Ecology Ch.3.2

Renewable Resources: a resource that can be used over and over again.
*Renewable resources can be replaced naturally or by humans in a short amount of time, but they may run out if they are overused or managed poorly.

Nonrenewable Resources. : a resource that cannot be replaced.
*Copper, gold, coal, petroleum, and natural gas are removed from underground by mining or drilling. They are main energy source for heating, industry, and transportation and are used to make many products.

Today, motor vehicles, factories, and power plants are the main sources of air pollution.
The air pollutants affect humans and animals and are the main cause of acid rain.

Another factor that affects biodiversity in ecosystems.

Oil spills, soil erosion, wastewater, chemical runoff, landfills all cause water pollution.

When fish and amphibians in aquatic ecosystems are exposed to pollution, the entire food web is affected. The result is that biodiversity in the ecosystem decreases.

Pollution across systems.
Pollution can be carried from one place to another by abiotic factor (by wind or water).
•Wind carried ash from Mount St. Helens to different ecosystem.
•Wind carries acid rain to forest ecosystem.
•Some chemical pollutants can run off land and into a body of water
•Polluted water can evaporate into the atmosphere.

Habitat loss endangers biodiversity.
A habitat with large number of different species of plants and animals can withstand the destructions.
* Humans remove and change the habitats of other organisms living in the environment, which can decrease biodiversity-the number and variety of organisms within the environment.

Removing Habitat
Disturbing habitats removes not only food but space, shelter, and protection for living things.

Changing Habitat
Another kind of loss of habitat occurs when humans move species into new habitats. Some species (invasive species), when released in a new place, may replace the native species.

Scientists estimate that Earth supports more than 10 million different species and thousands of species are threatened. By protecting biodiversity we can help ecosystems thrive and even recover more quickly after a natural disturbances.