Ecosystem Services Flashcards
What was Dr. Paul Cox?
A plant physiologist
Why did Dr. Cox choose Samoa?
It has great biodiversity
Variety among organisms and ecological systems at all levels of organization?
Bio diversity
Range of natural resources provided by ecosystems?
Natural capital
Conditions and processes of natural ecosystems and species that provide some human value?
Eg: pollination by bees or wind
Ecosystem services
What should be a human goal?
To sustain current standards and minimize negative impacts
Why care about bio diversity?
Biodiversity benefits humans an others
What do plants evolve to produce as they adapt to other species?
Toxins
Why are plants continuously evolving?
To stay ahead of pressures from herbivores
Can plants gain medicinal properties as they adapt to other species?
Yes
What did the Samoans process to produce drug to treat hepatitis C?
Mamala tree
The study of the relationships existing between people and plants, focusing on understanding how plants are used and managed across different societies and cultures?
Ethnobotany
What were once the primary form of healthcare and inspiration for new drugs?
Chemical weapons from plants
Western medicine replaced natural sources with what?
Pharmacology and lab-based chemistry
International trade in medicinal plants topped what?
100 billion in 2011
What determines the ecological footprint of a population?
Size and amount of resources used/ person
What were the findings from the Hydrologic Station study?
More water
Cleaner water
More buomass
Less CO2
More O2
What is the Global GNP of the US
18 trillion
How much has Colony Collapse Disorder affected all of U.S commercial honeybee colonies?
At least half
How much do honeybees pollinate in crops each year in the US?
15 billion
What are symptoms of Colony collapse disorder?
Failure to return to hive/ no evidence of dead bodies
Rapid losses in large #s
Queen bee and adequate food supply left behind
Insects don’t immediately invade abandoned hive
What happened to the Aral sea in-order to irrigate plants?
There was a diversion of inflowing rivers
What are the consequences of the diversion of the Aral sea?
Potential to disappear
Salt concentration increased
Fishing has ceased
Drinking water quality declined
Concentration of toxins & increase of disease
When was the Nile Perch introduced to Lake Victoria?
1950s
