Transcript Ch 8 Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems

UNIT 4: Sustainability of Ecosystems
Chapter 7: Factors that Affect
Sustainability
Chapter 8: Shifting Perspectives on
Ecosystems
UNIT 4
Chapter 8: Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
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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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?
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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.
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What services do
ecosystems provide?
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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?
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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 cover about 6 percent of Earth’s surface.
• About 24 percent of the world’s wetlands are in Canada.
What ecosystem
services do wetlands
provide?
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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 onethird of our food.
• What is the difference
between crosspollination and selfpollination?
• What is colony
collapse disorder?
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UNIT 4
Chapter 8: Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
Section 8.1
Beauty and Spirituality in
Sustainable Ecosystems
• Canada’s 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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UNIT 4
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.
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What are examples of
recreational activities that a
sustainable ecosystem
provides?
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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.
• 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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UNIT 4
Chapter 8: Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
Section 8.1
Disrupting Connectivity
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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UNIT 4
Section 8.1
Chapter 8: Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
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.
What factors are important
for biodiversity to remain
high?
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Continued…
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?
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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.
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Name some examples of invasive
species that have affected Nova Scotia.
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.
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Chapter 8: Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
Section 8.2
8.2 The Shift Is On—Attitude, Actions,
and Empowerment
• 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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Chapter 8: Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
Section 8.2
Paradigm Shifts
• 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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Chapter 8: Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
Section 8.2
Outcomes of the Shift—Public Policy,
Legislation, and Sustainability
• 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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UNIT 4
Chapter 8: Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
Section 8.2
Self-education
• 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 product’s life cycle includes all aspects involved in making,
distributing, selling, using, and disposing of the product.
How are a
product’s life
cycle and
sustainability
related?
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UNIT 4
Chapter 8: Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
Section 8.2
Our Actions Can Maintain or Rebuild
Sustainable 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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Chapter 8: Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
Section 8.2
Section 8.2 Review
• 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.
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Continued…
UNIT 4
Chapter 8: Shifting Perspectives on Ecosystems
Section 8.2
Section 8.2 Review
• 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.
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