Ecosystem services

Question 1

Why define ecosystem services?

Answer 1

Helps measure their value and is of benefit with economic political purposes

Question 2

State of ecosystem services

Answer 2

24 have been recognised, 15 are being used unsustainably and only 4 are healthy

Question 3

Define Ecosystem services

Answer 3

Natural process that benefits humans, including the production of goods, life-supporting functions, life-fulfilling conditions and the preservation of options, natural cycles that are all intrinsically linked

Question 4

Types of Ecosystem services

Answer 4

Ecosystem good or extractive benefits - food, medicine
Preservation of options - future supply of goods
Regeneration benefits - cycling and filtration
Non-extractive benefits - coastal and river stability
Life-fulfilling functions - Aesthetic beauty

Question 5

Biosphere case study

Answer 5

Shows complexity of ecosystem function, sealed biome
The first-year spiked <14% 02 with CO2 and NO2 led to brain damage in some individuals
Saw population explosions of algae, ants, cockroaches and crickets
Showed that they are unable to recreate ecosystems as every component is interlinked

Question 6

Food production case study

Answer 6

Massively threatened by biodiversity as natural habitat is being converted to agricultural land.
Biotic invasion through habitat alteration and trade
Food demand is also growing

Question 7

Effect of climate mitigation

Answer 7

Helps remove CO2, e.g. plankton with CaCO3 shells

Question 8

Advantages of Soil services

Answer 8

Can buffer the hydrological cycle, prevents runoff, erosion and drought
Physically supports plants
Retains nutrients for plants
Disposes of waste and dead organic matter
Renewal of soil fertility

Question 9

Pollination case study

Answer 9

Requirement for most plants
Done by bats, birds, bees butterflies etc
Require a variety of habitats for feeding breeding and life cycles
60 key pollinators on the IUCN

Question 10

Natural pest control services

Answer 10

up to 50% of human food is lost to pests, can use chemical control but can have unexpected results
Growing resistance to pesticides will kill the pests as well as their natural enemies, can use a biological control agent but these can get out of control and become the pest

Question 11

Crop Wild Relatives

Answer 11

can be used for possible crop progenitors and possible gene donors for crops, can also benefit pest resistance, abiotic stress and yield increase, growing importance with $115billion put towards this