1. Ecology
Ch. 6

2. Tragedy of the commons
Any resource that is open to everyone – such as the air or parts of the oceans – will eventually be destroyed because everyone can use the resource, but no one is responsible for preserving it.

3. Resources and Sustainable Use
Two types –
Renewable – can regenerate and therefore replaceable.
Nonrenewable – one that cannot be replenished by natural processes.
Sustainable use – a way of using natural resources at a rate that does not deplete them
Ex. Alternative methods of pest control such as using lady bugs to get rid of aphids.

4. When good Resources go bad
Land
Soil erosion – the wearing away of surface soil by water and wind
Desertification – The combination of dry climates, farming, overgrazing, and drought turning land into desert
Forest
Deforestation – loss of forests, leads to erosion and loss of nutrients in topsoil
Air
Smog – a mixture of chemicals that occurs as a gray-brown haze in the atmosphere
Acid Rain – the combination of nitrogen and sulfur compounds forming acid compounds in the atmosphere

5. Biodiversity
Biodiversity – the sum total of the genetically based variety of all organisms in the biosphere.
Human activity can reduce biodiversity by altering habitats, hunting species to extinction, introducing toxic compounds into food webs, and introducing foreign species to new environments.

6. Conservation
Focus is on protecting entire ecosystems as well as individual species.
Wise management of natural resources
Protection and management of individual species
Preservation of habitats and wildlife.

7. A natural variation in climate The results of human activity
Global Warming
Global warming is
A natural variation in climate
The results of human activity
Melting the ice caps.