Resource: Chapter 4 of Environmental Science. Answer the following...

Resource: Chapter 4 of Environmental Science. Answer the following questions. Each response should be 3-5 sentences in length. Use your textbook to develop your answers. • Review Figue 4-10, "Flow of energy and biomass through a food chain" in Ch. 4 of Environmental Science. Describe the trophic levels presented in the diagram. Explain what is meant by a producer, first-order consumer, and second-order consumer. • Review Figure 4-12, "Energy pyramids in two food chains" in Ch. 4 of Environmental Science. The figure description states, " ...more food is available to those societies that eat lower on the food chain". Explain what this means by comparing pyramids (a) and (b). Do the benefits of eating lower on the food chain inspire you to make changes in your diet? Why or why not? • Review Figures 4-13 and 4-14 in Ch. 4 of Environmental Science. Summarize the steps of the carbon cycle. How is carbon cycled back and fourth between the atmosphere, and plants and animals? Why should people care about the carbon cycle? • Review Figure 4-15 in Ch. 4 of Environmental Science. Summarize the steps of the nitrogen cycle. How is nitrogen cycled back and fourth between the atmosphere and the earth. Which species plays a prominent role in cycling nitrogen? Why should people care about the nitrogen cycle? Click the Assignment Files tab to submit your assignment.

M
ost of us live our lives seemingly apart from nature. We make
our homes in cities and towns, surround ourselves with con-
crete and steel, and drown out the songs of birds with noise.
The closest many of us get to nature is a romp with the family dog
on the grass in the backyard. A lucky few come in much closer con-
tact with the great outdoors through hiking, camping, canoeing, and
kayaking. For many of these people, though, nature is still viewed
as something apart from humans—a thing to protect to preserve a few
pristine places for people to enjoy.
Humans and Nature: The Vital Connections
Hard as it may be for many people to accept, human beings are part of the fabric of
life. We are a part of nature. We are dependent on the Earth and natural systems in
thousands of ways and are an integral part of the cycles of nature. Consider our de-
4.1
Principles of Ecology:
How Ecosystems Work
Humans and Nature:
The Vital Connections
Ecology: The Study of
Natural Systems
The Structure of Natural
Systems
Ecosystem Function
Spotlight on Sustainable
Development 4-1:
Sustainable Sewage
Treatment: Mimicking
Nature
Spotlight on Sustainable
Development 4-2:
Colleges and Universities
Go Green
Point/Counterpoint:
Controversy over
Extinction
4.4
4.3
4.2
4.1
CHAPTER OUTLINE
CHAPTER 4
Never does nature say one thing, and wisdom another.
—Juvenal
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