...Ecosystems Theory Chris Smith Western Kentucky University SWRK 331 –610: Human Behavior in the Social Environment II Western Kentucky University – Owensboro March 19, 2013 Ecosystems Theory Defined The ecosystems theory as utilized in social work is an adaptation in and of itself. The ecosystems theory is a combination of ecology and general systems theory. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, ecology is “The science of the relationship between organisms and their environments [ (Bantam Dell, 2007, p. 272) ]. An ecological systems approach only tells us organisms will adapt to environmental changes and does not tell us specifically what steps the organism takes in order to adapt to change, this is where general systems theory, the second contributor to ecosystems theory, comes to play a part [ (Greif, 1986) ]. General systems theory shows how an organism’s interaction with another cannot only instigate change within itself but can also instigate change in others as well. According to Wakefield (1996), Systems are sets of interacting elements; systems can be open or closed to interaction with the outside world; systems are linked hierarchically; systems can possess states of homeostasis and equilibrium or can be in disequilibrium; systems are regulated through positive and negative feedback; and, again, causal influences are circular, in that changes in one system have consequences for other linked systems that, in turn, through feedback, have consequences...
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...Ed Tech_LMS 3_Visual Preferences , Visual Literacy Introduction: You are still learning about Visuals as an instructional technology in education. This lesson presents reading materials on two concepts: A. Visual preferences among learners, and \2. Visual literacy as a concept. This lesson aims to: 1. Paraphrase the various visual preferences of learners. 2. Apply the information acquired on the visual preferences of learners to one’s instructional technology roles in a majorship or specialization. 3. Analyze reading materials that explain visual literacy. 4. Apply the concept of visual literacy in using visual tool to teach a specific learning competency. You will be given two days to submit your responses in this activity sheet. Good luck! _______________________________________________________________ Professional Education 10: Educational Technology Unit III. Visuals as Classical Technologies in Education Student: __________________________ Year & Section ______________ Area of Specialization / Majorship ______________Date Submitted: ________________ Concepts to be learned: A. Visual Preferences of Learners ...
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...representative natural ecosystem in or near the Louisiana area such as a preserves or parks that are managed for native species. Once a representative is chosen, the major structural, and functional dynamics (processes) of that ecosystem including how it has changed over time will be explained. Next the subject is to explain how humans may have affected the ecosystem, and in conclusion an explanation of how that ecosystem’s structure and function can help or has helped to develop plans for its management, and restoration. The Nature Conservancy is a nonprofit organization that works in different countries and all 52 states to help safeguard important lands and waters for nature and people. The organization works to keep safe the plants, animals, and land free from decay by protecting the lands, and waters humans, and habitat need to survive. The organization also focuses on leaving a sustainable world for future generations. Clean water is a must for humans, and animals to live. Fresh water ecosystems provide water for plants, and fish for humankind to eat (Gomez, 2008). Not only in Louisiana, but also all around the world, rivers, and lakes are becoming contaminated, and this affects people, animals, and plants. Research shows that possibly by 2025 more than one-third of Earth’s population could face tremendous water shortages (Botkin & Keller, 2009). The Nature Conservancy works in many states, including Louisiana to shield from exposure freshwater ecosystems for humans...
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...Indonesia as a country that is rich with biodiversity. Not only that, the existence of plant and animal in nature will balance the natural ecosystem. Aceh is one of the areas that supply the biodiversity for Indonesia, especially in Seulawah Mountain and Leuser ecosystem. Many environmental problems like human activity occur in those of areas such as deforestation, opening the forest land...
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...(Shmoop, 2013) Water is essential to produce chemical reactions in all types of organisms. Water is the main ingredient to all life processes. On earth water is the most common substance. Water has three different states: solid, liquid and gas. In order for living creatures found in the tropical rainforests such as insects, monkeys and lions, the availability of water enables life to survive over much of the planet which in turns creates the circle of life. (Shmoop, 2013) In order for the ecosystem to survive, you need producers such as the sun and plants, consumers such as insects, animals and fungi, which is a decomposer that survives on eating dead things. (Moulton, 2004). In order for consumers to be able to have fruit, producers must plant the seeds in order to grow fruit consumers would eat. (The Study of Life, 1993). In an ecosystem, energy and nutrients that are usually obtained from outside the ecosystem helps the ecosystem maintain itself. The ecosystem must have some type of external energy. (Regoniel, 2014). Solar energy is used to produce organic plant material through photosynthesis. Animals that feed solely on plants make up the second trophic levels which are called herbivores. The third trophic level are predators that will eat herbivores. Solar energy is essential for an...
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...The Employment Outlook for Youth: Building Entrepreneurial Ecosystems as a Way Forward ---- An Essay --- Peter Vogel College of Management of Technology, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Odyssea 4.15 Station 5, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland, peter.vogel@epfl.ch Since the outbreak of the recent financial crisis we have experienced some of the highest rates of youth unemployment in history. If we want to avoid branding the young people as a “Lost Generation”, we need to act quickly. One important active labor market strategy to solve the youth unemployment crisis is entrepreneurship, helping them turn into job creators rather than job seekers. Entrepreneurship has received significant attention over the past decade with a rapid and often uncoordinated increase in entrepreneurship support programs. These constitute a major part of entrepreneurial ecosystems. In order to build effective entrepreneurial ecosystems, we need to understand the components and assessment indices of such ecosystems. This essay proposes a new conceptual framework describing entrepreneurial ecosystems. The proposed framework is expected to support policymakers and practitioners in setting up new entrepreneurial ecosystems and serve as a basis for future research. Keywords: Entrepreneurial Ecosystems, Youth Unemployment, Next Generation Introduction An economic and labor market crisis has plagued the world since 2008. The labor market slowdown is dramatic with a current deficit of...
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...1. Ecosystems and How They Work - Sustainable Development In this assignment, you will investigate the biotic and abiotic structure and function of an ecosystem. Choose one of the following ecosystems: * Tropical rainforest * Grassland * Coral Reef * Estuary * Desert You will write a two to three page APA-style research paper about your choice of ecosystem including: * Where might this type of ecosystem be located? Give one specific example. * Describe the structure of the ecosystem: List both the abiotic components and biotic components * Describe the function of the ecosystem: How do the abiotic and biotic components interact in biogeochemical cycles? Describe both the carbon and nitrogen cycles * Describe disturbance and recovery: Describe one natural and one human caused disturbance to the ecosystem. Explain the damage to the ecosystem, including how the abiotic and biotic characteristics of the ecosystem changed. * Explain how ecosystems recover naturally ... (More) Ecosystem Definition noun, plural: ecosystems A system that includes all living organisms (biotic factors) in an area as well as its physical environment (abiotic factors) functioning together as a unit. Supplement An ecosystem is made up of plants, animals, microorganisms, soil, rocks, minerals, water sources and the local atmosphere interacting with one another. Word origin: coined in 1930 by Roy Clapham, to denote the physical and biological components...
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...relevant questions about the properties of objects, organisms, and events in the environment. * Grade 2- AZ Science Standard * PO 2. Identify the following characteristics of a system: * Consists of multiple parts or subsystems * Parts work interdependently * Grade 2- AZ Science Standard * Communicate the results and conclusions of an investigation (e.g., create terrarium) * Grade 2- AZ Science Standard * PO 2. Communicate with other groups to describe the results of the investigation. Learning Objectives: * Students will be able to identify two types of environments and list three characteristics for each. * Students will be able to understand the types of ecosystems * Students will be able to understand the importance of protecting and preserving our world around us Sub- Objectives: * To get the children actively involved in the outdoors. Show them that it’s important and can be extremely fun. Evidence of Mastery: * Assignment 1: Students will draw and label what a terrarium is in their journal * Assignment 2: Students will create a terrarium with their table mates. * Assignment 3: Students will take a short quiz on ecosystems * Assignment 4: Students will develop a personal action plan for their way to keep the environment safe. * Assignment 5: Students will present their plan to class in small groups. Unit Plan: Monday: Introduce the Environment and...
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...An ecosystem is a community of living organisms (plants, animals and microbes) in conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment (things like air, water and mineral soil), interacting as a system.[2] These components are regarded as linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows.[3] As ecosystems are defined by the network of interactions among organisms, and between organisms and their environment,[4] they can come in any size but usually encompass specific, limited spaces[5] (although some scientists say that the entire planet is an ecosystem).[6] History and development Arthur Tansley, a British ecologist, was the first person to use the term "ecosystem" in a published work.[fn 1][10] Tansley devised the concept to draw attention to the importance of transfers of materials between organisms and their environment.[11] He later refined the term, describing it as "The whole system, ... including not only the organism-complex, but also the whole complex of physical factors forming what we call the environment".[12] Tansley regarded ecosystems not simply as natural units, but as mental isolates.[12] Tansley later[13] defined the spatial extent of ecosystems using the term ecotope. G. Evelyn Hutchinson, a pioneering limnologist who was a contemporary of Tansley's, combined Charles Elton's ideas about trophic ecology with those of Russian geochemist Vladimir Vernadsky to suggest that mineral nutrient availability in a lake limited algal production...
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...1“Describe how climate affects your selected ecosystem?” The tropical rainforest is extremely important to the earth's climate. It affects temperatures worldwide, since as the name suggests, there is a lot of rainfall as a result of the forest's existence. The tropical rainforest aids in maintaining a somewhat stable weather habit and reduced global warming effects. This is why the clearing out of the rainforest has been extremely detrimental to the earth's climate the forest's rainfall helps reduce global warming, and without it, temperatures will continue to increase. The climate of the tropical rainforest itself is typically humid, warm, and the temperature rarely changes from daytime to nighttime. The extreme humidity causes the average rainfall each year to be around 200 cm. This type of warm temperature that ranges anywhere from 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal for lush growth and is very supportive of life and growth. The fact that the tropical rainforest supports great growth and life is an extremely important reason for humans to not destroy it. Species continue to become endangered and even extinct, so it is our responsibility to protect their habitat and growth as much as possible, not only for their sake, but for our own too. 2 “Explain, based on the first and second laws of thermodynamics, how energy flows through your selected ecosystem?” The Tropical Rain Forest, nowhere on earth, or ecosystem for that matter, has a richer and more blossoming...
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...representative natural ecosystem in or near the Louisiana area such as a preserves or parks that are managed for native species. Once a representative is chosen, the major structural, and functional dynamics (processes) of that ecosystem including how it has changed over time will be explained. Next the subject is to explain how humans may have affected the ecosystem, and in conclusion an explanation of how that ecosystem’s structure and function can help or has helped to develop plans for its management, and restoration. The Nature Conservancy is a nonprofit organization that works in different countries and all 52 states to help safeguard important lands and waters for nature and people. The organization works to keep safe the plants, animals, and land free from decay by protecting the lands, and waters humans, and habitat need to survive. The organization also focuses on leaving a sustainable world for future generations. Clean water is a must for humans, and animals to live. Fresh water ecosystems provide water for plants, and fish for humankind to eat (Gomez, 2008). Not only in Louisiana, but also all around the world, rivers, and lakes are becoming contaminated, and this affects people, animals, and plants. Research shows that possibly by 2025 more than one-third of Earth’s population could face tremendous water shortages (Botkin & Keller, 2009). The Nature Conservancy works in many states, including Louisiana to shield from exposure freshwater ecosystems for humans...
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...Ecology is a group of interconnected elements which is formed by the interaction of living organisms with the other organisms and its surrounding environment. Ecosystems are a functional unit which comprises of ecology and the environment where living and non-living things work together. A.G. Tansley in Singh (1935) defined ecosystem as 'a particular category of physical systems, consisting of organisms and inorganic components in a relatively stable equilibrium, open and of various sizes and kinds'. All living beings are dependent on ecosystems for the survival of their lives. Thousands of years ago, ecosystems were able to sustain the weight of increasing population creating a balance in the environment. The ecosystem had the capacity...
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...Natural Resources and Energy Paper SCI/256 July 09, 2013 . Marine Ecosystem Out of all of the large and natural resources available for generating electricity in the United States, it is the ocean. Ocean energy may be the last investigated for its potential. The ocean is so vast and deep, until recently, it was assumed that no matter how many chemicals or how much trash humans dumped into the ocean, the effects would be negligible. Dumping into oceans have even got the catchphrase: “The solution to pollution is dilution” (National Geographic, 2013) Impacts Associated With Agriculture Pollutants from agriculture have affected the marine’s ecosystem in ways that may not be reversible, and may also be slowly harming rivers, streams, and coastal waters. Pesticides and fertilizer are two major components that have disturbed the marine’s ecosystem; both contain harmful chemicals that can be hazardous to living organisms in the water. Fertilizer and pesticide run-off from large farms may have initiated bursts of marine algae which may disrupt the ocean’s ecosystem by causing massive blooms in marine waters (Schwartz, 2005). Winds cause nitrogen and other nutrients from the seafloor to surface, which promote the growth of algae called phytoplankton. Phytoplankton is a main source of food for many living organisms in the marine waters. Agricultural pollutants may have triggered phytoplankton to produce harmful blooms in tides, which are giving-off poisonous toxins to marine life...
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...Balancing Ecosystems Shaneequa Wheatfall ENV/100 January 11, 2016 Rob Davie Balancing Ecosystems Dear City Council of Glimmerville, This letter is being written to assist you with effective options to help bring balance back into the ecosystem in Glimmerville in regards to the Grass Carp issue you are experiencing. I recently provided assistance to Sparksville and successfully restored the balance in their aquatic ecosystem and wanted to share a few suggestions with you. It appears that due to the Grass Carp issue, Glimmerville is experiencing an in-balance in the ecosystem. An ecosystem is “a community and its physical environment” (Berg & Hager, 2014, Chapter 5). Changes in the functionality of the ecosystem occur when we, as humans, increasingly alter the ecosystem for our use. As we did more research into the Grass Carp issue we found that the fertilizer that farmers were using caused a high growth in water supply which was backing up the waterways. To solve this problem, Grass Carp placed in the late to control this issue. Over the course of time, we found that this invasive species (Grass Carp) began to reproduce and overpopulate the lake, causing the native species (bass) to become fewer in numbers that result in laps in the energy flow of the ecosystem. The invasive species began to dominate the food chain of the native species. It is important that we, as humans, strive to restore and maintain a balance in the ecosystem. Every organism work together...
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...Energy Flow in Ecosystem and Its Importance in Crop Production By gachura10@gmail.com Course Tutor Institution, City Date Energy Flow in Ecosystem and Its Importance in Crop Production Introduction An ecosystem is made up of of the organic community that take place in some area, and the bodily and biochemical influences that make up its lifeless or abiotic environs (Fraham, 1984: 143). There are several instances of ecosystems: a fish pond, a plantation, a river mouth, a savannah. The limits are not static in any impartial way, even though occasionally they look clear, as with the water's edge of a small fish pond. Typically the margins of an ecological unit are selected for real-world aims having to do with the objectives of the specific study. According to Perry (2008), study of ecological unit mostly comprises of the study of sure procedures that relates the living, or biotic, constituents to the inorganic, and abiotic constituents. Energy changes and biogeosubstance transformation are the key procedures that include the area of environment conservation. Ecology normally is well-defined as the connections of creatures with one another and with the environs in which they are living. Ecology can be studied at the level of the separate organism, the inhabitants, the community, and the environment. studies of ecology at individuals are concerned generally about composition, reproduction, growth or performance, while studies of ecology at inhabitants...
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