Science 1101: Science, Society, and the Environment

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Science 1101 Science, Society, and the
Environment

• Environmental science is the systematic study of
  our environment and our place in it.
• E.S is interdisciplinary it integrates
  multidisciplinary knowledge.

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Environmental Science

• Criteria for Environmental literacy include
• Awareness and appreciation for the natural world
• Knowledge of natural systems and ecological
  concepts
• Understanding current environmental issues
• Ability to use problem solving skills

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Science

• Is a process for producing empirical knowledge
  about the natural world through methodical and
  logical studies of nature.
• Principles of science
• Empiricism
• Uniformitarianism
• Parsimony
• Uncertainty
• Repeatability
• Elusiveness of proves
• Testable questions

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Scientific steps

• Observe
• Hypothesis
• Designing experimental approaches
• Test (experiment)
• Interpretation

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Testing the science I

• Are the results statistically reasonable?
• Are the conclusions logical and only logical?

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Testing the science II

• Statistical analysis reduces uncertainty by
  reducing randomness and bias.
• Calculating p value!

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Reducing bias

• Natural
• Manipulative
• Blind and double blind

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Environmental science vs Environmentalism

• E.S. studies natural principles and phenomenon
• E. deals with attitudes, behaviors and policies
  to affect the environment

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Methods of thinking

• Analytical
• Creative
• Logical
• Critical
• Reflective

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Critical thinking

• Identify and evaluate premise and conclusion
• Acknowledge and clarify contradictions
• Distinguish b/n facts and values
• Recognize and assess assumptions
• Distinguish source reliability
• Recognize and understand conceptual framework

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Science II

• Unpacking arguments
• All boys are humans. All girls are humans.
  Therefore all boys are girls.
• All green plants are healthy. Healthy foods
  prolong life. Therefore all green plants prolong
  life.
• Exercise is good for the heart. Exercise is good
  for the lungs too. Therefore exercise is good for
  the kidneys.

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Historic Initiative

• Pragmatic resource conservation (George Perkins
  through observation)
• Moral and aesthetic nature preservation (John
  Muir- Nature deserves to exist for its own sake)
  
• Concern about pollution-caused health and
  environmental problems. (industrialization)
• Global environmental citizenship. (globalization)

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Environmental problems

• Water scarcity (quality and quantity)
• Soil degradation
• Food
• Energy source (fossil fuel).
• Atmospheric temperature (caused by excessive
  fuel-energy burning)
• Air quality toxic haze of ash, aerosols, dust,
  acids, photochemical products (about 3 million of
  people die each year)

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Sustainability

• Is a search for ecological stability and human
  progress that can last over the long term.
• Meeting present needs without compromising the
  ability of the future to meet theirs.

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Data analysis

• Tabulation
• Line Plot
• Bar Graph
• Pie Charts
• Scatter Plots

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Growth of Tetrahymena
Hours cells
0 10
1 15
2 20
3 40
4 80
5 160
6 320
7 450
8 550
9 600
10 620
11 630
12 640
Tabular Form
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Line plots

• Are mainly used to monitor change in a dependant
  variable as a result of change in the independent
  variable over time.

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Line plot
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Line Plots

• Are also good to compare change in two or more
  dependant variables as a result of change in the
  independent variable over time.

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Line plot
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Bar Graphs

• Used to compare values of different categories.

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uPAR production by cells
Bar Graph
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Pie Charts

• Used the same way as bar graphs in percentages.

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Pie chart
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Assignment

• Read about scatter plots and their uses for next
  lecture!!!

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Environmental science attempts to understand
systems

• Networks of interactions among interdependent
  components and processes, compartments and flows.
  Includes biological, chemical and physical
  aspects of the environment.
• Systems can be- physical vs abstract
  systems (eg. Human body vs computer program
• Closed vs open systems (a submarine vs a pond)

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Checks and balances of systems

• Regulatory mechanisms could arise from outside
  the system. Eg. The temperature of a water system
  is regulated by the solar energy.
• Different parts of a system exert regulatory
  effects on each other to maintain the system in
  homeostasis.

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Feedback mechanisms

• Positive feedback- when the output of one part
  of the system serves as an enhancer input for
  another. Eg. Increased physical activity
  increases breathing. Increased vegetation
  increases herbivores.
• Negative feedback- the output of one part causes
  a decrease in the output of another. Eg. A
  thermostat decreases heat release with the
  increase of room temperature. Increased herbivore
  number decreases vegetation.

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Feedback loops

• A closed cycle of feedback mechanisms that
  results in the amplified (exponential) responses
  of another part.
• Positive feedback loop- the system uses an output
  from one part to increase the input for another
  and vise versa in a cyclic manner that drives the
  system in one direction in an ever increasing
  fashion.

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Discussion

• If the earth has survived as long as it did, why
  has it not run out of elemental gases? Why do we
  still have O2 and CO2 in the air.

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Few terminologies

• Disturbance- periodic destructive events that
  upsets the rhythm of the system
• Resilience- the ability of a system to withstand
  disturbances through feedback mechanisms.
• Emergent property- a property of a system where
  there is more to the system than the sum of its
  parts.

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Elements of life

• Matter- everything that takes up space and has
  mass is matter. (based on the arrangement of
  their molecules matter is classified as solid,
  liquid or gas)

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Properties of matter I

• Matter is neither created nor destroyed. It is
  recycled. Why is this important?
• Matter consists of smaller units called elements.
  There are about 115 elements known.
• Oxygen, carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen account for
  about 96 of the mass of most living things.

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Properties of matter II

• Elements are made of atoms. Atoms are the
  smallest chemical structures that determine the
  characteristics of the elements.
• Atoms are composed of protons, neutrons and
  electrons.

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Atomic number and atomic mass

• A.N. is the number of protons in an atom.
• PN. (exception, isotope)
• A.M. is the number of protons and neutrons
• A.N. determines the chemical and most of the
  physical behavior of an atom.
• Hydrogen, deuterium
• Most isotopes are stable but some of them are
  unstable- spontaneous emission electomagnetic
  energy or subatomic particles or both. Eg.
  Uranium and plutonium.

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Chemical bonds

• Atoms join to form compounds
• Molecules a pair or group of atoms that can
  exist together
• Compounds a group of atoms that can not exist as
  a single unit is called a compound

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Types of chemical bonds

• Ionic Bond The type of chemical bond that is
  created by the attraction of electrical charge of
  atoms
• Covalent bond formed by the sharing of electrons
  (electronic space) of atoms.
• Hydrogen bond formed between hydrogen and any of
  the electronegative elements (O, N, F)

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States of elements in molecules/compounds

• Oxidized when a atom gives up one or more
  electrons
• Reduced when an atom gains one or more electrons

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Acids and bases

• Acid H donor. Highly reactive that could have
  massive environmental implications Eg acid rain
• Base H acceptor
• pH log H of a solution
• acid pHlt7 where as base pHgt7
• What is the H conc difference of pH 6 and pH 7?

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www.science.kennesaw.edu/whaile
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Macromolecules of life

• Living organisms are made of large molecules
  called organic molecules.
• Organic molecules are made of chains and rings of
  carbon element. Eg. CH4, CH3-CHOH.
• Four major categories of O.C. include lipids,
  carbohydrates, proteins and nucleic acids.

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Lipids

• Large molecules
• Functions include energy storage, structural
  material, hormones
• Do not dissolve in water. Because they have long
  chains of hydrocarbon chain.
• Eg. Fats and oils

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Carbohydrates

• Large molecules
• Store energy (immediate source of energy) and
  provide structure
• Long chains of carbon atom bonded to hydrogen
  atoms with an OH group at the end
• Eg. Glucose

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Protein

• Organic molecules composed of chains of subunits
  called amino acids.
• They often are folded into complex three
  dimensional structures
• They provide cellular structures, enzymatic
  functions, defensive structures, cell regulation,
  muscular structures etc.

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Nucleic acid

• Complex structure constituted from small subunits
  called nucleotides.
• Nucleotide subunit are made of five carbon sugar,
  one or more phosphate group and an organic
  nitrogen containing base
• They carry genetic information that is
  responsible for the transfer of genetic code from
  generation to generation and for providing
  informational framework that dictates every body
  function.
• Eg. DNA and RNA

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Cells fundamental structures of life

• Small structures within which most of the life
  supporting biochemical processes take place.
• Cells could be versatile (in unicellular) or
  highly specialized (multi-cellular organisms).
• Cells have small sub-cellular structures known as
  organelles, which are responsible for all of the
  functions of a cell, such as energy production,
  sub-cellular transportation, genetic information
  storage, regulatory functions and physical
  structure etc.
• Cellular processes are all facilitated with
  special structures called enzymes. These are
  protein structures that function as catalysts to
  speed up chemical reactions called as metabolism.
  

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Energy

• The ability to do work
• Every biological or physical process uses energy
• Energy is expressed in many different forms such
  as heat, light, electric, kinetic, chemical and
  potential.
• Energy is measured in units of heat (calories) or
  work (joules).

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Thermodynamics

• 1st law of thermodynamics states that energy is
  conserved. Neither created nor destroyed but
  changed from one form to another.
• 2nd law of thermodynamics states that with each
  transfer or transformation in a system, less and
  less of energy is available to do work.

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Natural source of energy

• The sun is the ultimate source of energy for most
  plants and animals
• There are exceptional organisms that can harvest
  energy from inorganic chemicals such as H2 or
  H2S.

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Trapping solar energy

• Green plants trap energy from the sun in a
  process known as photosynthesis.
• A tiny fraction of solar energy is actually used
  by plants in the process of photosynthesis that
  supports life.
• Of all the different wave lengths of solar
  radiation, only the red and blue are absorbed by
  plants and used for photosynthesis.

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Photosynthesis

• The process by which light energy is captured by
  special structures called chloroplasts.
• Chloroplasts contain green pigments called
  chlorophyll that trap light energy.

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Photosynthesis

• Light reaction the first step in photosynthesis
  where light energy is trapped and used to split
  water molecule into H, e- and O2.
• Dark reaction during this step, high energy
  chemical bond is formed between CO2 and H2O
  molecules to form sugar molecules.
• 6H2O6CO2solar energy (chlorophyll)C6H12O66O2

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Respiration

• The process by which stored chemical energy is
  broken down to release usable energy by living
  organisms inside sub-cellular structures called
  mitochondria.
• C6H12O6 6O2 6H2O 6CO2 energy

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Energy Exchange in an Ecosystem
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Energy Matter in the Environment

• Organism (species)
• Population
• Biological
• Community
• Ecosystem
• Biosphere

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Ecological interactions

• Ecology studies the interaction at species,
  population, community or ecosystem level
• Species all organisms of the same kind that are
  genetically similar enough to breed in nature and
  produce live, fertile offspring. There are
  exception to the definition. Eg bacteria and
  certain plants
• Population consists of all the members of a
  species living in a given area at the same time.
• Bio-communities all the population of organisms
  living and interacting in the same area.
• Ecosystems biological communities and its
  physical environment.

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Energy flow in an ecosystem

• Producers organisms that photosynthesis, mainly
  green plants and algae. These are the base of all
  ecological productivity. (productivity is the
  amount of biomass produced in a given area during
  a given period of time)
• Consumers organisms that get their energy from
  feeding on other organisms (producers or other
  consumers)

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Three groups of consumers.

• 1. Animals that eat ONLY PLANTS are called
  herbivores (or primary consumers).
• 2. Animals that eat OTHER ANIMALS are called
  carnivores. carnivores that eat herbivores are
  called secondary consumers. carnivores that eat
  other carnivores are called tertiary
  consumerse.g., killer whales in an ocean food
  web ... phytoplankton ? small fishes ? seals ?
  killer whales
• 3. Animals and people who eat BOTH animals and
  plants are called omnivores.

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Decomposers (bacteria and fungi) which feed on
decaying matter. These decomposers speed up the
decaying process that releases mineral salts back
into the food chain for absorption by plants as
nutrients.
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Food chain

• A path of food consumption that shows the flow of
  energy from one organism to the next.
• Each level of consumption in a food chain is
  called a trophic level.

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• Why are there more herbivores than carnivores?
• Ans. The loss of usable energy as it flows up a
  the food chain.

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The Pyramid of Energy
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The Pyramid of Biomass
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The Pyramid of Numbers
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Food Web

• Most animals are part of more than one food chain
  and eat more than one kind of food in order to
  meet their food and energy requirements. These
  interconnected food chains form a food web.

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The Water Cycle
ADD FIG. 2.19
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The Carbon Cycle
ADD FIG. 2.20
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The Nitrogen Cycle
ADD FIG. 2.21
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Nitrogen Fixation
The nodules on the roots of this plant contain
bacteria that help convert nitrogen in the soil
to a form the plant can utilize.
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The Phosphorous Cycle
ADD FIG. 2.23
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The Sulfur Cycle
ADD FIG. 2.24
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Chapter 3. Key Terms McGraw-Hill Course Glossary

• adaptation
• Batesian mimicry
• biotic potential
• carrying capacity
• coevolution
• commensalism
• complexity
• convergent evolution
• divergent evolution
• diversity
• ecological development
• ecological niche
• ecotones

• overshoots
• pioneer species
• predator
• primary productivity
• primary succession
• r-adapted species
• resource partitioning
• S-curve
• secondary succession
• selective pressure
• symbiosis
• tolerance limits

• edge effects
• environmental resistance
• evolution
• exponential growth
• habitat
• J curve
• K-adapted species
• keystone species
• logistic growth
• Mullerian mimicry
• mutualism
• natural selection