By reading this PDF one can understand the concepts and components of sustainability and sustainable development. It also discuss about the visions and ethics of sustainability. Further, it talks about the vision and mission of Bruntland commission and its role in sustainable development goals.
Environmental Sciences Second Semester B.pharm RTMNU
An ecosystem is a grouping of organisms that interact with each other and their environment in such a way as to preserve the grouping.
Content:-
What is an ecosystem
Three major principles of ecosystem
Components of an ecosystem
Abiotic components
Biotic components
Movement of energy and nutrients
Food chain
Food webs
Trophic levels, biomass and biome
Linkages and interactions in an ecosystem
Carbon cycle and oxygen cycle
Model of nutrient cycle
Environmental Limitation in ecosystem development.
Nutrient cycling:
Movement of chemical elements from the environment into living organisms and from them back into the environment through organisms live, grow, die and decompose.
Energy flow:
Energy is required to transform inorganic nutrients into organic tissues of an organism.
Energy is the driving force to the work of ecosystem.
Structure
It refers to the particular pattern of inter-relationships that exists between organisms in an ecosystem.
Energy and Nutrients passed through the ecosystem by food chains and webs from lower trophic level to the higher trophic level.
However, only 5% to 20% energy and nutrients are transferred into higher trophic level successfully.
For this reason, first trophic level has the largest number of organisms, and second trophic level is less than first one; the third level is less than second level, and so on.
Nitrogen cycle can be affected by man in five major ways:
Fertilizer production (mainly nitrates and ammonium salts) to grow more food by increasing yields, and replenishing lost nitrogen from the soil.
Burning of fossil fuels in cars, power plants, and heating which puts nitrogen dioxide into the atmosphere.
Increasing animals wastes (nitrates) from more people and from livestock and poultry grown in ranches.
Increased sewage flows from industry and urbanization.
Increased erosion of and runoff nearby streams, lakes and rivers from cultivation, irrigation, agricultural wastes, mining, urbanization and poor land use.
Nutrients (chemicals, minerals or elements) are circulated around the ecosystem and recycled continually.
Gersmehl identified three storage compartments.
Litter: the surface layer of vegetation which may eventually become humus.
Biomass: the total mass of living organisms, per unit area.
Soil: the nutrients store in soil (weathered material) and semi-weathered material.Quality of light:
Red and blue light: green plants (photosynthesis)
Green light: plants in woods or deep water
Ultraviolet light: retards plant growth
Duration of light
Affect the behaviour of plants and animals (flowering, migration, mating….)
Intensity of light:
Controlling factor for rate of photosynthesis
Net productivity is the function of photosynthesis and respiration.
Wind can act as an environmental factor
Directly by causing mechanical damage to plants
Indirectly affecting relative humidity and evaporation rates.
High wind speed increases the rate of transpiration.
J
By reading this PDF one can understand the concepts and components of sustainability and sustainable development. It also discuss about the visions and ethics of sustainability. Further, it talks about the vision and mission of Bruntland commission and its role in sustainable development goals.
Environmental Sciences Second Semester B.pharm RTMNU
An ecosystem is a grouping of organisms that interact with each other and their environment in such a way as to preserve the grouping.
Content:-
What is an ecosystem
Three major principles of ecosystem
Components of an ecosystem
Abiotic components
Biotic components
Movement of energy and nutrients
Food chain
Food webs
Trophic levels, biomass and biome
Linkages and interactions in an ecosystem
Carbon cycle and oxygen cycle
Model of nutrient cycle
Environmental Limitation in ecosystem development.
Nutrient cycling:
Movement of chemical elements from the environment into living organisms and from them back into the environment through organisms live, grow, die and decompose.
Energy flow:
Energy is required to transform inorganic nutrients into organic tissues of an organism.
Energy is the driving force to the work of ecosystem.
Structure
It refers to the particular pattern of inter-relationships that exists between organisms in an ecosystem.
Energy and Nutrients passed through the ecosystem by food chains and webs from lower trophic level to the higher trophic level.
However, only 5% to 20% energy and nutrients are transferred into higher trophic level successfully.
For this reason, first trophic level has the largest number of organisms, and second trophic level is less than first one; the third level is less than second level, and so on.
Nitrogen cycle can be affected by man in five major ways:
Fertilizer production (mainly nitrates and ammonium salts) to grow more food by increasing yields, and replenishing lost nitrogen from the soil.
Burning of fossil fuels in cars, power plants, and heating which puts nitrogen dioxide into the atmosphere.
Increasing animals wastes (nitrates) from more people and from livestock and poultry grown in ranches.
Increased sewage flows from industry and urbanization.
Increased erosion of and runoff nearby streams, lakes and rivers from cultivation, irrigation, agricultural wastes, mining, urbanization and poor land use.
Nutrients (chemicals, minerals or elements) are circulated around the ecosystem and recycled continually.
Gersmehl identified three storage compartments.
Litter: the surface layer of vegetation which may eventually become humus.
Biomass: the total mass of living organisms, per unit area.
Soil: the nutrients store in soil (weathered material) and semi-weathered material.Quality of light:
Red and blue light: green plants (photosynthesis)
Green light: plants in woods or deep water
Ultraviolet light: retards plant growth
Duration of light
Affect the behaviour of plants and animals (flowering, migration, mating….)
Intensity of light:
Controlling factor for rate of photosynthesis
Net productivity is the function of photosynthesis and respiration.
Wind can act as an environmental factor
Directly by causing mechanical damage to plants
Indirectly affecting relative humidity and evaporation rates.
High wind speed increases the rate of transpiration.
J
The scientific study of the distribution and abundance of living organisms and how the distribution and abundance are affected by interactions between the organisms and their environment.
General Botany Group four presentation.
This presentation focus on so many biological related topics. It primarily focus on conservation of life in any biodiversity.
the presentation is most importantly for the ones who are concerned for the environment and human impacts which are harming it. the presentation is making people aware about what they should do to the earth and what not
Introduction to Environment
Global environmental issues
National environmental issues
Food Scarcity in India
water Scarcity in India
Sustained development
Need help for this essay. Questions 1–4 Answer the following essay .pdfmarketing413921
Need help for this essay. Questions 1–4: Answer the following essay questions in one to two
short paragraphs. 1. Explain how human activities can cause an imbalance in biogeochemical
cycling and lead to problems such as cultural eutrophication and fish kills. 2. Compare and
contrast the traits and growth patterns of opportunistic versus equilibrium populations. Provide
one example of each. 3. Compare and contrast indirect versus direct values of biodiversity, and
provide examples. 4. Describe two traits that represent a sustainable society and two traits of a
nonsustainable society.
Solution
1.The global pressure of the human population is significantly altering the natural course of
many of biogeochemical cycles of our earth leading to imbalance nutrients and compounds with
the usual climatic and biological feedback mechanisms. These imbalances contribute to marine
dead zones, climate change, ocean acidification, and many other environmental
problems.Cultural eutrophication and fish kills are mainly caused due to the lack of oxygen also
known as anoxia. Although eutrophication is naturally occurring, slow and inevitable process.
When humans speed up that process by adding pollutants into our ecosystem, this will cause the
death and premature aging of bodies of water due to the contamination with sewage, chemicals,
and fertilizers. It will also cause cause the slow death of that body of water due to anoxia killing
all living things within it.
2Opportunistic species use the r-strategy. They produce millions of eggs and sperm since only a
small percent will
actually meet, join, and become offspring. Opportunistic species are often the first to colonize a
new environment with a \"boom and burst\" growth pattern, with a short life cycle. They tend to
“crash” when they run out of food, space. oxygen, sunlight, or whatever the limiting factor is in
that environment. Examples are most insects. and corals. barnacles, clams. scallops and oysters.
who spawn and fertilize their eggs in the water.
Equilibrium species use the K-strategy. The carrying capacity ofthe environment. These species
produce much fewer offspring and usually brood them andlor take care of them in other ways.
The populations of these species may rst grow exponentially. but the growth levels off when they
reach the carrying capacity ofthe environment. They prefer a stable predictable environment and
have along life cycle. Most birds and mammals use this strategy. as well as some live-bearing sh
like dogsh sharks .
3.Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life. This can refer to genetic variation, species
variation, or ecosystem
variation within an area, biome, or planet.Maintaining biodiversity has a direct economic value
to humans, as well as indirect economic value because our ecosystem is affected by any
imbalances in the environment. For example. a lack of trees will mean we don’t have enough
oxygen to breath. A lack of sh will mean many animals that feed of sea creatures wil.
My mission is to deliver world-class international education power point presentation through the provision of high-quality curricula, assessment and services for the IGCSE EVM.
A wide range of materials and resources is available through my Slide share to support teachers and learners in Cambridge schools. Resources suit a variety of teaching methods in different international contexts.
The content of this power point presentation is designed to encourage reflection on the limits to growth and sustainable development for IGCSE EVM.
The content of this PowerPoint is structured as a series of learning outcomes that lay out what candidates should know, understand and be able to analyze and discuss.
Environmental Management is concerned not only with the impact of humankind on the planet but also with the patterns of human behavior necessary to preserve and manage the environment in a self-sustaining way. Study is linked to the areas of new thinking in environmental management, environmental economics and the quest for alternative technologies. Classroom studies and optional coursework allow candidates to obtain a local as well as a global perspective.
WRI’s brand new “Food Service Playbook for Promoting Sustainable Food Choices” gives food service operators the very latest strategies for creating dining environments that empower consumers to choose sustainable, plant-rich dishes. This research builds off our first guide for food service, now with industry experience and insights from nearly 350 academic trials.
The scientific study of the distribution and abundance of living organisms and how the distribution and abundance are affected by interactions between the organisms and their environment.
General Botany Group four presentation.
This presentation focus on so many biological related topics. It primarily focus on conservation of life in any biodiversity.
the presentation is most importantly for the ones who are concerned for the environment and human impacts which are harming it. the presentation is making people aware about what they should do to the earth and what not
Introduction to Environment
Global environmental issues
National environmental issues
Food Scarcity in India
water Scarcity in India
Sustained development
Need help for this essay. Questions 1–4 Answer the following essay .pdfmarketing413921
Need help for this essay. Questions 1–4: Answer the following essay questions in one to two
short paragraphs. 1. Explain how human activities can cause an imbalance in biogeochemical
cycling and lead to problems such as cultural eutrophication and fish kills. 2. Compare and
contrast the traits and growth patterns of opportunistic versus equilibrium populations. Provide
one example of each. 3. Compare and contrast indirect versus direct values of biodiversity, and
provide examples. 4. Describe two traits that represent a sustainable society and two traits of a
nonsustainable society.
Solution
1.The global pressure of the human population is significantly altering the natural course of
many of biogeochemical cycles of our earth leading to imbalance nutrients and compounds with
the usual climatic and biological feedback mechanisms. These imbalances contribute to marine
dead zones, climate change, ocean acidification, and many other environmental
problems.Cultural eutrophication and fish kills are mainly caused due to the lack of oxygen also
known as anoxia. Although eutrophication is naturally occurring, slow and inevitable process.
When humans speed up that process by adding pollutants into our ecosystem, this will cause the
death and premature aging of bodies of water due to the contamination with sewage, chemicals,
and fertilizers. It will also cause cause the slow death of that body of water due to anoxia killing
all living things within it.
2Opportunistic species use the r-strategy. They produce millions of eggs and sperm since only a
small percent will
actually meet, join, and become offspring. Opportunistic species are often the first to colonize a
new environment with a \"boom and burst\" growth pattern, with a short life cycle. They tend to
“crash” when they run out of food, space. oxygen, sunlight, or whatever the limiting factor is in
that environment. Examples are most insects. and corals. barnacles, clams. scallops and oysters.
who spawn and fertilize their eggs in the water.
Equilibrium species use the K-strategy. The carrying capacity ofthe environment. These species
produce much fewer offspring and usually brood them andlor take care of them in other ways.
The populations of these species may rst grow exponentially. but the growth levels off when they
reach the carrying capacity ofthe environment. They prefer a stable predictable environment and
have along life cycle. Most birds and mammals use this strategy. as well as some live-bearing sh
like dogsh sharks .
3.Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life. This can refer to genetic variation, species
variation, or ecosystem
variation within an area, biome, or planet.Maintaining biodiversity has a direct economic value
to humans, as well as indirect economic value because our ecosystem is affected by any
imbalances in the environment. For example. a lack of trees will mean we don’t have enough
oxygen to breath. A lack of sh will mean many animals that feed of sea creatures wil.
My mission is to deliver world-class international education power point presentation through the provision of high-quality curricula, assessment and services for the IGCSE EVM.
A wide range of materials and resources is available through my Slide share to support teachers and learners in Cambridge schools. Resources suit a variety of teaching methods in different international contexts.
The content of this power point presentation is designed to encourage reflection on the limits to growth and sustainable development for IGCSE EVM.
The content of this PowerPoint is structured as a series of learning outcomes that lay out what candidates should know, understand and be able to analyze and discuss.
Environmental Management is concerned not only with the impact of humankind on the planet but also with the patterns of human behavior necessary to preserve and manage the environment in a self-sustaining way. Study is linked to the areas of new thinking in environmental management, environmental economics and the quest for alternative technologies. Classroom studies and optional coursework allow candidates to obtain a local as well as a global perspective.
WRI’s brand new “Food Service Playbook for Promoting Sustainable Food Choices” gives food service operators the very latest strategies for creating dining environments that empower consumers to choose sustainable, plant-rich dishes. This research builds off our first guide for food service, now with industry experience and insights from nearly 350 academic trials.
Natural farming @ Dr. Siddhartha S. Jena.pptxsidjena70
A brief about organic farming/ Natural farming/ Zero budget natural farming/ Subash Palekar Natural farming which keeps us and environment safe and healthy. Next gen Agricultural practices of chemical free farming.
Micro RNA genes and their likely influence in rice (Oryza sativa L.) dynamic ...Open Access Research Paper
Micro RNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs molecules having approximately 18-25 nucleotides, they are present in both plants and animals genomes. MiRNAs have diverse spatial expression patterns and regulate various developmental metabolisms, stress responses and other physiological processes. The dynamic gene expression playing major roles in phenotypic differences in organisms are believed to be controlled by miRNAs. Mutations in regions of regulatory factors, such as miRNA genes or transcription factors (TF) necessitated by dynamic environmental factors or pathogen infections, have tremendous effects on structure and expression of genes. The resultant novel gene products presents potential explanations for constant evolving desirable traits that have long been bred using conventional means, biotechnology or genetic engineering. Rice grain quality, yield, disease tolerance, climate-resilience and palatability properties are not exceptional to miRN Asmutations effects. There are new insights courtesy of high-throughput sequencing and improved proteomic techniques that organisms’ complexity and adaptations are highly contributed by miRNAs containing regulatory networks. This article aims to expound on how rice miRNAs could be driving evolution of traits and highlight the latest miRNA research progress. Moreover, the review accentuates miRNAs grey areas to be addressed and gives recommendations for further studies.
UNDERSTANDING WHAT GREEN WASHING IS!.pdfJulietMogola
Many companies today use green washing to lure the public into thinking they are conserving the environment but in real sense they are doing more harm. There have been such several cases from very big companies here in Kenya and also globally. This ranges from various sectors from manufacturing and goes to consumer products. Educating people on greenwashing will enable people to make better choices based on their analysis and not on what they see on marketing sites.
Diabetes is a rapidly and serious health problem in Pakistan. This chronic condition is associated with serious long-term complications, including higher risk of heart disease and stroke. Aggressive treatment of hypertension and hyperlipideamia can result in a substantial reduction in cardiovascular events in patients with diabetes 1. Consequently pharmacist-led diabetes cardiovascular risk (DCVR) clinics have been established in both primary and secondary care sites in NHS Lothian during the past five years. An audit of the pharmaceutical care delivery at the clinics was conducted in order to evaluate practice and to standardize the pharmacists’ documentation of outcomes. Pharmaceutical care issues (PCI) and patient details were collected both prospectively and retrospectively from three DCVR clinics. The PCI`s were categorized according to a triangularised system consisting of multiple categories. These were ‘checks’, ‘changes’ (‘change in drug therapy process’ and ‘change in drug therapy’), ‘drug therapy problems’ and ‘quality assurance descriptors’ (‘timer perspective’ and ‘degree of change’). A verified medication assessment tool (MAT) for patients with chronic cardiovascular disease was applied to the patients from one of the clinics. The tool was used to quantify PCI`s and pharmacist actions that were centered on implementing or enforcing clinical guideline standards. A database was developed to be used as an assessment tool and to standardize the documentation of achievement of outcomes. Feedback on the audit of the pharmaceutical care delivery and the database was received from the DCVR clinic pharmacist at a focus group meeting.
"Understanding the Carbon Cycle: Processes, Human Impacts, and Strategies for...MMariSelvam4
The carbon cycle is a critical component of Earth's environmental system, governing the movement and transformation of carbon through various reservoirs, including the atmosphere, oceans, soil, and living organisms. This complex cycle involves several key processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, and carbon sequestration, each contributing to the regulation of carbon levels on the planet.
Human activities, particularly fossil fuel combustion and deforestation, have significantly altered the natural carbon cycle, leading to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and driving climate change. Understanding the intricacies of the carbon cycle is essential for assessing the impacts of these changes and developing effective mitigation strategies.
By studying the carbon cycle, scientists can identify carbon sources and sinks, measure carbon fluxes, and predict future trends. This knowledge is crucial for crafting policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions, enhancing carbon storage, and promoting sustainable practices. The carbon cycle's interplay with climate systems, ecosystems, and human activities underscores its importance in maintaining a stable and healthy planet.
In-depth exploration of the carbon cycle reveals the delicate balance required to sustain life and the urgent need to address anthropogenic influences. Through research, education, and policy, we can work towards restoring equilibrium in the carbon cycle and ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come.
2. Lesson Outline
1. What is Environmental Science?
2. Environmental Interactions, cycles, and systems
3. Ecology and environmentalism
3. 3
everything that affects a living organism.
can include both living (biotic) and non-living
(abiotic) components.
•What makes up a forest environment?
•What makes up a marine environment?
•What makes up your personal environment?
4. 1.EnvironmentalScience
The study of our environment either locally or globally, and its living
and non-living components.
An interdisciplinary study of how the earth works, how we interact
with the earth and how we can deal with the environmental
problems we face.
4
5. EnvironmentalScienceas interdisciplinary
study…
It is a composite entity incorporating:
◦Natural Sciences: biology, chemistry, earth science,
physics and medicine
◦Social Sciences: economics, political science, sociology,
history, philosophy and ethics.
◦Other sciences: mathematics, statistics, technology,
business and management, law, religion, morality and
aesthetics.
5
6. Example to Environmental Science as an
interdisciplinary study
6
Politics:
Who should
implement air
pollution
control laws?
Economics:
How much is
the cost of air
pollution
control
measures
(etc.)?
Chemistry:
How much bad
chemicals can
humans inhale from
the dirty air?
Biology:
How will the dirty air
affect birds?
Problem:
Air Pollution
7. What are the events that triggered the
interest in environmental science?
•Rachel Carlson’s Silent Spring (DDT)
•Love Canal
•Burning of a River
•Exxon Valdez in 1989
Environmental Science
7
9. The interdisciplinary
study of humanity’s
relationship with
other organisms
and the nonliving
physical
environment.
9
Devoted to
studying the
impacts humans
have on the
environment
12. Ecology & Ecosystem
12
•Ecology
•study of the interactions between
organisms and between organisms and
their environment
•Ecosystem
•includes all organisms living in an area
and the physical environment with which
these organisms interact.
15. Is economic
development
positive?
15
Global life expectancy
doubled since 1950
Infant mortality cut half
since 1955
Food production ahead
of population growth
since 1978
Air and water pollution
down in most developed
countries since 1970
Number of people living
in poverty dropped 6%
since 1990
Life expectancy 11 years less in
developing countries than in
developed countries
Infant mortality rate in developing
countries over 8 times higher than
in developed countries
Harmful environmental effects of
agriculture may limit future food
production
Air and water pollution levels in
most developing countries too
high
Half of world’s people trying to
live on less than $3 (U.S.) per day
16. Resources
16
Perpetual
◦ Solar – renewed
continuously
Renewable
◦ Replenished fairly rapidly
through natural processes
Non-renewable
◦ minerals
17. The Tragedy of the Commons –Short
Term vs. Long Term Society Welfare
17
18. Tragedy of the Commons
18
Depletion or degradation of a potentially renewable
resource to which people have free and unmanaged
access.
An example is the depletion of commercially desirable
fish species in the open ocean beyond areas
controlled by coastal countries.
How do we avoid this?
19. The Ecological Footprint
A measure of how much a person consumes,
expressed in area of land.
19
Amount of biologically productive land and water needed to supply each
person or population with the renewable resources they use and to absorb
or dispose of the wastes from such resource use. It measures the average
environmental impact of individuals or populations in different countries and
areas.
www.redefiningprogress.org
22. Quick Quiz
1. Define environment.
2. Write a note on the importance of environment
science/studies.
3. As a student, in what can you do to minimize
your carbon foot print.
22
25. Natural selection
• Charles Darwin (1809-82), “On the origin of species by
natural selection”, 1859
• Theory suggesting a mechanism by which species can
adapt to changes in their environment
• Can lead to production of new species (speciation)
26.
27. The mechanism of natural selection
• The reproductive potential of populations is very high and many offspring are
produced
• Population size tend to remain constant because many offspring die before
reaching maturity (‘survival of the fittest’)
• Individuals in a population vary, and much of this variation has a genetic basis
• Many traits can therefore be inherited by their offspring
• Favorable traits (i.e. those which enhance the chances of survival) will be
selected for, since individuals possessing them will be more likely to reach
reproductive maturity
• The genetic composition of population changes over time, refining the
adaptation of organisms to their environments
28.
29. Natural selection
• Central to this theory is the notion
of “individual fitness”
• Fitness is a measure of the
contribution which individuals make
to the genetic makeup of future
generations
• Individuals which are well-adapted
to their environments are those
which will be more likely to survive
and reproduce
30. Speciation
• Species = a group of populations capable of
interbreeding but reproductively isolated from
other groups
• Not the same species if two types of organism do
not interbreed in nature (as opposed to captivity) or
the resultant offspring are sterile
• Speciation is the process which gives rise to a new
species
32. Oxygen and Water Cycles
Oxygen in the atmosphere
Molecular oxygen (O2): 20.95 vol. % of dry air
Carbon dioxide (CO2): 0.03 vol. % of dry air
Water (H2O): 0.5 to 4 vol. % of moist air
Ozone (O3)
Oxides of sulfur, SO2 and SO3 (collectively known as SOX)
Sulfates (SO4
2-)
Nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), collectively known as NOX
Nitrous oxide (N2O)
Nitrates (NO3-)
33. Role of water in the sustenance of life:
Solvent and transport medium (allows nutrients to be
absorbed by and circulated/distributed within organisms)
Maintenance of world climate that is suitable for life:
Water traps and redistributes a significant portion of the
solar energy received by the Earth
Essential to aerobic photosynthesis (via which CO2 is
converted to plant carbohydrates, e.g., in plant biomass)
44. Nitrogen (as Essential Element)
A basic component of amino acids, which are ‘building blocks’ of proteins.
Proteins have important functions in living organisms.
They act as natural catalysts (enzymes), as chemical messengers (hormones), and in the storage and
transport of some molecules, e.g. oxygen.
A component element in nucleic acids, which comprise nucleotides such as DNA and RNA.
Used by non-aerobic microbes in degradation processes
49. Loss of Nitrogen as a Result of Human
Activities…
1. Excessive application of artificial fertilizer in farms
2. Excessive application of animal manure in farms
3. Poor manure management in poultry, swine and dairy farms
4. Burning of fossil fuels for energy production
5. Burning of biomass as energy source
6. Burning of solid wastes
7. Nitrification and denitrification in waste treatment systems
8. Open dumping of organic solid wastes
53. Phosphorous Sources
Phosphorus in the crusts:
Crusts: largest reservoir of P
P is mainly found in the crust (virtually none
in atmosphere and little hydrosphere)
because of its low solubility and extremely
low volatility.
Phosphorus in the hydrosphere (oceans,
rivers and lakes):
Very little because of its low solubility
Present only in sediments or particulates
suspended in water
Phosphorus in the atmosphere:
Virtually none
Present only in dust carried by wind and in
sea spray containing P-containing particulates
56. Biochemical Functions of Sulfur
1. In the structure and function of proteins (but unlike nitrogen, sulfur is not
found in all amino acids, which make up proteins). S is present in amino acid
cysteine.
2. Proteins containing cysteine has ability to form disulfide linkages within a
protein molecule or between protein molecules.
3. Intramolecular disufide linkages ensure that each protein has an appropriate
shape for its function it is to perform.
4. Intermolecular disulfide linkages are used to form relatively rigid structures
(examples: hair, nails)
5. S has a key role in the nutrition of higher plants
57. Sulfur Sources
A. S species in the atmosphere:
1. Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
2. Dimethyl sulfide, (CH3)2S, known as DMS
3. H2S
4. Carbonyl sulfide (OCS)
5. Sulfate (SO4
2-)
6. SO3
B. Sulfur from anaerobic metabolisms
59. Impacts of Human Activity on the Sulfur Cycle:
Combustion of fossil fuels liberates SO2.
SO2 in the atmosphere is rapidly oxidized to SO3, which upon dissolution in water forms acid
rain (H2SO4).
Sulfate-induced stratospheric haze may accelerate the rate of ozone depletion in the upper
atmosphere.
Note: Sulfur species may also play a key role in the regulation of
climate by providing particles around which water can condense
allowing cloud formation to occur over the remote oceans.