1. Ecosystems and Ecosystem Management
Chapter 6
Ecosystems and Ecosystem Management
Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

2. Basic Characteristics of Ecosystems
Sustained life on Earth is a characteristic of ecosystems, not of individual organisms or populations
Structure:
Living (Ecological Communities)
Non-living
Processes
Cycling of chemical elements
Flow of energy
Change (Succession)
Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

3. Ecological Communities and Food Chains
Ecological Communities are defined in 2 ways:
1. A set of interacting species that occur in the same place
Food chains, food webs, trophic levels (autotrophs)
A set of species found in one area
Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

4. Food Chains and Food Webs
A Terrestrial Food Chain
4 trophic levels:
Autotrophs
Herbivores
Carnivores
Decomposers
People are omnivores
An Oceanic Food Chain
The Food Web of the Harp Seal
Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

5. Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

6. Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

7. Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e
The Community Effect
Species interact directly and indirectly
Community-level interactions
Keystone species
Have large effects on it’s community or ecosystem
Its removal changes the basic nature of the community
Holistic View
Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

8. Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

9. Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e

10. Botkin and Keller Environmental Science 5e