ENV100Y5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Nitrification, Fossil Fuel, Nitrogen Fixation

• School: UTM
• Department: Environment
• Course: ENV100Y5
• Professor: Monika Havelka

Document Summary

Study of interactions among organisms and their physical environment as an integrated system way of looking at a system. Ecosystem concept: (cid:862)we (cid:272)a(cid:374)(cid:374)ot separate the(cid:373) (cid:894)orga(cid:374)is(cid:373)s(cid:895) fro(cid:373) their spe(cid:272)ial e(cid:374)(cid:448)iro(cid:374)(cid:373)e(cid:374)t (cid:449)ith (cid:449)hi(cid:272)h they for(cid:373) o(cid:374)e physi(cid:272)al syste(cid:373) the syste(cid:373)s are the (cid:271)asi(cid:272) u(cid:374)its of (cid:374)ature (cid:863) ~ ir arthur george ta(cid:374)sley (cid:894)(cid:1005)(cid:1012)(cid:1011)(cid:1005)-1955) A way of looking at an organism and their interactions with the environment as an integrated system. Focuses on functions, processes, fluxes (energy, nutrients), biogeochemical cycles, etc. Ecosystem ecology provides for a mechanistic basis for understanding the earth system. Ecosystems provide goods and services to society. Human activities are changing ecosystems (and therefore the earths system) Millennium ecosystem assessment: (cid:858)e(cid:272)osystems and the services they provide are financially significant and that to degrade a(cid:374)d da(cid:373)age the(cid:373) is ta(cid:374)ta(cid:373)ou(cid:374)t to e(cid:272)o(cid:374)o(cid:373)i(cid:272) sui(cid:272)ide. (cid:863) (cid:894)(cid:1005)3(cid:1004)(cid:1004) s(cid:272)ie(cid:374)tists(cid:895) Improve water quality: recharge groundwater supply, erosion control, pest control, pollination, co2 fixation, nutrient retention and cycling, renewable resources (food, building materials, etc. , medicine, recreation.