People and The Environemtent Essay
jameslumsey
EcologyBasics.pptxEcology—The Basics
Relations Among Organisms & To The Physical World
Each with their own traits, behaviors, food preferences, and mating strategies …
What happens when we mix species?
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Fall 2020
Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
Ecology Definition Revisited
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A branch of science concerned with the interrelationship of organisms and their environments—Merriam Webster online dictionary
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
Ecology
All about relationships
Abiotic
The physical stuff
Water & humidity, rock, temperature, chemistry, etc.
Biotic
Who lives there and how they relate to each other
Remember small scales can be important
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Biome: Boreal bordering Alpine—Southern Sierra Nevada Mountains, California
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
Where Do Organisms Live?
A “Habitat”, total combination of necessary conditions
Abiotic
Biotic
Don’t forget—scale is important
Small places can be very important
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Biome: Alpine—Central Sierra Nevada mountains, California
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
Abiotic + biotic conditions
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Where Does Ecology Occur?
The whole
Biosphere—the thin crust of life that covers the earth
The parts
Ecosystem—a habitat within the biosphere with a characteristic set of abiotic and biotic conditions
Southern Hardwood Bottomland, Coral Reef, Boreal Forest, Chaparral, Desert, and so on
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NASA ISS022-E-6674
Biome: Southern Hardwood Bottomland—Delta Region, Northeast Arkansas
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
Scales of Interaction
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Organismal Ecology
Focus on an organism and its biotic and abiotic relationships
Hub and spoke with organism at the hub
Includes sensory & behavioral ecology
Population Ecology
Focus on a population of one species and factors affecting population density and growth
Models of population growth
Can also include population genetics
Community Ecology
Focus on a community of organisms and biotic interaction
Webs of organisms in a community
Ecosystem Ecology
Focus on an ecosystem community and abiotic interactions
Webs of organisms and nutrient and energy flow among them
Also called Trophic Ecology
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
Community Ecology
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Ecosystem (Trophic) Ecology
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Greatly simplified for discussion.
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
Trophic Structure
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Most ecosystems structured like a pyramid
Big at the base—primary productivity
Small at the top—apex predators
But some ecosystems more complex
Coral reefs very wide base, narrow waist, wider at apex
But herbivores at base and mesopredators in the middle grow very fast
Apex predators grow very slowly
Resulting structure is highly dynamic but over time still resembles a pyramid
Trophic Structure (continued)
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Organismal Energy Budgets
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Trophic Cascade
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Stephanie Yin, undergraduate, Brown University
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
https://vimeo.com/38546384
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A Trophic Cascade Caused By An Ag Practice
More fertilizer in runoff water, more algae, more snails
More insecticide in water, fewer snail predators, more snails
More snails, more schistosomiasis
Schistosomiasis NOT found in Asia, but this is just one such parasite!
Schistosomiasis, a human parasite
from Olveda, Li, Olveda, and Ross 2013
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A Quick (and Partial!) Survey
Types of Ecosystem
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Tropical Rainforest
High rainfall and constant high insolation (sunlight!) means rampant plant growth
Highest terrestrial biodiversity (numbers of species) found in this ecosystem
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
Fall 2020
Zakaria, Rajpar, Ozdemir, & Rosli 2016
Tropical Coral Reefs
Warm year-round water temperatures, a lack of nutrients, and constant high insolation (sunlight!) means rampant coral growth
Low nutrients mean less competition from macroalgae (a type of marine plant
High diversity of stony coral leads to high diversity of shapes/homes leading to highest marine biodiversity in marine ecosystems
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
John Artim
Mangrove Forest
This tropical to subtropical ecosystem borders land and sea
Mangrove roots sit in ocean water, trapping sediment running off adjacent terrestrial habitat
Fish and invertebrates use the shelter of the roots as nursery habitat
This ecosystem is moderately productive while providing tremendous coastal (land) protection
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
oceans.si.edu
Seagrass
From the tropics to nearly the poles, seagrass meadows are found in shallow, sandy marine habitat
This ecosystem has moderately high productivity and biodiversity
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
Clifton Beard
Gaynor Rosier, Marine Photobank
Temperate Rainforest
High rainfall, moderate temperature swings, and high summer insolation leads to lush summer growth and dense vegetation
This temperate coastal ecosystem has moderate productivity
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
By Sam Beebe, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12645484
Temperate Hardwood Forest
Old-growth hardwoods dominate this ecosystem that features a high diversity of tree species and the highest overall biodiversity of a temperate terrestrial ecosystem
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
Nicholas A. Tonelli
Tallgrass Prairie
This temperate ecosystem features deeply-rooted perennial grasses that anchor deep soils and support a diversity of grazing mammals and apex predators
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
Flint Hills of Kansas. © Dave Bryan (Timeless Changes)
Savannah Grassland
Similar to a prairie grassland, this ecosystem features lush growth of grass and sparse tree growth
Trees are often kept in-check by grazing mammals
We think of this habitat as being typical of much of Africa, but it used to be an important habitat in the American Southeast
We still have remnants of this ecosystem in the Southern states today
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
amnh.org
By P. R. Hoar, Public Domain,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4450936
Oyster Reefs
Oysters are shellfish that live in shallow temperate to semi-tropical habitat, feeding on microscopic plants (phytoplankton)
By removing phytoplankton, this ecosystem greatly improves the productivity of nearby seagrass and reduces storm surge
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
Photo courtesy of Anna Windle and Sarah Poulin
Nick Caloyianis
Salt Marshes
Salt marshes are temperate to subtropical coastal terrestrial ecosystems that take up large amounts of nutrients from terrestrial runoff. This ecosystem features high productivity and moderate biodiversity
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
photo by Dale Gerhar
Boreal Forest
This high-latitude ecosystem features conifer trees and relatively slow growth
These forests cover much of Canada and Russia
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
science.sciencemag.org
Tundra
Tundra is a high-latitude habitat with low-growing perennial shrubs and seasonal snow cover
This low-productivity ecosystem supports migrating large grazing mammals
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
www.youvisit.com/tour/emily.m
River Ecosystems
Rivers have input of nutrients from leaves of terrestrial plants and insects falling into the river
Since water flows down rivers, organisms must either actively migrate upstream (fish), cling to the bottom (insect larvae, crayfish) or they reproduce rapidly to maintain an upstream presence (algae)
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
pubs.usgs.gov/sir/2012/5017/photo01_02.html
Lakes
Lakes are larger bodies of water
Unlike rivers, water movement does not clear out aquatic organisms, so there is a larger variety of planktonic life
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
serc.carleton.edu
Landscape Ecology Concepts
Patch—an area of similar habitat (one type of ecosystem)
Mosaic—many patches abutting each
Matrix—the background ecosystem
Corridor—connects landscape patches
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
Landscape Ecology
Landscape ecology is about
Scale
Connectivity
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
What Is Your Favorite Ecosystem?
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In small groups, compare what your favorite ecosystems are and why you like them.
If there is one ecosystem you REALLY want to visit (but haven’t seen yet), what is it?
Why is this one at the top of your list?
What do humans get out of ecosystems?
What do humans do to damage or restore ecosystems?
Additional Ecosystem Concepts
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Ecosystem Services
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Ecosystem goods and services produce the many life-sustaining benefits we receive from nature—clean air and water, fertile soil for crop production, pollination, and flood control. These ecosystem services are important to environmental and human health and well-being, yet they are limited and often taken for granted.
epa.gov
Ecosystem Services, an Example: Flood Control
2004 tsunami in Aceh (Indonesia) and Southern Thailand
Devastated coastal areas
Survival story a topic of recent movie
Areas with intact coastal coral reefs, mangrove, or forest suffered lower fatality rates than developed areas
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
Photo by WFP/Rein Skullerud
Ecosystem Services—Do We Really Value Them?
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Anthropogenic Impact
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The effects of human populations on “natural” systems
Let’s name some human influences
Nutrient and sediment enrichment of surface waters—from sewage, agriculture, development
CO2—global warming and ocean acidification
Habitat Destruction and Fragmentation—human development
Direct Competition—hunting for top predators
Movement of Species—invasion biology
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
What Is an Invasive Species?
Released from captivity in Florida in 1990s
A few lionfish have spread throughout the Caribbean
Effects on Caribbean
Depopulate coral reefs of small fish
Have very few predators
Have virtually no parasites
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Indonesia
Biome: Coral Reef—Komodo, Indonesia
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Recognize This Vine?
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Kudzu—A Plant Invasive to AR
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Climate Change
We’ve burnt massive amounts of fossil fuels and practiced agricultural tillage on much of the Earth’s surface
This has transferred massive amounts of carbon in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2) from soil and subsurface deposits of fossil fuels to the atmosphere
CO2 is a greenhouse gas that leads to increased global temperatures and increased ocean acidity
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Conservation & Restoration
How Do We Keep It Going?
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
Many Threats to Ecosystem Health
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Invasive species
Species extinction
Pollution
Habitat loss
Climate change
Global warming
Intensified & changing climate patterns
Ocean acidification
What Can We Do? Conservation
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Conservation is the management of ecosystems to
Preserve wilderness
Preserve ecosystem services
Balance human and natural systems so that we both may live
What Can We Do? Restoration
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Once an ecosystem is damaged beyond a certain point, it rapidly degrades
Diversity and productivity both plummet
Ecosystem services are reduced or eliminated
If the damaging force is removed (that would often be we humans), some ecosystems can regenerate
Especially if there are protected areas nearby, similar ecosystem in good shape that can reseed damaged ecosystem
Some damaged ecosystems cannot self-repair, requires human restoration
Restoration is active measures taken to rebuild damaged ecosystems
Use aquaculture to grow coral colonies then plant them to re-seed lost coral reefs
Some restoration involves “replacing” one extinct species with a similar existing species
Ecosystem Restoration Post-Tsunami
After the tsunami, people had to heal themselves, their towns & cities
And their ecosystems!
Must we be motivated by disaster & death?
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
missionblue.org
Questions to get you questioning …
What do you think?
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Artim—People and the Environment—Ecosystem Basics
What is an ecosystem?
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Discuss in small groups
How can we tell if an ecosystem is “healthy”?
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Do we look at how healthy the most obvious/important species are?
How to tell which species are important?
Is there some way to take the temperature of an ecosystem?
How do we measure your favorite ecosystem?
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Pick your favorite—maybe bottomland hardwood forest, prairie, savannah, or stream
How would you go about measuring that ecosystem’s ”health”?
Can We ”Repair” Complex Ecosystems?
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When complex ecosystems like coral reefs and tropical rainforest is damaged by people, can we ”repair” those ecosystems?
If no, what do you think stops us?
If yes, how do we go about this repair? How good do you think the repair can be?
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