Our Understanding of Ecosystems Science 10

To Think About How do sustainable ecosystems benefit all organisms on the Earth? Why is it important to understand that ecosystems are connected? Why is it important to reduce threats to biodiversity?

Ecosystem Services The benefits sustainable ecosystems provide that are experienced by living organisms, including human beings

Forests Influences climate Acts as a sink for carbon dioxide Reduces erosion in watersheds Provides habitat

Watershed An area of land over which the run-off drains into a body of water Run-off increases by 30-40 percent in clear cut areas This means less rainwater/melted snow is retained and more erosion happens Loss of nitrogen/other nutrients from soil

Wetlands Stores water and reduces risk of flooding Habitat for many different species, some of which we eat Protected environment for young creatures to grow Rest stop for migrating birds Plants that grow filter pollution and sediment

Insects Majority of plants rely on animals to move pollen from one flower to another Common pollinators are bees, beetles, other insects Pollen also transferred by wind, birds, bats, mammals

Cross-Pollination Male pollen from one flower fertilizes the female ovary of another flower of the same species Significantly increases productivity of flower Credited for providing about 1/3 of our food supply

Self-Pollination A process in which a flower can pollinate itself or another flower on the same plant without outside aid

Colony Collapse Disorder Recent phenomenon in which bees are mysteriously disappearing Hive keepers are finding only frail bees and the queen left in hives after winter, or no bees at all

Colony Collapse Disorder Several theories exist: Pesticides may affect the ability of bees to find their way back to their hives Parasites: Varra destructor mite attaches itself to the bee and feeds off the bee’s fluids Honeybee trachael mite suffocates the bees Transportation of colonies over long distances

Beauty and Spirituality Indigenous Peoples have strong spiritual ties to the ecosystems they occupy The Group of Seven were inspired by the north Artistic expression of ecosystems