Unit 3

Vocabulary
Ecosystem- Environment where organisms interact and influence each other.

Gross Primary Productivity- Amount of solar energy which producers receive through photosynthesis.

Net Primary Productivity- Amount of carbon from atmosphere to plants in a given time.


Biomass- Total mass of organisms in a certain environment.


Standing crop- growing crop (grains).


Ecological efficiency- amount of energy being passed on to the upper level of the pyramid.



Trophic pyramid- data indicating biomass in each level.


Biogeochemical cycle- A movement or a pathway of matter within or between the ecosystem.


Macronutrients- Large amount of substance needed by living organisms.

Limiting Nutrient- Needed nutrients from the organisms but available in a smaller quantity.


Leaching- Through soil ground water, dissolved molecules are transported.


Disturbance- caused by physical, biological, or chemical event. cause the environment to have a change in population and overall surroundings.


Resistance- How much the disturbance can affect the matter and energy in the environment.


Resilience- Rate which the environment goes back to its original state after the disturbance.


Instrumental Value- Something that has a value of being a tool.


Instrinsic Value- Ethical or philosophical value of an object.


Current Event
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/15/science/when-predators-vanish-so-does-the-ecosystem.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3As%2C%7B%222%22%3A%22RI%3A14%22%7D

Summary- Salt marshes, known as one of the most important and abundant environment in the world is not so much abundant as before. This is all due to the human activities and influences. Due to crabbing and excessive fishing by fishermen and other people in general, top predators are dying off and the crab marshes started thriving. The increase in the crab's population eventually lead the the disappearance of cordgrass. To study in depth about this, scientists did an experiment on the crabs. They put a safe cage with open bottom and set it on the marshes with cordgrass in it. Soon enough the crabs started overcrowding the area. This resulted in dying cordgrass which is causing a damage in salt marshes area.

 Quotes
I think this statement can be true. In this Earth, everything is connected and related and everything effects another. Bee is part of our food chain and an important organism in our ecosystem. If bees completely disappear in this Earth, that means that other organisms that is closely related to bees will have a severe effect on their lives and that will continue to effect other organisms and will later effect humans. I am not 100% sure on the "four years to live" but I am sure that extinction of bees will definitely have a huge impact on not only humans but to our ecosystem.

4 Big Pictures
Human Impact-  One of the biggest effect that humans have on our environment is the deforestation. With excess use of lumber and other wood materials, humans cut down large amount of tress causing quick deforestation and lack of tress in many forests. This cause decreasing habitat for numerous amount of species and organisms. But not only does it effect the animals, it also effects humans. Tree maintenance emissions on air which will effect humans too. 

Environmental Impact- Food chains in the environment connects every organisms together and one will eventually effect another somehow. By the deforestation mentioned before, little species will lose their home and food and will eventually lead to extinction of those species. This will effect those species that used to consume those little species and this negative cycle will continue. Later on, animals that are high up in the pyramid like secondary and tertiary consumers will be effected by this negative chain cycle in an environment.

Economic Impact- There are a lot of areas in the world where travelers stop by to look at the view or to be part of that particular environment. If species die off and plants and tress are missing then that area will lose travelers and will eventually be effected economically.

Government Legislation- In United Kingdom, they came up with something called biodiversity 2020 to protect the environment given to up and keep biodiversity in our environment. They not only care about the biodiversity in England but also abroad. They also wrote UK National Ecosystem Assessment to show the benefit our ecosystem has on our society and economy.