental niche
- Realized niche
- Generalist species
- Specialist species
Natural Systems and Population Dynamics
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Natural Systems Structure and Function
Understanding ecosystem structure through species interactions, habitat nature, and disturbances, alongside energy and material flow.
- ecosystem structure
- species interactions
- competition
- predation
- symbiosis
- mutualism
- commensalism
- ecosystem disturbances
- resilience
- adaptive management
- restoration ecology
- energy flow
- nutrient flow
Energy Flow in Natural Systems
Energy and matter flow through ecosystem components including trophic levels and net primary productivity.
- Energy flow
- Trophic levels
- Net primary productivity
- Respiration
- Photosynthesis
- Biomass
- Energy efficiency
- Ecosystem components
Natural Systems and Energy Dynamics
High quality solar energy drives photosynthesis, cycles of matter, and climate & ocean currents through energy flow and ecosystems.
- Energy flow and ecosystems
- Solar energy
- Photosynthesis
- Cycles of matter
- Climate & ocean currents
- Energy versus Power
- First Law of Thermodynamics
- Conservation of energy
- Second Law of Thermodynamics
- Entropy
- Energy quality
Natural Systems, Population Dynamics, and Species Interactions
Natural systems involve population dynamics, resource competition, predation, mutualism, and commensalism, which influence ecosystem structure and stability.
- Species interaction
- Competition
- Intraspecific competition
- Interspecific competition
- Competitive exclusion principle
- Resource partitioning
- Introduced species
- Predation
- Batesian Mimicry
- Mullerian Mimicry
- Mutualism
- Commensalism
- Climax Community
- Disturbances
- Ecosystem Resilience
- Intermediate disturbance hypothesis
- population dynamics
- exponential growth
- carrying capacity
- tolerance limits
Dynamics of Natural Systems and Resilience
Ecological systems are dynamic communities influenced by species, habitat types, biological interactions, and disturbances.
- Climax Community
- Disturbances
- Ecosystem Resilience and Stability
- Intermediate disturbance hypothesis
- Species diversity
- Keystone species
- Nonlinear changes
- Resource management
- Restoration ecology
Energy and Material Flow in Ecosystems
Natural systems involve the structure, function, and flow of energy or nutrients through ecosystems.
- Energy flow
- Material flow
- Photosynthesis
- Respiration
- Energy versus Power
- First Law of Thermodynamics
- Second Law of Thermodynamics
- Energy quality
- Entropy
- Trophic levels
- Pyramid of energy flow
Primary Productivity and Energy Cycling in Ecosystems
Photosynthesis and respiration drive the conversion of solar energy to stored chemical potential energy and the cycling of nutrients through gross and net primary productivity within marine and terrestrial ecosystems.
- Photosynthesis
- Producers
- Respiration
- Consumers
- Biomass
- Chemical energy
- Gross Primary Productivity
- Net Primary Productivity
- Marine productivity
- Terrestrial productivity
- Temperature
- Precipitation
- Primary Productivity
- Biomass production
- Solar energy conversion
- Chemical potential energy
- Temperature and precipitation effects
- Energy flow
- Net primary production
- Human impact on productivity
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