Introduction to Environmental Science

Define Environmental Science.

Interaction between human system and those found in nature (man-made or natural).

Insects---Dead trees----Forest fire --- New trees

To understand how humans have changed the

planet and identify better ways of responding to
those changes.
 Introduction to Environmental Science
Humans alter natural systems more than any other species for our existence and
development.
- Land-use (Housing developments, setting up all
basic amenities (electricity, water, transportation,
well-being and internet)).
- Climate change (Temperature and rainfall
patterns)
 Introduction to Environmental Science
Evaluate health & quality of natural
systems

TFP PCFP

TFP FPA

DALY (disability adjusted life year): measure of number of years lost due to ill-
health, disability or early death
 Introduction to Environmental Science

Genetic, Species and

Ecosystem

Recycle, Reuse
Introduction to Environmental Science

Patterns of resource consumption

Only 20 percent of the world’s population lives in

developed countries, but that 20 percent uses most
of the world’s resources. The remaining 80 percent
of the population lives in developing countries and
uses far fewer resources per capita.
 Introduction to Environmental Science
Sustainability requirements:
❑ Environmental systems must not be damaged beyond their ability to recover.
❑ Renewable resources must not be depleted faster than they can regenerate.
❑ Non-renewable resources must be used sparingly.

Sustainable development is development that balances current human well-being and economic
advancement with resource management for the benefit of future generations.

❑ Developing substitutes and recycling materials can help in addressing resource depletion and
increase sustainability.
 Introduction to Environmental Science
Calculate Sustainability : Ecological
Footprint
❑ Developed in 1995 by Professor William
Rees and his graduate student Mathis
Wackernagel.
❑ An individual’s ecological footprint is a
measure of how much land is needed to
supply the goods and services that
individual uses. That is, the output from
the total amount of land required to
support a person’s lifestyle represents
that person’s ecological footprint.
Ecological Footprint Calculator

https://www.footprintcalculator.org/home
Ecosystems and Cycles
 Ecosystems
Ecosystems: The collection of living and non-living components on Earth.

Abiotic Biotic
Producers/
Air, water, soil, minerals
Autotrophs

Sunlight, temperature, Consumers/

nutrients etc. Heterotrophs

Decomposers

❑ Regulate movement of water, energy and nutrients required by organisms to grow

and reproduce
 Types of Ecosystem
TypesofofEcosystems
Types Ecosystem
There are two types of ecosystem
wo types of ecosystem • Forest Ecosystem
1. Terrestrial Ecosystem • • Grassland Ecosystem
Forest Ecosystem
rial Ecosystem • • Tundra Ecosystem
Grassland Ecosystem
2. Aquatic Ecosystem • • Desert Ecosystem, etc
Tundra Ecosystem
c Ecosystem • Desert Ecosystem, etc
• Freshwater Ecosystem
• Ecosystem
ater Marine Ecosystem Each ecosystem is placed at a particular location on Earth disting
Ecosystem Each ecosystemspecific mixatof
is placed interacting
a particular bioticonand
location abiotic
Earth distinguished by a
components.
specific mix of interacting biotic and abiotic components.
 Energy Flows through Ecosystems

Producers Consumers
Energy Flows through Ecosystems

Food Chain
❑A food chain helps
us visualize how
energy moves with
between trophic
levels.

❑However, species in
a natural ecosystem
are rarely connected
in such simple linear
fashion.
 Food Web

❑ A more realistic type of model is

known as a food web. Food web
takes into account the complexity
of nature, and illustrate the most
important concept of ecology i.e.,
all the species in an ecosystem are
connected to each other.

❑ Food web includes scavengers (that

consume dead animals; e.g.,
vultures)

❑ Detritivores are organisms such as

dung beetles, that specialize in
breaking down dead tissues and
waste products (detritus) into
smaller pieces.
Trophic levels & Ecosystem Productivity
❑ The amount of energy available in an
Scavengers/ ecosystem determines how much life the
ecosystem can support.

❑ NPP = GPP – respiration by producers

Here NPP is Net Primary Productivity of
Ecosystem
GPP is Gross Primary Productivity (via
photosynthesis over a given amount of time)

❑ Greater the productivity of an ecosystem, the

higher the number of primary consumers
that can be supported.

❑ Tropical rainforests are more productive

ecosystems compared to deserts and Arctic
region
Ecosystem Productivity
 Ecological Pyramids
❑Representation of trophic structure and function of an ecosystem with producers at base
and successive trophic levels at the top.
❑Upright and Inverted pyramid
❑Types of Ecological pyramids: number, biomass and energy

Ecosystem type Pattern of Pyramid of Number

Grassland Ecosystem Upright
Pond/Marine Ecosystem Upright
Forest Ecosystem Mixed
Parasitic Ecosystem Inverted

Note: Number pyramid gives more weightage to small sized individuals.

 Ecological Pyramids
❑ Pyramid of Biomass (g/m2) i.e. total dry weight of all organisms at each trophic level at a particular time.
Also known as standing biomass/crop.
❑ Individuals in each trophic level are weighed instead of being counted.

Ecosystem type Pattern of Pyramid of biomass

African savana Upright
Grassland Upright
Pond/Marine ecosystem Inverted
Parasitic ecosystem Upright

Parasitic ecosystem

Microbe
Lice, bugs
Birds
Trees
 Ecological Pyramids
❑ To compare the functional roles of trophic levels in an ecosystem, Energy Pyramid is the most effective
way.

10% Energy rule in Ecology OR

Lindemann 10% law

❑ Only 10 percent of energy in a food chain

out of the total energy is transferred from
one trophic level to another.

❑ The rest of the energy is utilized for other

metabolic processes, and some is
released as heat.
 Processes in Ecological Pyramids
Bioaccumulation Biomagnification
Accumulation of substances or chemicals in an Increasing concentration of a substance in the tissues
organism of organisms at successively higher levels in food
chain
When absorption rate of the toxic substance is higher
than the catabolism and excretion rate ▪ When substance can’t be broken down by
environmental processes
▪ Lower rate of internal degradation or excretion of
the substance in the organisms
 Levels of Ecological Organization
Part of Earth in which life exists
including air, land and water

Group of ecosystems with same

climate and vegetation, and
similar communities (terrestrial:
desert, grassland, forest)

All communities in an area and

all non-living components of the
environment (AAA + BBB + Non-
living)

Different populations living

together in an area (AAA + BBB)
Group of individuals of same
species living in same area at the
same time(AAA)
Individual (A)
 Organisms and Environment
❑ In Ecology, we understand how different organisms are adapted to their environments in terms of survival
and reproduction.

❑ Species, a group of similar populations of organisms whose members are capable of interbreeding and
produce fertile offspring. E.g., humans.

❑ Symbiosis : Interaction between two or more different species.

o Obligate symbiosis: when the species can not survive without each other.
o Facultative symbiosis: when the species derive benefits from their relationship but could survive without
each other.
 Type of Species Species Nature Examples
Interaction A B

Oxypeckers & Grazing Animals Bees & Flowers

Positive Mutualism + + Interaction favorable to
interactions both and obligatory

Corals & Algae

Commensalism + 0 One species is benefitted

and other is unaffected

Negative Amensalism - 0 One species is inhibited,

interactions other is not affected.

Neutralism 0 0 Neither of them is affected Deer and rabbit living together

 Species Interaction

Type of Species Species Nature Examples

Interaction A B

Negative Mutual - - Direct inhibition of each Birds competing with squirrels for nuts and
interactions inhibition species by the other. seeds
competition
type Two species fighting for
limited resources

Positive Parasitism + - Parasite gains at the Lion eats Zebra/deer

and expense of host
Negative
interactions
 Bio-geochemical Cycles
❑ Living world depends on flow of energy and circulation of nutrients.
❑ Includes biological, geological and chemical aspects of each cycle
❑ Gaseous cycles: Including nitrogen, oxygen, carbon and water. Move more rapidly and
adjust more readily.
❑ Sedimentary cycles: Including iron, calcium, sulfur, phosphorus and earthbound elements.
Weathering of rocks, mineral erosion, their transport and deposition, then burial.
Hydrologic
Cycle
Cloud aerosol interaction

IPCC AR4, 2007