Env330

Perspective

Are humans part of nature? Are humans part of ecosystems?

 

Consider holding your breathe for 10 minutes. What would happen?

 

What do you eat? What do you drink? What do you breathe? Which animals and plants do you eat? How do they grow? Where does the matter and energy come from that sustains them? Where does the water that you drink come from? What was that water part of before you drank it? Where was it before that? Where does the air come from that you breathe? How was it made? Who or what exhaled it? What inhales your exhalation?

 

What happens to animal and plant “waste” and dead? What would happen if humans disappeared from Earth? What would happen if decomposers disappeared from Earth?

For this module, you are required to read the following from your textbook:

 

· Chapter 3

· Chapter 4

· Chapter 5

· Chapter 6

 

To help guide and focus your reading, the textbook includes a list of  Key Questions at the beginning of each chapter, and a  Review of Key Concepts at the end of the chapter.

 

You are advised to review these before and after reading the chapters, as this will help you prepare for the course assignments, discussions, and exams.

The Habitable Planet: A Systems Approach to Environmental Science

 

View  Episode 4 - Ecosystems

  Ecosystems Video - Annenberg Learner

Ecosystems Video - Annenberg Learner

1. Click here to access the video series website

2. Click “Individual Program Descriptions”

3. Click the VoD link to the right of the assigned program title to launch the video

 

Questions to consider while viewing video:

· Why do ecosystems like tropical rainforests have such immense diversity?

· What have scientists discovered that determines how many individuals of a species can be supported within an ecosystem?

· How does science restore the diversity to areas where human activity has interfered with the natural structure of a habit/ecosystem?

The Habitable Planet: A Systems Approach to Environmental Science

 

View  Episode 5 - Human Population Dynamics

 

In a world directed by economics, some say our society has failed to factor in the importance of Nature. It provides us with indispensable resources yet is inexplicably free to overdraw from. Its services range from air, water, food, and medicine to other less obvious things like climate regulation and natural flood defences provided by forests. 

Using the list below, what top 5 concerns would you select?

1. Climate Change

2. Air Pollution

3. Loss of Biodiversity

4. Loss of Tropical Forest

5. Continued Plastic Pollution

6. Global Warming

7. Coral Reef Die-offs