Attributes to Ecosystem and Biodiversity 3.

Stratification - the vertical layering of a

habitat; the arrangement of vegetation in
layers.
Levels of Organization

 An organism is any living thing Ecosystem

This is the simplest level of organization - Includes all living and non-living parts of the
 Species environment as well as the interactions among
A group of organisms that share most them.
characteristics and can breed with one
another. 2 main factors that affect ecosystems
 Population  Biotic - the living parts of an ecosystem.
All organisms of a species that live in the Include plants, animals, fungi,
same place at the same time microorganisms
Members of a population compete with  Abiotic - Non-living parts of an
each other for resources for survival ecosystem.
 Community Includes light, temperature, weather,
All of the populations that live in an area at soil and water.
the same time
 Ecosystem Do biotic and abiotic factor affects each other?
One or more communities and their  If there is no water can anything grow or
nonliving environment survive? NO
Populations in a community interact in many  If it is extremely cold one winter, will that
ways affect whether an animal makes it? NO
- They compete for resources like water and So, abiotic and biotic DO affect each other. Even
space though water and temperature aren’t living
- They compete for food things, they DO affect living things!
- Some avoid competition by finding different
niches like eating at night or other animals’ Limiting Factor
leftovers  Limiting Factors are conditions of the
- Plants also compete for resources like water, environment that limit the growth of a
sunlight, and living spaces. species.
Three important aspects of ecosystem. biotic and abiotic factors that prevent the
continuous growth of a population.
1. Physical structure – the entire structure of
an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)  Populations would continue to increase if
they had all of the resources they require
2. Species composition - the contribution of in unlimited amounts, but there are
each plant species to the vegetation. Botanical always factors that limit their increase.
composition is another term used to describe  Limiting factors control population
species composition growth.
Carrying Capacity limited area. This is where organisms share
resources.
 Because of these limiting factors, each
ecosystem has a finite capacity for growth Predation
connected to it carrying capacity. - Relationship in which one animal hunts, kills,
and eats another
 Carrying capacity is the number of Predator
individuals of a species that an ecosystem - Animals that kill and eat each other.
can support.
Prey
Two types of limiting factors: - Animals that are killed and eaten
Some animals can be both prey and predator.
1. Density-dependent

 factors include disease, competition, Symbiosis

predators, parasites, and food. Disease, for - Close relationship between two different species
example, can spread more quickly in a of organisms living together.
population with members that live close Mutualism
together. - Relationship in which both species benefit.
Commensalism
2. Density-independent
- Relationship where one species benefits without
- factors can affect all populations, regardless benefiting or harming the other species.
of their density. Parasitism
Most density-independent factors are abiotic - Relationship between a parasite and its host.
factors, such as temperature, storms, floods, Parasite
drought, and major habitat disruption. - An organism that lives on or in another
organism and benefits at the other organism’s
Competition
expense.
- Is density-dependent
Host
- Occurs when organisms in an ecosystem try to
- An organism that a parasite lives on or in.
get the same resources.
- When organisms compete, some will get the
resources they need to survive Three main categories of ecosystem
- Others will not and will have to move on or die 1. Terrestrial - Terrestrial are on land
off. Forrest, deserts, grasslands.
2. Freshwater - Freshwater are also found on land
Rivers, streams, lakes and wetlands.
Coexistence and Cooperation
Coexist 3. Marine - Marine are in the ocean
- Organisms that live in the same habitat but rely Wherever there is salt water.
on different resources.
Cooperation
- Helpful interaction among organisms living in a Flow of Energy in the Ecosystems
  Organisms need energy for cells to living organism eats another organism, and later
function. that organism is consumed by another larger
 Because of this need for energy, organism.
organisms are connected by feeding
relationships. Food Web
- consists of all the food chains in a single
Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers ecosystem. Each living thing in an ecosystem is
part of multiple food chains. Each food chain is
Producers
one possible path that energy and nutrients may
- An organism that produces its own food
take as they move through the ecosystem.
- Also called Autotrophs
- Includes plants, algae, and bacteria The Cycling of Matter in Ecosystems
- Many make food through photosynthesis
 The Earth constantly receives energy from
- Uses light energy to combine carbon dioxide and
the sun.
water to produce glucose and oxygen.
 Because of this, the amount of matter
Consumers does not change, just its form on earth.
- Organisms that cannot make their own food  Matter is recycled from organisms to the
- Also called heterotrophs environment and back again.
- All animals are consumers
There are three main cycles:
- Some eat producers and Some eat other
consumers.  Carbon
 Nitrogen
Decomposer’s
- An organism that gets energy by breaking down  Water
the remains of dead organisms and the wastes of Carbon Cycle
living things. - Carbon moves among the air, the ground, and
- Another kind of heterotroph the plants/animals
- Most fungi and bacteria fall into this category - Carbon is found in all living organisms
- Earthworms and insects also - Also found in the atmosphere, gasoline and
- They are often called nature’s recyclers many rocks.
- They return carbon and nitrogen to the air and - Carbon stored in organisms can not be reused
soil. until the organism is eaten or decomposed.

Food Chains and Food Webs Nitrogen Cycle

- The movement of nitrogen through the
Trophic Level environment.
- Each feeding level in an ecosystem - Nitrogen is found in many places in many forms.
- Producers make up the first level Most is in the atmosphere as Nitrogen gas
- Consumers at each level get energy by feeding
on organisms at a lower level - All living things use nitrogen to make
Food Chain proteins. Most organisms cannot use it in the
- the order of events in an ecosystem, where one form of gas though.
  Nitrogen Fixation - a major regional or global biotic community, a
- The natural process to convert nitrogen super ecosystem, defined chiefly by the dominant
from the atmosphere into forms that are forms of plant life and the prevailing climate.
useful to a variety of organisms.
Major Biomes of the World
- Produces compounds such as ammonia
and nitrate. Usually found in animal waste  Desert
such as urine  Grassland
- Fertilizers also contain nitrogen  Tropical rain forest
 Denitrification  Deciduous forest
Takes the nitrogen from nitrates and other  Coniferous forest
compounds in the soil and releases it as  Tundra
nitrogen gas.  Ocean
Species, Genes and Ecosystem
Water Cycle
- The continuous movement of water between - Each species is made up of individuals
that have their own particular genetic
Earth’s surface and its atmosphere.
composition. This means a species may
- Water changes from one form to another have different populations, each having
- The sun is the source of energy for this process different genetic compositions.
Evaporation • It is easy to conserve known species that are
- Process where liquid changes to gas threatened with extinction.
Transpiration
• Small species that are unknown to public is
- Water vapor is released through tiny openings
difficult to elicit concern.
in plant leaves. Animals also add water vapor to
the atmosphere through breathing Diversity of genes
Condensation • Two individuals of same plant with different
- The process by which gas changes to a liquid gene structure
Precipitation » Adapted to fluctuations in water availability
- Water that falls to the Earth’s surface in the » Less susceptible to ozone damage and air
form of rain, snow, sleet, or hail pollution
Groundwater » Resistant to rotting
- Water located below the Earth’s surface » Taste differences- aesthetic diversity
Runoff
- If the water from rainfall does not form aquifers, • Genetic diversity- evolution
it follows gravity, often flowing down the sides of - the biological variation that occurs within
mountains and hills; eventually forming rivers. species.

Biodiversity STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION

• Conservation biologists focus on maintaining
- Variety of life in all its forms and structural diversity
at all levels of organization.
-it is easy to interact with species than with  Maximize
one another - straightforward.  Increase or to enhance
• If structural diversity is maintained functional  Protect
diversity will be maintained automatically  Preserve
 Restore
Biodiversity and Spatial Scales  Benefit to optimize
 Conserve
 Extinction - the complete disappearance
of a species from Earth. Biotic integrity- completeness or wholeness of a
 Local extinction - refers to a species (or biological system including all elements in
other taxon) of plant or animal that ceases appropriate densities and all process in
to exist in a chosen geographic area of appropriate rates.
study, though it still exists elsewhere. Difference from biodiversity- this emphasizes the
 Extirpation's- Extinctions that are not overall balance and completeness of biological
global in scope systems while biodiversity emphasizes all
 Endemic – species found only in a defined biotic elements are present.
geographical area
 Local endemic - are those that are Ecosystem integrity- Ecosystem health more
restricted to a geographical area and do broader than biotic integrity and biodiversity it
not occur naturally in any other part of the encompasses physical environment.
world. Sustainability- Ability to maintain something over
time without diminishing it.

Classification by the scales at which biodiversity

occurs given by Robert Whittaker (1960) Values
 Alpha diversity- is the diversity that exists • People’s values are clearly reflected in their
within an ecosystem diversity. choices of what should be sustained.
 Beta diversity- among ecosystem • “An undiscovered tundra lake and an artificial
diversity. lake at Disneyland can be equally healthy”-
 Gamma diversity- geographical scale Robert Lackley
diversity.
• It requires a benchmark for sustaining the
biodiversity and the selection of benchmarks
inevitably reflects human values.

BIODIVERSITY VERBS
THE ENVIRONENTAL LAWS AND ITS
Verbs that describe positive actions by IMPORTANCE
conservation biologist.
Human life is dependent on the climate.
 Maintain
To protect the atmosphere, it is critical to protection and keeping a healthy equilibrium
establish certain regulations. between humans and nature. Violations in
these rules result in a number of fines.
Environmental laws are set of rules and
customary laws that deal with the environmental
implication of human behavior. These
THE MAIN JOB OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
regulations, also known as environmental and
natural resource control, are concerned with air 1. To preserve both human health and the
pollution. It is broad term that encompasses all environment. It's just about finding the
aspects of environmental protection law. right balance.
Environmental law principles now heavily inform 2. To ensure that environmental policies do
a parallel but different set of regulatory not affect the climate, human or animal
frameworks that focuses on the conservation of welfare, or both.
specific natural resources, such as plants, rock, or
There will be no rules on waste,
oceans. Environmental arrangements,
contamination, hunting, or even emergency
conventions, laws, and statutes are all part of
response without these statutes.
common law.
KEY AREAS THAT ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
Environmental laws, in their most basic
WORKS TO REGULATE
forms, include direction for how to better care for
the environment. We have a number of 1. Air Quality
governmental and non-governmental agencies
2. Water Quality
that look after the environment and uphold the
rules. 3. Waste Management

Two Basic Factor that come under 4. Contaminant Clean-up 5. Chemical Safety
Environmental Law 6. Resource Sustainability
1. Conservation - is the practice of
preserving the natural world to prevent it
from collapsing as a result of human GLOBAL INITIATIVES IN ENVIRONMENTAL
activities, such as unsustainable LAW
agriculture, deforestation and burning
fossil fuels. The United Nations is working to ensure
2. Management - the practice of organizing that environmental legislation is implemented
human activities in order to limit their effectively around the world by monitoring
impact on the natural environment. numerous treaties and agreements between
countries that can serve to ensure that global
Environmental legislation is concerned
efforts to protect the environment. are
with the management of particular natural
successful. They are in charge of initiatives
resources and the measurement of
ranging from pollution control to export and
environmental effects. It was therefore
import controls, as well as the regulation of
necessary to ensure that the legislation was
identified hazardous product levels and the
upheld when it came to environmental
 development of environmental health contamination and rotten food are kept to
programs. a minimum. Food transportation
requirements may be covered by
One of the challenges in enforcing global
environmental regulations in some
environmental standards is that many
circumstances, as infrastructure in some
developed countries require modern,
areas of the world makes providing
polluting industrial practices and may lack the
enough food to the population difficult.
financial resources to support sustainable
industries. Much should be achieved with the
collaboration of developing countries to
3. Water Reserves
ensure that previous errors are not repeated
- Another important aspect of
by partnering together and attracting
environmental law is ensuring that a city
signatories for environmental efforts.
has enough drinking water, also known as
potable water. Environmentalists will also
COMPONENTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAW seek to establish pollution-resistant water
bodies. They are concerned not only with
the safety of drinking and cooking water,
1. Waste Management but also with adequate field irrigation.
- Environmental law initiatives address a Another aspect of water management is
wide range of topics, including waste to make sure the proper drainage systems
management. This may include aiding with are in place. This has to do with the health
the development or renovation of waste threats that standing water can bring, as
storage facilities to ensure that waste well as how it can aid in the transmission
would not pollute groundwater or spread of disease carried by mosquitoes that
disease. It may also apply to hazardous breed in stagnant water.
waste disposal. Education programs
illustrating public health hygiene could be 4. Pollution Control and Remediation
needed in areas of the world where - Environmental legislation is concerned
industrialization is changing traditional with pollution control on the one hand
community life. and natural resource management on the
other. Environmentally sustainable
2. Food Production products, pollution regulations, and
- Food manufacturing is another field energy-efficient systems are also examples
governed by environmental regulations. of how it relates to product design.
Regulations will include anything from
seed processing and storage to fertilizer
and pesticide use in the cultivation of 5. Flora and Fauna
mature crops. They'll also keep an eye on - Flora and fauna must be protected
food production, processing. and storage because human activity has placed them
facilities to ensure that all foods are safe under relentless pressure. Environmental
for human consumption and that legislation may be implemented to
 conserve biodiversity or to preserve
animals that are considered valuable for
other purposes. New legislation to protect
threatened species from poachers, bans
on destroying or damaging established
species, and attempts to induce or sustain
species regeneration are all desperately
required.

6. Mining
- Environmental legislation also considers
the consequences of extracting natural
products from the ground. When
chemicals come into contact with the
atmosphere during the extraction of these
minerals from the earth, they pollute the
air and water. Mining is also influenced by
numerous laws regulating the effect of
mining on the environment as well as the
health and welfare of miners.

7. Emissions and Construction

- Environmental law would also look at the
state and efficiency of housing and transit,
as well as how they can be improved and
expanded. The new emphasis on
eliminating lead and asbestos from
buildings is an example of how
environmental regulation has helped to
alter and influence construction policies.
When it comes to mobility, it may become
a matter of environmental law if a
population lacks access to mass
transportation or sufficient facilities to
access the resources and amenities that
occur in their immediate vicinity.
Transportation vehicle pollution controls
are also a source of concern.