ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE and ECOLOGY and ECOLOGY INTRODUCTION MAIN IDEAS STARTING PROJECT
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE and ECOLOGYand ECOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
MAIN IDEAS
STARTING PROJECT
• Environmental science and ecology includes the study of the relationships between abiotic, biotic and human, the ecological effects of pollution, disturbance, and other stressors.
What is Ecology?What is Ecology?1.1.1 Conception and scope of ecology1.1.1 Conception and scope of ecology• Ecology is the ideal science for the
naturally curious• The term ecology comes from the Greek
oikos meaning "house“ or our environment• Ecologists always ask Why?
• Ecology: study of relationships between organisms and the environment.
• Importance of understanding the relationships between organisms and the environment.
• Ecologist study these relationships between organisms and environment over a large range of temporal and spatial scales using a wide variety of approaches.
• 1.1.2 Scientific method of ecology
• The ecology of forest birds:
• Using field studies to test theory or find law and relationships
1.1.3 Relationship between ecology 1.1.3 Relationship between ecology and environmental scienceand environmental science
• Ecology is a science; environmentalism is a concern
• In 1798, the English scientist Thomas Malthus expressed doubts about the ability of agriculture to feed a rapidly growing human population
1.1.3 Relationship between ecology 1.1.3 Relationship between ecology and environmental scienceand environmental science
• In 1962, Rachel Carson published Silent Spring, a book that described the dangers of pesticides and the consequences of chemical pollution to our environment
• The greatest value of the environmental movement is that it has increasingly sensitized our society to the relationship that exists between ourselves, nature, industry, and development
1.2 What is Environmental 1.2 What is Environmental Science?Science?
• Environment (from the French environner: to encircle or surround) can be defined as (1) the circumstances or conditions that surround an organism or group of organisms, or (2) the complex of social or cultural conditions that affect an individual or community
Environmental ImpactEnvironmental Impact
• Environmental impact refers to the alteration of the natural environment by human activity
• Resource depletion and pollution were the two basic types of environmental impact