Transcript Environmental Science 2

Environmental Science 2
Evolution, Biological Communities, and
Species Interactions
Biomes: Global Patterns of Life
Population Biology
Field Trip #1




Date/time: Saturday, starts @ 9:00 am
Location: Santa Monica National
Recreation Area, Leo Carrillo State Park.
Hand-out in class… Info/Map
Logistics: transportation and navigation
• Please be on time and prepared to do some
walking… bring multiple types of clothes and
shoes for unknown conditions.
• Picnic (optional)
Activity #1





Find 5 facts about the Santa Monica
Mountains National Recreation Area and
surroundings
Fill-out Activity #1 hand-out and turn-in
when complete
Use computers (i-net) on campus
Website suggestion: www.nps.gov/samo/,
also Google Earth.
Plus navigation to fieldtrip location and
maps!
Important Definitions

Evolution: gradual changes in species
over time...
• Natural Selection – better-fit individuals
thrive and pass on traits to next
generation
• Adaptation – acquisition of traits
allowing for species survival
• Speciation: the development of a new
species
• Why? – environmental pressures allow
for individual/species change
Some People of Interest
1.
2.

Charles Darwin
Alfred Wallace
Both scientists
published biological
research at the
same time (mid1800s), leading to
the main theory of
evolution embraced
by modern science.
Biology Basics


Habitat: the place or set of
environmental conditions in which an
organism lives
Niche: the role of a species in a
biological community
Biology Basics

Interactions between environment and
other organisms
• Competition – resources, mates, and more
• Predation – eat or be eaten
• Mutualism – together in harmony
• Disturbance – poor environmental factors
Biology Basics

Diversity – the number of different
species, niches, and/or genetic
variation in a biological community
• Species – A 300, B 25, C 150 per
community

Abundance – the total number of
organisms or species in a biological
community
• Species A – 1,000 individuals/community
Human Interruptions




Habitat loss from human use
Introduced species
Extraction or eradication
Fire, flooding, drought, storms, and
other extreme phenomena caused by
human negligence
• normal changes vs. human-induced
changes
Biome Introduction

Biome characteristics




Large terrestrial
ecosystem
Recognizable
assemblage of plants
and animals
Ecotone – transitional
boundary between
adjacent biomes
Vegetation – Basis for
biome names
Biogeography

View Biomes from Environmental
Geography course…
• Located on website under Physical
Geography lectures (ch11)
• Biome-related slides only (#32-#42)
• See website @

<http://geography-venturacounty.info/index.htm>
Population Biology

Population growth, limits, and crash
• carrying capacity
• birth/death rates
• migratory vs. sedentary
• genetic diversity
• physical conditions
• humans
Conservation Biology
Biogeography + Environmental Science
= Saving Ecosystems, Communities, and Species

Island Biogeography
• colonization/extinction
• barriers & change
• speciation/endemism
• human influences
Conservation in SMNRA



Islands and Mainland - connections
Example – giant coreopsis (plant)
Q&A
*Don’t forget to prepare for the
Saturday field trip (mandatory)!
Homework (continued)

Finish reading Ch.1 and three chapters of
your choice from the following list:
•
•
•
•
•

Chapter
Chapter
Chapter
Chapter
Chapter
2
3
4
5
6
Write a brief summary on each chapter
you read, including:
• chapter number/title, single favorite Case
Study/Exploring Science subsection among the
chapters, overall questions and/or comments