Ecosystem
A unit of biology comprised of living elements that interact with each other and their non-living elements; they can be natural or human-made
Biological organization
- atoms molecules, cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, and organisms
- populations, communities, ecosystems
Ecosystem function
The ecological process that control fluxes and flows of materials (nutrients and organic matter), energy (sunlight, stored energy), and information (DNA through the environment)
Flow of material
eating, pooping, bioturbation, animal migrations, sinking (aquatic ecosystems), wind and water currents, death and decomposition
Flow of energy
photosynthesis, chemosynthesis, food webs, and trophic interactions
Flow of Information
sexual/ asexual reproduction, animal migration, and seed dispersal
Ecosystem services
The benefits (supporting, provisioning, regulating, and non-material) that people obtain from ecosystems. They hold special value for humans and make human life possible.
Supporting ecosystem
necessary for production of all other ecosystems services
For example: providing plants with habitat space, they can then provide us with lumber for constructing houses. Habitats, photosynthesis, soil formation, and biodiversity are examples
provisioning service
- material benefits people get from ecosystemsFor example: trees provide us raw materials in the form of lumber for constructing housesBuilding materials, fuel fiber, and medicine are all examples
regulating service
benefits obtained from ecosystem processes
For example: process of filter-feeding by mussels cleans the water Flood and storm damage control (ecosystems create physical buffers against natural disasters) pollination, cleaning air and water (toxin removal), and climate regulation (process of photosynthesis store greenhouse gases)
non-material ecosystem
- benefits obtained from the educational, cultural, and aesthetic values of the ecosystemFor example: natural places and organisms are important for many individuals cultural identity and spiritual wellbeingEnables scientific research, inspires research and development, Biomimicry (imitation models in nature to solve human problems) Nature golds great importance for religions and cultures
Bioprospecting:
exploring biodiversity resources for their potential to provide ecosystem services to humans. Carried out by researchers, companies, and institutions
Biopiracy
The unauthorized appropriation of biological knowledge by individuals or institutions seeking control through patents or intellectual property rights
The unauthorized appropriation of biological knowledge by individuals or institutions seeking control through patents or intellectual property rights
the study of how people of a particular culture and region make use of indigenous plants
