...ECOSYSTEM- IS A SPECIFIC PLACE WHERE LIVING THINGS INTERACT WITH NONLIVING THINGS. HUMAN BEINGS, ANIMALS, PLANTS AND OTHER ORGANISMS ARE PARTS OF THE LIVING ENVIRONTMENT. SOME PARTS OF THE ENVIRONMENT ARE NOT ALIVE. SUNLIGHT, AIR, WATER, SOIL, AND MINERALS, ARE PARTS OF THE NONLIVING OR PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT. LETS FIND OUT HOW INTERACTIONS OF ORGANISMS WITHH ONE ANOTHER AND WITH THEIR ENVIRONMENT. ROLES AND RELATIONSHIPS IN AN ECOSYSTEM A community of plants and animals that live together are related in some ways. No organism can live alone. Neither animals nor plants can survive by themselves. Plants need animals and animals need plants. Both animals and plants need us as we need them. Human needs plants that serve the food and plants need human that produce carbondioxide in able them to survive. * For example, a colony of insects may have a tree as its home. The insects may feed on the leaves and fruits of a tree. Some birds that live in the same tree may feed on the larva of the insects are related to the birds because they provide food for the birds. The tree is also related to the birds because it provides a nesting place for them. Why did PRODUCER, CONSUMERS, DECOMPOSERS are important? * These 3 are important because it is the group of living things in an ecosystem. Each of these group performs a different work. 1. PRODUCERS - A producer in an ecosystem is an organism which can produce food for itself and for others. Plants are the only producer...
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...ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT Mangrove ecosystems play an integral role within the stabilisation of coastal intertidal soil by preventing coastal erosion through their complex network of roots (“Teaching about Mangroves, 2013”). Scientifically they are defined as an assemblage of unique tropical plants which are able to survive within variable flooding conditions and withstand high salinity concentration. They do so by a selective combination of structural adaptations such as salt excretion upon leaves, and filtering of absorbed nutrients (“Encyclopaedia of Earth, 2013”). The most healthy and abundant mangrove communities occur in tropical and subtropical areas, between 30o N and 30O S latitude (“Encyclopaedia of Earth, 2013”). An example of a mangrove community presents itself within the Moreton Bay Mangrove community located within South-East Queensland, Australia. The community possesses 8 mangroves species but is predominantly dominated by Avicennia marina (Grey Mangroves) and Aegiceras corniculatum (Black Mangrove) (“Moreton Bay Mangrove, 2013”). The Moreton Bay community provides vital protection and food source for various marine and terrestrial species including wading birds, shrimps and crabs. Structurally it is comprised of coastal environments consisting of numerous river estuaries that extend seaward (“Moreton Bay Mangrove Species, 2013”). 1. BIOTIC INTERACTIONS IN THIS MANGROVE COMMUNITY The biotic interactions...
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...Biology – Module 1 – A Local Ecosystem The distribution, diversity and numbers of plants and animals found in ecosystems are determined by biotic and abiotic factors. Compare the abiotic characteristics of aquatic and terrestrial environments. An aquatic environment is one that consists in water. The abiotic characteristics of an aquatic environment include: Buoyancy – This refers to the upward pressure (or thrust) that is applied on the organism by its medium. Buoyancy is determined by the density of the medium and determines the floating ability of an organism. Water provides sufficient buoyancy for many organisms, e.g., the jellyfish. If a jellyfish is taken out of water and placed on land it will disintegrate by spreading apart. Thus, the water provides enough buoyancy (pressure) in order to keep the shape of the jellyfish. Pressure – This is the downward force that is applied on an organism by its medium. In water, the pressure is dependent on the depth. Organisms that live at the bottom of the ocean experience the effects of extreme pressure and they must have specific adaptations that enable them to survive in such harsh environments. Temperature Variations – Usually in an aquatic environment there are minimal temperature variations to that compared with terrestrial environments. The temperature variations also depend on the size of the body of water; a large body of water will experience much less temperature variations than a smaller body...
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...From Processes to Promise: Ivanka Visnjic Business Models Research Lead, Cambridge Service Alliance Assistant Professor, ESADE Business School How complex service providers use business model innovation to deliver sustainable growth Andy Neely Director, Cambridge Service Alliance Founder members: Judge Business School The Cambridge Service Alliance The Cambridge Service Alliance is a unique global partnership between businesses and universities. It brings together the world’s leading firms and academics, all of whom are devoted to delivering today the tools, education and insights needed for the complex service solutions of tomorrow. About the Cambridge Service Alliance Founded in 2010 by BAE Systems, IBM and the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Manufacturing and Judge Business School, the Cambridge Service Alliance brings together world-leading organisations with an interest in complex service systems to: • Conduct insightful, yet practical research to improve the design and deployment of high-performance complex service systems. • Create and develop industrially applicable tools and techniques that deliver competitive advantage. • Provide an unparalleled network of academics and industrialists that share experience, knowledge and insight in how better to design and deploy high performance complex service systems. • Develop and deliver public and member-only education programmes to raise the skill levels of organisations. Joining the Cambridge...
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...which you illustrate the energy flow among organisms of a food chain in a particular ecosystem. Select an ecosystem, such as a temperate forest, desert biome, or the Everglades. For the ecosystem, I chose The Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Determine the interdependency of life in your ecosystem by examining its organisms. Include the following: List the organisms that can be found in your ecosystem. 1. Dolphin 2. Green Sea Turtle 3. Tiger Shark 4. Trevallies 5. Cardinal Fish 6. Manta Ray 7. Remora 8. Giant Triton 9. Crown of Thorns Starfish 10. Hard Coral 11. Zooxanthelleae 12. Sea Slugs 13. Sea Sponges 14. Spanish Dancer 15. Sea Grasses 16. Barracuda 17. Parrot Fish 18. Algae 19. Scorpion Fish 20. Goby 21. Saddled Butterfly Fish 22. Sea Anemones 23. Clownfish 24. Long Nosed Butterfly Fish 25. Barred Rabbit Fish 26. Branching Coral 27. Jellyfish 28. Coneshells 29. Bluestriped Fangblenny 30. Lizzard Fish 31. Phytoplankton 32. Coralline algae 33. Filamentous Turfalgae 34. Many species of seaweed 35. Bacteria (PBS evolution, 2003) * What is the benefit of this biodiversity? The Great Barrier Reef is well known for its vast biodiversity. Biodiversity is the variety of organisms that can be found to fulfill and the vital niches in an ecosystem. Each of the thousands of organisms are in a delicate balance with one and other...
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...An ecosystem, very similarly described as a community (along with the physical environment), is often defined as an area filled with particular species that have relations to one another. Each species in a certain ecosystem is vitally important for the survival of that ecosystem; which will clearly be displayed in this report. Some species in an ecosystem rely on another species as a food supply and that is a major reason as to why it is important to keep all species alive. If one species becomes extinct, the species that relied primarily on them in order to survive will begin to suffer and also be put at risk for extinction. As one can imagine, this would continue to have a ripple effect on the food chain and eventually the ecosystem would...
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...“BATTLE” WITH OLD SYSTEM Assignment 1A COIS20024—Systems Management Overview Term 2, 2011 Prepared and Submitted by Jie, NING S0199030 Tutor: Bin Seow Due Date: 2 August 2011 Date Submitted: <02/08/2011> Table of contents Introduction 3 References justification 3 <Reference 1> 3 <Reference 2> 4 <Reference 3> 4 <Reference 4> 4 <Reference 5> 5 <Reference 6> 5 References 6 Introduction Now a day, in a highly competitive environment, information has become the most important input in Commercial activities. The problem faced to managers and decision maker is: How to make information to be a valuable basic resource and recognise that information plays a leading role in society. The establishment of computer management information system is an important way to accomplish this mission. Also it is an important step to modernize management. Management Information System not only become a need for business management and decision making but also a basic construction of a company. Management Information Systems is an evolving new discipline, MIS is defined as computer technology and advances in communication technology are constantly updated, generally considered at this stage by management information system and computer equipment or other means of information processing components and systems for managing information.( O'Brien, 2011) Management information from the information acquisition, information...
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...LIVING ORGANISMS CAN PLAY IMPORTANT ROLE IN ECOSYSTEMS. DISCUSS HOW AN ORGANISM OF YOUR CHOICE PLAYS KEY ROLE IN AN ECOSYSTEM. SHOW HOW HUMAN ACTIVITY HAS HAD AN IMPACT ON BOTH THE ORGANISM AND THE ECOSYSTEM. The relationship among living organisms, ecosystems and human activity is close and dependent on each other. Living organisms and human activity can support and maintain the health of ecosystems while human activity is able to have adverse impacts on both organisms and ecosystems. Sea turtle also plays key role in the sea ecosystem. This essay will indicate the important roles of sea turtles on two sea ecosystem, beaches and marine systems, and negative effects of human activity on the turtle and sea ecosystem. Sea turtles have played vital roles in maintaining the health of the world’s oceans for more than 100 million years. According to Ruckdeschel and Shoop (2006, p.2), there are seven species of sea turtles in the world’s oceans, including flatback, green, hawksbill, Kemp’s ridley, leatherback, loggerhea and olive ridley. The roles of those species consist of maintaining healthy seagrass beds and coralreefs, providing habitat for other marine life, helping to balance marine food webs and facilitating nutrient cycling from water to land. To more specific, there is an influence of sea turtles on seagrass beds. Sea turtles, especially green sea turtles, is an animal eating seagrass. This action of the turtles assist in maintaining the health of the sea grass beds...
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...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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...Issues in Ecology Number 4, Fall 1999 Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning: Maintaining Natural Life Support Processes Issues in Ecology Number 4 Fall 1999 Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning: Maintaining Natural Life Support Processes by Shahid Naeem, Chair, F.S. Chapin III, Robert Costanza, Paul R. Ehrlich, Frank B. Golley, David U. Hooper, J.H. Lawton, Robert V. ONeill, Harold A. Mooney, Osvaldo E. Sala, Amy J. Symstad, and David Tilman Critical processes at the ecosystem level influence plant productivity, soil fertility, water quality, atmospheric chemistry, and many other local and global environmental conditions that ultimately affect human welfare. These ecosystem processes are controlled by both the diversity and identity of the plant, animal, and microbial species living within a community. Human modifications to the living community in an ecosystem as well as to the collective biodiversity of the earth can therefore alter ecological functions and life support services that are vital to the well-being of human societies. Substantial changes have already occurred, especially local and global losses of biodiversity. The primary cause has been widespread human transformation of once highly diverse natural ecosystems into relatively species-poor managed ecosystems. Recent studies suggest that such reductions in biodiversity can alter both the magnitude and the stability of ecosystem processes, especially when biodiversity is reduced to the low...
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...Coral reefs are one of the biological cornerstones of the ocean and are fundamental to many marine ecosystems worldwide. Whilst they have countless uses to socioeconomic and tourism sectors globally, their role in the biological sense is of far greater value. By looking at their importance to the biology of the oceans, a greater understanding of the level in which they need to be protected can be formed. One of their key characteristics is their ability to provide shelter and protection to countless marine organisms. This is done so efficiently that entire ecosystems form solely around coral reefs and the habitats they create. These reefs also act as a vital buffer for waves and strong ocean conditions. By dissipating the wave energy, they...
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...Problem Statement: Are food chains and food webs the same? How do organisms transfer energy? Background information: (Source: www.epa.gov) All organisms in an ecosystem need energy to survive. This energy is obtained through food. Producers obtain energy by making their own food whereas consumers must feed on other organisms for energy. This dependence on other organisms for food leads to feeding relationships that interconnect all living things in an ecosystem. A food chain illustrates the simplest kind of feeding relationship. For example, in a forest ecosystem, a grasshopper feeds on plants. The grasshopper is consumed by a spider and the spider is eaten by a bird. Finally, that bird is hunted by a hawk. A food chain clearly shows this pathway of food consumption. You could probably think of another food chain for a forest ecosystem. In fact, many different food chains exist in ecosystems. Although there are many different kinds of food chains, each food chain follows the same general pattern. A link in a food chain is called a trophic, or feeding level. The trophic levels are numbered as the first, second, third, and fourth levels, starting with the producers. Each of the trophic levels is occupied by a certain kind of organism. Producers are always in the first trophic level since they do not feed on another organism. Consumers occupy the rest of the trophic levels. The second trophic level is the first consumer in the food chain and is called a primary consumer...
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...Wal-Mart, and eBay provide ecosystems in which other companies thrive or fail. But what are effective strategies for a small fish in a big pond? An excerpt from The Keystone Advantage by HBS professor Marco Iansiti and Roy Levien. About Faculty in this Article: Marco Iansiti is the David Sarnoff Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. * More Working Knowledge from Marco Iansiti * Marco Iansiti - Faculty Research Editor's Note: The art of business today seems to be the ability to influence resources your company doesn't own—resources such as the production scheduling of manufacturing partners, the packaging requirements of distribution partners, and the development of technical standards your products must incorporate. Welcome to the age of business interdependence, say HBS professor Marco Iansiti and collaborator Roy Levien, authors of the new HBSP book The Keystone Advantage: What the New Dynamics of Business Ecosystems Mean for Strategy, Innovation, and Sustainability. Think of the business environment as a series of ecosystems, they urge, with "keystone" companies such as Microsoft and Wal-Mart providing for the health of all who do business with them. What are the best strategies for companies living in these ecosystems? This excerpt focuses on strategies for niche players. The essence of a niche strategy is to achieve specialization by taking explicit advantage of the opportunities provided by the ecosystem while avoiding the kinds...
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...Principles The key to understanding the environmental problems that we encounter today is to learn about our ecosystem. This section highlights the basic environmental principles, varied types of ecosystem, current environmental issues, anthropogenic activities that threat the environment and the role of youth in protecting our environment. Nature knows best. This principle is the most basic and in fact encompasses all the others. Humans have to understand nature and have to abide by the rules nature dictates. In essence, one must not go against the natural processes if one would like to ensure a continuous and steady supply of resources. One natural process that needs serious attention is nutrient cycling. In nature, nutrients pass from the environment to the organisms and back to the environment. Any disruption in the cycle can bring about imbalance. For example, burning of farm wastes instead of allowing them to decompose naturally disrupts the cycle. In burning, most of the organic compounds are lost. The combustion products bring greater havoc as in the case of carbon dioxide build-up, which results in the warming-up of the earth, or the so-called "greenhouse" effect. Nature has also its built-in mechanisms to maintain balance of homeostasis - the availability of nutrients, conduciveness of the environment for growth and reproduction, and the feeding relationships that exist between and among organisms which serve as population controls. For example, the rat population...
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...Biodiversity is the foundation of ecosystem services to which human well-being is intimately linked. No feature of Earth is more complex, dynamic, and varied than the layer of living organisms that occupy its surfaces and its seas, and no feature is experiencing more dramatic change at the hands of humans than this extraordinary, singularly unique feature of Earth. This layer of living organisms—the biosphere—through the collective meta¬bolic activities of its innumerable plants, animals, and microbes physically and chemically unites the atmosphere, geo-sphere, and hydrosphere into one environmental system within which millions of species, including humans, have thrived. Breathable air, potable water, fertile soils, productive lands, bountiful...
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