SUSTAINABILITY OF ECOSYSTEMS

At the completion of this unit, the students should be able to answer the following key questions (as per the Sask. Learning curriculum):

1. What is sustainability? 2. How does biodiversity indicate the health of an

ecosystem? 3. What natural factors affect the stability of an

ecosystem 4. How do energy and matter flow through an

ecosystem? 5. How do human activities affect the sustainability

of an ecosystem 6. How can humans in general improve the

sustainability of our ecosystems?

What is Sustainability

Sustainability is the ability to endure In Ecology – the ability of an ecosystem

to stay healthy and thrive.

Human impact…

What is your ecological footprint? What are some things you can do to

improve your ecological footprint? Why should we care? How does the information from each of

the quizes compare?

How does our footprint (canadians) compare to other countries? What ‘s the difference between the countries i.e. what makes it worse or better?

Websites

http://www.myfootprint.org/ http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index

.php/gfn/page/calculators/

Find a place outside, look around. How many different plants and animals

do you see. List them (describe/ draw a picture if you don’t know the name).

Look at the ground in the area you are in. How many plants and animals do you see in the immediate area.

What is biodiversity?

Biodiversity within Ecosystems

Biodiversity of an ecosystem is the measurement of the number of species within that ecosystem.

It involves the dynamic abilities of species to adapt to and survive in an ever changing world.

There are presently over 10 million different species on Earth.

Each member of an ecosystem is a valuable participant in the stability of that area.

All organisms have a niche, or role to play within that ecosystem. Whether they are predators, prey, producers or decomposers, their position is valuable to the sustainability of the region.

Even now, biodiversity is disappearing at an alarming rate. It has been estimated that nearly 50% of all mammals and birds could become extinct within the next century

Vocabulary – define the following: abiotic biodiversity biosphere biotic ecological footprint ecosystems efficiency energy matter overexploit productivity resilience stability