Spatial & Temporal Scale of Perception
-Spacial Scale= space
-Temporal Scale= time
-i.e.: instincts & responses
Impediments to Solving
... [Show More] Environmental Problems
-Spatial & Temporal Scales
-Lack of education
-Lack of scientific understanding
-"cheap citizen" (doing harm & expecting others
to fix it)
Types of Errors
-Type 1: Rejecting a null hypothesis when its true
-Type 2: Accept a null but its false
Null Hypothesis
Statement of no trend, effect, or impact
(Gives something to compare data to)
Types of Experiments in Natural Resources
1) 'Natural' experiment (Measurative)
-Draw weak inferences
2) Controlled experiments
Scientific Method
1) Observation
2) Formulate Hypothesis(es)
3) Key (Methodology)
4) Data Gathering/ Collection
5) Analysis
6) Draw Conclusions
7) Publish
Human-Natural Resources Relationship
Pre-Agriculture
-More nomadic/migratory
-Less competition w/ wild nature
-Aware of ecology & relationships in/w nature
-Religious more earth related
-low, slow growing populations
Human-Natural Resources Relationship
Post-Agriculture
-More sedentary
-More companion w/ wild nature
-More clueless ecology/relationship w/ nature
-Religions more extra-terrestrial
-Larger, fast(er) growing populations
Eras of Human-Natural Resource Relationship
-Abundance ("discovery"-1850) (unlimited
resources)
-Exploitation (1850-1900)
-Protection (1900-1930)
-Commodities Management (1930-1960)
-Ecosystem Management (1960-Present)
Exploitation Era (1850-1900)
-Completion of the railroad (transformed
transportation)
-Repeating firearms (capacity to kill increased)
-Animal depletion:
-Bison: tens of mil. -> ~200
-Passenger Pigeons: ~2 bil. -> 0
-Yellowstone Established (1872) (2.1 mil. acres)
-Forest Reserve Act (1891)
-Forest Management Act (1897)
-Provide timber
-Provide clean water
Protection Era (1900-1930)
-Lacey Act (1900)
-Due to exploitation of birds for hats
-Congress can intervene overseas & state
trade items
-Migratory Bird Treaty w/Britain (1915)->Act (1918)
Commodities Management (1930-1960)
-Making more of what people like
-Duck Stamp Act (1934)
-Purchased 5-10 mil. acres w/ profits
-Taylor Grazing Act (1934)
-On public domain
-Bidding for lease to graze
-Pittman Robertson Act (1937)
-Federal aid to Wildlife Restoration Act
-Dingell-Johnson Act (1950)
-Reinvests $ into fishery (6%)
Ecosystem Management (1960-Present)
-Multiple Use & Sustained Yield Act (1960)
-Must consider using $ for wildlife
-National Environmental Policy Act (1970)
-Must provide impact statement for Fed. or
Fed. assisted projects
-Endangered Species Act (1973)
-Protecting endangered/threatened species
-Lists: species, sub-species, distinct pop.
-Fish & Wildlife: cover 95% of endangered
-National Fisheries: Cover 5-10%
Pittman Robertson Act (1937)
-Federal aid for wildlife restoration
-11% tax on guns & ammo
-Redistributed to states on 3:1 matching basis
-Distribution of $ is functioned of:
-State size
-# of hunting licenses sold
-92% of funds must go to state
PRA $ Can & Cannot be used for..
Can:
-Land acquisition
-Restoration
-Research (on wildlife)
-Hunting education
Cannot:
-Fish stuff
-Law enforcement
-Predator control
-Game farming
Theory
Well tested & accepted hypothesis
Adaptation
-Result of evolution
-The features of structure & function that suit an
organism to its environment
Natural Selection
-Process of evolution
-The change in genetic frequencies in a
population due to differential survival &
reproduction of individuals bearing those
traits
ecology
the study of relationship between living things and their biotic & abiotic environment. (Factors that influence species dist.)
disruptive selection
habitat selection (biotic factors)
-adaptation: mosquitoes adapted to a specific flight pattern interrupted by rice in a field (Endemic - only one area)
-Ex: found out bird populations are dwindling below 600m elevation due to mosquitoes transmitting diseases
ecologial communities
interactions of species
metrics of interest
-growth form and structure (aquatic or terrestrial)
-species richness (# of species)
-relative abundance (how abundant each species is relative to another)
character displacement
when two species are more different in sympathy(co-occur) than in allopatry(non co-occurring)
simberloff
"ghost of competition past"
attributing a past process(competition) to explain a contemporary pattern(differences)
Disturbance
ie: -seasonal snow melt that damages young vegetation
-fires
-Mt Saint Helen
Standing Crop Biomass (SCB)
-total energy (calories) within a trophic level
-total energy of dry weight within a trophic level (can be about organisms)
Surface Area to Volume
-SA: 2s x n sides
-Volume: l x w x h
Major Inefficiencies
-not all energy available within a trophic level is consumed by the next trophic level
-of the ingested energy, much goes to metabolism
Ecological Pyramids
-Pyramid of Numbers
-Pyramid of Dry Mass
-Energy (how much energy is consumed by the previous level)
Gross Pyramid Productivity
Net GPP and NPP (Net Primary Productivity)
-total energy assimilated in photosynthesis
NPP = GPP - respiration
major influencing factors:
-temp
-light
-moisture
P:B ratio
NPP to Biomass ratio
ie. tropical forest: NPP(gm^2/yr) 1800
Biomass(kgm^2) 42 --> P:B = 0.0429:1 (relative index to amount of energy available to herbivores)
*see notes for more ratios
Ecological Efficiency
EE = (Grass Productivity at level n / Grass productivity at level n-1) x 100
Plant- n
Herbivore- n+1
Carnivore- n+2
2nd Carnivore- n+3
measure of energy transported between successive trophic levels
Gross Production Efficiency (GPE)
Production/Ingestion x 100
Net Production Efficiency (NPE)
Production/Assimilation x 100
Energy Flow Through Ecosystem
*see notes for percentages and specifics
Biotic & Abiotic Things
Biotic: predator, prey, decomposers, parasites, diseases
Abiotic: weather, terrain, nutrients, moisture, temp.
Parsimony
to choose the simplest scientific explanation that fits the evidence
Development & Degree-day-requirements
-Everything has minimum critical temp (>development doesn't happen)
Example: Org. needs 20 dd above MCT (10*)
- if 11 for 20 days= 1 above MCTx20= 20dd
- 10.5 for 40 days= 0.5x40= 20dd
Sea Level Rise
What Can Be Done?:
- Source of energy: electric, solar, wind
- Efficiency: (Ex: insulation to trap heat) To make better use of energy we use
-Design (Public transportation more efficient)
(Every 10cm increase, salt water infuses creeks, streams, rivers ~1km) [Show Less]