By: Ian Patterson

Felix KurikasePaul ParkCindy Lee

Habitat Fragmentation and Its effects

What is habitat fragmentation?

• Habitat fragmentation is the slow decrease in an ecosystem's current state

 • The ecological effects resulting from habitat fragmentation

leave serious damage to most Ecosystems that have experienced it.

 • Habitat fragmentation is often a contributing factor

in the  overpopulation of invasive plants and animals  • It is also partially cause by geographical changes

that alter the physical state of an ecosystem 

What are the major causes of habitat fragmentation?

• The sad truth is that humans are the main and fastest cause of Habitat fragmentation

 • It is caused when we clear out land for our benefit like the

creation factories. • When this happens habitats split up and other organisms

start to migrate to other community's and try to live in the ecosystem

 • This makes habitat fragmentation effectiveness increase

and the speed of its effects become faster. • This makes us one of the main causes of habitat

fragmentation

 Effects of habitat fragmentation• There are many different effects of habitat

fragmentation like the overpopulation of other organisms or the extinction of others

 • Another effect is the exctinction of plants and other

producers in that specific area which will negatively affect the ecosystem's balance

 • Also the climate and weather that usually occur in

that habitat is disrupted and changes •  Another effect is the Decrease in reproductive

behavior in organisms that survive

Erosion

 

Erosion

What is erosion?• Erosion is the process by which the surface of the

earth gets worn down.• Erosion can be caused by natural elements such as

wind and glacial ice. • The key to erosion is something called “fluid flow”.

Water, air, and ice are fluids because they flow from place to place due to gravity. Of the three, water is the most common agent of erosion because there’s so much of it on the earth.

 

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/print/lab-erosion.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/print/index/learningabout/lab-printableresources/lab-factsheetshome/lab-erosion.htm&usg=__ox7Jv8wWaN1wVJ-MRfCxw-hjojk=&h=292&w=550&sz=47&hl=en&start=0&sig2=ACAhzLgruP6eRYUcsyjwoA&zoom=1&tbnid=_FCTpKxsLOPueM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=194&ei=ISa-TPv7IYSq8Aap1o3gAg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Derosion%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1436%26bih%3D627%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=172&oei=ISa-TPv7IYSq8Aap1o3gAg&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:10,s:0&tx=130&ty=53

http://www.ew.govt.nz/

Different Types of Erosion • Water erosion is when the moving water of streams, for

example, breaks off bordering sediments of rock from larger pieces..

• Wind erosion, which occures mostly in deserts, erodes the rock sediments and is mostly responsible for sand dunes.

• Ice erosion happens with glaciers; they pluck a piece of land and abrade it. Plucking takes place by water entering cracks under the glacier, freezing, and breaking off pieces of rock that are then transported by the glacier. Abrasion cuts into the rock under the glacier, scooping rock up like a bulldozer and smoothing and polishing the rock surface.

• Wave erosion is when the force of the waves erodes the rock of the coastline. It also erodes sand.

Wind Erosion

Water Erosion(Columbia River)

Wave Erosion

Effects of Erosion• The direct damages of erosion include the loss of

productive, fertile farmland, the undermining of structures such as bridges, and the washing out of roads, lanes, and fence rows.

• Soil moisture levels can be very low at the surface of excessively drained soils or during periods of drought, thus releasing the particles for transport by wind. This effect also occurs in freeze drying of the surface during winter months.

• Crops can be totally ruined so that costly delay and reseeding is necessary - or the plants may be sandblasted and set back with a resulting decrease in yield, loss of quality, and market value.

 http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/lab-erosion2.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/lab-erosion.htm&usg=__MdrV_-NsGghn9oxTJoPkwYkO5uc=&h=303&w=450&sz=39&hl=en&start=0&sig2=FqxV44-UuqU9WRv1IyP67Q&zoom=1&tbnid=KqX3-qbXE1pp0M:&tbnh=131&tbnw=194&ei=ISa-TPv7IYSq8Aap1o3gAg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Derosion%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D1436%26bih%3D627%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=171&oei=ISa-TPv7IYSq8Aap1o3gAg&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:0&tx=70&ty=84

This graph shows the amount land in which erosion has made it non arable

(1 hectare is equivalent to 100 acres)

Erosion Prevention • Gardening helps because the roots of the plants that you grow help keep

the soil in place.• Use fertilizers, manure, or compost regularly; soil that is treated

becomes rich in organic matter, binds together and is less prone to being washed or blow away.

• In areas prone to gusty winds, plant wind breakers in the form of trees, hedges and bushes or even put up a wooden/plastic fence.

• On land that is not in use you should plant a ‘cover crop’. This helps the land in two ways: to begin with it prevents soil erosion and also provides nutrients for the land in the form of nitrogen fixers if certain cover crops are used.

• The matting which is placed on top of the soil prevents soil erosion while at the same time it allows plants and trees to grow through it.

• While it is important to keep the soil moist which at times may be difficult, like in summers, avoid over-watering as this washes away the top soil and degrades the land.

fbDeforestation!

Deforestation

What is Deforestation? • Deforestation is the

process at which trees are removed 

 

The Problem • Deforestation can

cause a lot of harm to the environment and to the animals that live in it. How can this be prevented?

Causes of Deforestation• Deforestation is mostly

caused by humans•  Many farmers cut down tree

to gain space for farming•  People cut trees to get paper

and wood•  Animals also cause

deforestation by overgrazing. This prevents younger trees from growing

• Natural disasters, such as a forest fire, are also big causes of deforestation

Coniferous Forest Depletion1981-19904% is caused by industry6% is caused by forestry90% is caused by agriculture

17% of wood products are industrial83% of wood products are non-industrial

http://www.ipedepot.com/enviromental.htm

Effects of Deforestation • Deforestation causes many animals to lose their

habitats.  • Deforestation impacts soil greatly.  Without trees

to protect the soil from direct sunlight, the moist soil becomes dry and hard

• Soil can also be exposed to heavy rainfall and cause erosion.  This causes the nutrients in the soil to be washed away

• As trees are cut, more carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere

Original Forest Distribution

Current Forest Distribution

http://www.asij.ac.jp/elementary/links/webquests/rainforests/map.htm

The drastic increase in deforestation in 1994- 1995 was believed to have been caused by a very large accidental forest fire caused by a El EL Nino related drought.    http://www.nasa.gov/

Deforestation Prevention

• The simplest way of preventing deforestation is to stop cutting excessive amounts of trees

• Instead of of cutting young trees, mature trees can be cut 

• Tree products, such as paper, can be recycled and reused

• Humans can be more careful when using fire, to prevent deadly forest fires

Citations• Borade, Gaynor. "Facts about Deforestation." Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent

Life on the Web. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2010. <http://www.buzzle.com/articles/facts-about-deforestation.html>. 

• "Humans in the Biosphere." Prentice Hall Biology: New York State. 1st ed. Alexandria, VA: Prentice Hall, 2003. 146. Print. 

• Carey Oettli. "Forest Conversion, Agriculture and Soil Erosion." Effects of Erosion.  2005. <http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/about_forests/deforestation/forest_conversion_agriculture/deforestation_erosion/

• Jess Stein, et al, 1975, Random House College Dictionary, Edited Edition, pg. 449

• Paul Pryzborski. "Earth Observatory". From Forests to Fields, How is fire Transforming the Amazon. 16 Oct. 2010. <http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Features/AmazonFire/amazon_fire3.php

•  K, Marion. "Soil Erosion Protection" Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Oct. 2010. http://www.buzzle.com/articles/facts-about-deforestation.html

•  Rosenberg, Matt. "Erosion." The Agents of Erosion are Water, Wind, Ice, and Waves. http://geography.about.com/od/physicalgeography/a/erosion.htm

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Thank You for Enjoying our Presentation,

Ian, Paul, Cindy, and Felix