1. These
notes
correspond
with
pages
69-­‐90
in
the
IB
ESS
Course
Companion.
1.1.1
Outline
the
Concept
and
Characteris4cs
of
Systems
A) a
system
is
defined
as
“an
assemblage
of
parts
and
their
rela<onship
forming
a
func<oning
en<rety
or
whole”
(p.70)
B) examine
the
parts
of
the
system
AND
how
all
the
parts
work
together
C) The
systems
approach:
1. Specializa4on:
a) system
is
divided
into
smaller
parts
b) allows
more
concentra<on
on
each
individual
part
2. Grouping:
a) group
related
disciplines
or
sub-­‐disciplines
b) avoids
crea<ng
greater
complexity
with
more
specializa<on
(In
other
words,
it's
easier
to
study
a
system
by
grouping
many
small
parts
and
concentra<ng
on
figuring
out
the
rela<onships
of
the
groups,
rather
than
the
individual
parts.)
3. Coordina4on:
a) interac<ons
among
parts
within
a
group
must
be
coordinated
b) interac<ons
among
groups
must
be
coordinated
to
work
together
4. Emergent
proper4es:
a) why
the
system
as
a
whole
is
greater
than
the
sum
of
its
parts.
b) the
interac<ons
of
the
parts
create
something
they
could
not
produce
independently.
c) ex:
two
forest
stands
may
contain
the
same
tree
species,
but
the
spa<al
arrangement
and
size
structure
of
the
individual
trees
will
create
different
habitats
for
wildlife
species.
In
this
case,
an
emergent
property
of
each
stand
is
the
wildlife
habitat.
D) all
systems
have...
1. inputs
2. outputs
3. flows
4. storages
of
maQer
and/or
energy
5. processes
(transfers
and
transforma<ons,
below)
6. boundaries
E) There
are
2
major
components
(parts)
of
a
system:
1. Elements
a) measurable
things
that
can
be
linked
together
b) examples:
trees,
shrubs,
herbs,
birds,
and
insects
(stuff
we
can
count,
measure
and
weigh)
2. Processes
a) change
elements
from
one
form
to
another
b) may
also
be
called
ac<vi<es,
rela<ons,
or
func<ons
c) examples:
growth,
mortality,
decomposi<on,
and
disturbances
(what
happens
to
the
elements,
or
what
the
elements
do)
ESS Topic 1.1 - The Systems Approach to Science

2. 1.1.2
Apply
the
systems
concept
on
a
range
of
scales.
***
The
range
must
include
a
small-­‐scale
local
ecosystem,
a
large
ecosystem
such
as
a
biome,
and
Gaia
as
an
example
of
a
global
ecosystem.
A. Nested
Systems
(Hierarchies)
1. smaller
systems
or
subsystems
within
larger
systems,
which
may
in
turn
be
nested
in
s<ll
larger
systems
2. higher
up
in
the
hierarchy
=
greater
complexity
3. can
be
very
small
(atomic)
or
large
(intergalac<c)
scales
4. ex:
fish
>
coral
reef
ecosystem
>
ocean
>
Earth
>
solar
system
>
galaxy
>
universe
Source:
hKp://silvae.cfr.washington.edu/ecosystem-­‐management/Systems.html
B) systems
may
be
living
or
non-­‐living
and
on
any
scale
from
large
(a
biome,
the
atmosphere)
to
small
(a
cell)
C) iden<fy
the
components
of
these
sample
systems:
1. cell
2. bicycle
3. automobile
4. home
5. office/school
6. computer
1.1.3
Define
the
terms
open
system,
closed
system
and
isolated
system.
A) Open
systems:
exchange
both
maQer
and
energy
with
their
surroundings
ex:
almost
all
ecosystems
B) Closed
systems:
exchange
energy
but
not
maQer
with
their
surroundings
ex:
water
cycle.
E
from
the
Sun
is
imported,
but
water
stays
on
Earth
C) Isolated
systems:
exchange
neither
energy
nor
maQer
with
their
surroundings
ex:
rare
in
nature,
usually
only
found
in
controlled
lab
experiments
1.1.4
Describe
how
the
first
and
second
laws
of
thermodynamics
are
relevant
to
environmental
systems
A) First
Law
of
Thermodynamics:
energy
is
neither
created
nor
destroyed
1. total
energy
remains
constant
2. the
form
of
the
energy
can
change
(it
can
be
transformed
from
poten<al
to
electrical,
for
example)
3. aka
“Law
of
Conserva<on
of
Energy”
B) Second
Law
of
Thermodynamics:
entropy
increases
over
<me
1. energy
transforma<ons
are
not
100%
efficient,
so
the
availability
of
energy
to
do
work
diminishes
2. entropy:
spreading
out
or
disorganiza<on
of
energy
3. see
Fig.
4.12
on
p.75
1.1.5
Explain
the
nature
of
equilibria.
A) equilibrium
=
one;
equilibria
=
more
than
one
equilibrium
B) steady-­‐state
equilibrium
1. open,
living
systems
ESS Topic 1.1 - The Systems Approach to Science

3. 2. no
long-­‐term
changes
but
many
short-­‐term
changes
3. the
overall
balance
of
the
system
remains
stable
4. almost
all
open
systems
in
nature
C) returns
to
original
equilibrium
ader
disturbance
(i.e.
stable)
D) sta4c
equilibrium
1. closed,
non-­‐living
systems
2. no
change
over
<me
3. no
change
at
all;
stagnant;
status
quo
4. disturbance
creates
a
new,
different
equilibrium
(i.e.
unstable)
5. rare
in
nature
and
is
usually
created
in
a
laboratory
seeng
for
comparison
with
'real'
natural
systems
ESS Topic 1.1 - The Systems Approach to Science

4. 1.1.6
Define
and
explain
the
principles
of
posi4ve
feedback
and
nega4ve
feedback.
A) Natural
systems
regulate
themselves
through
feedback
systems.
Feedback
always
involves
<me
lags.
B) feedback
mechanisms
either
change
a
system
to
a
new
state
or
return
it
to
the
original
state
ader
a
disturbance
C) posi4ve
feedback
-­‐
1. a
change
in
the
state
of
a
system
causes
even
greater
changes
in
the
system
so
that
it
moves
further
and
further
from
the
original
equilibrium
2. reinforces
&
accelerates
change
(devia<on
further
and
further
from
the
'norm')
3. early
changes
lead
to
greater
and
greater
changes
over
<me
4. think
of
the
'snowball'
effect:
popula<on
growth,
recurring
interest
on
an
investment
5. “in
a
system,
those
changes
which
serve
to
increase
the
effect
(source:
www.tui<on.com.hk/
geography/p.htm)
D) nega4ve
feedback
1. a
change
in
the
system
which
offsets
or
neutralizes
changes
and
returns
the
system
to
its
original
state
or
equilibrium
2. counteracts
and
diminishes
devia<on
from
the
'norm';
it
has
a
stabilizing,
self-­‐regula<ng
effect
on
a
system
3. a
form
of
control
within
the
system
to
keep
it
stable,
i.e.
steady-­‐state
equilibrium
4. ex:
predator-­‐prey
rela<onships
E) study
the
examples
on
pp.
79-­‐81
of
the
book
for
a
beQer
understanding
1.1.7
Describe
transfer
and
transforma4on
processes.
A) maQer
and
energy
both
flow
through
systems
1. energy
tends
to
move
through
the
system
(input
>
storage
>
output)
2. maQer
tends
to
cycle
within
the
system
(think
water,
carbon,
and
nitrogen
cycles)
B) transfers
do
NOT
change
the
form
of
energy
or
maQer
1. movement
of
maQer
through
organisms
2. movement
of
maQer
or
energy
from
one
place
to
another
3. examples
on
p.83
C) transforma4ons
change
the
form
of
energy
or
maQer
1. require
more
energy
than
transfers
because
they’re
more
complex
2. changes
the
form
of
energy
or
the
state
of
maQer
a. ex:
a
farmer
bringing
animal
manure
to
his
fields
is
a
transfer
process.
The
transforma<on
process
happens
when
the
manure
decomposes,
its
nutrients
become
part
of
the
soil
matrix
and
are
incorporated
into
the
physical
structure
of
food
crops
growing
there.
b. examples
on
p.83
1.1.8
Dis4nguish
between
flows
(inputs
and
outputs)
and
storages
(stock)
in
rela4on
to
systems.
A) flows
=
movement
through
or
within
the
system
1. energy
tends
to
flow
through
the
system
(input
>>
storage
>>
output)
2. maQer
cycles
con<nuously
within
the
system
B) storages
=
maQer/energy
remain
in
the
system
1. solar
radia<on
converted
to
glucose
during
photosynthesis
is
stored
as
chemical
energy
in
the
bonds
within
plants’
cells
2. bioaccumula<on
and
biomagnifica<on
of
heavy
metals
and
POP’s
C) see
Fig.
4.24-­‐27
on
pp.
83-­‐85
ESS Topic 1.1 - The Systems Approach to Science

5. 1.1.9
Construct
and
analyze
quan4ta4ve
models
involving
flows
and
storages
in
a
system.
D) Modeling
Systems
1. types
of
models
a. physical
models
b. sodware
simula<ons
c. mathema<cal
formulas
d. diagrams
2. advantages
of
models
a. simpler
than
reality
so
easier
to
study
and
understand
b. can
change
the
model
without
disastrous
effects
c. useful
for
predic<ng
what
might
happen
under
different
circumstances
3. disadvantages
a. may
be
incomplete,
so
results
may
not
be
accurate
or
reliable
b. liable
to
human
error
4. Ac<vity:
Iden<fying
inputs,
outputs,
and
stock
within
an
ecosystem.
a. Use
the
ecosystem
from
your
elements
and
processes
ac<vity
in
1.1.1
above
to
develop
a
flow
chart
showing
inputs,
outputs,
flows,
and
storage
within
that
ecosystem.
b. Use
block
arrows
to
show
the
direc<on
of
flow.
c. The
size
of
the
arrow
should
reflect
the
magnitude
of
that
flow
(bigger
arrow
=
larger
flow).
d. The
flow
chart
should
include
adjacent
systems
where
inputs
come
from
and
outputs
go.
e. Be
sure
to
clearly
describe
and
label
every
component
of
your
ecosystem.
ESS Topic 1.1 - The Systems Approach to Science