Terrestrial Ecosystems

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Terrestrial EcosystemsManagement and Threats

• Chapter 10

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Forests

• Types of Forests (coniferous, temperate, and
  tropical)
• Cover 30 of the earths surface
• tropical forests account for more than half
• old growth forests (not seriously disturbed for
  100 years)--36
• second-growth forests (result from secondary
  succession)--60
• tree plantation (managed forest, same species,
  same age)--4

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Ecological and Economic Services

• Remove carbon dioxide and produce oxygen
• temperature stabilization (climate change)
• Hold soil in place
• minimize flooding
• recharge groundwater
• provide with food/medicine
• home for animals and humans
• provide a source of income

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Major Threats

• Loss of habitat is the single biggest cause of
  species extinction!
• Unsustainable logging (deforestation)
• use wood for biofuel, lumber, paper, exotic woods
  for furniture, flooring, etc.
• harvesting illegally
• selective cutting, clear cutting, strip cutting
• Forest Fires
• surface fires (burn undergrowth and leaf litter),
  beneficial to forests
• crown fires (hot burning, leaps from treetop to
  treetop), destructive to forests

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Major Threats

• Diseases and Insects
• accidentally or deliberately introduced
• Eat leaves (defoliate), flowers, buds, bore holes
  in bark and woody stemscause extensive damage
• Easily spread from tree to tree, hard to control
• Climate change
• trees need certain climate conditions to produce
  seeds, germinate, or produce fruit
• increase in drought conditions also increases
  forest fires

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Deforestation and Tropical Rainforests

• Most vulnerable ecosystems
• loss concentrated in less developed countries
• half of these forests have been lost since 1950
• estimated that these forests will be gone in the
  next 20-40 years
• endemic species that are highly vulnerable to
  extinction
• habitats are fragmented by roads
• slash and burn practice used to make room for
  agriculture

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Rangelands (Grasslands)

• help with soil formation, erosion control,
  chemical cycling, storing carbon dioxide,
  maintaining biodiversity
• Rangeland--unfenced grassland used to support
  grazing species
• moderate grazing healthy
• overgrazing grass is damaged due to too much
  grazing and grass not allowed to recover
• causes ecosystem to be susceptible to invasive
  species, drought and erosion

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Managing Forests

• Purchase sustainably harvested wood products
• Limit clear-cutting, advocate for selective
  cutting
• Limit government subsidies and tax breaks, favor
  replanting efforts
• Educating the public about forest fires and
  prevention (Smokey the Bear)
• using prescribed burns to remove slash, and other
  ground debris
• Reduce the demand for wood products and use them
  more efficiently (other source for paper)
• Limit woods used as fuelwood source

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Managing Grasslands

• control number of grazing animals and time
  allowed to graze
• rotational grazing
• eliminating invaders with herbicides, mechanical
  removal or burning

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National Parks and Reserves

• 1,100 national parks in 120 countries
• 58 national parks in the US
• Many parks threatened by invasive species,
  illegal activities, limited funding, or
  inadequate staff
• especially in less developed countries
• 13 of global land and sea set aside for
  reserves, but only 5 strictly protected.
• 95 reserved for human use
• wilderness areas of land strictly protected from
  human activities (logging, mining, motor vehicle
  use)
• 1964 Wilderness Protection Act

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Yellowstone National Park
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Park History

• Founded in 1872.
• Americas first National Park.
• 3,468 square miles in size.
• Is the most popular park in the US, with annual
  visitors topping 3 million per year, with the
  most visits in the summer.
• In 1988 a devastating wildfire swept through the
  park, burning upward of 36 of the vegetation.
• Result of lots of underbrush gathered in forested
  areas.

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Location and Climate
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Wildlife
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Popular Attractions
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Threats

• Invasive species
• Lots of human traffic increases the chance of
  invaders being introduced
• Water Pollution
• Lots of vehicle traffic increases oil runoffalso
  garbage can accumulated in natural areas
• Overuse of hiking trails, campsites and fishing
  areas

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If I were to visit

• Old Faithful Inn
• The largest log structure in the world!
• I would visit in the springless people and
  wildflowers blooming ?
• I would also make sure to hike Yellowstone canyon
  and Mammoth Hot Springs trails