Biodiversity and ecosystem services

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Lesson notes

What is Biodiversity?

**Biodiversity** refers to the variety of life in all its forms, including the number of species, genetic variation, and ecosystem diversity.
High biodiversity makes ecosystems more **resilient** to disturbances like disease or climate change.
Biodiversity is the foundation of the ecosystem services that humans rely on.

Definition of Ecosystem Services

**Ecosystem services** are the benefits that humans obtain from ecosystems.
The **Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA)** defines them as 'the benefits people obtain from ecosystems'.
Ecosystem services include both goods (like food and water) and services (like pollination and climate regulation).

Four Categories of Ecosystem Services

**Provisioning services** – products obtained from ecosystems, such as food, fresh water, timber, and medicinal resources.
**Regulating services** – benefits from regulation of ecosystem processes, including climate regulation, flood control, and disease regulation.
**Supporting services** – services that underlie all other ecosystem services, such as nutrient cycling, soil formation, and primary production.
**Cultural services** – non-material benefits like recreation, tourism, spiritual enrichment, and aesthetic appreciation.

Examples of Provisioning Services

**Food**: crops, wild foods, seafood, and game.
**Raw materials**: lumber, fuelwood, fibers, and fertilizer.
**Genetic resources**: genes for crop improvement and medicine.
**Medicinal resources**: pharmaceuticals and chemical models from nature.
**Energy**: hydropower and biomass fuels.

Examples of Regulating Services

**Climate regulation**: forests and oceans absorb carbon dioxide, helping mitigate climate change.
**Flood control**: wetlands and mangroves absorb excess water and reduce flooding.
**Pollination**: bees and other insects pollinate crops, essential for food production.
**Water purification**: ecosystems filter pollutants from water.

Examples of Supporting Services

**Nutrient cycling**: decomposition and recycling of nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus.
**Soil formation**: weathering of rocks and decomposition of organic matter create fertile soil.
**Primary production**: photosynthesis by plants and algae forms the base of food webs.
**Oxygen production**: plants release oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis.

Examples of Cultural Services

**Recreation and tourism**: hiking, birdwatching, and visiting natural parks.
**Spiritual and religious value**: many cultures revere natural landscapes.
**Aesthetic appreciation**: beauty of landscapes inspires art and photography.
**Educational value**: ecosystems provide opportunities for learning and research.

Importance of Biodiversity for Ecosystem Services

Biodiversity enhances the **reliability** of ecosystem services – diverse ecosystems are more stable.
Loss of biodiversity can reduce the **quality and quantity** of services, such as lower crop yields from pollinator decline.
Protecting biodiversity helps maintain the **resilience** of ecosystems to environmental changes.

Human Impact and Conservation

Human activities like deforestation, pollution, and climate change threaten biodiversity and ecosystem services.
Conservation efforts include creating **protected areas**, restoring habitats, and sustainable resource use.
Evaluating ecosystem services can help **inform decisions** by assigning economic value to nature's benefits.

Energy pyramid showing trophic levels. Energy decreases at each level, supporting fewer organisms.

Slides

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Practice questions

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1.Which of the following is an example of a provisioning ecosystem service?
Easy
- APollination of crops
- BFlood control
- CTimber production
- DRecreation
2.Which category of ecosystem services includes nutrient cycling and oxygen production?
Easy
- AProvisioning services
- BRegulating services
- CCultural services
- DSupporting services
3.Which of the following is NOT a regulating service?
Easy
- AClimate regulation
- BDisease control
- CFood production
- DFlood control
4.The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment groups ecosystem services into four categories. Which category is considered the basis for the other three?
Medium
- AProvisioning services
- BRegulating services
- CCultural services
- DSupporting services
5.An estuary provides marine resources (provisioning), nutrient cycling (supporting), carbon sequestration (regulating), and tourism (cultural). Which statement is correct?
Medium
- AAn ecosystem must provide all four types of services to be valuable.
- BAn ecosystem typically provides a combination of services, but not necessarily all four.
- CSupporting services are not considered ecosystem services by the MA.
- DCultural services are the most important category.
6.Which of the following is a cultural ecosystem service?
Medium
- AClean water
- BSpiritual gratification
- CDecomposition of wastes
- DGenetic resources
7.A company wants to assign an economic value to the pollination service provided by bees in an agricultural region. This is an example of evaluating which type of ecosystem service?
Hard
- AProvisioning
- BRegulating
- CSupporting
- DCultural
8.According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, which of the following best defines ecosystem services?
Hard
- AThe goods and services provided by ecosystems to humans
- BThe total economic value of all natural resources
- CThe processes that maintain ecosystem structure
- DThe benefits that humans provide to ecosystems

Revision notes

## Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Ecosystem services are the benefits humans get from nature. They are grouped into four categories by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA): - **Provisioning services**: products obtained from ecosystems (e.g., food, fresh water, timber, fuel, medicines, genetic resources). - **Regulating services**: benefits from regulation of ecosystem processes (e.g., climate regulation, flood control, disease control, water purification, pollination). - **Cultural services**: non-material benefits (e.g., recreation, tourism, spiritual enrichment, aesthetic enjoyment). - **Supporting services**: services that underlie all other services (e.g., nutrient cycling, soil formation, primary production, oxygen production). **Key idea**: Biodiversity (the variety of life) makes ecosystems more resilient and productive, ensuring these services continue. For example, forests provide timber (provisioning), store carbon (regulating), offer hiking (cultural), and cycle nutrients (supporting). **Human impact**: Activities like deforestation, pollution, and climate change reduce biodiversity and degrade ecosystem services. To maintain them, we need to evaluate competing solutions (e.g., protected areas vs. sustainable use) and choose designs that balance human needs with conservation. **Example**: Estuaries and coastal ecosystems provide: - Provisioning: fish, genetic resources - Supporting: nutrient cycling, primary production - Regulating: carbon sequestration, flood control - Cultural: recreation, tourism **Economic value**: Assigning monetary value to ecosystem services helps decision-makers compare costs and benefits of conservation vs. development.

Ecosystem services: The benefits people obtain from ecosystems, including provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services.
Provisioning services: Products obtained from ecosystems, such as food, fresh water, timber, fiber, and genetic resources.
Regulating services: Benefits from regulation of ecosystem processes, including climate regulation, flood control, disease control, and water purification.
Cultural services: Non-material benefits from ecosystems, such as recreation, tourism, spiritual enrichment, and aesthetic enjoyment.
Supporting services: Services that underlie all other ecosystem services, such as nutrient cycling, soil formation, and primary production.
Biodiversity: The variety of life in all its forms, levels, and combinations, including ecosystem diversity, species diversity, and genetic diversity.
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA): A United Nations initiative that popularized the four-category classification of ecosystem services.

Flashcards

What are ecosystem services?

Ecosystem services are the various benefits that humans derive from ecosystems, such as clean water, food, and climate regulation.

Name the four categories of ecosystem services according to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment.

Provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services.

What are provisioning services?

Provisioning services are the products obtained from ecosystems, including food, fresh water, timber, fiber, and genetic resources.

Give an example of a regulating service.

Climate regulation (e.g., carbon sequestration) or flood control.

What are cultural services?

Cultural services are non-material benefits from ecosystems, such as recreation, tourism, and spiritual gratification.

What are supporting services?

Supporting services are the underlying processes that enable other ecosystem services, such as nutrient cycling, soil formation, and oxygen production.

Why is biodiversity important for ecosystem services?

Biodiversity supports ecosystem function and resilience, ensuring the continued provision of services like pollination, water purification, and pest control.

How do coastal ecosystems provide regulating services?

Coastal ecosystems like mangroves and estuaries provide carbon sequestration and flood control.

What is an example of a provisioning service from forests?

Timber, firewood, and other wood products are provisioning services from forests.

What is the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA)?

The MA was a United Nations initiative that popularized the classification of ecosystem services into four categories.

How can ecosystem services be evaluated?

Ecosystem services can be evaluated by assigning an economic value to them, such as the monetary worth of pollination for crops.

What is the difference between provisioning and regulating services?

Provisioning services are tangible products like food and water, while regulating services are benefits from ecosystem processes like climate control and disease regulation.

Give an example of a cultural service from a marine ecosystem.

Recreation and tourism, such as visiting coral reefs or coastal areas.

Why are supporting services considered the basis for other services?

Supporting services like nutrient cycling and primary production are necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services.

What is a genetic resource as a provisioning service?

Genetic resources include genes from wild species used for crop improvement or medical research.

How does deforestation affect ecosystem services?

Deforestation reduces provisioning services like timber, and impairs regulating services like carbon storage and water purification.

What is the role of pollinators in ecosystem services?

Pollinators (e.g., bees) provide a regulating service by enabling crop and wild plant reproduction, which supports food production.

What are some examples of medicinal resources from ecosystems?

Pharmaceuticals derived from plants, chemical models from organisms, and test organisms for research.

How do wetlands provide regulating services?

Wetlands filter pollutants, control floods, and store carbon.

What is the difference between ecosystem goods and ecosystem services?

Originally, goods were tangible products and services were intangible benefits, but the MA lumps both under ecosystem services.

Why is it important to maintain biodiversity for ecosystem services?

Biodiversity ensures the stability and resilience of ecosystems, allowing them to continue providing services like clean air and water.

What is an example of a supporting service in a forest?

Nutrient cycling, where decomposers break down organic matter and release nutrients for plant growth.

How do ecosystems provide energy as a provisioning service?

Hydropower from rivers and biomass fuels from plants are energy provisioning services.

What are ornamental resources from ecosystems?

Items like furs, feathers, ivory, orchids, and aquarium fish used for fashion, decoration, or pets.

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