Humans & the Environment Ch.22

(22-1) Interconnected Planet Earth’s layers Atmosphere: gases Ozone layer Climate Greenhouse effect Hydrosphere: water Geosphere: rock Biosphere: part of Earth where life exists

Biodiversity Variety of life forms in an area Species diversity Richness: # of species in an area Evenness: # of indiv.’s of each species in an area Genetic diversity: amt. of variation in the genetic material of all members of a pop.

(22-2) Environmental Issues Air Pollution Smog: water vapor mixed w/ human-made chemicals CFC’s & ozone thinning Global warming Acid precipitation: air pollutants combined w/ water Land & Water Pollution Biological magnification: chemicals become more concentrated in organisms higher on the food chain

Ecosystem Disruption Extinction: death of every member of a species Endangered Ecosystem Imbalances Keystone species: affects many other species in a community Ex: sea otter

Human Resource Use Primary production: total E stored through photosynthesis by terrestrial organisms Ecological footprint: human impact on ecosystems Sustainability: ability to meet human needs so the pop. can survive indefinitely

(22-3) Environmental Solutions Conservation Biology: i.d., protect, & manage natural areas w/ large biodiversity Biodiversity hotspots Bioindicator: species sensitive to ecological change Restoration Biology: plan ways to reverse changes & replace missing ecosystem components

Laws & Efforts Debt-for-nature swap: richer countries/org. pay debts if developing country takes preventative steps Ecotourism: supports cons. of ecologically unique areas while bringing economic benefit to locals Urban ecology: study of biodiversity in areas densely populated by humans