Roasa, Rochie K.

BSIT – IC
Environmental Science Family Felidae
Genus Panthera
Biodiversity Species Tigris
- Variable nature and tendency of among living organisms from all Binomial classification: Tiger = Panthera Tigris
sources including inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic 2. Genetic Diversity – variation (another term for diversity)
ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this - Refers to the differences of one organism or species to another
includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems - Differences in color, size or appearance
- These can be managed or unmanaged - Can be seen within a population and the differences in the genetic
- Foundation services ecosystems where human well-being is connected makeup between animals in a population
- Defined as “presence of genetic differences between animals
 Ecosystem - The complex system of plant, animal, fungal, and within species, both between and within populations”
microorganism communities and their associated non-living 3. Species Diversity – number of species and abundance of each species
environment interacting as an ecological unit that live in a particular location
o have no fixed boundaries; instead their parameters are set to the - Million: number of different species on earth
scientific, management, or policy question being examined - 1.8 million: number of classification of species
 Diversity - The variety and relative abundance of different entities in a - 1 million: insects
sample a. Venomous snake – green palm pit viper – Honduras – 2013
 Species - A group of organisms that differ from all other groups of b. Carnivorous mammal – olinguito – Columbia and Ecuador –
organisms and that are capable of breeding and producing fertile 2014
offspring - Importance
o Smallest unit of classification for plants and animals a. Richness in Species – number of various kinds of species
present in the ecosystem
Classification of Biodiversity b. Evenness in Species – comparison of the number of
1. Biological Diversity – characterized by the vastness of living organisms individuals of each present species
or species that have developed over a long time period 1. “The variation in the abundance of individuals per
- Organisms that have adapted to the varied forms of ecological species within a community” (Earth Encyclopedia)
habitats that exist on earth c. Population Control – there will be varied forms of nutrition
- Classification Scheme – should follow a recognizable pattern which can lead to a closed food chain which in turn affects
a. Taxonomy classification population control
Taxonomy Kinds
Kingdom Bacteria (Monera) Introduction to Environmental Science
Archaea (Monera)
Protozoa (Protista) Environmental Science
Chromista (Protista) - Deals with the study of connections of the physical, chemical, and
Plantae biological components of our environment and the world
Fungi - Covers the effects on various types of organisms and how human
Animalia (Metazoa) beings impact the surroundings and affect such organisms
Phylum Cnidaria (invertebrates) - Multi-disciplinary field
Chordata (vertebrates)
Anthropoda  Environmental – refers to the surrounding conditions that affect species
Echinodermata and/or organisms
Mollusca  Environment – plays a role and affects the surroundings, and the
Class Mammalia surroundings affect the environment as well
Aves Factors that affect the environment
Amphibia 1. Economics
Reptilian 2. Employment
Order Carnivora 3. Science
Primate 4. Health
Artiodactyla 5. Nature
Rodentia 6. Laws
Family Felidae 7. Profits
Canidae 8. Ethics
Ursidae (bear) 9. Politics
Mustelidae (weasels) 10. Arts
Genus Felis (domestic) 11. Etc
Panthera
Puma Conservationist
- Conservation ethic: emphasizes on sustainable use, allocation, and
Species Name
protection of resources
o It is important to direct attention on maintaining the health of
b. Binomial system – utilize the genus of the organism, and
ecosystems and their biological diversity
species will be used to create its name
Environmentalist
1. Done in order to avoid confusion which may happen
- Person who works actively to preserve and protect the environment
when common names are used because this varies from
from destruction or pollution
one region to another
- Environmental ethic: varied movement that is scientific, social, and
Taxonomy Example
political
Kingdom Animalia Compromise - usually seen in making environmental decisions
Phylum Chordata (vertebrate) - May be acceptable from a scientific or economic point of view but may
Class Mammalia not be acceptable from a political point of view or vice versa
Order Carnivora Example:
Roasa, Rochie K.
BSIT – IC
1992: Federal Government of Canada announced a suspension on the fishery 1. The acquisition, transformation and transfer of energy
of northern cod 2. The gathering and the recycling of the materials necessary for life
 They instantly stopped the fishery for Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) in (biomolecules)
the regions known as North Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) area Note: understanding system functions will give better understanding of the
2J3KL impacts of human activities on these ecosystems
 This suspension caused ore than 20,000 fishers in the Atlantic Provinces
to be jobless and their source of income halted
 There was an investigation to find out the cause of the moratorium on
great cod fishery
 It shows the relationship of science, politics, and economics and how
these factors are at play in environmental decision making

The Earth and Environment

Planet Earth
- Has about 6 billion people protected by the atmosphere
- Life began almost 4 billion years ago and as we move forward in time
many organisms within our biosphere formed dynamic relationship
with each other, which made it possible or organisms to evolve to keep
pace with our changing surroundings and eventually lead to the
diversity of organisms
- Similar to a spacecraft
o Confined
o Self-sufficient
o Travels through space
- Characterized as being a closed system
o Nothing comes in with the exception of energy in the form of heat
and light that is coming from the sun and a small amount of dust
coming from meteorites
o Nothing leaves except for heat and reflected light
- The basic needs of all organisms and species are already in it or it is
already contained in the atmosphere
o Basic elements
 Renewable
 Natural resources – granted that it is replenished in a
manner that is comparable to the rate of usage by
humans or other users
o The increase in human population, the resources
available to sustain life will not increase
 Non-renewable
Developments in our perceptions of Earth
1. View of Earth from space
- The earth seen from space is a blue green sphere that seems to
float in blackness
2. Global Databases
- Such information is collected and processed in a manner
characterized by consistency that enables us to analyze and
compare processes on a global scale over long periods of time
3. Research Advances
- The advances in capturing and collecting data about conditions of
our environment from hundreds to millions of years ago allowed
us to apply contemporary processes to be seen as continuation of
past processes
4. Enhanced Computing Power
- Has allowed us to utilize data and theory together in the study of
earth and the interactions between many different parts of the
earth’s systems
Ecosystem
- Collection of interdependent components, each with its own
defined boundary
- Community of different species interacting with one another and
with their non-living environment of matter and energy
- Totality or pattern of relations between organisms and their
environment
- Self-sustaining system which uses energy and the cycled materials
- There is a continuous exchange of energy and materials between
living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) components as well as there
is interaction among living organisms in a given ecosystem
Two basic requirements for an ecosystem to function successfully
Components of an ecosystem
1. Biotic component – living part of an ecosystem
a. Producers (autotrophs) – self-nourishing
- main activity includes fixation of light energy
- use of simple inorganic substances
- buildup of organic substances
1. Photoautotrophs – use sunlight as source of energy
2. Chemoautotrophs – production is driven entirely by
hydrothermal energy, as hydrothermal vents
b. Consumers (heterotrophs) – are other nourishing organisms,
utilize complex materials, thus get their organic nutrients by
feeding on the tissues of producers or other consumers
c. Decomposers (saphrotrophs) – consumers that recycle organic
matter in ecosystems by breaking down dead organic materials
(detritus) to get nutrients and releasing the resulting simpler
inorganic compounds into the soil and water, where they can be
taken up as nutrients by producers
- this component of the ecosystem is as important as the
producers
2. Abiotic component – non-living part of an ecosystem
a. physical and chemical factors that influence living organisms
- Physical factors
1. Sunlight and shade
2. Average temperature and temperature range
3. Average precipitation and its timing
4. Wind
5. Latitude – distance from the equator
6. Altitude – distance above sea level
7. Frequency of fire and nature of soil for land ecosystems
8. Water currents and amount of suspended solid materials
for aquatic ecosystems
- Chemical factors
1. Supply of water and air in the soil
2. Supply of plant nutrients dissolved in soil moisture and in
aquatic habitats
3. Level of toxic substances dissolved in soil moisture and in
aquatic habitats
Roasa, Rochie K.
BSIT – IC
4. Salinity
5. Level of dissolved oxygen (aquatic ecosystem)
Feeding Relationships
Feeding – one of the main forms of interaction between organisms in any
system
- When one organism consumes another, both energy and materials are
transferred
- Form the framework for describing, analyzing, and comparing
ecosystems
Feeding Types:
1. Specialist feeders – feeding only on limited range of specific organisms
2. Generalist feeders – feeding on a diversity of organisms depending on
their relative availability
Food Chain
- Transfer of food energy from a source in plants through a series of
organisms with repeated eating and being eaten
- Illustrates the transfer of matter and energy from primary producer to
decomposer in a particular habitat
- It is very rare to have 5 trophic levels due to low efficiency from level to
level
- At each transfer, a large portion (80% - 90%) of the potential energy is
lost as heat, thus, the shorter the chain, the more effective primary
production is utilized
Types:
1. Grazing food chain – starts from a green plant base, then goes to
herbivores, then on to carnivores
2. Detritus food chain – goes on from dead organic matter then to
detritus feeding organisms and their predators
Food Web
- Matrix of food chains showing patterns of energy and material flow
through a community
- Interlocking of food chains, because food chains are not isolated
sequences, but are interconnected with one another
Important features associated with food chains and food webs
 Bio-concentration – the potential of organisms to concentrate materials
from the environment in significant amount directly or indirectly
through feeding or respiratory activities
 Bio-magnification – when one contaminated organism consumes
another, some materials can be further concentrated during their
passage through the food web
o Such materials become concentrated at each trophic level
The combination of bio-concentration and bio-magnification along food
chains and food webs pose threats to many ecosystems
Role of Species in Ecosystems
Ecological niche – describes the total way of life of species
- Its way of life describes its functional role in a ecosystem
Classification according to niches
 Specialized Species
o Able to live only in one habitat
o Tolerate only a narrow range of climatic and environmental
conditions
o Use only a few types of foods
 Generalized Species
o Can live and thrive in many different places
o Can tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions
o Can eat a variety of food
Specialized roles species play in ecosystems
1. Native species – species that normally live and thrive in a particular
ecosystem
2. Immigrant/alien species (nonnative species) – those that migrate into
an ecosystem or are deliberately or accidentally introduced into an
ecosystem by humans
3. Indicator species – species that serve as early warnings that a
community or an ecosystem is being damaged
4. Keystone species – species that have one or more roles in an ecosystem
that are disproportionately important compared to their biomass
Types of species interactions
1. Interspecific competition – two species compete for the same scarce
resources
- Both species are harmed to varying degrees depending on which
species is the best competitor
2. Predation – one organism kills and eats another organism
- Involves a predator and a prey
 Predator – organism that is eating
 Prey – organism that is eaten
3. Parasitism – relationship between the parasite and the host
- Involves parasites
 Parasites – organisms that live in or on another organism and
feed on it without immediately killing it
4. Commensalism – one species is neither helped nor harmed
- Rarest of all species interaction
5. Mutualism – cooperative partnership between 2 species in which both
species benefit
Energy Flow
- Calorific flow
- Pertains to the flow of energy in ecosystems through the food chain
Sequence:
1. Solar energy (abiotic factor) is going to be converted to chemical energy
 This is when plants converts carbon dioxide from the air and
water from the earth and turns it into glucose (photosynthesis)
which takes place in green plants, algae and bacteria (primary
producers)
 These producers form the first trophic level of the pyramid and
100% of their energy comes from the sun
2. Plant eating animals consumes these primary producers and they are
called herbivores (primary consumers)
 Primary consumers are obtaining only 10% of the total solar
energy that was initially obtained by the plants
3. Secondary consumers (predators) form the next trophic level
 They are either carnivorous or omnivorous
 Carnivores feed on other animals only
 Omnivores feed on both animals and plants
 The secondary consumers obtain only 1% of the solar energy
 Secondary consumers are eaten by tertiary consumers, which gets
about 0.1% of the energy
4. The last role in the energy chain is by decomposers and their main
function is to break down all organic matter that belongs to both the
producers and consumers, which may include carcasses, and the
undigested food excreted by these organisms
 The decomposed organic matter is released back into the soil as
nutrients or into the air as gases
Energy loss at each level
 A lot of energy is lost at each trophic level that is why a typical food
chain is limited to only 4-6 links on each level
 A part of the energy received at each trophic level is lost as heat, both
to keep warm and as a by-product on respiration and this metabolic
heat is also lost into the ecosystem, as waste
 Energy is also lost when undigested food is excreted out by the
consumers