ecosystems

• provisioning service of ecosystems?

  The process of providing resources such as food, water, and raw materials from ecosystems.
• regulating services of ecosystems?

  regulates climate, water, disease regulation
• supporting services of ecosystems?

  soil formation, nutrient cycling and net primary production
• cultural services of ecosystems?

  different ecosystems hold cultural value to locals, religious groups, educational purposes and recreational
• 30% of the key ecosystems that the UK relies on for regulatory services are under threat
• specific value of ecosystems: medicine?

  nicotine and tobacco plant grows in 20-30 degree weather and 600-800mm of rainfall
• protection to threats of extinction to plants?

  Norway doomsday vault - holds more than 930,000 varieties of food crops
• what is the definition of biome?

  large global ecosystems that are known by their dominant type of vegetation.
• what factors control the global distribution of major biomes?

  climate, topography, biotic, edaphic
• how do climatic factors affect the distribution of global biomes?

  precipitation dictates vegetation, temperature has major influence on the flora, light intensity affects photosynthesis which controls the amount of life an ecosystem has
• how do topographic factors affect global distribution of biomes?

  when altitude increases there are fewer species.

  steeper slopes have thinner soil and are less acidic.

  direction slope faces affects the sunlight it receives
• how do edaphic factors affect global distribution of biomes?

  plant growth is affected by soil texture, structure, depth, water and oxygen.

  differences in vegetation caused by underlying parent rock
• how do biotic factors affect global distribution of biomes?

  competition of plants for sunlight, root space and water
• Camargue delta, France


  located southern France

  home to more than 400 bird species

  regional protected park

  agricultural land providing cereals, grapes and rice
• threats to the camargue delta


  climate change

  sea level rise

  unsustainable land use like agriculture and hunting
• conservation of biodiversity camargue delta


  The Management of the Camargue Regional Nature Park (CRNP) 

  set up in 1970, the Camargue Regional Nature Park (RNP) is one of France’s oldest Regional Nature Parks

  these work together to protect the flamingos
• distribution and characteristics of Rainforests

  high biodiversity

  24 degrees

  growing season all year

  2000-3000mm of precipitation

  located on the equator

  e.g The congo basin rainforest
• distribution and characteristics of grasslands


  500 - 900mm precipitation

  -20 - 30 degrees

  covers 31 - 68% of earths surface

  tropical grasslands found near the equator

  temperate grasslands found north and south of equator e.g Cairngorm national park UK
• distribution and characteristics of tundras


  permafrost stores CO2

  150 - 250mm precipitation

  50 day growing season

  located north and south poles

   -40°C to 18°C 

  e.g arctic tundra
• Tropical rainforest Madagascar 


  biodiversity under threat

  80% of the forest is gone

  deforestation has been occurring for 25 years - Sawmill

  mining for nickle

  40% of the forest has been lost since 1950s

  LIC and lack of access to electricity means locals also cut down trees for survival

  land clearing for agricultural purposes

  5%of the world’s plant and animal species can be found on the island

  more than 80% of which are indigenous to Madagascar
• julie metz wetlands, USA 


  deposition of sediment gets inputted and reduces water

  Under threat from farming, urbanization, climate change and invasive species

  alteration of river flows reduces amount of water going into the wetland
• Arctic tundra flora and fauna


  arctic lemmings

  treeless

  arctic cotton and heather

  permafrost means short roots cant access nutrients in soil

  animals cant dig in permafrost

  results in low biodiversity
• arctic tundra permafrost 


  80% of Alaska is permafrost

  permafrost stores 14% of the worlds carbon

  permafrost covers 75% of the arctic

  melting permafrost due to global warming releases more CO2
• Trans Alaskan pipeline 1997

  pumps oil

  18 oil spills in 20 years

  spilled 9784 barrels of oil with total cost being $52.7mill
• 1997 Kyoto protocol

  greenhouse gas emission targets set

  China and Russia did not agree
• 1992 Rio earth summit

  establishment of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

  international environmental treaty to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations
• Montreal protocol 1987


  phase out the use of CFCs as they have been burning a hole in the ozone layer

  was successful as levels of CFCs have declined
• threats to the arctic - tourism


  cruise ships docking, winter wonderland experience and alaskan cruises cause damage

  Arctic council of sustainable development working to give voice to natives and create a sustainable arctic
• indigenous populations of the Arctic 


  neners in Russia are threatened by climate change, depletion in fish and tourism

  Samis native to norway are also threatened by tourism and climate change
• Svalbard global seed vault, Norway

  930,000 seeds of food crops stored here

  doomsday vault to protect species going extinct due to wars and climate change
• Great Barrier reef, Australia - threats 


  coral bleaching due to climate change

  declining water quality

  farming pollution

  dying coral reefs causes destruction of mangroves
• Great Barrier Reef, Australia - management 


  Reef 2050 plan - private funds to focus on improving coastal habitats and water quality throughout the Reef

  Blueprint 2030 - five strategic goals that will drive how the Reef Authority adapts its management under a changing climate

  eco-tourism

  marine park zoning, management plans and policies
• Gulf of mexico


  over fishing reduces the fish that eat algae this covers the coral killing it

  deforestation of mangrove forest threatens coral, sunlight can reach coral meaning it can photosynthesis

  invasive lion fish eat native species

  climate change heating water killing coral as it can't survive in oceans that are too warm
• Cairngorm national park, Scotland


  protected area

  alpine semi-tundra moorland, home to many rare plants and animals

  the park as a whole holds more than half the surviving Caledonian forest.
• conserving biodiversity


  legal protection

  trade controls - CITES
• CITES


  Convention on international trade in endangered species

  international agreement between governments that regulates international trade in endangered animals, plants or their products
• importance of wetlands 


  ecosystem services they provide humans with freshwater supply, food, building materials, flood control, groundwater recharge and climate change mitigation
• Isla del delta Cerca de Puerto-Gaboto-Francisco, South America 


  wetland

  threatened by deforestation, hunting, invasive species

  has had large commercial forest plantations

  now a protected area under the Ramsar convention
• Ramsar convention


  work toward wise use of wetlands

  designate suitable wetlands and ensure their effective management

  cooperate internationally on shared wetland systems and shared species
• Darien National Park, Panama


  $2.5 million from The Nature Conservancy in the US to the banks

  this money is used to protect the national park

  the rainforest regulates water levels in the Panama canal by limiting surface run off

  this means shipping can be charged to pass through benefiting the Panamanian economy