1. 8.1 How Our Understanding of Ecosystems Has Changed
UNIT 4
Chapter 8: Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
Section 8.1
8.1 How Our Understanding of Ecosystems Has Changed
Throughout history, humans have depended on Earth’s systems, including ecosystems, for resources such as water, food, and raw materials for energy, shelter, and clothing.
Many people took the attitude that the supply of resources was endless.
Conservationists and environmental scientists have warned us that humans are overusing, overexploiting, and destroying the resources that humans need to survive.
What are some historical examples of the overuse of resources?
Sample answers: use of trees for firewood or commercial purposes until there are no more trees left, leading to soil erosion and loss of forest habitat. Mining of underground resources (coal, different ores) until none are left. Fishing for cod and other species until few are left, and the population collapses. Trapping of beaver until few are left, and the population collapses.

2. Ecosystem Services UNIT 4
Chapter 8: Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
Section 8.1
Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem services are the benefits sustainable ecosystems provide that are experienced by living organisms, including humans.
Ecosystem services are the natural result of all the activities that occur in the biosphere.
Without sustainable ecosystems, Earth would lose most of the services that ecosystems provide. Ecosystem services allow ecosystems to function, which is a requirement of sustainability.
Examples of services include: Forests take up carbon dioxide, release oxygen, and maintain soil fertility. Watersheds and plants in wetlands clean and filter water.
Ecosystems maintain populations of organisms that are necessary for pest control, pollination, waste management, and other processes.
Ecosystem services include the cycling of nutrients and balancing the processes of growth and decomposition.
Ecosystems not only provide habitat for the diversity of two million known species on Earth, they are also a source of beauty and spirituality for many people.
Ecosystems provide humans with food, timber, and fossil fuels. Plants from many ecosystems are used for medicinal purposes.

3. Find the definitions of Ch. 8’s key terms
Ecosystem services:
Watershed:
Ecotourism:
Connectivity:
Biodiversity:
Resilience:
Alien species:
Invasive species:
Overexploitation:
Read pg & answer questions 1-4 on pg. 318.

4. Answers to P.g. 318
1. Ecosystem services are the benefits sustainable ecosystems provide that are experienced by living organisms, including humans.
2. Forests take in large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as part of photosynthesis. In recent years, scientists have looked at the importance of forests as carbon sinks for the increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere due to the burning of fossil fuels.

5. 3. Any two of the following: Forests act as sinks for carbon dioxide, cutting down forests would reduce this sink and possibly increase the effects of climate change as more carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere. Forests reduce erosion in watersheds, so cutting them down can lead to an increase in erosion and an increase in the amount of nutrients in run-off reaching aquatic ecosystems. Forests provide a habitat for thousands of species; cutting them down could reduce biodiversity.
4. The amount of nitrogen in run-off from a cleared watershed was 60 percent higher than the amount of nitrogen in run-off from an uncut watershed. This means that excess nutrients could reach aquatic ecosystems and cause algal blooms, which can eventually lead to the death of fish and other aquatic organisms.

6. What services do ecosystems provide?
1.) Get together with your group and scan pages
2.) Discuss Ecosystem services offered by different ecosystems
3.) Come up with a list of ecosystem services (both from your text and ones you can think of)
Which group come make the longest list?
Ecosystem services are the natural result of all the activities that occur in the biosphere.
Without sustainable ecosystems, Earth would lose most of the services that ecosystems provide. Ecosystem services allow ecosystems to function, which is a requirement of sustainability.
Examples of services include: Forests take up carbon dioxide, release oxygen, and maintain soil fertility. Watersheds and plants in wetlands clean and filter water.
Ecosystems maintain populations of organisms that are necessary for pest control, pollination, waste management, and other processes.
Ecosystem services include the cycling of nutrients and balancing the processes of growth and decomposition.
Ecosystems not only provide habitat for the diversity of two million known species on Earth, they are also a source of beauty and spirituality for many people.
Ecosystems provide humans with food, timber, and fossil fuels. Plants from many ecosystems are used for medicinal purposes.
Sample answers: use of trees for firewood or commercial purposes until there are no more trees left, leading to soil erosion and loss of forest habitat. Mining of underground resources (coal, different ores) until none are left. Fishing for cod and other species until few are left, and the population collapses. Trapping of beaver until few are left, and the population collapses.

7. Work with your group to complete the handout on ecosystem services.

9. 1.)Groups will read an assigned section in the textbook.
2.) Groups will list the ecosystem services of what they read about.
3.) Groups will then share their list with the rest of the class.

10. Groups 1 & 2 P.g. 317 Ecosystem services provided by forest
Groups 3 & 4 P.g. 318 Ecosystem services provided by Wetlands
Groups 5 & 6 P.g. 320 Ecosystem services provided by Insects

11. Ecosystem Services Provided by Forests
UNIT 4
Chapter 8: Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
Section 8.1
Ecosystem Services Provided by Forests
Forests supply trees that are needed for the manufacture of wood and paper products.
Forests influence climate because they take in large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis.
Forests reduce erosion in watersheds.
Forests provide habitats for thousands of species.
Why is it important for forests to serve as carbon dioxide sinks?
Why is the prevention of erosion in watersheds important?
A watershed is an area of land over which run-off drains into a body of water. The graph shows the difference between a forested and a deforested area in filtering nitrates from the run-off.
Sample answer 1: Forests absorb about one-third of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels. Increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is believed to contribute to climate change.
Sample answer 2: When soils are washed away, the remaining soil retains less rainwater and meltwater. There is an increased loss of nutrients in the remaining soil, as many of the nutrients remain in the water.

12. Ecosystem Services Provided by Wetlands
UNIT 4
Chapter 8: Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
Section 8.1
Ecosystem Services Provided by Wetlands
Wetlands are areas that are covered by water for part or all of the year.
Wetlands store water, which reduces the risk of floods
Provide habitat for commercially important species of fish and shellfish.
For juvenile animals, wetlands are a protected environment in which they can grow and develop.
the plants that grow in them filter sediment and pollution from water.
Wetlands cover about 6 percent of Earth’s surface.
About 24 percent of the world’s wetlands are in Canada.
, and
Plants, turtles, snakes, mink, and thousands of other organisms live in wetlands.
Every spring and fall, migrating birds also use wetlands to feed and rest. About 30 percent of birds in North America stop in wetlands throughout Canada.
Besides providing habitat for many organisms, wetlands perform another important ecosystem

13. Ecosystem Services Provided by Insects
UNIT 4
Chapter 8: Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
Section 8.1
Ecosystem Services Provided by Insects
Insects, such as beetles and bees, pollinate plants.
In the wild and in agricultural fields, fruit and seed production are much higher when plants are pollinated by insects.
Cross-pollination by insects assists the production of about one-third of our food.
What is the difference between cross- pollination and self- pollination?
What is colony collapse disorder?
Sample answer 1: Male pollen from one flower fertilizes the female ovary in another flower of the same species in a process known as cross-pollination. Most plants rely on animals to move pollen from one plant to another. Self-pollination is a process in which flowers can pollinate themselves or another flower from the same plant.
Sample answer 2: Colony collapse disorder is when only frail young worker bees and the queen remain in the hive. All of the mature worker bees are gone. The young worker bees and the queen cannot maintain the hive, and it collapses.

15. Beauty and Spirituality in Sustainable Ecosystems
UNIT 4
Chapter 8: Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
Section 8.1
Beauty and Spirituality in Sustainable Ecosystems
Artistic expressions of ecosystems are meaningful and spiritual to some people.
What emotions does the painting on the right evoke?

16. Recreational Opportunities as Ecosystem Services
Chapter 8: Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
Section 8.1
Recreational Opportunities as Ecosystem Services
Ecotourism is a form of tourism that is sensitive to the health of an ecosystem and involves recreational activities provided by sustainable ecosystems.
Ecotourism is a nature-based, sustainable form of tourism that is now a multibillion-dollar industry worldwide.
Examples include: camping, canoeing, snowshoeing, fishing, and kayaking

17. What are examples of recreational activities that a sustainable ecosystem provides?

18. Video on ecotourism 14:00 – 20:00, 48:00 – 58:00
Activity 323 on p.g. 323
Read article and answer the questions:
Student’s pamphlets may include information about
1.) The region
2.) About the butterflies’ migration and life cycle
3.) About tourist practices that support the fragile ecosystem.
4.) How to protect ecosystems.
5.) Pictures & a nice design
- 10 marks (Approximately 2 marks for each listed above)

19. Bring laptops next class!

20. The Concept of Connectivity
UNIT 4
Chapter 8: Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
Section 8.1
The Concept of Connectivity
The collection of links and relationships between ecosystems that are separated geographically is called connectivity.
Why might bird populations be declining in Canada?
As shown in the graph below, populations of many aerial insectivore birds that breed in Canada have declined since the 1980s.
Sample answer: Scientist are not sure exactly why the populations of aerial insectivore birds are declining. Because the birds are migratory, it is difficult to determine exactly what is causing the decline.

21. Group work
Read Page P.g. 322 – 323 “The Concept of Connectivity” and explain in your notebook why bird populations might be declining in Canada. Read P.g 324 “Disrupting Connectivity” and explain how Salmon are connected the temperate rainforest ecosystem. What would happen if the salmon disappeared? What are other example of connectivity between ecosystems you can think of? Chinese examples?

22. Disrupting Connectivity
UNIT 4
Chapter 8: Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
Section 8.1
Disrupting Connectivity
1. Salmon hatch in freshwater streams in the temperate rainforest.
2. Salmon spend their adult lives in the Pacific Ocean, picking up nutrients from the marine ecosystem.
3. Salmon return to their birthplace to spawn.
4. Bears fish spawning salmon, taking their bodies into the forest to eat them. Nutrients released from the salmons' decaying bodies are absorbed by plants in the forest.

24. Biodiversity and Sustainability
UNIT 4
Chapter 8: Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
Section 8.1
Biodiversity and Sustainability
New species of organisms are frequently being discovered.
Scientists have identified about 2 million species, and they estimate that there are 5 million to 100 million species on Earth.
Biodiversity includes the number and variety of organisms found in a specific region.
Sample answers: Diverse ecosystems must remain undisturbed and sustainable.
What factors are important for biodiversity to remain high?
Continued…

25. Biodiversity and Sustainability
UNIT 4
Chapter 8: Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
Section 8.1
Biodiversity and Sustainability
Evidence suggests that ecosystems with greater biodiversity are more likely to provide ecosystem services reliably.
Resilience is the ability of an ecosystem to remain functional and stable in the presence of pressures or disturbances to its parts.
What do these graphs show?
Sample answer: A shows that greater biodiversity in an ecosystem results in increased plant cover; B shows that the higher the populations of invasive species, the lower the plant species diversity; and C shows that the severity of plant disease decreases as species diversity increases.

27. Threats to sustainability & Biodiversity
1.) Population growth and resource consumption 2.) Over-exploitation of natural resources 3.) Habitat conversion and urbanization 4.) Climate change and global warming 5.) Environmental degradation 6.) Invasive alien species

28. Discuss: Why is biodiversity important?

30. Read P. g. 328-329 Invasive species P. g
Read P.g Invasive species P.g. 328, activity 8-1B Can choose instead of “Nova Scotia” Canada or China. Complete the questions in your notebook. “What did you find out” #1 and #3 should be completed on a separate piece of paper and handed in. You may complete these with one or two partners if you choose to. The table, question #1, is worth 20 marks (5 species), poster 10 marks Total ___ / 30 marks

31. Threats to Biodiversity and Sustainability
UNIT 4
Chapter 8: Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
Section 8.1
Threats to Biodiversity and Sustainability
Human activities often threaten biodiversity.
Deforestation is the practice of clearing forests for logging or other human uses and never replanting the trees.
Wetlands are often drained for farming or for building homes and commercial buildings.
Alien species are species that are accidentally or deliberately introduced into a new location.
Overexploitation is the use or extraction of a resource until it is depleted.
Invasive species is a species that can take over the habitat of native species. Sample answers: Japanese Knotweed, Lacy Crust Bryozoan, and European Green Crab.
Name some examples of invasive species that have affected Nova Scotia.

32. UNIT 4
Chapter 8: Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
Section 8.1
Section 8.1 Review
Ecosystem services are the benefits sustainable ecosystems provide that are experienced by organisms, including humans.
Forests influence climate change and play a vital role in the regulation of watersheds.
Wetlands provide ecosystem services, including habitat for aquatic organisms, water filtration, and erosion control.
Insects provide the critical ecosystem service of pollination.
Visual beauty and spiritual appreciation are two services that ecosystems provide for humans.
Ecosystems with higher biodiversity have higher resilience.
Threats to biodiversity include deforestation, draining wetlands, the introduction of invasive species, and overexploitation.