Vous êtes sur la page 1sur 70

Dr Choong Mei Fun, Amy

dbscmfa@nus.edu.sg

TOPICS
What is Environmental Biology?
Why study? Learning objectives/outcomes
Module prerequisites
Module content
Time Table
Assessment, group project
Text book and references
Housekeeping
Your lecturer, Teaching assistant, your classmates
First assignment
Geologic history of the earth
Conditions in early earth
Early humans to today

Environmental Biology
Similar to Environmental Science
More emphasis on Biology, Ecology and Man
From conditions in the early Earth to current
Our impact on the environment and how they
impact us

Why study?
Ignorance is not an option
Urgent need to understand the impacts
What are the solutions and are they working
A reminder that we are but one species on
this planet, part of the ecosystem
To SURVIVE

Siberias methane blow hole

Module Learning objectives


Understand the earth its past, present and projected
future
Understand our impact from early man to current
human societies
Discuss basic fundamental concepts on energy, mass
flow, population interactions etc
Recognize the importance of biodiversity
Explain how we meet our booming populations
requirements through modern agriculture, fossil and
renewable energies, fisheries, technologies etc
Identify the sources of pollution and its impacts

Module Learning outcomes


By the end of the module, students are able to
clearly communicate with peers, family and
society at large on many aspects of the state of
the environment
Overcome any fear of interacting with strangers
face to face (not online)
be a good team player
execute future projects well by breaking them
down appropriately (work breakdown structure)
How to manage time using meeting minutes

About the module


Module prerequisite: None
Preclusions:
Not for life science majors
Not for Environmental studies major

Module Time table


2 lectures a week: Mon and Thur
Time: 10 am 12 pm
Location: Utown Auditorium 3
Tutorials: only 2 revision tutorials, once before
CA1 and once before final exam

Assessment
1. Continual assessment 50%
Self introduction assignment 1: 2.5%
Project 32.5%
CA1 test 15% - 1 hour
Multiple choice questions (MCQ)
closed book

2. Final exam 50%


Multiple choice questions (MCQ)
closed book

Project (32.5% in total)


Title: Waste management in Singapore
Group : 5 members in each group
Learning objectives:
Time and project management, working with strangers,
interacting with the public
Waste generation, flow and recycling in Singapore
How to design suitable recycling mini-posters to share with
the public to encourage them to recycle
Understand the issues faced by households on recycling in
Singapore
Impact of waste when it gets into the environment
How to write proper meeting minutes

Task 1 (due: 14 Aug, 1200)


submit to google form (A link will be given):

Fill in your name


Gender
How long have you resided in Singapore
Home/hostel postal code
Housing type
Languages spoken (especially dialects)
TA will group you into groups of 5, depending on location,
language and gender. Ideally, a group of mixed genders
and be able to converse in languages other than English
and Mandarin.

Assignment 1
due: 21 Aug, 2359 (weightage: 2.5%)
Personal Intro assignment
A word doc will be sent to you. Please fill in the
info required.
Name of file:
student ID_GEK1515_assignment_1.doc
Please name file properly or 0.5% marks will be
deducted

Assignment 2
(due: 25 Aug, 2359) 2.5%
Once the students have been grouped, grouping will be
announced to you by 18 Aug
You are to meet and exchange tel no, emails, dates
when you are free, come up with agreements, submit
photo of each other to learn each others names and
also attendance. A group meeting record will be
submitted by the group leader to IVLE. Each
subsequent assignment will be submitted by a different
team member.
Submit in word doc format for us to comment.
Name of file: group no_GEK1515_assignment_2.doc
E.g. 1_GEK1515_assignment_2.pptx for group 1

Assignment 3a (due 5 Sept, 2359) 10%

Design 4 A4 sized posters to include:


1. Waste statistics through the years, what kind of waste is generated
2. Where does the waste go from general waste bin and recycling bin to
3. Lifespan of our current landfill, how was it created
4. Impact of improperly disposed waste in the environment
5. What can or cannot be recycled and how to do it properly in A3 size.

Marked with comments and students to re-edit and submit again


assignment 3b (due 25 Sept 2359) 2.5%
Format: Submit in powerpoint for easier editing, you may use any
software while designing
Name of file: Group no_GEK1515_assignment_3a.pptx,
Group no_GEK1515_assignment_3b.pptx
E.g. 2_GEK1515_assignment_3a.pptx

Assignment 4 (due 2 Oct, 2359) 2.5%


Submit a plan on how to execute the door-to-door recycling
education outreach to eighteen households in 3 hours.
All 18 households must have opened their door, listened to
your message and you have addressed their questions.
Determine how many blocks and units in each zone,
demarcate zone clearly if the groups are next to each other.
Indicate when and where it will be executed and how to do it
convincingly and persuasively.

Assignment 4 (continued)
No one is to go alone or in twos, the whole group go
together for safety. Find out about the number and
location of recycling bins in the area that you will be
visiting, locations, whats in there, who are the waste
collectors, recycling firm etc so as to answer queries
from households.
Prepare for potential questions. All members to take
turns speaking, holding the A4 posters and take photo
of members in action or with the household if they
dont mind, ask politely.
Submit in word document format
Name of file: Group no_GEK1515_assignment_4.doc

Assignment 5 (due 3 Nov, 2359) 10%


Actual execution of door-to-door educational outreach, submit
photo and record of home visits. Addresses covered, which
member of family was spoken to. What issues or questions that
household mentioned. Any comments from that household etc.
One family, one slide. If there are questions that you need to get
back to them, ask for contact, get answers from NEA and reply
them, cc me both times. You may include this if you get the reply
from NEA before deadline.
Group indicate name of student who took the picture, who did
which part of poster, who recorded, who recorded the questions
etc.
Submit pdf format.
Name of file: Group no_GEK1515_assignment_5.pdf

Assignment 6 (due 6 Nov, 2359) 5%


ONE A4 page word document: post educational
outreach reflection: what did I learn from carrying out
this CA, suggest any improvement for this CA
Minimum 300 words, maximum 600 words; single
spaced with normal word document margin
Individual
Name of file: student no_GEK1515_assignment_6.doc

At any point in the project, if there is any serious issue,


please raise it for discussion, dont wait till Assignment 6
then criticize, too late and nothing can be done.

Post project reflection

Assignment 17 Oct
6

Door-to-door educational outreach

Assignment 10 Oct
5

Project execution plan

Assignment 25 Sept
4

Edit according to comments

Assignment 18 Sept
3b
return to
students

5 Sept
(2359)

Design 4 A4 sized posters, 1 A3

Assignment 25 Aug
3a

25 Aug
(2359)

Students to meet up with group


members and submit meeting
record

Assignment 18 Aug
2

Personal Intro assignment

Assignment 11 Aug
1

Input postal code and info

11 Aug

Task

Activity

Date
release

Task

Due date

Percen
tage

14 Aug (1200)
21 Aug
(2359)

2.5
2.5

10

10

3 Nov (2359)

2.5

2 Oct (2359)
(10 Oct return to
students)

2.5

25 Sept (2359)
(3 Oct return to
students)

6 Nov (2359)

Assignments and projects


Submit on time or even early (late penalty: 50%)
Write your own assignment, dont copy, be proud of
your own abilities
Contribute, dont be a free-loader
Learn to put yourself in the other persons shoes and
be considerate (Do unto others, what youd like others
to do unto you)
Most of us need to carry out the task at least once in
order to learn it, gain skills (no one can take it away
from you)
Cape Diem!

Examinable topics
Lectures
Videos (given by weblinks or shown during
lectures)
Reference links
Straits Times articles

Text book and references


A. Environmental science: toward a sustainable future . 12th edition.
Wright, Richard T and Boorse, Dorothy F. Publisher: Pearson Usual price
$69.2, member: $62.28
B. Environmental and Climate Change in Asia: Ecological Footprints and
Green Prospects. Victor R Savage and Lye Lin-Heng 2011. Publisher:
Pearson
C. Essential Environment: The Science behind the stories. 4th Edition. Jay
Withgott and Matthew Laposata. Publisher: Pearson
D. Environmental Science, a Global Concern. 12th edition. Cunningham,
William P and Cunningham, Mary Ann. Publisher: McGraw-Hill
Companies, Inc. Usual price: $72.2, member: $64.98
The 13th Edition is $89.5, member $74.
E-book from Pearson $37 before GST
- consists of chapters from 3 books (A, B and C).
Chapters from book A: 3,4,6,7, 10, 17, 18, 19 and 21; book B: 6,7,8 and book
C: 7 & 9.
Additional reference articles will be released with each lecture

Housekeeping
IVLE please check for announcements regularly
Weblinks and articles will also be released here
Emails to lecturer and TA: please write in subject
header GEK1515 then the subject of email
e.g. GEK1515 query on lecture
Write proper emails: Dear Dr Choong, or Dear Ms
Cai.
Sign off properly, Regards, Sincerely etc, your
name

Your lecturer

Dr Choong Mei Fun, Amy


Lecturer
Department of Biological Sciences
Room: S2-04
Tel: (65)-65162707
Email: dbscmfa@nus.edu.sg

Full time TA
Cai Hongxia
Full time Teaching assistant
Department of Biological Sciences
Room: S2-04
Tel: (65)-65167665
dbscaih@nus.edu.sg

Learning objectives for today

Summarize how the earth was formed


Realize that the earths environmental
conditions were not static
Recall the different geographical periods and
human evolution
Recognize that Homo sapiens is the only one
left and our future is dependent on how well
we deal with the current and future
challenges

Formation of the Sun and Earth


Hydrogen and helium gases were compressed together
Gravity and pressure initiated fusion reaction and gave
rise to the sun 5 billion years ago
Dust particles got stuck together through electrostatic
forces
Bigger particles later collided due to gravity to become
bigger asteroids
Earth and planets were formed
Earth was formed about 4.54 billion years ago
Moon was formed 4.5 billion years ago
Asteroid bombardment brought water to a dry earth

Earth

Sun

4.54 billion years


ago

5 billion years
ago

3.8 billion years


ago

Meteor
brought
amino acids

3.5 billion years


ago

Stromatolites
carried out
photosynthesis
Oxygen
transformed
the earth

700-650
million years
ago

Snow
ball
Earth

Organisms
become larger,
with bony
skeleton, worms,
sponges,
trilobites

Bacteria evolved
Plants

Cambrian
explosion

540 million years


ago

Ice began to melt

Snowball earth

700-650 MYA Earth was covered in ice

Source:http://web2.
geo.msu.edu/geogmi
ch/Precambrian.html

Proterozoic

Oceans formed from condensed water vapour (rain)


Lava cooled to form ocean floor, small islands collided to
form continents
Blue green algae or cyanobacteria present in the ocean,
their oxygen oxidized iron and other elements forming
mineral deposits

Archean

Earth was formed


Oceans of liquid rock
Atmosphere consisted of water vapour, nitrogen, volcanic
gases, carbon dioxide
Moon was formed (Thea crashed into earth)

Hadean

Earth cooled some more -> Snowball earth


Earth at this time was very cold, huge glacial sheets all over
the continent
Pangaea and Gondwanaland formed
30 million years ago, true multi-celled life appeared, free
oxygen started to appear

Geologic time scale of the earth


was divided into Eons, eras and
periods. The Hadean eon was
4.6 billion years ago. Pangaea
(Pangea) was complete by the
Permian period of the Paleozoic
era. Pangaea (Pangea) began to
break up during the Triassic
period of the Mesozoic era.

End Ordovician, Silurian period: mosses appeared

Modern day examples of moss species, not necessarily present in the past

Relics of cyanobacteria that changed


the earths atmosphere

Thrombolites at Western Australia, Lake Clifton

Phanerozoic eon
Paleozoic era
Tiktaalik

Life existed only in or near the ocean


Trilobites, shellfish, corals, and sponges appeared
Land plants appeared near the end of the Ordovician.
Huge forests and swamplands formed during the warm
climate of the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian periods
Giant coal beds formation
Animal life also moved onto the land, first the fish called
Tiktaalik, arthropods (spiders and insects), then the
amphibians, and later the reptiles.
Most abundant animals were those like shellfish and
insects that lacked backbones, so the Paleozoic is often
called "The Age of Invertebrates."

Extinction events
Ordovician-Silurian mass extinction 443 MYA
most marine life e.g. Trilobite
Late Devonian mass extinction -359 MYA life in
shallow seas went extinct except bacteria
Permian mass extinction 248 MYA, most life
forms went extinct
Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction 200 MYA mostly marine, large amphibians
Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction (aka K/T
impact) 65 MYA dinosaurs and many
flowering plants

Permian mass extinction (most


significant)
Earths crust split apart, volcanic eruptions
lasted millions of years
95% of all life died
More terrible than the dinosaur extinction 65
MYA
Why it happened?
Will it happen again?

Early human
ancestors

Source:
http://humanorigins.si.edu/ev
idence/human-fossils/species

Early human ancestors

Originated in Africa
Vegetarians, scavengers
Did not grow any edible plants, settle down or
urbanize
Did not use tools
Subsequently, started to use crude stone tools to
smash open bones to extract the marrow

Fire was discovered and used by Homo erectus

Out of Africa
Homo heidelbergensis migrated northward
into Europe and evolved into Homo
neanderthalensis and spread out, occupying
most of Eurasia
H. neanderthalensis crafted many types of
tools
They hunted, skinned and carved up game
animals such as wooly mammoths, cave bears
etc.

About 20,000 years ago

No more Neanderthals.
Genetic study showed their genetic make up was
very homogenous, poor immunity. Climate
change or interaction with Homo sapiens could
have caused its extinction.
Weather in Europe didn't permit agrarian
lifestyle. Short growing season and scarce arable
land.
Cave dwellers followed their game animals,
stored meat during winter. Collected wild grains,
edible plants during lean times.

Homo sapiens - accidental farmers


When agriculture began then humans stopped
wandering and started to settle. Wheat could
be stored so shifted from hunter gatherer to
agriculture
From small settlements to towns and cities. The
earliest known was atalhyk or Catal Huyuk
9500 B.C.

From the past to the present


Domestication of dogs
Food
Language oral and written
Transport sea, land and air
Fuel wood, whale oil, coal, oil and renewable
energies
Bartering to currency
Organic rubbish to modern synthetic rubbish
Small populations to 7 billion

Cuneiform and the Sumerians 3500 BC

Egyptians and the hieroglyphs 3200 BC

Bamboo scroll 1500 BC


Jiaguwen 1600-1100 BC

From the past to the present

Made everything ourselves: houses, clothes,


shoes, etc.
Craftsmen
Repairs or tailoring, cooking, treating our own
injuries and sicknesses.
Harvested our own medicine
Today, we buy almost everything, most skills
need to be outsourced

Lack of awareness
Where does our food come from?
How do we get water?
Where the raw materials that make stuff come
from?
What happens to our waste?
The importance of biodiversity
Impact of climate change

References

http://www.snowballearth.org/what.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/history_of_the_earth#e
xtinction_events
http://www.nhm.ac.uk/nature-online/life/dinosaursother-extinct-creatures/mass-extinctions/endpermian-mass-extinction/index.html
http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/humanevolution-timeline-interactive
http://paleobiology.si.edu/geotime/main/htmlversion/
hadean2.html
http://smithsonianscience.org/2014/07/humanevolution-rewritten-flexible-response-climate-change/

Solid Waste Management in Singapore

Waste & Resource Management Department


Presenter: Ms Sin Irene

Date: 14 August 2014

Waste Challenges in Singapore


-

Amount of waste generated in Singapore has risen rapidly & will


continue to rise with population & economic growth
Land will become increasingly more scarce

Index
4.00

At this rate of waste growth,


will need to build
New waste-to-energy plant

GDP

7-10 years

3.00
Current Population:

5.399 mil

Semakau Landfill

2.00

Population
Waste Disposal
8,289 tons/day (2013)

1.00

1,200 tons/day (1970)

0.00
1970

1980

1990
Year

2000

30-35 years
New offshore landfill
But

2010
there will be less land available 2

Waste Collection System in Singapore

Industrial & Commercial Premises


(Industries, shopping complexes and office buildings)

Waste generators are to engage licensed


general waste collectors (GWCs)

GWC
PWC

Domestic & Trade Premises


(Residential households, markets, food centres and shop houses)

Collection by public waste collectors (PWCs) under


the public waste collection contract
Collects waste and recyclables

Public Waste Collection


9 sectors (6 sectors in future)
Refuse
Recyclables
Contract duration: 7 years
WoodlandsYishun
8

HougangPunggol

Ang Mo
Kio-Toa
Payoh
5 7

2
Jurong
3
Clementi

TanglinBukit
Merah
9

1
Pasir RisTampines
1
Bedok
2

City
5

Each sector will be served by an appointed PWC

Waste-to-Resource Loop
Consumers
Commercial &
Retail

Reduce

Residential

Reuse

Collection
Waste Generated
21,511 t/d

3%

Landfill

Non-Incinerable Waste
549 t/d

Ash
1,883 t/d

61%

Recyclables

Waste Recycled
13,222 t/d

36%

Incinerable Waste
7,740t/d

Factories &
Industries

Producers

Electricity
Waste-to-Energy

2013 figures

Waste Strategies
1) Waste Minimisation
Promote efficient use of resources in production processes
Encourage reduce and reuse in homes & businesses 2Rs
2) Recycling
Maximise resource recovery from waste
Adopt recycling methods to sustain clean environment
3) Waste-to-Energy / Volume Reduction
90% volume reduction in refuse
Recovery of scrap metal and energy
4) Landfill

Minimise waste to landfill

1 Waste Minimisation
Singapore Packaging Agreement (SPA)
Voluntary agreement jointly developed by
government, industry and NGOs
Signatories set targets voluntarily;
formulate action plans to reduce and
reuse packaging waste

Objective
Reduce packaging waste (1/3 of
household waste)

Scope
Food & beverage packaging,
product packaging

Waste Minimisation

SPA Signatory: Nestle Singapore (Pte) Ltd


Reduce thickness of 1.25kg and 1.65 kg
Milo tins from 0.25mm to 0.22mm
Material Saving: 15 tons of metal
packaging per year
Reduce carton boxes dimensions

Before: 0.25mm After : 0.22mm


Thickness with 6 Thickness with 9
beads
beads

Material saving: 20 tons of paper


packaging per year
Launched their Beyond the Label
Programme in 2013
QR code incorporated on MILO 1.4kg
tin can label
Access information on environmentfriendly initiative by Nestle

1 Waste Minimisation
2007

139

1st
Singapore
Packaging
Agreement (SPA)

10,000 tonnes

S$22 million
In savings

Of packaging waste reduced


(cumulative)

Signatories

315

2012
2nd

6,500 tonnes

Singapore Packaging Agreement


(SPA) targets for 2015
Signatories

By

2014

>200

Large commercial premises


must submit a waste reduction
plan

Of packaging waste reduced


annually

50,000 sq ft
Shopping
mall

Hotel rooms

1 Waste Minimisation
Bring your own bag (BYOB) campaign
Plastic Bags are made from finite natural
resources - Oil
3 billion/year consumed
Work with NGOs e.g. SEC to encourage
reduction of use of plastic bags at
supermarkets and retail shops
Encourage retailers to play their part to
provide fewer plastic bags
Encourage consumers to ask for only
the minimal plastic bags they need,
and use reusable bags whenever
possible
10

Recycling

Recycling Rate
70%

65%

% of waste recycled

60%
60%

70%
2030

2012

61%

Sustainable Singapore Blueprint

55%

50%

45%

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Recycling 2013 Statistics


99%

O)S()S
O)S()S

1,683,000 tons

97%

77%

11%

13%

54%

91,100 tons

254,600 tons
s

48%

97%

679,400 tons
6

344,800 tons

1,369,200 tons
1

120,900 tons

84%

20%

114,000 tons
Y
Y
Y

14,600 tons

16,300 tons

19,000 tons

10%

88%

100,000 tons

1%
4,800 tons

7%
14,200 tons

Recycling of Domestic Waste


Collection

Public waste collectors


National
HDB flats
Landed houses Recycling
Programme
Schools
Public / general waste
collectors
Condominiums
General waste collector
Public recycling
y g bins

Sorting

Sorting of commingled
recyclables at Material
Recovery Facility

Recycling
Recyclables are sent to
respective recycling plants
Local recycling facilities
Sarimbun Recycling
Park
Exported to overseas
recycling
cycling facilities

Recycling of Domestic Waste

National Recycling Programme


Recycling in
HDB estates

Recycling in
Landed Estates
s

Recycling bins

Recycling bins

1 recycling bin (660L) for every


HDB block

1 recycling bin (120L) /


landed house

Minimum collection of 3X / week

Weekly collection

Recycling bags

Garden waste collection

Fortnightly door-to-door collection


(to be discontinued)

(Leaves, small branches)

Commingled
recycling system

Incentive schemes
Cash for Trash

GRIN programme

Recycling of Domestic Waste

Enhancements to National Recycling Programme (NRP)

per HDB block

More frequent collection

Recycling in Condominiums
and Private Apartments

per landed house


1
Weekly collection
Garden Waste Collection

2008
Mandatory provision of
recycling receptacles

Recycling of Domestic Waste

Improvement to National Recycling Programme (NRP)


Commingled recycling system
Standardised blue bin colour
Standardised bin label

Recycling of Domestic Waste Moving Forward

Dual

Recycling Chute

Refuse Chute

Chutes for New


e
ew
HDB Blocks
s

Dual Refuse and Recycling Chute System


Separate chutes for refuse and recyclables
with throw points on every floor of a HDB flat
Closed system like refuse chutes

Convenience
Recyclables and refuse can be deposited
at the same time

Recycling

Other Recycling Programmes


Community
Schools Recycling Corner Programme
Pre-school 3R Awareness Kits
Bins in Public Areas

Hotels
3R Programme for Hotels jointly launched by NEA and
d
Singapore Hotel Association

18

Recycling in Industrial Estates

Recycling programme for


JTC Industrial Estates

Recycling in Industrial Estates

Styrofoam

Glass

Wooden Pallets

Recycling bins at
bin centres, food
centres & in
common areas

Paper boxes

After Collection

Sorting and
Recovery of
Recyclables in
MRF

3. Magnetic Separator &


Ballistic Separator

5. Recovered recyclables (e.g


paper, plastic, metal, textile,
glass)

4. Secondary Picking Station

2. Primary Picking Station

1. Incoming Recyclables

21

Recycling of Industrial and Commercial Waste

Sarimbun Recycling Park


For operation of recycling facilities

Waste Disposal Facilities


Keppel Seghers
waste-to-energy
plant
was
ste-to
ste-t
ste
to-energy plan
l nt
nt

Tuas South
h
waste-to-energy
rgyy
plant

Senoko
waste-to-energy
plant

Tuas
waste-to-energy
w
a
gy
plant
pl
lant

Incinerable wastes sent to


Incineration Plants
Recyclables sent to Material
Recovery Facilities

Incineration
ti
ash

Semakau landfill
Sema

Non-incinerable wastes sent


to Semakau Landfill

23

Waste-to-Energy Plants

Waste-to-energy (WTE) Plants


Waste-to-energy (WTE) Plants
Tuas Incineration Plant
Senoko WTE Plant
Tuas South Incineration Plant
Keppel Seghers Tuas WTE Plant

Year
1986
1992
2000
2009

Senoko WTE Plant

Tuas IP

Cost ($)
200 million
560 million
890 million
160 million

Tuas South IP

Capacity (tonnes/day)
1,700
2,100
3,000
800
Total: 7,600

Keppel Seghers Tuas


WTE Plant

Waste-to-Energy Plants

A Cost Effective Method of Refuse Disposal


reduction in

90% volume of refuse

Scrap Metal recovered for recycling

Energy recovered for power generation

Semakau Landfill

A unique environmental solution created entirely


out of the sea space
Semakau Landfill
Cost: $610 million
Area: 350 hectares
Estimated lifespan: 2035~2040

How you can practise 3Rs Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

Benefits of Waste Minimisation & Recycling


$ savings

Reduce Waste Disposal Costs


Waste
reduced

Save Natural Resources

Reduce Greenhouse Gases


CO2 CH4 CO N2O etc.

Prolong Lifespan of our Landfill


Semakau
Landfill
28

Reduce
In School
Use refillable writing materials
Use refillable writing materials
Use both sides of the paper
Avoid printing unnecessarily
Bring food in a reusable box
At home

Minimise food waste


Switch to electronic bill, annual reports and publications
Outside

Bring your own bag when shopping


Avoid using disposables (e.g. disposable forks, spoons,
plates, cups)

Reuse
In School

Reuse unwanted paper as rough paper


Pass unwanted books to others
Reuse old materials for school recycling projects. Do not buy new
materials for such projects.
At home
Reuse plastic and glass containers to store items
Reuse plastic bags to contain garbage

Reuse old clothing as rags


Donate unwanted items that are in good condition to charity

Recycling (Paper)

Newspapers
Books
Magazines
Writing / printed paper
Flyers
Paper packaging
Paper bags
Envelopes / Window envelope
Shoe boxes
Drink cartons
To be emptied before depositing
into recycling bin

Common paper recyclables

Recycling (Plastics)

Plastic bags
CDs
Plastic packaging
Empty drink bottles
Plastic food containers/trays
Rinse to remove food
contamination

Empty detergent/shampoo
bottles
Leftover detergent/shampoo
in bottles to be added with
water and used till empty

Common plastic recyclables

Recycling (Glass)

Glass bottles

Wine / Beer bottles

Perfume bottles
Cosmetic containers
Glass jars

Rinse to remove food


contamination

Common glass recyclables

Recycling (Metal)

Metal tins
Metal cans
Metal containers

Rinse to remove food


contamination

Common metal recyclables

Items that Cannot Be Disposed of in Recycling Bins

General food waste; tissue paper


Recyclable items soiled with food
Pizza Boxes

Furniture
Batteries (Disposable)
Thermos flasks
Glass cookware (pyrex),
Porcelain, ceramic
Polystyrene
Composites materials
Medicine packaging
Chips packaging
Plastic Toys

Pillows/bolsters
Bulbs and lamps

Recycling - steps to recycle


1
Put aside paper,
P
plastic, metal, glass
p
and old clothing for
a
rrecycling instead of
tthrowing them away.
Encourage twin
bins at home

3
Deposit your
D
recyclables into the
re
re
recycling bin. Leave
nothing outside.
no

2
Empty recyclable
containers of any
contents.
Rinse
them if necessary.

4
Do not put any food and
liquid wastes, and other
liq
non-recyclables into the
no
recycling bin. Do not
rec
leave bulky items and
lea
furniture beside the
recycling bin.

Recycling Boxes Visual Reminder for Recycling

Recycling Box

Twin Bins

Collection of E-waste for Recycling


Starhub and E-waste recycler
TES-AMM launched the Starhub
E-waste Recycling Programme

Recycle your E-waste @ Funan


DigitalLife Mall

Collection of Lamp/Lighting for Recycling


Global Lamp Recyclers (GLR) is a lamp recycling company in Singapore which is
open to collaborative opportunities with commercial premise owners/ retailers
E.g. Collection Bins for used light bulbs at premises Shoppers can receive GLR
rebate vouchers to buy new bulbs when they recycle their used light bulbs
www.lamprecyclers.com.sg

Recycled Materials

Metal/Plastics mixture will be


sold to recycling companies in
Singapore

iii.

Glass will
be used
Work
with to produce
building materials

ii.

Phosphorus-mercury powder
matrix will be distilled into
elemental mercury for production
of new lamps

i.

Collection Points for Recyclables (E-waste/Lightings/2nd-hand


Goods and Cash for Trash stations)

Locations of collection points and cash for trash stations can be found on OneMap:
http://www.onemap.sg/index.html (under
Themes > Environment)

Future Reference
Link to our "Waste Minimisation and Recycling" webpage for
further information on our recycling programme.

Safeguard Nurture Cherish

Dr Choong Mei Fun, Amy


dbscmfa@nus.edu.sg

Learning Objectives
Explain concepts of species, population and
community
Define habitat, niche and biosphere
Summarize fundamental biological principle and flow
of Energy
Explain continental drift and how it affects species,
population, climate and partially explains past
extinction event

Topics
Species, population, community

Habitat, niche and biosphere


Fundamental biological principle
Law of limiting factors

Energy how its gained, lost, converted and stored


Continental drift

Species
Gray wolf
source: wikimedia

Is a group of organisms that shares characteristics


distinct from other groups.
Biological definition - all members that can interbreed
and produce fertile offspring. e.g. Gray wolves
applicable to organisms that have sexual reproduction,
male and female
does not apply to organisms such as bacteria, fungi and
virus that do not have morphologically distinct male and
female parts

Modern definition: rely on genetic differences to define


species

Athletes foot caused by a fungus: Trichophyton


mentagrophytes
Cholera is caused by the bacterium: Vibrio cholerae

Can a dog mate with a cat?


A mule is the offspring of a male donkey (Equus assinus)
and a female horse (Equus caballus). Although the mule
has reproductive structures, it is sterile due to odd number
chromosome. A mule is larger and stronger than either
parent. It is a hybrid.
Does not occur naturally in the wild

Image courtesy Wade B. Worthen, Furman University,


Biology Department.

Seedless Watermelons
The mule of the plant world
1. Normal watermelons with 2 sets of chromosomes (diploid).
Normal plants (diploid) are treated with colchicine
2. 2 sets of chromosomes become 4 (tetraploid). Colchicine
allows chromosome to duplicate but prevent them from
separating.
3. The tetraploid plant is crossed with a normal diploid to yield
triploid offspring.
4. Triploid seeds are grown into adult plant. Female flower will
be used to produce watermelons.
5. Triploid watermelon plant cannot produce offspring on its
own.
6. Diploid plants with normal pollens are grown near to Triploid
plant flowers so that seedless watermelons can be
produced.

Population
A few members of one species living in a certain area.
E.g grey wolves living in Yellowstone National Park
E.g. Dust mites in your bed, different populations in
different areas in Singapore

Dust mite
source: Wikipedia

Biological Community
All populations living and interacting in a particular area.
orchids
elephant

tiger
trees
mosses

eagle

palms

ferns
grass
monkey
termites
Pictures sourced from Wikimedia

Ants

Soil bacteria

Soil fungi

Ground dwelling
bird

The more species there are in an environment, the


more stable it is. All may survive.
The fewer species there are, the higher chance of a
species going extinct.

Habitat And Niche


A place that a species is adapted to living in e.g. lions
are adapted to living in savannah and not in tropical
rainforest
Different organisms live in slightly different niche so that
they wont be competing for the same resources
An ecological niche is the sum of all the conditions and
resources that it needs. What and where it feeds, where
to shelter and nest, where to find mates.
Similar species can live in the same habitat but different
niches
E.g. bats and swallows feed on insects but they feed at
different times

Biosphere: Sum
of all the
ecosystems,
where all the
living organisms
exist.

Biosphere

Atmosphere consists of
gases and water vapour

Hydrosphere is water in
liquid and solid state, in
oceans, groundwater, ice.
Lithosphere is the Earths
crust, made of rocks and
minerals ( to 100 km deep)

Fundamental Biological
Principle
Every species has an optimal range, zones of stress, and
limits of tolerance with respect to every abiotic factor,
and these characteristics vary between species.
Plant which grows on land, cant grow in water,
terrestrial spider cant swim in water, some bacteria
can live in hot spring, others in the Antarctic but they
cant live in both.

Law Of Limiting Factors


If there is too much or too little of some factor, the
organism may be stressed or get killed. If the factor is
corrected, the organism will grow, reproduce and
survive well. E.g. water, minerals for plants
Several factors may interact and cause a greater harm
or good than either one acting alone synergism e.g.
mixture of pesticides use cause cancer

All Living Things


Made of complex molecules that may be made up of
Carbon (C), Oxygen (O2), hydrogen (H), phosphorous
(P), Nitrogen (N) and Sulphur (S) as well as other atoms
that are less common e.g. gold (Au)
There are approximately 7 x 1027 atoms in the average
human body

Organic Compounds
Natural found in living things
Breakdown completely
Skin cells, excrements, longtong and wrap

Synthetic man made or synthetic


dont always breakdown and can persist for a very long
time in the environment, 100s of years e.g. plastic

Energy
Is the ability to do work such as moving matter over a
distance or causing a heat transfer between two objects
of different temperatures.

E.g. heat, light, electricity, chemical energy


Kinetic energy: energy contained in moving objects. E.g.
rock rolling down a hill

Chemical energy: stored energy in food or gasoline


Measured in units of heat (calories) or joules (work)
One joule is the work done when one kilogram is
accelerated at one meter per second
One calorie is the amount of energy needed to heat one
gram of pure water one degree Celsius.
A calorie = 4.184 J.

Heat
Energy that can be transferred between objects of
different temperature
When a substance absorbs heat, the kinetic energy of
its molecules increases, or it may change state: solid ->
liquid or liquid -> gas

An object can have a high heat content but a low


temperature, when a lake freezes slowly towards winter
time
Heat storage in lakes and oceans helps moderate
climate and maintain biological communities

Concentration Of Energy
Diffuse energy or of low temperature is difficult to
gather and use for productive purposes.
Heat stored in oceans is immense but hard to capture
and use. Another example is wind.
Intense, concentrated energy like hot fire or high
voltage electricity are valuable and can do work.

One Way Flow Of Energy


Solar energy -> photosynthesis -> glucose -> used by
plants for cellular respiration and waste heat or stored > eaten by animals or detritivores -> respiration and
waste heat
All the heat stays in the atmosphere for a while and
then radiate back to space

Energy Conversions
Only green plants have chlorophyll and this compound
allows plants to carry out the process of photosynthesis
Chlorophyll absorbs suns energy, converts carbon
dioxide, water and dissolved compound of nitrogen,
phosphorous and other elements to energy rich
molecules
6CO2 + 12H2O -> C6H12O6 (glucose) + 6O2 + 6H2O

Plant Storage Molecules


Glucose gets converted to starch (potatoes or grains)
or to oils (seeds)
Stored starch or oils are eaten by consumers
(herbivores, man etc.)

Cell Respiration
C6H12O6 + 6O2 -> 6 CO2 + 6 H2O + energy

Cell respiration is 40-60% efficient, not as efficient as


photosynthesis
Energy is released as waste heat, source of body heat
of animals as well as plants

Extremophiles
In the past, scientists used to think that nothing is alive in
the deepest part of the sea, where it is cold, dark and
under immense pressure
1970s, undersea explorations found blind shrimp, giant
tubeworms, strange crabs, bizarre clams around black
chimneys, where boiling hot, mineral laden water
bubbles out of cracks in the earths crust.

Chemosynthesis
Bacteria use hydrogen sulfide or hydrogen gas released from
the earths crust and use them for synthesis of organic
molecules, a process call chemosynthesis
CO2 + 4H2S + O2 -> CH20 + 4S + 3H2O
Other examples of severe conditions: hot springs at
Yellowstone National park, intensely salty lakes
Pyrolobus fumarii can withstand temperatures up to 113oC
an example of Archaea, single celled organisms that are
similar to the first life forms on earth
Bacteria also generate a lot of methane at the deep sea
floor
They are in the form of methane hydrate and another group
of bacteria eat up these methane and generate CO2

Food Chain

If environmental conditions reduce the producers,


then there is a cascade impact on the rest of the
organisms in a food chain.
Not all the energy and nutrient are passed from
plants to squirrel and so on, only about 10%.
Decomposers are needed to release all the
nutrients locked up in dead organisms by breaking
them to simpler molecules

Food Web &


Trophic Levels
Limit of no more than 3 or 4
types in terrestrial ecosystems
and about 6 in marine
ecosystem.

Figure 5-7

Third
level
consumer

Total combined
= Biomass of fourth trophic
mass of third
level
order consumers
Total combined
= Biomass of third trophic
mass of
level
all carnivores

1/10

Second
level
consumer

First
level
Consumer

Total combined
Biomass of second
=
mass of
trophic level
all herbivores

10

Producers
Total combined
mass of
all producers

Biomass of first
= trophic level

100

Segments of pyramid show


relative biomass at
each trophic level

Biomass = total dry weight in the habitat

Marine Food Web

Phytoplanktons have very


short life span and
reproduce very quickly. At
any point in time, there
maybe very few
phytoplanktons in that
water body.
Larger fish is the oldest and
most long-lived so their
biomass is bigger. They had
to eat a lot of biomass in
order to form tissues and
grow.

Plate Tectonics
Alfred Wagener proposed in 1915 that 225 to 250
million years ago, continents were connected into a
giant landmass called Pangaea
Now accepted as the theory of Plate tectonics
Theory explains that continents have been in motion
since the earth was formed
This theory also explains earthquakes, volcanic activity
and the geographic distribution of present organisms
(biota)

Source:
wikimedia

Earth
The Core is composed of a dense,
immensely hot mass of metal
mostly iron
Immense mass generates magnetic
field that envelopes the earth
Protecting the earth from solar
wind that travels up to speed of 3.2
Mkm/h and radiation

Surrounding the molten outer core


is a hot, pliable layer of rock called
the mantle
The molten rock is hot because of
radioactive decay of unstable
isotopes
Cunningham pg. 297

Earth
Mantle is less dense than the core as it contains
oxygen, silicon and magnesium
Outermost layer of the earth is the crust, which is cool,
lightweight and brittle
Crust below oceans is thin and young (less than 200
million years old) because of constant recycling. It is
made of basaltic rock
Crust beneath continents are thicker and lighter

Lithosphere

Land masses including bottoms of oceans and continents


may be part of tectonic plates
Relatively thin (100 km)

Altogether there are 14 large plates and other smaller minor


plates

Cunningham pg. 298

Plates Move Because Of


Convection Currents in the mantle

Source: wikimedia

Recent Tectonic Plates Movements


Adjacent tectonic plates may separate from one
another (as in mid ocean ridges), slide past each other
(at fault lines like the San Andreas Fault in California) or
collide.
Most recent earthquake on 11 Mar, 2011, which took
place off the pacific coast of Tohoku, Japan, was a
result of the Pacific plate sliding under the North
American plate
Resulted in a rift 300 km long under the sea floor
Eastern Japan is now 4 m closer to N. America
Earthquake was so powerful that it changed the
earths axis
Powerful Tsunami

When Two Plates Meet


When an oceanic plate collides with a continental
landmass, the continental landmass rides up over the
seafloor
The oceanic plate is subducted, pushed down into the
mantle, where it melts and rises back to the surface as
magma
Evidence of subduction zone deep ocean trenches,
volcanoes form where the magma erupts through
vents and fissures in the overlying crust
Himalayas are still rising
Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes occur along the
boundaries between the plates

Pearson pg. 95

Cunningham pg. 298

Ring Of Fire
Trenches and volcanic mountains ring the Pacific
Ocean rim to Indonesia to Japan to Alaska down to
the west coast of the Americas.
Soil in these countries are very rich and excellent for
agriculture

Oceanic plates subducted beneath continental plates

Polar Regions
Antarctica and Australia were once connected to
Africa and they were near the Equator
Rich forests were present
Redistribution of continents were thought to be
responsible for mass extinctions and climate change

Extinction Events
Ordovician-Silurian mass extinction 443 MYA most
marine life e.g. Trilobite
Late Devonian mass extinction -359 MYA life in shallow
seas went extinct except bacteria
Permian mass extinction 248 MYA, most life forms went
extinct
Triassic-Jurassic mass extinction 200 MYA - mostly
marine, large amphibians

Cretaceous-Tertiary mass extinction (aka K/T impact)


65 MYA dinosaurs and many flowering plants

Result Of Continental
Plate Movement
Other than earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions,
continental movements lead to major shift in climate in 3
ways:

Uplifting of mountains alter movement of air currents

3.

Alter direction and flow of ocean currents

2.

Climate change for different continents

1.

Conclusion
Our Earth is amazing
atmosphere protect us from most of the Ultra violet rays
magnetic fields protect us from solar winds
Interaction of hydrosphere, atmosphere and lithosphere
results in high numbers of species diversity

Earths plates are constantly moving, changing the climate


and partially caused some of past extinctions
Photosynthetic organisms produce oxygen and some of
these are useful to us as food and most form the foundation
of food chain
Other micro-organisms who do not have access to sunlight
use other compounds to generate energy, producing H2S, or
methane etc.
Ancient plants and micro-organisms became fossil fuels that
we are tapping for energy

References
Wright and Boorse
Chapter 3 Organisms in their environment
Chapter 4 pg. 94, 95
Chapter 5 pg. 103-109

Cunningham and Cunningham


Chapter 3
Chapter 14 pg. 297-299

Vous aimerez peut-être aussi