ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

1. BIOSPHERE

   • Hydrosphere
   • Lithosphere
     • Rocks
       • Igneous Rocks
         • Igneous rock derive from the cooling of molten material (magma/ lava)
         • granite
         • basalt
       • Sedimentary Rocks
         • Form from deposits of eroded particles of rock, soil and dead remains left at the bottom of a lake or sea and has been compressed over time
         • sandstone
         • limestone
       • Metamorphic rocks
         • Igneous or sedimentary rocks that have been altered by heat, pressure, chemicals. 
         • slate
         • marble
     • soil
       • structure
         • porosity
           • The gaps between each of the soil particles
       • types
   • Atmosphere
     • Layers
       • Stratosphere
         • This is where the ozone layer is found Higher altitude = increased tempertatures
       • Troposphere
         • First layer in the atmosphere, there weather occurs.  Higher altitudes = decrease in temperature
       • Mesosphere
         • higher altitudes = decreased temperatures
       • thermosphere
         • higher altitude = increased temperature
   • Biotic
     • Living
   • Abiotic
     • Non- living

2. BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES

   • Water cycle
     • Evaporation
       • The process in which liquid water converts to gaseous water
     • Condensation
       • The cooling of gaseous water to form liquid water
     • Percipitation
       • Different forms of water which descends from the atmosphere
     • Infiltration
       • Water which gets soaked in by the Earth which is deposited into groundwater
     • Run- off
     • Transpiration
   • Carbon- oxygen cycle
     • Aerobic Respiration
       • glucose + oxygen --> water +carbon dioxide + energy
     • Anaerobic respiration
       • Used when no oxygen is present
       • glucose --> ethanol + carbon dioxide + energy
     • carbon and oxygen levels are maintained by organisms
   • Nitrogen cycle
     • fossil fuels , nitrogen based fertilizers and other. This will increase amount of nitrogen biologically available. Reduces forest health, decrease diversity , cause nutrient imbalances 
     • Nitrification
       • Process in which nitrifying bacteria convert ammonia to nitrate and nitrite ions.
     • ammonification
       • Decomposers return nitrogen to the soil be converting nitrogen  rich compounds in dead organisms to ammonia
     • denitrification
       • Process in which denitrifying bacteria work in anaerobic conditions to convert nitrate and nitrites into nitrogen gas
     • Assimilation
       • The process in which plants absorb nitrate and nitrites to form organic form of nitrogen
   • Phosphorus cycle
     • Weathering
       • Erosion of rocks through weather. This releases inorganic phosphorus into the soil.
     • Assimilation
       • Process in which plants absorb inorganic phosphorus to form organic phosphorus
     • Mineralisation
       • Bacteria which breaks down organic phosphorus to inorganic forms of phosphorus.
     • Sedimentation
       • Process of which phosphate collects into sediments to form rocks
   • Carbon cycle

3. SYSTEM'S APPROACH

   • Ecosystem
     • Specific group of organisms which interact with each other and the abiotic features in an environment
     • community
       • A range of different species which interact with each other at a certain location
       • population
         • A group of organisms which belong to the same species found at a certain location
         • specicies
           • Organisms of the same kind which are able to breed with each other.
   • Ecological processes

4. ECOSYSTEMS

   • Biomass pyramid
     • The Biomass of each trophic level decreases as you go up from the trophic level due the loss of energy at each trophic level
   • First Law of Thermodynamics
     • Energy is neither created or destroyed it can only be converted
   • Trophic Levels
     • producers
       • photosynthetic organisms--> Organism that receive their energy from the sun
     • primary consumers
       • second trophic level: organisms which consume producers
     • secondary consumers
       • third trophic level: Organisms which consume primary consumers
     • tertiary consumers
       • Fourth trophic level: organisms which consume secondary consumers
   • food chains
     • A linear diagram representing animal consumption realtions
     • food webs
       • Diagram where many food chains are connected together to form eating relations in an ecosystem

5. SHORT, MEDIUM AND LONG TERM CHANGES

   • Short
     • El Nino
       • Occurs between eight to three years
     • Daily Changes
       • circadian rhythm/ biological clock
         • activities that occur on a predictable daily basis
       • nocturnal
         • Active during the night
       • diurnal
         • Active during the day
       • crepuscular
         • Active during twilight
     • monthly changes
       • lunar rhythms
         • Movement on the moon around the Earth. Takes around 28-29 days.
       • tidal rythms
         • Changes between high and low changes which are influenced by the lunar rhythm
     • seasonal changes
       • Autumn: Trees drop their leaves Winter: Hibernation Spring: Reproduction and birth, flowers begin to bloom
       • mirgration
         • Animals (fishes and birds) migrate to different region that are more suitable to their preferred temperature
   • Medium
     • Ecological succession
       • primary succession
         • A community which is established at a previously un- vegetated location
       • secondary succession
         • A community which forms forms from a previously destroyed community
     • Solar cycles
       • Cycle where the Sun ranges from periods of high and low solar activity. Cycles occurs every 11 years
     • Glacial melting
       • The slow process of large glacial is melting due to global warming
     • land cover changes
       • The transformation of land induced by humans
     • desertification
       • The degradation of large dry lands which form deserts
   • Long
     • thermohaline circulation
       • The circulation of salinity and temperature around the ocean. This can take 1,600 years
     • evolution
     • Milankovitch cycles
       • eccentricity
       • obliquity
       • precession
     • plate tectonics
     • Geomagnetic reversal
     • mass extinction
       • ordovician- silurian
       • late devonian
       • permian- trassic
       • triassic- jurassic
       • cretaceous- tertiary
       • sixth mass extinction

6. SURVEYING THE ENVIRONMENT

   • Random sampling
     • Random distribution of quadrants
   • Systematic sampling
     • Systematic distribution of quadrants.

7. WERRIBEE ZOO

   • Bandicoots
     • Human induced threats
       • foreign species
         • feral cats and foxes
           • These are predators that hunt and kill the Eastern Barred Bandicoots
         • cattle and rabbit
           • These animals become the EBB's competitors and take away resources that the EBB needs to live.
       • habitat loss
         • Infrastructure
           • The grasslands are being replaced by residential and industrial buildings
         • farming
           • Some of the lands is being used for farming which disrupts the state of the grasslands

8. PRACTICAL REPORT

   • hypothesis
     • A prediction written in the form of a statement at the start of your practical
   • independent variables
     • x-variable
   • dependent variables
     • y- variable

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