Distribution of local and global ecosystems changes over … a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, ... Impacts of El Nino on Fish Distribution form NOAA ... (4.B.4)

Copyright © Rebecca Rehder Wingerden

Lecture Presentations for

Biology Eighth Edition

Neil Campbell and Jane Reece

Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Person Benjamin Cummings College Board, AP Biology Curriculum Framework 2012-2013

Competition and cooperation are important aspects of biological systems. (4.B.4)

Big Idea 4: Interactions

25.4, 56.1, 55.5

Distribution of local and global ecosystems changes over time. (4.B.4)

a.Human impact accelerates change at local and global levels. • Slash and burn agriculture, a technique which involves

cutting and burning of forests or woodlands to create fields, is threatening ecosystems and life on Earth.

Astronaut photograph illustrates slash-and-burn forest clearing along the Rio Xingu in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil.

- The consequences of slash-and-burn techniques for ecosystem are almost always destructive.

- Once the plot is abandoned, typically in one growing season because the soil is so nutrient poor, the ecosystem is then susceptible to erosion and desertification.

- The result is an area of land where there will be no vegetation of any kind for many generations.

- Slash and burn agriculture is particularly important throughout the tropics, especially in those countries experiencing rapid population growth like Brazil.

Copyright © 2012 Rebecca Rehder Wingerden


a.Human impact accelerates change at local and global levels. • Global climate change is threatening ecosystems and life

on Earth.

This figure shows the difference in instrumentally determined surface temperature between the period January 1999 through December 2008 and “normal” temperature at the same locations, defined to be the average over the interval January 1940 to December 1980. The average increase on this graph is 0.48°C, and the widespread temperature increases are considered to be an aspect of global warming



a.Human impact accelerates change at local and global levels. • Global climate change is threatening ecosystems and life

on Earth.

On May 14, 2008 the US Department of the Interior listed the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, citing the melting of Arctic sea ice as the primary treat to the polar bear. They are the first vertebrate species to be listed primarily due to global warming. Polar bears are suffering starvation, population declines, and drowning as they must swim further and further to find food.



• An introduced species can exploit a new niche free of predators or competitors, thus exploiting new resources.

European rabbits have been a pest in Australia for 150 years.

Myxomatosis didn’t stop Australia’s rabbit problem as the photo taken near Adelaide in 1961 shows.

- Since their introduction from Europe in the 19th century, the effect of rabbits on the ecology of Australia has been devastating. They are responsible for the loss of significant numbers of native species, well as for serious erosion problems.

- Shooting rabbits is one of the most common control methods, along with ripping, ploughing, blasting, poisoning and fumigation.

Australia’s Battle With The Bunny: http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/04/08/2538860.htm

- Rabbit-born diseases have proven somewhat successful in controlling the population of rabbits. Myxomatosis, a viral disease, was introduced to the Australian rabbit population in 1950. Myxomatosis almost wipe out Australian’s pest rabbits, but natural selection has led to a balance between the myxoma virus and the wild rabbits.

- To combat the reduced effectiveness of the myxoma virus, calicivirus, or rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD), was released in 1995. This virus dropped the rabbit population to by 90% in arid zones however, like myxomatosis, the rabbit populations in Australia are developing a resistance to RHD.



• Introduction of new diseases can devastate native species. - Dutch elm disease

• Dutch elm disease (DED) is a fungus spread by bark beetles or by root grafting to nearby trees. It is a wilt disease that spreads rapidly and clogs the tree vascular tissues, stopping water from moving inside the tree.

• The fungus was inadvertently introduced to the United States sometime in the 1920’s by European elm logs shipments.

• Millions of American elm trees have been lost across the United States. The elm would be extinct now but for their prolific seed production.

• There is no way of eliminating Dutch elm disease once it has begun; control program objectives are to manage the disease so that losses are spread out over a long period, minimizing the impact of the disease.



b.Geological and meteorological events impact ecosystem distribution.

- El Nino is a temporary change in the climate of the Pacific ocean, in the region around the equator. Typically, the ocean surface warms up by a few degrees celsius.

- This may seem like a small difference, but nevertheless can have big effects on the world’s climate, such as:

• Heavy rain on islands of Pacific and the west coast of South America

• Drought in Australia, Indonesia, and the Philippines

• Warmer winters in northern US and Canada

• Drought in Africa and India • Weakening of Atlantic hurricanes • Greater precipitation in SW

United StatesThese global maps centered on the Pacific Ocean show patterns of sea surface temperature during El Nino and La Nina episodes. The colors along the equator show areas that are warmer or cooler than the long term average.

Impacts of El Nino on Fish Distribution form NOAA Fisheries: http://www.elnino.noaa.gov/enso4.html

Copyright © 2012 Rebecca Rehder Wingerden Copyright © 2012 Rebecca Rehder Wingerden


b.Geological and meteorological events impact ecosystem distribution.-Continental Drift is the movement of the Earth’s continents relative to each other through plate tectonics.

-As the continents split and moved apart the populations changed with their ecosystems.

Gondwanaland is the name given to the more southerly part of the supercontinent know as Pangaea (200 mya). Evidence for the movement the tectonic plates can be seen in the fossil patterns across the continents.

Antarctic Forest - many different plant fossils are found preserve within the Antarctic Peninsula, most notable the Cretaceous (145-65 mya). The diverse assemblage of plant fossil has made it possible to reconstruct an Antarctic forest - with pine trees, ginkgoes, cycads, ferns and mosses.


Bozeman Biology: Ecosystem Change (13:00 min.) http://www.bozemanscience.com/051-ecosystem-change

YouTube: NASA Global Warming Temperature Map (30 sec.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqBCzWTs3r4

National Wildlife: Global Warming and Polar Bears (5:00 min.) http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Threats-to-Wildlife/Global-Warming/Effects-on-Wildlife-and-Habitat/Polar-Bears.aspx


Documents

Distribution of local and global ecosystems changes over … a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, ... Impacts of El Nino on Fish Distribution form NOAA ... (4.B.4)