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The Effects of Human Activity on Ecosystems

Apr 14, 2025

Human Impact on Ecosystems

Overview

  • Human activities have significantly impacted the environment over the last 50 years.
  • Daily human actions affect ecosystems, contributing to the extinction of nearly 1000 plant and animal species in the last century.
  • Ecosystems provide essential services like water filtration, carbon absorption, and food production.

Importance of Ecosystems

  • Ecosystem Services:

    1. Support Services: Recycle life-essential compounds, form soils, produce oxygen.
    2. Provisioning Services: Provide raw materials like food, water, fiber, and fuel.
    3. Regulating Services: Decompose waste, filter air and water, regulate climate.
    4. Cultural Services: Offer recreational, aesthetic, and educational opportunities.
  • Economical valuation of ecosystem services equates to $46 trillion/year, nearly 70% of the global economy's output.

Importance of Biodiversity

  • High biodiversity increases ecosystem resilience to disturbances.
  • Loss of a single species can significantly impact low-biodiversity ecosystems.

Human Impact on Ecosystems

  • Deforestation:

    • Clear-cutting around 8,000 hectares of rainforest daily affects ecosystem stability.
    • Leads to erosion, loss of water regulation, and affects marine ecosystems.
  • Desertification:

    • Driven by deforestation, overgrazing, and over-irrigation.
    • Leads to salinization of soil, expanding deserts like the Gobi Desert.
  • Climate Change:

    • Reduced forests and increased fossil fuel use drive global warming.
    • Results in habitat loss, changes in species distribution, and increased fires.
  • Introduction of Invasive Species:

    • Non-native species, like kudzu and cane toads, disrupt local ecosystems.
  • Overharvesting:

    • Overfishing and exterminating predators reduce ecosystem diversity.

Upcoming Topics

  • The next episode will explore pollution, its sources, and mitigation strategies.

Conclusion

  • Human activities are interconnected and can lead to cascading effects on biodiversity and ecosystems.
  • Encouragement to engage and learn more through provided resources and community interaction.