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Landscape and Restoration Ecology

Landscape and Restoration Ecology. Chapter 5 APES. Putting it all together. Nature in Balance. Human Disturbance. We are changing natural habitats which threatens biodiversity We are consuming vast amounts of the resources on the planet

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Landscape and Restoration Ecology

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  1. Landscape and Restoration Ecology Chapter 5 APES

  2. Putting it all together

  3. Nature in Balance

  4. Human Disturbance • We are changing natural habitats which threatens biodiversity • We are consuming vast amounts of the resources on the planet • We are upsetting the natural balance of primary productivity

  5. So what does that all really mean?

  6. Page 112 Figure 3.8 • Examine the domesticated vs. undomesticated land • Why/How is the label for this figure misleading? • Are there any biomes that have been spared? Why?

  7. Which biome has taken the biggest hit??

  8. The lucky winner is….. The temperate forests!

  9. US ECOSYSTEMS Ecosystem link Monday: first hour: TRAPPER!

  10. WHY? • The soils support our agriculture. • The trees and climate are ideal fo human occupation. • You may think the tropics are the best for humans….but heat brings…..

  11. Other heavily impacted biomes: • Tropical dry forests • Grasslands • Temperate rainforests • Islands Cultivation in these areas leads to soil loss/erosion! Then biodiversity drops…

  12. Who gets left alone? Tundra and the arctic Why? • It’s cold • There’s poor soil

  13. How about the Aquatic BIOMES? Wetlands: ½ of America’s wetlands have been drained, filled or otherwise polluted in the last 250 years.

  14. Why drain a wetland? • Wetlands Paper: US HISTORY • Spotlight: Horicon marsh

  15. Landscape Ecology The study Of the reciprocal effects Of spatial pattern On ecological processes.

  16. Important aspects of Landscape Ecology • Landscape ecology considers the impact of humans • Traditional ecology kind of ignores them • Patches • Heterogeneity • Time and space

  17. Patches Traditionally we look and say: a rainforest! The Landscape ecologist sees a mosaic of patches with distinct soils, topography, climate, and site history. Those patches are going through succession, folks!

  18. Heterogeneity These patches make a heterogeneous mix of habitats that allow the area to resist disturbance. Scale Composition Structure Function

  19. Landscape Dynamics “A sense of place” How does the land change over time? EGDE habitat is critical. WHY? Edges can impair and facilitate the movement of nutrients.

  20. Edge habitat • Image of Fort Atkinson Another image Yet another image

  21. EDGE What happens between patches may be more important then the patches themselves.

  22. FOCUS

  23. Complex This type of Interaction Requires high math To wade thru The chaos.

  24. Restoration Ecology Repairing or restoring ecosystems Damaged By humans or mother nature

  25. Some terms to know: Restoration Rehabilitation Remediation Reclamation Re-creation

  26. Restoration To return something to it’s former condition.

  27. Rehabilitation Attempts to rebuild or reestablish elements of a structure or function in an ecological ecosystem without necessarily achieving complete restoration.

  28. Remediation The process of removing chemical contaminates from a polluted area by biological or physical methods as a first step towards protecting human ecosystem health.

  29. Reclamation Chemical or physical manipulations carried out in severely degraded sites such as open pit mines or large-scale construction.

  30. Re-creation Attempts to construct a new biological community on a site that is so severaly disturbed that there is virtually nothing left to restore. Lake Erie site

  31. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers How many dam projects do we need?

  32. Preservation vs. Reservationists Where should we spend out dollars? Fix messes, or save gems?

  33. How Do We Fix Things? We use tools!

  34. Tools of Restoration

  35. Tools of Restoration

  36. But how far back? When is it good enough?

  37. Might this work? Let Nature Heal Itself?

  38. Mt. St. Helens after the blast

  39. Mt. St Helens, 2005

  40. Authentic vs. Artificial Where should we spend our funds? How do we decide?

  41. Any Questions?

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