Enviromental Biology: Unit One Compilation

Table of Contents

Environmental Science

Scientific Method

Critical Thinking

Elements of Life

Energy

Evolution

Biodiversity

Environmental Science

Environmental Science opens a window for us to learn more about our planet and our place in it. Environmental Science does not limit itself to one area of scientific study, but rather compiles biology, chemistry, geology and many other areas of science to further understand our planet. This study of science could be mistaken as “tree hugger” or other terms that imply environmentalism. Environmental science seeks to better understand our world and our impact on it. What we decide to do with that information is then our own choice.

Issue that face our environment range from climate to water and biodiversity loss. But it also deals with hunger and clean water. This study of science does not only focus on the planet but all of it’s inhabitants.

Scientific Method

In order to study the world around us, we must perform experiments and develop theories on everything that happens in our world. Most of us come up with conclusions about our world using the scientific method without even realizing it. There are four steps in the scientific method.

The first step is to observe what you are trying to learn more about. For example, your care will not start. There are several reasons that your car may not start, gas, the battery and many more.

The second step is to create a hypothesis which is a testable explanation. The hypothesis is an assumption that you wish to prove or disprove. For example, if you were trying to find out why you car didn’t start, your hypothesis might be, “My car doesn’t start because I ran out of gas.”

The third step is to develop a test for your hypothesis. In this case you would add gas to your car’s gas tank.

The fourth step is to gather data from your test. Did the car start when you put gas in it?

The fifth step is to evaluate the results. If the car started when you added gas to it, then your hypothesis was correct. If it did not, then you have to repeat the process with a new hypothesis!

Everything that environmental science researches starts and ends with the scientific method. This allows scientists to organize their thoughts as tract their research in a way that can be referred to in the future.

Critical Thinking

Cunningham defines critical thinking as, “a term we use to describe logical, orderly, analytical assessment of ideas, evidence, and arguments”. (Cunningham, 16). Critical thinking enables us to take the data gathered through the scientific method and develop theories and arguments. This type of thinking forces us to break down each piece of our thinking processes and evaluate it.

We use critical thinking every day. A perfect example of our daily critical thinking process is the upcoming presidential election. Most of us that vote have heard the candidates speak at least once. Based off of their campaign speech we analyze their opinions or support their platforms and evaluate whether or not we support those beliefs or ideals. We break down the election based on what we have determined to be true for ourselves. Here is an image of the critical thinking process that really helped me to understand it better.

The great scientist of the past and present use critical thinking to develop ideas that influence our current and future world. It is these men and women who (through their critical thinking process) develop arguments for alternative energy sources, or preservation of ecosystems.

Elements of Life

In high school chemistry I stared blankly at the Periodic Table of the Elements. In that course I learned about protons and neutrons and electrons, but struggled to understand how this all fit into the big picture. Those elements are the elements of life. Each serves a purpose and keeps our world in balance. Some are the very building block of life.

These elements combine to form compounds held together by electric charges.

Carbon is a key element in any living organism because it is what forms the skeletons of organic compounds which is the basis of life. After the elements begin to form compounds more complex combinations are made such as DNA. Several steps beyond DNA a cell is formed.

Energy

“If matter is the material of which things are made, energy provides the force to hold structures together, tear them apart, and move them from one place to another.” (Cunningham, 33) I could not have said it better myself. Life requires energy. The cycle of life needs something to force growth and development. Energy is just that tool. There are two basic types of energy, kinetic and potential. Kinetic energy is motion. Potential energy is stored energy .A good example for kinetic and potential energy is a track and field race. When the racers are at the start line waiting for the gun, they have potential energy. The moment the gun fires and they being to run, they are using kinetic energy.

What about the energy that perpetuates life? This is considered the Energy of Life. Producers, such as green plants, create energy using sunlight, air and water. These plants use the process of photosynthesis to create this energy.

Small animals and insects eat the plants and absorb some of their energy (energy is lost through heat, waste and consumption). Larger carnivores eat the smaller animals and insects and absorb a portion of their energy. Even larger animals consume the smaller carnivores and the process continues. Each level dependent on the level before it for life.

Evolution

Evolution was a difficult topic for me. I was raised to believe that evolution was not fact or the real process of life. However, after reading the chapters and reviewing the notes, my opinion is beginning to change. Evolution means so much more than the notion that humans evolved from monkeys. It begins by describing natural selection and adaptation. A real world example that helped me to understand evolution is the small paragraph the textbook had about the flu shot. We get a flu shot every year because every year the flu virus mutates and evolves into a different strand.

Through many generations a species will adapt to their climate. If they cannot, then that species will become extinct. It is the very process of evolution that has lent our world to be as diverse as it is. A butterfly in America is going to be different then a butterfly in Madagascar because it has different needs for survival. Each species has a habitat that it has adapted to. It has a vital role in that habitats ecosystem. Nature puts limits on the growth of each species. There are predators or disease that generally prevent one species from over populating any one are and throwing of the perfect balance.

Biodiversity

I put this section last, not only because it was one of the last things we studied this unit, but also because it may be the one thing that made the most impact on me. Biodiversity refers to the different species and ecosystems in any given biome. Each biome in the world serves a purpose. Our very existence is dependent on biodiversity. The biomes in our world range from the desert (hot or cold and very dry) to lush rainforest (humid and full of trees). In each of these areas there are animals that are specific to that region. A snake from the desert could not survive in the rainforest and a monkey from the rainforest could not survive the desert.

As humans were are on the eternal quest for more and better. We search out each biome for usable resources and find them. But more we use, the less there is. The destruction of these biomes throws of the balance and can cause unforeseeable issues. Perhaps not in our life time, but certainly in our grandchildren’s life time. Our atmosphere is dependent on the planets biodiversity. As we change the structure of the earth we risk causing irreparable damage the vast space above us.