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Ecology and Environment > Lecture 20 - Ecosystem Services and Environmental Change > Flashcards

Lecture 20 - Ecosystem Services and Environmental Change Flashcards

1
Q

What are ecosystem services?

A

The benefits to humankind provided by natural ecosystems.

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2
Q

What is the causal chain of ecosystem services?

A

Biodiversity –> ecosystem functioning –> ecosystem services –> human wellbeing

(arrows = influence)

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3
Q

What is option value?

A

Keeping biodiversity because it might have some benefit in the future.

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4
Q

Give four groups of ecosystem services.

A
  • Provisioning
  • Regulating
  • Cultural
  • Supporting
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5
Q

What is provisioning ecosystem services?

A

Direct use values of biodiversity - products produced by natural environment.

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6
Q

What are regulation ecosystem services?

A

Benefits obtained from ecosystem processes that contain natural dynamics within bounds.
Indirect use values of biodiversity.

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7
Q

Who defined the four main groups of ecosystem services?

A

Millenium Ecosystem Assessment

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8
Q

What are supporting ecosystem services?

A

The services that are required for all other services to be provided.

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9
Q

Give at least three provisioning ecosystem services.

A
  • Food
  • Fibre
  • Fuel
  • Fresh water
  • Genetic resources (e.g. in selective breeding)
  • Natural medicines
  • Ornamental resources
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10
Q

Give at least three examples of things that regulation services can regulate.

A
  • Air quality
  • Climate
  • Water purity
  • Floods
  • Erosion (e.g. mangroves regulate risk of erosion)
  • Disease
  • Pests
  • Natural hazards
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11
Q

Give some examples of supporting services.

A
  • Nutrient cycling
  • Soil formation
  • Photosynthesis
  • Primary production
  • Water cycling
  • Pollination
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12
Q

When was the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment published?

A

2005

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13
Q

What are the four components of human wellbeing?

A
  • Basic materials for good life
  • Health
  • Good social relations
  • Security
  • Freedom of choice and action
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14
Q

What kind of ecosystem services is health most likely to depend on?

A

Regulating ecosystem services.

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15
Q

What is the largest indirect driver of change?

A

The size of the world population.

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16
Q

In the past 500 years, how much higher are extinction rates of mammals, birds and amphibians than shown in the fossil records?

A

1000 times higher

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17
Q

What was the island of Easter Island originally covered in?

A

Palms

18
Q

When was Easter Island inhabited by humans

A

400 A.D.

19
Q

Why did human culture collapse on Easter Island?

A

Overexploiting natural resources on Easter Island, leading to collapse of biodiversity, thus the collapse of human livelihood and culture.

20
Q

What are the 5 main threats to biodiversity as defined by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment?

A
  • Habitat change
  • Climate change
  • Invasive species
  • Overexploitation
  • Pollution
21
Q

Out of the combinations of biomes and threats, how many are not worsening?

A

18/65

22
Q

Why is the temperature forest habitat change improving?

A

Due to reforestation methods – deforestation here happened some time ago.

23
Q

Which two threats have the most rapid increases across all biomes throughout the 20th century?

A
  • Climate change

- Pollution

24
Q

What percent of the terrestrial surface has been cultivated?

A

24%

25
Q

What can the removal of nutrients from the soil lead to?

A

Desertification – unproductive land.

26
Q

In the USA, how much faster is soil being lost than it is being reduced?

A

8 times.

27
Q

Why has there been increased occurrences of flooding?

A

Changing vegetation, reduced capacity of natural environment to tolerate water.

28
Q

By what methods do humans introduce alien species to parts of the world?

A
  • Deliberate and desirable; ornamental, production of food, for hunting, as pets.
  • Accidental; stowaways in shipping, from international movement of agricultural products.
29
Q

In the UK, approximately what percentage of plant species that occur in these regions are not native?

A

40%

30
Q

Of all the species introduced to a region, what percent of them manage to become established?

A

10%

31
Q

Of the invasive species that become established, what species are able to become ‘nuisances’?

A

1%

32
Q

In the UK, how many non-native species are there belonging to the following groups?

a) Mammals
b) Birds
c) Reptiles
d) Amphibians
e) Fish

A

a) 23 mammals
b) 24 birds
c) 3 reptiles
d) 7 amphibians
e) 14 fish

33
Q

How many invasive plant species in the UK cause major impacts?

A

9

34
Q

Give two UK species that enrich our natural environment.

A
  • Little Owl

- Horse chestnut

35
Q

How does the African Landsnail affect the ecosystem?

A

Consumes natural vegetation.

36
Q

Give two plant species that can outcompete natural vegetation.

A
  • Guava

- Lantana

37
Q

How do populations of grey squirrel affect populations of red squirrel?

A

Grey squirrels are a reservoir of the parapox virus, which has a greater effect on the red squirrels.

38
Q

What was the effect of brown tree snake?

A

Leading to reduction in numbers of native bird species.

39
Q

What has overexploitation of marine ecosystems lead to?

A
  • Collapses of fish populations.

- Collapses of non-raget species = “by catch”.

40
Q

Give an example of a by catch.

A

Loggerhead turtles

41
Q

What effect does overfishing have on bushmeat?

A

Increases pressure to consume bushmeat.

42
Q

Give a major driver of declines of native plants in western Europe.

A

Nitrogen enrichment in grasslands.

Ecology and Environment (22 decks)

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