CHAPTER 22

Our Impact on the

Ecosystem
 What you would learn
in this section…
(22.1) How do we affect the ecosystem?
(22.2) Conservation

Video: Midway Island

Turtle-With-Plastic-Straw-In-His-Nose
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 (22.1)
22.1 How do we affect the ecosystem

Human beings use natural resources everyday.

The use of natural resources must be controlled
and regulated because their depletion will result in
environmental damage that is largely irreversible.

Oil rigs are used to extract oil and

natural gas from the seabed. Oil
and natural gas are examples of
non-renewable natural resources.
(22.1) How do we affect the ecosystem

Natural resources

Renewable Non-renewable
- can be replaced via - cannot be replaced
natural cycles as long once they are used
as they are not
overused Examples: Fossil fuel
and minerals
Examples: Air, water,
soil, and wildlife
 (22.1) How do we affect the ecosystem

Deforestation
• Deforestation refers to the
clearing of forests.
• Forests are cleared to
make land available for
agricultural and/or urban
development.
• Forests are also cleared
for wood.
• Forests are usually cleared
at a rate faster than they
can be replaced.
 (22.1) How do we affect the ecosystem

Effects of deforestation
1) Soil erosion
Forests prevent soil erosion by:
• providing a leafy canopy that protects rain
the topsoil from the direct impact of
rain, and
• retaining water in the forest through the
absorption of water by plant roots.
In a deforested areas, the soil is exposed to direct
rainfall, and the water is not absorbed and retained.
The topsoil , the most fertile layer would be easily
washed away (eroded) during heavy rain.
 (22.1)
22.1 How do we affect the ecosystem

Effects of deforestation
2) Flooding • Eroded soil may be deposited in
rivers and streams
• Water levels in rivers rise
rapidly, causing floods
rain
Rise in
soil erosion water level
Eroded soil increases
gets washed the chances
into river of flooding
(22.1) How do we affect the ecosystem

Effects of deforestation
3) Desertification
• Without the leafy canopy, sunlight falls directly onto
the ground and causes water to evaporate rapidly
from the soil, causing it to harden
• Land becomes barren
• This creates a desert-like condition that is not suitable
for plants to grow.
(22.1) How do we affect the ecosystem

Effects of deforestation

4) Climate changes
• Reduced plant life results in less carbon dioxide
being removed from the atmosphere via
photosynthesis  Carbon dioxide is a
greenhouse gas. It traps heat within the Earth’s
atmosphere and results in warmer climates.
• Also disrupts water cycle. When trees cleared 
lesser water lost through reduced transpiration
fewer clouds formed  less rainfall  drier
climates
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(22.1) How do we affect the ecosystem

Uncontrolled fishing practices

• Fish is an important food source for humans.

• As the human population increases, the
demand for fish increases.
• Uncontrolled and unregulated fishing can
result in reduced aquatic biodiversity.
Note:(22.1) How do we affect the ecosystem
Although the wildlife that are caught by ‘accident’ by drift nets
and trawlers are thrown back into
Uncontrolled the sea,
fishing these organisms
practices
rarely survive.
Fishing techniques that are detrimental to the
Accidental
aquaticcatch (i.e. bycatch)
environment arethe
involve theuse
aquatic
of: wildlife that are
caught but are not the target species and type of fish. This
1) Dredges: dredger
includes young fish that are not fully developed, and species of
fish that• are
destroy coral reefs
not intended for and
commercial fishing
dredge (e.g. dolphins,
organisms that live on the
whales, porpoises).
sea bed
2) Drift nets and trawlers:
• catch marine life indiscriminately
trawler

drift net
(22.1) How do we affect the ecosystem

Uncontrolled fishing practices

Video: Fishing with Dynamite

3) Cyanide fishing:
• kills corals and other reef organisms.

Effects of uncontrolled fishing practices

• Destruction of marine habitat
• Decrease and extinction of certain fish populations

Video: Overfishing
Shark Fin Cruelty
 (22.1) How do we affect the ecosystem

Pollution
Pollution is the process by which harmful substances
are added to the environment.
Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies.
It can be caused by:

• discharge of untreated sewage into water bodies,

• excessive use of fertilisers and insecticides, and

• dumping of inorganic waste material into water

bodies.
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 (22.1) How do we affect the ecosystem

Sewage
• Sewage refers to waste materials from homes and
industries.
• Untreated sewage may contain disease-causing
bacteria and that can result in epidemics if discarded into
water bodies.
• An epidemic is an outbreak of a disease that affects a
large population of humans in a given period.
• Cholera outbreaks are examples of epidemics caused
by bacteria found in untreated sewage.

• Untreated sewage also contains phosphates and

nitrates that can lead to eutrophication.
 (22.1)
22.1 How do we affect the ecosystem

Chemical fertilisers
• Chemical fertilisers that contain nitrates and phosphates are
used to increase crop yield.
• Excessive use of these fertilisers can lead to a phenomena
called eutrophication.
 (22.1)
22.1 How do we affect the ecosystem
Excess Nitrates and phosphates in fertilizers lead
fertilizers are to excessive growth of of algae and floating
washed into a water plants (eutrophication)
water body.
Algae and plants on the water surface
As mentioned in the prevent sunlight from reaching submerged
previous slide, dumping water plants below, causing them to die due
of untreated sewage into to lack of photosynthesis.
water bodies can also
result in eutrophication.
•Decomposers break down the organic
material and reproduce rapidly to large
resulting in numbers;
death of •The decomposers all respire aerobically to
aquatic
cause a drastic decline in oxygen
organisms
concentration,.
 (22.1)
22.1 How do we affect the ecosystem

Inorganic waste
Inorganic waste includes poisonous metals (e.g.
mercury, arsenic and cadmium) and some types of
pesticides.
• Poisonous metals that are dumped into rivers or
lakes are extremely harmful to humans.
• A tragic example would be the case of mercury
poisoning in 1971 in Minamata, Japan.

Video: Mercury Poisoning- The Minamata Story

 (22.1)
22.1 How do we affect the ecosystem

Mercury poisoning at Minamata Bay, Japan in 1971.

Villagers ate the
contaminated fish
and suffered from
mercury poisoning.

A plastic factory
discharged waste Fish caught
water containing contained high
mercury into concentrations
Minamata Bay. of mercury.

Mercury was
absorbed by the The water weeds
water weeds. were eaten by fish.
 (22.1)
22.1 How do we affect the ecosystem

Insecticides

• Some insecticides, such as DDT,

(dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) are inorganic
compounds that are non-biodegradable.
• DDT cannot be excreted and it is stored in fatty tissues of
organisms that consume it.
• Therefore, DDT can be passed along food chains.
• The concentration of DDT increases as we move
along the trophic level. This results in the
bioaccumulation of DDT in top consumers.
 (22.1)
22.1 How do we affect the ecosystem
Bioaccumulation: (2010/2B/Q10OR)
• Insecticides enter crops in the tissues
• When consumer feeds on plants, toxin / chemical is build up
(accumulated) and becomes concentrated in the consumer
• Because it is non-biodegradable, insoluble and cannot be
excreted
 (22.1)
22.1 How do we affect the ecosystem
Bioamplification / biomagnification
- An organism of a higher trophic level consumes/feeds on
more organisms from the lower trophic level because only
10% of its energy is passed on from the organism from the
lower trophic level to the organism from the higher trophic
level
- Thus concentration of chemicals increase with each
successive member of the food chain
1 15
5
1
45
1 15
5

5 15
1
Worksheet question
• PCBs are non-biodegradable and not exrected, and
hence bioaccumulate in the fatty tissue of organisms;

• Organisms from a higher trophic level may feed on

several organisms containing PCBs;

• Resulting in an increase in the concentration of PCBs

bioaccumulated up the trophic levels;

• As polar bears occupy the highest trophic level in the

food chain, the concentration of PCB is bioamplified the
most at their trophic level.
 What you would learn
in this section…
(22.1) How do we affect the ecosystem?
(22.2) Conservation
22.2 Conservation

Learning Outcomes
After this section, you should be able to:
• discuss reasons for conservation of species with
reference to the maintenance of biodiversity;
• outline the roles of microbes in sewage disposal as
an example of environmental biotechnology; and
• discuss the conservation of species with reference
to management of timber production and fisheries.
22.2 (22.2) Conservation

Conservation
• Human activities have depleted natural resources,
polluted the environment and destroyed wildlife
habitats.
• This threatens the biodiversity on Earth.

Biodiversity: The range of species that is present

in a particular ecosystem.
Conservation: The protection and preservation of
natural resources in the environment.
 LO: Discuss reasons
22.2 (22.2) Conservation for conservation of
species with
Scientific value reference to the
maintenance of
Preservation of Studies on wildlife
natural scenery give us insight on biodiversity
and wildlife human beings
Maintenance of a
balanced
Reasons for ecosystem

conservation

Economic importance Maintenance of

biodiversity

Rainforests Food source: Prevents Maintenance of

are a source Marine life (e.g. extinction of a large gene
of raw fish) are a major animal and pool
materials for source of human plant species
industries food
 LO: Outline the role
22.2 (22.2) Conservation of microorganisms in
sewage treatment as
an example of
Conservation measures environmental
biotechnology.
1) Environmental biotechnology
Environmental biotechnology refers to the use of
biological sciences to provide environmentally
friendly solutions in reducing pollution.
Example:
• Used water (i.e. sewage) has to be treated
before being removed
• The usage of microorganisms in sewage
treatment helps to speed up the water
treatment process.
Video: waste water treatment.
Stop video at 5:07min
22.2 (22.2) Conservation

Wastewater treatment process

Wastewater is
channelled into
water reclamation
plants.

Wastewater
enters the Heavy solids settle to
primary the bottom of the tank
settlement and are removed as
tank. sludge.
22.2 (22.2) Conservation

Wastewater treatment process

Partially treated
wastewater is Wastewater is sent to
transferred to the final settlement tank
aeration tank and where the bacteria are
mixed with bacteria. removed.

Treated
wastewater is
discharged into
the sea.
The bacteria breaks down
the organic pollutants into
harmless substances.
22.2 (22.2) Conservation

Wastewater treatment process

Sludge Sludge removed

removed from final
from primary settlement tanks
settlement Sludge is treated in anaerobic
tanks digesters before being dewatered
and disposed into a soil container.
Process by which the sewage is removed in pipes from the
houses and treated

22.2 (22.2) Conservation
Conservation measures
LO: Discuss how
conservation of
species is done, e.g.
management of
timber production

2) Conservation of forests
Forests can be managed to prevent the adverse
effects of deforestation via:
• Creation of laws to regulate the logging industry
• Reforestation: The planting of new trees or
seedlings to replace trees that have been destroyed
• Designation of lands as forests reserves
• Research to improve quality of forests and making
them more productive
 LO: Discuss how
22.2 (22.2) Conservation conservation of
species is done, e.g.
management of
Conservation measures fisheries

3) Conservation of fishing grounds

Fishing grounds can be managed to prevent
over-fishing and indiscriminate catches via:
• Banning the use of drift nets, trawlers and
dredges
• Using nets with a certain mesh size
• Limiting the number of ships allowed in fishing
grounds at any one time
• Raising endangered species of fish in
hatcheries for release into the sea