Biosphere as a system for Biosphere as a system for guaranteeing of human guaranteeing of human

existenceexistence

Lecturer: assistant Nedoshytko Khrystyna

PLANPLAN

1. The structure of biosphere2. Ecosystem as a unit of

biosphere3. Human ecology as ecology of

Homo sapiens4. Pollution of environment

• At the first time the term "biosphere" was coined by austrian geologist Eduard Suess in 1875; he defined:

The biosphere is the aggregate of different organisms that live on Earth's surface.

• In the 1929 the term "Biosphere" was coined by Russian scientist Vladimir Vernadsky as:

The biosphere is the life zone of the Earth and consists of all living organisms, including human beings, and all organic matters.

The structure of The structure of biospherebiosphere

Biosphere has 3 phases of substances:1. Liquid2. Solid3. Gas

The parts of hydrosphere, atmosphere and lithosphere (where the organisms live) belong to biosphere.

Atmospheric gas composition (average). Concentrations of gases shown in Atmospheric gas composition (average). Concentrations of gases shown in color are rising due to human activities.color are rising due to human activities.

Gas Mole fraction

Nitrogen (N2) 0.78

Oxygen (O2) 0.21

Water (H2O) 0.04 to < 5x10-3; 4x10-6 — strat

Argon (Ar) 0.0093

Carbon Dioxide (CO2) 370x10-6 (date: 2000)

Neon (Ne) 18.2x10-6

Ozone (O3) 0.02x10-6 to 10x10-6

Helium (He) 5.2x10-6

Methane (CH4) 1.7x10-6

Krypton (Kr) 1.1x10-6

Hydrogen (H2) 0.55x10-6

Nitrous Oxide (N2O) 0.32x10-6

Carbon Monoxide (CO) 0.03x10-6 to 0.3x10-6

Chlorofluorocarbons 3.0x10-9

Carbonyl Sulfide (COS) 0.1x10-9

Atmosphere structureAtmosphere structure• Earth's

atmosphere extends more than 560 kilometers (348 miles) above the planet's surface and is divided into four layers, each of which has distinct thermal, chemical, and physical properties. Life can exist only in the lowest part of atmosphere – troposphere.

HydrosphereHydrosphere• Water is essential substance for all living organisms

on Earth and plays a key role in the evolution and development of life on our planet.

• The biosphere as we know would not exist without

liquid water (for example, planet of Solar system Mars).

• Water is also important for living organisms to transport the soluble nutrients (phosphates and nitrates).

Hydrosphere structureHydrosphere structure

• Oceans are divided into zones that offer a wide range of conditions for life.

LithosphereLithosphere• Soil is the component

of lithosphere. It contains mineral and organic matters. All living organisms can use these matters for their nutrition and development.

Lithosphere structureLithosphere structure

It is that part of the environment that is made or modified by humans for use for human activities and human habitats. It is sometimes also called technosphere.

Human population causes the destruction of different parts of biosphere (deforestation, desertification, pollution etc.).

AnthroposphereAnthroposphere

EcologyEcologyEcology is the scientific study of

relationships in the natural world.

It includes relationships

-between organisms and their physical environments (physiological ecology);

-between organisms of the same species (population ecology);

-between organisms of different species (community ecology);

-between organisms and the fluxes of matter and energy through biological systems (ecosystem ecology).

Ecosystem is the complex association of plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms that interact with their nonliving environment in such way to regulate the flow of energy through them and the cycling ofnutrients within them. Ecosystem consists of both living (biotic) and nonliving (abiotic) components.

Abiotic factorsAbiotic factors

• soil, soil, • water, water, • light, light, • inorganic inorganic

matters,matters,• weather.weather.

They include:They include:

Biotic factorsBiotic factorsThey are the factors of the living nature. There

are 2 forms of interaction of biotic factors:1. Predation;2. Symbiosis.

Predation

One animal, the predator kills and eats another animal, the prey.

SymbiosisIt is a biological relationship in which two

dissimilar organisms live together in a close association. Biologists distinguish three main types of symbiosis:

1. parasitism, 2. commensalisms, 3. mutualism.

ParasitismIt is a relationship where one species benefits

and the other is harmed.

CommensalismsIt is a relationship where one species benefits and the other is not affected.

Entamoeba coli

MutualismIt is a relationship where both species benefit .

Escherichia coli

Living componentsProducersProducers are autotrophic organisms with the capability of carrying on photosynthesis and making food for themselves (green plants on land and algae in water). A plant fixes about 1% of the solar energy that falls on its green parts.• PhotosynthesisPhotosynthesis – a process where by chlorophyll-containing organisms trap sunlight energy to build a sugar from carbon dioxide and water.

Living components

ConcumersConcumers are heterotrophic organisms that use preformed food. There are 4 types of consumers:

• Herbivores (primary consumers) feed directly on green plants or plant products.

Examples are grasshoppers, mice, rabbits, deer, beavers, moose, cows, sheep, goats and groundhogs. • Carnivores (secondary or tertiary, consumers)

feed on only other animals. Examples are foxes, frogs, snakes, lions

Living components• Omnivores feed on both plants and animals. Examples of omnivores are: bears, turtles, monkeys, squirrels. A human being eating both leafy green vegetables and beef is an omnivore too.

• Decomposers feed on detritus. There are a bacterial and fungal species.

Every ecosystem is characterized by 2 fundamental phenomena:

• -energy flow

• -chemical cycling

Chemical cycling• water cycle • carbon

cycle

• nitrogen cycle

• oxygen cycle

Energy flowIt occurs because all the energy content of organic food is eventually lost to the environment as heat.

It begins when producers absorb solar energy.

Energy and nutrient transfer through ecosystems

The sequence of organisms through which energy may move in a

community is called a food chainfood chain.

Human ecology views human communities and human populations as part of the ecosystem of Earth. It is the

special ecology of the species Homo sapiens.

In the world, human ecology was established as a sociological field in the 1920's, although geographers

were using the term much earlier.

Nowadays the main development line of human ecology is directed to the decision of the problems by the environment, ways of the rational usage of nature , the optimization of human life conditions in diverse anthropological systems.

The object of investigation is the system:

Human

Environment

The structure of The structure of environmentenvironment

The place of human ecology in the system of ecological sciences

Human ecology uses many methods of investigation:

• mathematical;• statistical;• biochemical;• physical;• bacteriological;• clinical;• physiological etc.

Human ecology is connected with many sciences:

• immunology;• hygiene of environment; • ecotoxicology;• medical geography etc.

The main terms of human ecology:• Hygiene standard – is the definite range of values of the

environmental factor which is optimal or is not dangerous for human health, activity and life;

• Maximum permissible concentration – is maximum amount of toxic substance in unit of volume or mass of water, air or soil which does not have any influence to human health;

• Maximum permissible level – is periodical or permanent influence of the environmental factor to human organism which can not cause any diseases or changes in human health condition;

• Maximum permissible doseMaximum permissible dose – is the amount of toxic substance which penetrating in human organism does not hurt it.

In real conditions humans feel the influence of different environmental factors.

The influence of physical factors to human organism

• solar activity solar activity – there is the close connection between death, birth and solar activity.

If there are spots on the sun surface, people have bad mood, their activity is reduced, there is an accentuation of chronic diseases, especially diseases of cardiovascular and central nervous systems.

• weather – it can have different influence to human organism. It influences to human behavior and psychological condition. Many peoples suffer foehnic disease 1-2 days before the beginning wind weather;

• temperature – high temperature can change the immunological reactionary of human organism, reduces the attention and causes anemia. Low temperature can change the system of thermoregulation of human organism. It reduces metabolism and immunological reactions to different infections.

The influence of anthropogenic The influence of anthropogenic factors to human organismfactors to human organism

• ozone hole – it can pass ultraviolet rays that effect human cells, cause mutations.

• greenhouse effect – it is the increase of environmental temperature (global warming) that has negative influence to human organism.

• acid rains – they can hurt human respiratory tracts and skin, attack fruits and vegetables.

• photochemical fogs photochemical fogs – it is the mixture of different gases that are wastes from the plants of chemical industry and transport. It hurts human respiratory tracts and causes poisoning.

Santiago/Chile/Winter 2003

• heavy metals – lead, mercury, manganese, zinc, chromium etc. – they are poisons that hurt all organs and central nervous system in human organism, cause pathological changes in them.

Effects on Effects on humanshumans

Some of these elements are actually necessary for humans in minute amounts (cobalt, copper, chromium, manganese, nickel) while others are carcinogenic or toxic, affecting central nervous system (manganese, mercury, lead, arsenic), kidneys or liver (mercury, lead, cadmium, copper) or skin, bones, teeth (nickel, cadmium, copper, chromium).

Water pollutionWater pollution

Water is the most spread nonorganic substance in whole world. It is the basis of all processes in alive organisms and it is the unique source of oxygen in the process of photosynthesis. The biosphere would not exist without liquid water.

Hydrosphere is polluted with human help. Industrial wastes can include heavy metals and organic chlorides, such as pesticides. These materials are not destroyed under natural conditions. So they accumulate in the bottom mud of deltas of highly polluted rivers and cause environmental problems.

Every year 5 million peoples die in the result of poisoning by polluted water. Nowadays new

diseases appear that are connected with chemical water pollution.

• Itay-itayItay-itay – it is the disease caused by water with high concentration of cadmium;

• Minomata – it is the disease caused by water with high concentration of mercury;

• Molybdenum podagra – it is the disease caused by water with high concentration of molybdenum;

• Fluorosis - it is the disease caused by water with high concentration of fluor.

land pollutionland pollution

The geosphere and biosphere are intimately connected through soils, which consist of a mixture of air, mineral matters, organic matters, and water. Soils can accumulate almost all toxic substances.

The main sources of soil pollution are:

• Industry;• Transport;• Agriculture.

In agriculture people use pesticides and nitrates. These substances are very dangerous and toxic. They can cause mutations, cancer, pathological processes in central nervous system, respiratory and alimentary tracts, skin.

Teratogen is any agent that can disturb the development of an embryo or fetus. Teratogens may cause a birth defect in the child. The classes of teratogens include -radiation, -maternal infections, -chemicals, -drugs.

Air pollution is

the introduction

of chemicals,

particulate matters

or biological

materials that

cause harm or

discomfort to

humans or other living organisms, into the

atmosphere.

air pollution

The results of air pollution:The results of air pollution:

• Photochemical smog;Photochemical smog;• Acid deposition;Acid deposition;• Global warming;Global warming;• Destruction of the ozone Destruction of the ozone

shield.shield.

Human populationposes a threat to the biosphere by habitat destruction, especially by the destruction of tropical rainforests (deforestation). This process is driving thousands of species to

extinction each year and reducing biological diversity.

DEFORESTATIDEFORESTATIONON

It is excessive, displeasing human, animal or machine-created

environmental noise that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life.

The source of most outdoor noise worldwide is mainly construction

and transportation systems, including motor vehicle noise, aircraft noise and rail noise.

Noise pollution can cause annoyance and aggression, hypertension, high stress levels, tinnitus, hearing loss, sleep disturbances, and other harmful effects. Furthermore, stress and hypertension are the leading causes to health problems, whereas tinnitus can lead to forgetfulness, severe depression and at times panic attacks.

High noise can contribute to cardiovascular effects. It can increase or decrease blood pressure that lead to coronary artery disease.

SOUND POllutionSOUND POllution

RADIATION POllutionRADIATION POllution

The Chernobyl disasterThe Chernobyl disaster

• The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 of April in 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukrainian SSR (now Ukraine). It is considered the worst nuclear power plant accident in history, and it is the only one classified as a level 7 event on the International Nuclear Event Scale.

Acute radiation syndrome (ARS) also known as radiation poisoning, radiation sickness or radiation toxicity, is a constellation of health effects which occur within several months of exposure to high amounts of ionizing radiation.

The onset and type of symptoms that develop depends on the dose of radiation exposure.

Relatively smaller doses result in gastrointestinal effects such as nausea and vomiting and symptoms related to falling blood counts such as infection and bleeding. Relatively larger doses can result in neurological effects and rapid death. Treatment of acute radiation syndrome is generally supportive with blood transfusions and antibiotics.

It Is Not Too LateIt Is Not Too Late

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

Love your planet! Love your planet! don’t harm it!don’t harm it!

Thank you Thank you for for

attention !attention !