Tài liệu Environmental Science (Specialized English for Environmental Courses) ppt

The abiotic component includesall the factors of the nonliving environment such as thesubstratum, light, rainfall, nutrients, soil, and others.. Theseplants are able to manufacture food

VO DINH LONG

Environmental Science

(Specialized English for Environmental Courses)

PART 1PRINCIPLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

Ho Chi Minh University of Industry Publishing House, 2011

This book is basically the result of six years of teaching in thefield of environmental science Some of my graduate andundergraduate students using this book have been beingengineers, practitioners, and officers I am very grateful to themfor their patience and tolerance as it progressed from crudelectures to its present book

This book is divided into 5 chapters:

Chapter 1: Basic units of ecology

Chapter 2: Materials and nutrient cycles

Chapter 3: Humankind’s invention with nature

Chapter 4: The pollution problems

Chapter 5: Sustainable development and the future

Many problems are discussed in the book include: theecosystem; materials and nutrient cycles; balance of nature;progress in agriculture, engineering, and medicine; adverseeffects of people’s activities; air, water and soil pollution;pollution reduction; how the global environment faces; and themeaning of sustainable development

Although this book contributes by one person for the purpose

of teaching and reading I am lucky to have the supports from somany people and without their helps this book would not havebeen published While most people did not help directly on mytheme, one of them contributed in some ways towarded helpingme

Many thanks to my colleagues at Ho Chi Minh University ofIndustry: Prof Le Huy Ba for reading my book and offeringvaluable advice; Miss Nguyen Le Kim Cuong and Mrs Nguyen

Thi Thu Thuy for using my crude lectures for their teaching, andMiss Nguyen Thi Hong Nhung for her reading andcommending.

I would also like to thank all of them for numerous hoursthey have allowed me to spend with them in discussing mybook, confirming reading notes, and helping me with this book.The most importantly of all, my thanks also to the editorialstaff of Ho Chi Minh University publishing house for theirpatience with me in reading, reviewing, and publishing thisbook

Ho Chi Minh City, June 2011

Author

VO DINH LONG

Chapter 2: Materials and nutrient cycles

§1 Importance of the nutrient cycles

§2 the water cycle

§3 the carbon and oxygen cycle

§4 the nitrogen cycle

§5 the phosphorus cycle

Chapter 3: Humankind’s invention with nature

§1 Balance of nature

§2 Progress in agriculture, engineering, and medicine

§3 Adverse effects of people’s activities

Chapter 4: The pollution problems

§1 Meaning of pollution

§2 Air pollution

§3 Land and soil pollution

§4 Radiation and its harmful effects

§5 Pollution reduction

Chapter 5: Sustainable development and the future

§1 The global environmental situation

§2 Suistainable development

Glossary

Metric unit conversion tables

References

CHAPTER 1: BASIC UNITS OF ECOLOGY

After studying this chapter, you should be able to:

1 Define environment.

2 Define an ecosystem.

3 Identify the components of the biosphere.

4 Describe the living and nonliving components of the environment.

5 Explain that bacteria and fungi are agents of decay.

6 Discuss the process of photosynthesis.

7 Enumerate the important factors that affect the growth of plants and the survival of animals.

§1 THE ECOSYSTEM

When God created the world, He said, “Let the earth

produces all kinds of plants, those that bear grain and those that bear fruit”, and it was done Then He also created animals,

including human beings and provided light God, therefore, saw

to it that everything needed for them to live is found in the worldwhich He created He provided spaces, ways and means by withdifferent organisms can interact with one another and with theirenvironment

Part of the world where life operates is known as thebiosphere

The biosphere consists of the air (atmosphere), water(hydrosphere), and earth (lithosphere) where living thingsinteract with their environment.

When you study the interaction or relationship betweenorganisms and their environment, you are studying anecosystem The term ecosystem refers to all the living things andthe nonliving things in a given area It includes all the plants andanimals together with their surroundings

Figure 1.1: The biosphere

The ecosystem of an aquarium, for example, consists of thehydrilla and others plants, fish, snails, and other aquatic animals,some of which can only be seen under the microscope It alsoincludes sand and pebbles at the bottom We can also includethe owner who takes care of the aquarium

A grassland, too, is an ecosystem This ecosystem consists ofthe grass, earthworms, insects, bacteria, soil, water, sunlight, and

other plants and animals that live on it The pond is anotherexample of an ecosystem.

In a forest ecosystem, interrelationships among its living andnonliving components occur The branches and leaves of treeshelp break the force of the rain Layers of dead leaves and twinsand branches on the forest floor soak up water and prevent rainfrom washing soil away Little water runs off the land The roots

of trees hold the soil and water on which they depend.Moreover, when the leaves and branches decay, they becomepart of the rich topsoil

The soil is made up of minerals like silica and clay Theycome from the breakdown of rocks There are spaces betweenthe mineral particles which are filled with air and water Roots

of plants penetrate deeper into the soil causing physical change.They loosen the tightly packed particles Chemical change alsooccurs The roots absorb the minerals present

Figure 1.2: Plant-soil relationship

There are thousands of organisms that live in the soil, likeearthworms, that decompose the dead plants and animals Someare too small to be seen, but they all help maintain the ecologicalbalance in the soil

Figure 1.3: Organisms in the soil

GUIDE QUESTIONS

1 What is an ecosystem?

………

………

………

………

2 How do the living components of an ecosystem affect the nonliving components? Give example ………

………

………

………

3 Can a fallen log be considered as an ecosystem? Explain your answer ………

………

………

………

§2 COMPONENTS OF AN ECOSYSTEM

In the preceding section you learned what an ecosystem is The living component is known as the biotic and the nonliving component is known as abiotic The biotic component consists

of plants, animals, and bacteria The abiotic component includesall the factors of the nonliving environment such as thesubstratum, light, rainfall, nutrients, soil, and others Both thebiotic and abiotic components are equally important in theecosystem because without one of them the ecosystem wouldnot function.

INSIGHTFULNESS

The ecosystem consists of the biotic and abiotic components The biotic components are the plants, animals, and decomposers The abiotic components are the nonliving factors, such as temperature, water, and others The abiotic affect the biotic components and vice versa.

1 Green plants

Green plants are known as the producers They captureenergy from the sun and together with carbon dioxide (CO2) inthe air and water (H2O) converting together those into foodenergy Since plants are able to manufacture their own food,they are also known as autotrophs (or self-nourishing) Theseplants are able to manufacture food though the process ofphotosynthesis, which will be explained in the next section.Green plants also take substances, such as nitrogen and sulfurfrom the environment and convert those into plant materials thatcan be used by other organisms as food These green plantsfurther provide oxygen which is taken in by humans and animals

in the process of respiration For these reasons, all life, whether

in the pond, forest, or grassland, depend on green plants

You might think that green plants consist only of the trees orbig plants that you see around The other producers are invisible

to your eyes These are the microscopic drifting plants which are greater sources of food than the big plants that you can see We call these microscopic plants phytoplankton When they become too abundant, they can give a pond or a body of water a green color, it is called Eutrophication (Eutrophication is an increase

in the concentration of chemical nutrients in an ecosystem to an extent that increases the primary productivity of the ecosystem)

WARM UP

Have you ever seen a pond or a lake with green surface?

GUIDE QUESTIONS

1 What are producers?

………

………

………

………

2 What do producers perform in an ecosystem? ………

………

………

………

3 What is phytoplankton? ………

………

………

………

2 Animals

Animals, or the consumers, obtain their food from plants orother animals Because of this, they are also known asheterotrophs, which means that they feed on others and cannotmanufacture their own food, unlike the green plants

There are three different types of consumers, namely, theherbivores, the carnivores, and the omnivores

Figure 1.4: There are three different types of consumers

The herbivores are those that eat plants only For example,the caterpillar that feeds on leaves is an herbivore while thesnake that eats the caterpillar is a carnivore Omnivores eat bothplants and animals A human being is a good example of anomnivore

Through the process of respiration, animals combine the foodthey eat with oxygen to produce CO2 and H2O which are used

by plants in the photosynthesis process Animals also convertthe materials of the plant bodies into the materials that make-up

their own bodies All the energy produced and used by animals comes from the plants

GUIDE QUESTIONS

1 What are consumers?

………

………

………

………

2 What are the three types of consumers? And give one example for each type ………

………

………

………

3 Bacteria and fungi as agents of decay

Have you ever observed what happen to leaves that fall on the ground?

After some time, the leaves wither, break down into smaller pieces, decay, and finally become part of the soil What do you think is responsible for this change?

WARM UP

Have you heard of the word decomposer? What do you think does a decomposer do?

Decomposers make-up the third biotic component of theecosystem They use the bodies of dead animals and plants fortheir food The materials contained in these dead bodies arebroken down by the decomposers, thus they get the energy theyneed and release the minerals and other nutrients back into theenvironment for use again by other organisms Bacteria areamong the most abundant decomposers while fungi are known

to be the fast-acting decomposers

Decomposers are found everywhere In the pond, they areabundant at the bottom where the remains of the dead organisms(plants and animals) settle On land, they abound on the surface

of the soil where the dead bodies of plants and animals arefound

Each of the three groups of the biotic component of theecosystem - producers (plants), consumers (animals), anddecomposers (bacteria and fungi) - has its own specific function

or task to perform

Figure 1.5: Relationship among biotic component of the ecosystem

The work performed by an organism is known as its ecological niche, while the place where the organism lives in the ecosystem is known as its ecological habitat

GUIDE QUESTIONS

1 What are decomposers?

………

………

………

………

2 What do decomposers perform in the ecosystem ? ………

………

………

………

4 Nonliving factors

The nonliving factors of the environment make-up abiotic component of the ecosystem These include the chemical and physical factors in the environment, such as light, temperature, water, pH (acidity), wind, chemical nutrients, salinity (saltiness), soil, and others

Organisms are affected by the biotic factors simultaneously but, of course, different species of organisms are affected differently For example, lichens may not survive when temperature gets very high but cactus may

Different organisms thrive in different conditions There are animals, like the earthworms, which favor wet condition, while others, like ants, prefer drier conditions Some plants, such as cactus, grow best in sandy soil while tomatoes grow best in loamy soil

As a whole, these environmental factors not only provide essential energy and materials but also determine the kind of organisms that will inhabit the area Hence, they provide the conditions necessary for the survival of the organisms

GUIDE QUESTIONS

1 What are the components of an ecosystem?

………

………

………

………

2 Give examples for each component of the ecosystem.

………

………

………

………

3 What are the functions of these components? ………

………

………

………

4 Can an ecosystem exist without one of its components? Justify your answer ………

………

………

………

Autotrophs: Organism that is self-nourishing; one that can

produce its own food.

Heterotroph: Organisms that feeds on others and cannot

manufacture its own food.

Biological magnification: Accumulation or increase of

chemical substances on organisms in succeeding higher trophic levels.

Biomass: Amount of organic materials in plants or animals

from which energy can be derived.

Energy: Capacity to do work

Energy content: The amount of energy available for doing

work For example, amount of energy in fuel available for powering a motor vehicle.

Food chain: Energy pathway which proceeds from the

producers to the consumers.

Food web: Series of interrelated food chains in an ecosystem Pyramid of energy: Representation of the organic content in

each trophic level.

Biosphere: Portion of the earth and its environment within

which life in any of its form is manifested.

Photosynthesis: Process of manufacturing food by green

plants in the presence of sunlight.

Atmosphere: Layer of air surrounding the earth.

Hydrosphere: The part of the Earth composed of water

including clouds, oceans, seas, ice caps, glaciers, lakes, rivers, underground water supplies, and atmospheric water vapor.

Lithosphere: The outer, rigid shell of the earth, situated

above the atmosphere and containing the crust, continents and plates or the solid part of the earth’s surface.

Grassland biome: Community where grass is abundant while

trees are scarce and where mostly herbivores and rodents dwell.

Carnivore: Animals that get food from killing and eating

other animals.

Herbivore: Organisms that eat plants only.

Omnivore: Organisms that consume both plants and animals Biotic factor: Living component of the ecosystem which

includes plants, animals, and bacteria.

Biotic potential: Reproductive capacity of the living

components of the ecosystem.

Producer (autotroph): Green plant or organism that,

performs photosynthesis.

Consumer: Organism that feeds on other organisms.

Decomposer (also known as microconsumer): Organism

which breaks down nonliving organic material; example are bacteria and fungi.

Environment: Sum of all external forces and conditions

acting on an organism or a community of organisms.

CHOOSE THE BEST ANSWER FOR THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

1 The biosphere consists of ………

a) atmosphere

b) hydrosphere and atmosphere

c) atmosphere and lithosphere

d) atmosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere

2 Atmosphere ………

a) is the air environment

b) consists of air and water

c) consists of soil and water

d) consists of soil and air

3 Hydrosphere ………

a) is the air environment

b) is the soil environment

c) is the water environment

d) is the water and soil environment

4 The biosphere is place where ………

a) living things do not interact with their environmentb) living things interact with their environment

c) nonliving things interact each other

d) living things interact each other

5 Lithosphere is ………

a) The air environment

b) The water and air environment

c) The soil environment

d) The organisms and their environment

6 Studying an ecosystem concentrates on ………

a) the relationship between organisms and organismsb) the relationship between organisms and theirenvironment

c) the relationship between nonliving things

d) plants and animals

7 The term ecosystem refers to ………

a) all the living things in a given area

b) all the living things and the nonliving things in a givenarea

c) all the nonliving things in a given area

d) the relationship between organisms and organisms

8 A grassland is an ecosystem because it consists of ………

a) the grass

b) earthworms, insects and bacteria

c) plants and animals

d) plants and animals together with their surroundings

9 The living components of an ecosystem affect the nonliving

10 ……… are known as the biotic.

a) The nonliving components

b) The living components

c) The nonliving and the living components

d) Water and vapour water

11 The abiotic components consist of ………

a) plants and animals

b) factors of the nonliving environment

c) factors of the living environment

d) bacteria

12 Both the biotic and abiotic components ………

a) are unequally important in the ecosystem

b) are equally important in the ecosystem

c) are not important in the ecosystem

d) do not relate in the ecosystem

13 ……… are known as the producers

a) Animals

b) Green plants

c) Both green plants and animals

d) Bacteria

14 ……… capture the energy from the sun and

together with carbon dioxide in the air and water converttogether those into food energy

a) Green plants

b) Animals

c) Both green plants and animals

d) Bacteria

15 Plants are known as autotrophs because ………

a) they are green plants

b) they are producers

c) they are able to manufacture their own food

d) they are consumers

16 ……… can take substances from the environment

and covert those into materials that can be used by otherorganisms as food

a) Green plants

b) Animals

c) Consumers

d) Decomposers

17 ……… can provide oxygen which is taken in by

humans and animals in the process of respiration

a) Consumers

b) Animals

c) Green plants

d) Decomposers

18 We call the microscopic plants phytoplankton because …

a) they give a pond or a body of water a green colorb) they are invisible to your eyes

c) they are microscopic drifting plants

d) trees, big plants and phytoplankton

20 Animals are known as heterotrophs because …………

a) they obtain their food from plants or other animalsb) they are producers

c) they are able to manufacture their own food

d) they are unlike the green plants

21 Consumers include ………

a) herbivores

b) carnivores

c) omnivores

d) herbivores, carnivores and omnivores

22 Herbivores are those ………

a) that eat animals and plants

b) that eat animals

c) that eat plants only

d) that are the producers

23 Carnivores are those ………

a) that eat animals and plants

b) that eat animals only

c) that eat plants

d) that are the consumers

24 Omnivores are those ………

a) that eat animals and plants

b) that eat animals only

c) that eat plants only

d) that are the decomposers

b) can capture the energy from the sun

c) can use the bodies of dead animals and plants for their foodd) can use the energy from the sun

28 Biotic components of the ecosystem include ………

a) producers

b) decomposers

c) consumers

d) producers, decomposers and consumers

29 ……… is known as its ecological habitat.

a) The work performed by an organism

b) The place where the organism lives in the ecosystemc) The energy flowing from the sun to the organismsd) The work performed by an organism and the placewhere the organism lives in the ecosystem

30 The nonliving factors of the environment make up ………

a) the ecosystem

b) the biotic components of the ecosystem

c) the abiotic components of the ecosystem

d) the ecological habitat

31 are the nonliving factors of the environment.

a) light and temperature

b) water and pH

c) wind, chemical nutrients and soil

d) light, temperature, water, pH, wind, chemical nutrients,soil, etc

32 Environmental factors can ………

a) provide essential energy and materials to organismsb) determine the kind of organisms

c) provide the necessary conditions for the survival of theorganisms

d) provide the essential energy, materials, conditions anddetermine the kind of organisms

33 Autotroph is ………

a) self-nourishing organism

b) organisms that cannot produce its own food

c) organisms that feeds on others

d) consumer

34 Biomass are ………

a) Amount of organic materials in plants

b) Amount of organic materials in plants and animalsc) Amount of organic materials in animals

d) Amount of organic materials in producers, consumersand decomposers

35 Energy pathway which proceeds from the producers to the

c) The process of manufacturing food by bacteria

d) The process of manufacturing food by fungi

37 Nonliving factors include ………

a) Temperature, light and water

b) Chemical nutrients and soil

c) The physical factors

d) The chemical and physical factors

38 Layer of air surrounding the earth is ………

c) biosphere

d) atmosphere, lithosphere and biosphere

40 The representation of the organic contents in each trophic

41 Organism that ……… is called autotroph.

a) can’t produce its own food

b) can feed on the others

43 The process of manufacturing food by green plants in the

presence of sunlight is called ………

a) phytoplankton

b) photosynthesis

c) absorption

d) greenhouse effect

45 ……… consists of the biotic and abiotic components.

a) The ecological habitat

b) The nonliving factor

c) The living factor

47 Organisms that feed on others and cannot manufacture its

own food are called ………

52 ……… of grassland consists of grass, earthworms,

insects, bacteria, soil, water, sunlight and other plants andanimals that live on it

a) The ecosystem

b) The garden

c) The greenhouse

d) The diversity

53 There are thousands of …… living in the soil decompose

the dead plants and animals

56 Animals are called the …… because they obtain their food

from plants or other animals

b) decomposers

c) consumers

d) autotrophs

58 The ……… factors of the environment make up abiotic

component of the ecosystem

60 The term ecosystem refers … all the living and nonliving

things in a given area

a) to

b) of

c) in

d) at

61 When the leaves and branches decay, they become a part

…… the rich topsoil

a) to

b) of

c) in

d) at

62 The place … the organism lives in the ecosystem is

known as its ecological habitat

a) which

b) when

c) whose

d) where

63 These environmental factors not only provide essential

energy and materials …… determine the kind of organismsthat will inhabit the area

a) the living factor

b) the nonliving factor

c) the chemical factor

d) the living and nonliving factors

d) bacteria and human

69 Nonliving components are called ………

a) abiotic

b) biotic

c) bacteria

d) bacteria and human

70 Green plants are ………

a) carnivores

b) decomposers

75 Identify the error underlined word or phrase of the

following sentence: “Decomposer make up the third bioticcomponent of the ecosystem”

a) decomposer

b) make up

c) biotic

d) ecosystem

76 Identify the error underlined word or phrase of the

following sentence: “When the body of dead plants andanimals decompose, they are changed into nutrients throughthe action of bacteria and fungi”

a) body

b) decompose

c) are changed into

d) through

77 Identify the error underlined word or phrase of the

following sentence: “Green plants also take substances,such as nitrogen and sulfur from the environment andcoverted those into plant materials that can be used by otherorganisms as food”

a) substances

b) from

c) coverted

d) can be used

78 Identify the error underlined word or phrase of the

following sentence: “Animals combine the food they eat tooxygen to produce CO2 and H2O which are used by plants

in the photosynthesis process”

a) combine

b) to

c) are used

d) photosynthesis process

79 Identify the error underlined word or phrase of the

following sentence: “There are animals, like theearthworms, which favor wet condition, while others, likeants, prefers dry condition”

b) The uppermost mantle

c) The crust and uppermost mantle

d) Water and air

81 The earth's hydrosphere consists of water in all forms: ….

a) the ocean, underground water

b) inland seas, lakes, rivers, ice and rain

c) atmospheric water vapor

d) the ocean, underground water, inland seas, lakes, rivers,ice, rain and atmospheric water vapor

82 An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem located in ………

a) body of water

b) body of soil

CHAPTER 2: MATERIALS AND NUTRIENT

CYCLES

The energy that flows into an ecosystem cannot be recycled.Once the energy is used, it is lost But it much be constantlyrepeatedly replenished if the ecosystem is to continuouslyfunction

The importance of chemical nutrients, however, is usedrepeatedly They are cycled between the living and nonlivingcomponents of the ecosystem Generally, they begin in theabiotic part of the ecosystem (water, land, and air) Then, theyenter to the bodies of plants and animals and return into theabiotic environment

The movement of these materials and nutrients between theliving and nonliving environment clearly shows theinterrelatedness of the abiotic and biotic components in anecosystem Among these recycled materials and nutrients arecarbon, oxygen, water, nitrogen, and phosphorus

After studying this chapter, you should be able to

1 Identify different nutrients that can be recycled.

2 Explain the water, carbon and oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycles.

3 Discuss the importance of each of these cycles.

4 Discuss how people affect these cycles.

5 Differentiate micronutrients from macronutrients