G2E Fundamental Topics in Biology 2 Lecture Notes PDF

Course: 2X Fundamental Topics in Biology 2 Theme: From Genomes to Ecosystems Lecture: Ecosystem Goods and Services Mail: [email protected] Web: www.sofiespatharis.com : Sofie Spatharis  Aims – from this lecture you should be able to: Describe what an eco...

Course: 2X Fundamental Topics in Biology 2 Theme: From Genomes to Ecosystems Lecture: Ecosystem Goods and Services Mail: [email protected] Web: www.sofiespatharis.com : Sofie Spatharis  Aims – from this lecture you should be able to: Describe what an ecosystem is Understand the four basic functions carried out by ecosystems Understand the concept of ecosystem processes Understand how the concept of ecosystem goods and services is linked to the healthy functioning of ecosystems Differentiatebetween supporting, provisioning, regulating and cultural ecosystem services What is an ecosystem? Abiotic Biota components The biological community that occurs in some locale + the physical, climatological and chemical conditions that make up its non-living/abiotic environment + their interactions Ecosystem components Abiotic components Biotic components Sunlight Primary producers Temperature Herbivores Precipitation Carnivores Substrate type Omnivores Soil or water Detritivores chemistry  5 Ecosystem components e.g. a coastal ecosystem may consist of : Abiotic Biotic Physical environment the community: fish, surf zone, front beach, dunes insects, shellfish, birds, Chemical environment raccoons, and humans available nutrients, organic matter, salinity, pH Created infrastructure roads, buildings, utilities …and the interactions between the biotic and abiotic components  6 Ecosystem functioning Ecosystem functions are the primary ecosystem processes of capturing, storing and transferring energy, carbon dioxide, nutrients and water Ecosystem functions Ecosystem processes (or primary ecosystem processes) Energy transfer Nutrient uptake/release Nutrient cycling Decomposition Water cycling Water CO2 cycling uptake/evapotranspiration Photosynthesis Herbivory Pollination Predation/paracitism/ pathogen attack  7 Ecosystem functioning Ecosystem functioning refers to the capacity of ecosystems to carry out the primary ecosystem processes of capturing, storing and transferring energy, CO2, nutrients and water Ecosystem functioning, eg energy transfer Energy transfer is an which relies on many such as…. ecosystem function… ecological processes…. Carnivory Herbivory Photosynthesis Decomposition Nutrient uptake/release Pollination Ecosystem goods and services The Earth’s ecosystems provide humanity with a wide range of benefits known as ‘ecosystem goods and services’. In the past, societies often failed to take account of the importance of ecosystems. They were frequently regarded as public property… and were consequently undervalued.  The Millenium Ecosystem Assessment  In 2000, the United Nations launched a global Millennium Ecosystem Assessment initiative (MA)  2/3 of Earth's ecosystem services are in decline or threatened  Ecosystem goods and services Supporting services: processes "that are necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services : nutrient dispersal and cycling, seed dispersal, primary production Regulating services: benefits obtained from ecosystem processes that help regulate natural phenomena Provisioning services or Goods obtained from ecosystems Cultural services: nonmaterial benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, reflection, recreation, and aesthetic experiences (Millenium Ecosystem Assessment 2005 )  Ecosystem goods and services Goods:  Food, crops, wild foods, spices  Water  Minerals (including diatomite)  Energy (hydropower, biomass fuels)  Raw materials  Genetic resources  Medicinal resources  Ornamental resources Examples:  Substances from plant species in more than 50 % of prescription medicines  S. America forests ► 5.000 plant species (from a total of 250.000) exploited for therapeutics  >>2.000 plant species in industry (paper, furniture, textiles, paints) Ecosystem goods and services Cultural services :  Heritage values Features within landscapes significant to the present, e.g. historical objects, cultural and natural features and  Cultural identity intangible aspects such as stories and traditions  Spiritual services (sacred, religious, or other forms of spiritual inspiration derived from ecosystems)  Inspiration (use of natural motives or artifacts in art, folklore, etc.)  Aesthetic appreciation of natural and cultivated landscapes  Recreation and tourism  Scientific discovery Supporting versus regulating services Supporting services Regulating services Services that are The benefits obtained from necessary for the the regulation of ecosystem production of all other processes ecosystem services Soil formation Carbon sequestration Photosynthesis Waste recycling Nutrient cycling Water cleansing Biomass production Regulation of climate Oxygen production Regulation of the water Water cycling cycle Provisioning of Regulation of human habitat diseases  The provisioning of ecosystem goods and services relies on the beneficiaries themselves https://www.ontario.ca/page/natural-capital-and-ecosystem-services Example 1: wetlands Regulating  Example 2: pollination services Einstein said: “if the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left.”  Williams et al. (1991): First evaluation effort of pollination services  Pollination services evaluated as 117 US$ per hectare per year (Costanza et al. 1997)  Global value of pollination to agriculture: €153 billion per year (Gallai et al. 2009)  Latest sources (2019): Between $235 and $577 billion (U.S.) worth of annual global food production from Petanidou et al. 2010 Example 3: coastal marine ecosystems Posidonia meadows Mangroves Substrate stabilization Protection from tsunamis Protection of shallow coasts Wood Shelter for fish schools Shelter for fish schools Cycling of terrestrial runoff  High food production per hectare Kelp forests and coral reefs Amongst the most productive ecosystems in the world Commercial and recreation fisheries Tourist attraction Protection of coasts Palumbi et al. 2009. Front Ecol Environ Example 3: coastal marine ecosystems Example 4: Ocean ecosystem services Without this process, CO2 levels in the atmosphere would be much higher.  Under attack 20 by anthropogeni c activities Community structure & composition Ecosystem ↕ processes Abiotic environment Ecosystem goods Ecosystem and services → functions Humans Ecosystem goods and services – Need to quantify!  The European Environment Agency (EEA) highlighted the need for ecosystem accounting techniques to quantify in monetary terms the impacts on ecosystem goods and services  This data should feed into policy-making and local management of natural resources  E.g. rewards to landowners who protect ecosystem services that are valuable to society End goal? Ecosystem goods and services  Latest global advancements - 2024  Enhanced Valuation of Ecosystem Services: New valuation models to quantify the economic and non-economic benefits of ecosystems. Governments are increasingly using these to inform policies - United Nations Environment Programme  UNEP Global Resources Outlook 2024. The report highlights how unsustainable resource extraction and consumption are driving the planetary crisis. It calls for innovative solutions that promote sustainable use of natural resources - United Nations Environment Programme  Ecosystem Services Partnership, Europe 2024 conference will focus on how ecosystem degradation affects global health outcomes, as well as how ecosystem restoration and management can promote better health and well-being​- ESP Europe 2024 - Homepage