3.2.1: The value and distribution of ecosystems Flashcards
Two things ecosystems provide
goods and services
Examples of goods provided by ecosystems
3
timber from trees
medicines
nutrients from plants and animals
Types of services provided by ecosystems
4
provisioning
regulating
cultural
supporting
Provisioning services
5 examples
Food, fresh water, fuel, wood and fibre
Regulating services
4 examples
Climate, flood, water, disease
Cultural services
4 examples
aesthetic, spiritual, educational, recreational
Supporting
3 examples
primary production, nutrient cycles, soil formation
Short term exploitation leads to…
long term effects
Four main constituents of well being people receive from ecosystem services?
security
basic material for good life
health
good social relations
Security
3 components
(well being people receive from ecosystem services)
personal safety
secure resource access
security from disaster
Basic material for good life
4 components
(well being people receive from ecosystem services)
Shelter
Access to goods
Adequate livelihoods
sufficient nutritious foods
Health
3 components
(well being people receive from ecosystem services)
Strength
Feeling well
Access to clean air and water
Good social relations
3 components
(well being people receive from ecosystem services)
Social cohesion
Mutual respect
Ability to help others
Provisioning services
Direct products that ecosystems provide us
Regulating services
Regulate eg: climate and CO2 levels
Cultural services
eg: benefit to tribes or aesthetic purposes
Supporting services
eg: form soil and huge role in the nutrient cycle
World’s population in 2016
predicted population in 2050
7.4 billion, 2016
20 billion, 2050
Possible future trend that affect ecosystems
population increase
agricultural productivity increases
inevitable ecosystem degradation as its replaced by farmland
Mini ecosystem case study
The Achuar, Amazon, Ecuador/Peru border
The Achuar, Amazon, description
Tribe of 6000 people who live sustainably in small communities along the Ecuador/Peru border.
Sustainable ways the Achuar live
3
- fish, by stunning them with plant derived non-polluting poison
- hunt monkeys for food
- Gather roots such as sweet potato
The Achuars’ connection with the Amazon tropical rainforest
rich cultural folklore is embedded in the forest with which they have a powerful spiritual connection
Threat/conflict to the Achuar
- oil discovered in the Amazon in 1964
- since then, violent conflicts have occurred in the fight or preservation or exploitation of the land
- water and land contamination has happened
Biome
A large scale ecological area with plants and animals that are well adapted to their environmental conditions.
Biomes are like?
a large-scale ecosystem
Distribution of terrestrial biomes and linked to?
2
Across lines of latitude and linked to climate
In lower latitudes…
temperatures are the highest
In higher latitudes…
temperatures are the lowest
Low pressure areas created how?
when air rises,
called low pressure because the weight of the air above Earth’s surface is lower than average
Low pressure areas are associated with…
clouds and precipitation (rainfall)
Low pressure clouds and precipitation
3 step process
- as air rises, it cools, condenses and forms clouds
- water droplets in the clouds increase in size
- they eventually become too heavy to be held and fall as precipitation
High pressure areas created how?
when air sinks,
called high pressure because the weight of the air is above average when it sinks to the Earth’s surface
High pressure areas are associated with…
dry, warm and settled weather conditions
Reason for high pressure weather conditions?
sinking air doesn’t result in precipitation
