UNIT 4: Sustainability of Ecosystems

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UNIT 4 Sustainability of Ecosystems

• Chapter 7 Factors that Affect Sustainability
• Chapter 8 Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems

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Chapter 8 Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
UNIT 4
Chapter 8 Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems

• Vernal pools are a type of wetland. They are
  usually found in or near forests and do not have
  permanent streams or water flowing into or out of
  them.
• What kind of organisms might be found in and
  around vernal pools?

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8.1 How Our Understanding of Ecosystems Has
Changed
UNIT 4
Section 8.1
Chapter 8 Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems

• Throughout history, humans have depended on
  Earths 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?

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Ecosystem Services
UNIT 4
Section 8.1
Chapter 8 Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems

• 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.

What services do ecosystems provide?
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Ecosystem Services Provided by Forests
UNIT 4
Section 8.1
Chapter 8 Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems

• 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
  carbondioxide sinks?
• Why is the prevention of erosion in
  watershedsimportant?

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Ecosystem Services Provided by Wetlands
UNIT 4
Section 8.1
Chapter 8 Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems

• Wetlands are areas that are covered by water for
  part or all of the year.
• Wetlands cover about 6 percent of Earths
  surface.
• About 24 percent of the worlds wetlands are in
  Canada.

What ecosystem services do wetlands
provide?
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Ecosystem Services Provided by Insects
UNIT 4
Section 8.1
Chapter 8 Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems

• 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 differencebetween cross-pollination
  and self-pollination?
• What is colony collapse disorder?

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Beauty and Spirituality in Sustainable Ecosystems
UNIT 4
Section 8.1
Chapter 8 Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems

• Canadas indigenous peoples have had a long,
  rich, and complex spirituality tied closely to
  the ecosystems they occupy.
• Artistic expressions of ecosystems are meaningful
  and spiritual to some people.

What emotions does the painting on the
right evoke?
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Recreational Opportunities as Ecosystem Services
UNIT 4
Section 8.1
Chapter 8 Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems

• 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.

What are examples of recreational
activities that a sustainable ecosystem provides?
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The Concept of Connectivity
UNIT 4
Section 8.1
Chapter 8 Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems

• The collection of links and relationships between
  ecosystems that are separated geographically is
  called connectivity.
• As shown in the graph below, populations of many
  aerial insectivore birds that breed in Canada
  have declined since the 1980s.

Why might bird populations be declining
in Canada?
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Disrupting Connectivity
UNIT 4
Section 8.1
Chapter 8 Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
Salmon help to keep temperate rainforests of
British Columbia healthy. How can this be?
Explain what is occurring in the flowchart.
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Biodiversity and Sustainability
UNIT 4
Section 8.1
Chapter 8 Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems

• 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.

What factors are important for biodiversity
to remain high?
Continued
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Biodiversity and Sustainability
UNIT 4
Section 8.1
Chapter 8 Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems

• 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?
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Threats to Biodiversity and Sustainability
UNIT 4
Section 8.1
Chapter 8 Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems

• 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.

Name some examples of invasive species
that have affected Nova Scotia.
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Section 8.1 Review
UNIT 4
Section 8.1
Chapter 8 Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems

• 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.

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8.2 The Shift Is OnAttitude, Actions, and
Empowerment
UNIT 4
Section 8.2
Chapter 8 Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems

• A paradigm is a view of the world or a way of
  thinking about how the world works.
• A paradigm shift is a significant change in the
  way humans view the world.

Use the figures on the left to explain the
terms paradigm and paradigm shift.
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Paradigm Shifts
UNIT 4
Section 8.2
Chapter 8 Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems

• There are many examples of paradigm shifts
  throughout history.
• There is often resistance to a change in a
  paradigm.

What are some examples of paradigm shifts
that have occurred throughout history? What
are some examples of paradigm shifts that are
occurring now?
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Outcomes of the ShiftPublic Policy, Legislation,
and Sustainability
UNIT 4
Section 8.2
Chapter 8 Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems

• Worldwide, governments on all levels rely on
  scientific findings to make decisions about
  public policy and pass legislation related to
  sustainability.
• What are examples of public policy or
  legislation regarding sustainability?

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Self-education
UNIT 4
Section 8.2
Chapter 8 Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems

• Educating yourself about how products are made,
  whether they are environmentally, economically,
  and socially sustainable, is an important part of
  individual empowerment.
• Fair trade is a trade practice that is based on
  the concepts of transparency in business and
  sustainable development.
• A products life cycle includes all aspects
  involved in making, distributing, selling, using,
  and disposing of the product.

How are a products life cycle and
sustainability related?
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Our Actions Can Maintain or Rebuild Sustainable
Ecosystems
UNIT 4
Section 8.2
Chapter 8 Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems

• Some human activities can help ecosystems.
• Provide boxes or places for birds to nest
• Use smart growth for urban planning
• Provide preserves that maintain natural habitats
  for organisms

What are some examples of human activities
that have helped ecosystems in your community?
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Section 8.2 Review
UNIT 4
Section 8.2
Chapter 8 Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems

• A paradigm shift is a significant change in the
  way humans view the world. There are many
  examples of paradigm shifts throughout the
  history of science and technology.
• Our society is in the midst of a paradigm shift
  regarding the way we view the sustainability of
  ecosystems and the use of resources on Earth.
• Evidence of the shift can be seen at the
  international, national, provincial, and local
  levels.

Continued
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Section 8.2 Review
UNIT 4
Section 8.2
Chapter 8 Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems

• Outcomes of the shift can be seen in public
  policy and legislation, such as the passing of
  pesticide by-laws and idling control laws.
• Individuals can be empowered to make changes by
  learning more about the products they purchase,
  voting, joining advocacy groups, or volunteering
  to be citizen scientists.