Protecting & Preserving Ecosystems Chapter 4B

How do Ecosystems change naturally Lesson 1

Natural Succession All ecosystems- water and land change constantly. Succession: gradual change of an ecosystem. Sometimes over thousands of years. Two types of Succession: Primary Succession Secondary Succession

Primary Succession Occurs on bare, newly formed land. Land forms in a number of ways: *Volcanic islands emerge from the sea *Glaciers melt and uncover new land. Pioneer Plants are the first plants to come up in a new area.

Primary succession Sprouting and growth begin the process of succession. Glacier Bay, Alaska is a great place to study primary succession. Over the past 250 years, glaciers have been melting and leaving behind deposits of rock.

Primary Succession

Primary succession Stages of Succession: Pioneer Plant Stage: *Organisms such as Lichens (algae and fungi) grow closest to the glacier. *As they die, their matters add nutrients to the ground. *Thin form of soil and moss takes over 2. Mossy Stage *Organic matter (bird droppings) get trapped in the moss. *This adds more nutrients to the deepening soil. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNHnwHaSolA

Primary succession 3. Grassy Stage *Grasses and flowering plants have taken root. *Soil is deep enough to grow trees. *The soil becomes more acidic. 4. Climax Community *Spruce and Hemlock forest make up this community. *If no disasters take place this community could live for thousands of years. *Also called a deciduous forest.

This video will help you better understand Primary Succession… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNHnwHaSolA

Secondary Succession Secondary Succession is the return of a damaged ecosystem. One example of Secondary succession is when Mount St. Helens erupted. This volcano erupted on May 18th, 1980

Secondary succession Here are some videos of the Mount St. Helens Eruption! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhU6jml6NY4 http://youtu.be/-H_HZVY1tT4 *Disclaimer- shows one dead animal covered in ash.

Secondary succession Under the ash and mud from the blast were seeds and living roots. Rain washed away some of the mud away and wind blew seeds around. This allowed new seeds to be planted. Shrubs began to grow and a climax community is underway.

How People Change ecosystems Lesson 2

Damaging Ecosystems Farming is vital to human survival. Growing population increases the demand for food. The demand causes methods of agriculture to use chemicals such as fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. Main Idea: Agriculture has lead to the decline in the diversity of animals that live in specific ecosystems. Discussion: What do you think would happen if the airplane was spraying chemicals on a windy day?

Damaging ecosystems These chemicals kill unwanted plants and pests. Using chemicals for agriculture can damage ecosystems. Human activities such as building new schools, homes roads and shopping centers destroy the natural habitats of many animals and plants.

Damaging ecosystems To obtain natural resources such as wood or paper trees must be cut down. Pollution- any waste product that damages an ecosystem, can also affect habitats. Fun Fact: Plastic production became more popular after World War II. In recent years over 150,000 tons of plastic have ended up on the shores of Japan.

Damaging ecosystems Burning fossil fuels is the most damaging type of pollution. It produces air pollution and acid rain. Energy stations and cars create gases (nitric acid and sulfuric acid) that when combined with the air causes acid rain.

Damaging ecosystems Acid Rain has decreased in the recent years because of the “Clean Air Act” of 1990. Trees, crops and soil can be damaged by acid rain. It can also cause animals and plants to die. It is estimated that 4% of the lakes in the United States are too acidic for fish to live in.

Catastrophic changes Some human activity can cause an ecosystem to NEVER recover! Strip mining for example, destroys communities and non-living parts of an ecosystem. Strip mining is when top soil and rock layers are removed to reach a resource.

Catastrophic changes Since 1977, it is required in the United States that all areas that are strip-mined be restored. How can you restore an ecosystem? *replace the soil. *forests and grasslands are replanted. Some strip-mined areas have not been restored.

Catastrophic changes It is impossible for humans to be part of an ecosystem and not destroy it. We can find ways to be less damaging to our precious ecosystems. You will learn how to prevent damaging ecosystems in lesson 3!

Using resources wisely Lesson 3

Reduce, reuse, and recycle Everyone can help protect our ecosystems by conserving resources. The three R’s will help you conserve resources! Reduce Reuse Recycle

Reduce, reuse, and recycle Watch this video about Humans and the Environment to see how we can conserve! https://www.brainpop.com/science/ourfragileenvironment/humansandtheenvironment/

Reduce, reuse, and recycle Reduce: Means to cut down on the use of resources. Some examples of how we can reduce: Save energy by using appliance’s wisely. Turn off lights when you are not using them. Limit the time of your showers! Don’t make a lot of garbage. Only use what you need!

Reduce, reuse, and recycle Reuse: means to not throw away items that can be used again. Some examples of reusing: Cups and plates can be washed and reused. Wash out a milk carton or juice bottle and use it as a planter or bird feeder. Give old clothes and toys to Goodwill!

Reduce, reuse, and recycle Recycle: mean to recover a resource from an item and use the recovered resource to make a new item. Many items can be recycled! Aluminum Glass Paper Plastic

Reduce, reuse, and recycle

Restoring ecosystems Lesson 4

Rivers and wetlands The process of restoring a damaged ecosystem is called Reclamation. Restoring ecosystems takes a very long time and a lot of work. PCBs (Poison) are in the fish in many freshwater ecosystems. The PCBs can transfer to carnivores if they eat the fish. Decomposing fish cause the PCBs to reenter the water. This is why it is very important to clean a fish properly before eating!

Rivers and wetlands Wetlands -saltwater marshes, mangrove swamps and mudflats. Wetlands provide habitats for many marine organisms. Did you know that 80% of the wetlands in the United States are already gone? The Florida Everglades once covered more than 4 million acres! Today, it only covers half the amount of area.

Rivers and wetlands There is a “Save the Everglades” program to help restore the ecosystem. The plan is to restore the land. Scientists are working to also figure out ways to restore ecosystems that are completely gone. Wetlands are important ecosystems to keep because they act as natural filters that purify water.

Your own backyard One goal is to restore natural ecosystems that are in schoolyards, backyards and parks. One way to do this is to replace the lawns with grass and flowers that are found in the area’s original ecosystem. Eliminating fertilizers and pesticides can bring back what is now gone.