Natural Resources and the Environment

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Humans have a tremendous impact on the environment. Everything we do in some way affects plant and animal life, whihc therefore, affects our biosphere. Before we study how humans impact the environment we first ned to learn about how things in our world interact with one another.

An ecosystem is the habitat or environment where organisms live and interact. The ecosystem includes abiotic (non-living) factors such as sunlight, temperature, water and soil and biotic (living) factors. The interaction of the biotic and abiotic factors creates the ecosystem. An environment includes all biotic and abiotic factors. Biodiversity is a variety of species living together in one place. The part of the Earth that supports life is the biosphere. All organisms have some impact on the environment. They eat, excrete waste and/or take up space. Organisms of the same species living together in a particular area make up a population. All the populations of animals and plants living together in an area make up a community. The population living in a forest forms a community. In a forest you are likely to find populations of mice, pine trees, beetles, ferns, mushrooms and many other kinds of organisms living together. Non-living things (abiotic) in the environment, such as minerals in the soil are necessary for the community to survive. Therefore an ecosystem is the combination of all living (biotic) things in a community and its non-living (abiotic) environment.

All living things in an ecosystem have a function or role within the community. We call this an animal’s niche. Plants provide oxygen; earthworms give off nutrient rich castings, which help to create fertile soil.

This unique place where organisms can live, grow and reproduce is called its habitat.

Some organisms even change the physical environment, particularly humans. Humans clearing forests in an area can have a dramatic impact on the ecosystem. The soil will change, living creatures, relying on trees for food, shelter, and protection are now at risk. Shaded areas are now sunny. The balance of the ecosystem can be greatly affected.

A biome is a community of plants and animals in particular geographical areas of land with a distinct climate. There are seven major biomes including: desert, tropical forest, temperate forest, tundra, taiga, grasslands/savannah, and deciduous forest. The climate is the typical weather in a place over a long period of time including precipitation, rain, snow, sleet, hail, temperature and seasonal patterns.

The Transfer of Energy

An ecosystem needs and uses energy because its living members need and use energy. Energy is the most important factor in determining how many and what kind of organisms live in an ecosystem. Life exists because organisms, called producers, take energy from their surroundings and store it. Except for a few kinds of bacteria, producers capture energy from the sun through photosynthesis. Plants, bacteria, and algae are producers. All other organisms are called consumers. They obtain their energy by consuming (eating) other organisms. Animals that eat producers are called primary consumers. A cow eating grass is a primary consumer. Animals that eat primary consumers are called secondary consumers. Humans eat the cow and are secondary consumers. Each ecosystem contains consumers called decomposers. Decomposers obtain energy by consuming organic waste (feces, urine, fallen leaves and dead bodies).

Creatures that eat plants are called herbivores. Those that eat flesh are called carnivores and those that eat both plants and animals are called omnivores.