GEOG1710 1nd Edition Lecture 12 Outline of Last Lecture I Properties of Water II Global Hydrologic Cycle III Water Outline of Current Lecture I Capital II Ecosystem Services III Biosphere Current Lecture Natural capital stocks are pools of natural resources atmosphere water soils rocks trees and ecosystems Types of Capital Financial money from the natural capital Manufactured machines buildings computers etc that are made from the natural capital Human Capital health safety of human capital i e education Social Capital importance of organizations networks and connections Ecosystem Services are the benefits that we get directly or indirectly from ecosystems in the form of goods and services Types of Ecosystem Services Provisioning products obtained from ecosystems food fiber fuel and water Regulating benefits from the regulation of ecosystem processes air quality maintenance climate regulation water filtration Cultural nonmaterial benefits spiritual enrichment recreation and aesthetic experiences These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute Supporting those ecosystem functions necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services photosynthesis nutrient cycling can t have food without it Biosphere Atmosphere hydrosphere and lithosphere all come together into biosphere life What is an ecosystem living organisms biotic in an area and the nonliving physical environment abiotic with which they interact Abiotic rocks water sunlight air and soil Biotic plants animals humans bacteria and viruses How big is an ecosystem depends on the organism and scale big enough to support itself Ecosystems are structured primary producers autotrophs get energy from the sun consumer heterotrophs from autotrophs decomposers saprotrophs from dead organic matter Perspectives on ecosystems Old ecosystems are in equilibrium with environment New ecosystems not in equilibrium with environment 1 Open rather than closed systems 2 Some randomness is involved rather than some determined outcome 3 More than one stable state rather than one stable end point 4 Presence rather than absence of disturbance fire etc Ecosystems are dynamic always changing Feedbacks affect ecosystems Positive ice caps meeting Negative mountain erosion
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