ECOSYSTEMS

as H
Human
uman Environment

KU1201 Sistem Alam & Semesta

solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/profile.cfm?Object=Earth
Recall from last lecture:

The four major components of the

earth’s life-support system are the
atmosphere air),
air) the hydrosphere
(water), the geosphere (rock, soil,
and sediment), and the biosphere
Atmosphere
p (living things).

Biosphere:
E
Ecosystems
t

Hydrosphere
p
Lithosphere
In this lecture:

TYPES OF ECOSYSTEMS IN THE BIOSPHERE

HUMANS IN THE BIOSPHERE

ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

ECOSYSTEM CHANGE BY HUMANS

TYPES OF ECOSYSTEMS IN THE BIOSPHERE

Terrestrial (land), e.g., rain forest, coniferous

forest, savanna, desert
Aquatic
Marine : oceans
Freshwater : lakes, rivers
Transitional between terrestrial and aquatic
(= wetland), e.g., swamps, mangroves
Terrestrial ecosystems

Miller & Spoolman (2012)

 Aquatic ecosystems Aquatic
q communities are characterized by y
differences in sunlight penetration, water
temperature, salinity, dissolved gases,
rate of water movement, and depth

Campbell & Reece (2002)

 Transitional ecosystems

Miller (2000)
Mitsch & Gosselink (2007)
 Ellis et al. 2010
However, the biosphere has been greatly altered
by humans and their increasing population

2000

Used Seminatural Wild

Dense
Settlements Villages Croplands Rangelands Seminatural Wildlands
Urban Dense Rice Rainfed Pastoral Residential Populated Residential Remote Woodlands Treeless Woodlands Treeless
settlements Irrigated Remote Populated & Barren & Barren
Irrigated Rainfed Residential Remote
Populated Ellis et al. 2010
Therefore, ecosystems
y
can also be classified as:

Natural ecosystems:
changes naturally without
human interference
Man-made ecosystems:
require human interferences to
manage and add energy or
matter in order to maintain
ecosystem balance (city,
(city village,
village
crop land etc.)
OHUMANS IN THE BIOSPHERE
Remember: ecosystems consist of abiotic (non(non-living)
living) and
biotic (living) components, including human beings.
Humans are part of the ecosystem, but they differ from
other organisms because they have the ability to widen
their range of tolerance* to the environment through the
ability to think, develop technology, and modify nature.
tendency to consider themselves apart from the ecosystem
potential to cause negative changes to the ecosystem.

Other organisms adapt themselves to the environment,

while humans modifyy and exploit
p environments to suit
themselves.
*Law of tolerance

The existence, abundance, and distribution of a species in ecosystems are

determined by whether the level of one or more physical or chemical
factors fall within the range tolerated by that species
Miller & Spoolman (2012)
The world’s human population has
reached 7 (seven) billion in October 2011
(we will discuss more about world population in upcoming lectures)
Shot of night time conditions on Earth, showing lights where
ppopulations
p are concentrated
visibleearth.nasa.gov/view.php?id=55167
Human perspectives on Earth as a biosphere
Gaia hypothesis (Lovelock, Margulies, 1970s): all organisms and their
inorganic/abiotic surroundings on Earth are closely integrated
to form a single and self-regulating complex system,
maintaining the conditions for life on the planet
Spaceship Earth (concept developed in the 1960s): Earth is often given
the analogy of being a ‘spaceship’ in the universe, carrying its
own life support system (air,
(air water
water, food etc etc.).
) Increase in
human population, resource exploitation, and environmental
degradation are now threatening this system, similar to a
h hd
situation in which l b l off oxygen threatens
decreasing availability h
an astronaut in his spaceship (we are all astronauts on
Spaceship Earth!).

The biosphere
p and its ecosystems
y are veryy complex
p and not ffullyy
understood by humans case example of Biosphere II
BIOSPHERE 2
A $200-million facility designed to be a self-sustaining life
support system to mimic Earth (Biosphere 1) with eight
people living inside.
After 2 years,
years numerous unexpected problems were
encountered, such as:
Oxygen decreased mysteriously
N cycling failed to function properly
CO2 concentration increased to levels that threatened the humans
Most animal and plant species became extinct
life support
In brief: Biosphere 2 FAILED to maintain a life-support
system for eight people.
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES

Ecosystems provide services for human survival.

Ecosystem services for human well
well--being
ECOSYSTEM CHANGE BY HUMANS

Human activity can change and

potentially damage ecosystems.
Miller & Spoolman (2012)
Miller & Spoolman (2012)
Hopes vs Disasters

**Human impacts on ecosystems and the biosphere and

approaches
h to solve
l environmental
i l problems
bl will
ill be
b further
f h
discussed in upcoming lectures
 Next lecture:

Cells, molecules, and the

heredityy factor

Miller & Spoolman (2012)