Lecture 7 -- Ecosystem Services Flashcards
- Using an ecosystem of your choice, describe how ecological processes (e.g. photosynthesis, disturbance cycles, herbivory, etc.) result in the ecological structure we see in the ecosystem.
Process (nutrient cycles, evolution, flow regime, photosynthesis)
Structure (Populations, forest age and speciation, food web, abundance, biodiversity)
A lot of nutrients in the river b/c of a nutrient cycle, larger population of fish that spawn there.
- Using the same ecosystem, describe how the resulting ecosystem structure exerts feedback on the ecological processes (e.g. how does the diversity of the foodweb affect things like the overall rate of photosynthesis (biomass production) of the ecosystem, or how does the complexity of the vegetation affect the fire disturbance regime, or how does floodplain habitat complexity affect the flow regime, etc.)
More salmon spawning and dying continues the cycle of nutrients
- If the ecological structure (the physical and biological components of an ecosystem) is what we harvest as the raw inputs to our economy, how would removing too much of the structure too quickly affect ecological processes? Use an ecosystem of your choice to illustrate.
Removing too much can affect ecological process. removing trees from around a first order stream removes the shade and amount of debris in the river. fucks up nutrient cycles.
- Why is the loss of diversity of life, and reduction in its abundance, important to how ecosystems function and what they provide to humans?
Diversity: Component parts of engine
Abundance: determines how fast it runs.
Diversity and Abundance are necessary for the “engine” less diversity and abundance means less ecosystem services of all kinds.
- Why do we say that there is a trade-off between the extraction of ecosystem goods and the provision of ecosystem services?
Because if you take too much the “engine” of the ecosystem could stop and there is no more services provided.
- In the example of the Santa Fe water fund, how were funds used to restore the ecosystem, and how did this protect their water supply?
Water USERS paid into the fund for clean drinking water.
$$ paid to landowners to improve practices to continually improve clean water.
- Describe how water funds can be used to encourage investment in the provision of ecosystem services.
Users of ecosystem services will pay into the fund and then that pays to help preserve the services.
- Using one of the examples from your reading on “Sustainable Water Strategies”, describe how the community invested in either restoring an ecosystem or reducing their impact on it, and how this led to improved ecosystem services for the community.
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- Why do we say that healthy ecosystems aren’t a luxury?
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- Why do you think that the protection and restoration of healthy ecosystems is rarely at the center of the decision-making processes of individuals, community, government and society?
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- How and why has our historical approach to conservation failed?
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- What are some ways in which we can begin to increase the awareness that restoring healthy ecosystems is important for people and communities?
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- What do we mean by “multiple benefit” habitat restoration? How does this kind of project differ from a project that focuses just on one benefit (e.g. salmon habitat) (e.g. who is involved, how does the design change, how are outcomes measured, how does the planning and implementation process differ, etc.)?
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- Based on your own experience, what are some ways that we can increase the awareness of the importance of healthy ecosystems, and incorporate ecosystems into how we make all our decisions?
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- From the perspective of your chosen major, how could you incorporate an ecosystem perspective into your future career?
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