Human Impacts on Ecosystems Assessment Task
Part 1 - Background
Introduction
Its no surprise that humans are changing the environment. And the effects of these changes have impacts on all different wild life all over the world. In Australia many native species are struggling to survive due to human activity’s like habitat destruction, introduced species, altered fire patterns and a lowered genetic diversity, these few issues effect a very large amount of animals in Australia, but especially effect small mammals that rely on specific live and be able to source food, when fires burn down there habitat or species likes foxes and cats are introduced it can push these animals closer to extinction.
Explain two different impacts humans have on ecosystems -- and the consequences these have on the ecosystem functioning.
1. Habitat Destruction
Humans clear out forests, grasslands and wet lands for farming, housing, roads and other “Necessary” human needs.
The consequences of habitat destruction:
- Loss of biodiversity in certain species – animals and different plants lose there home causing declines in population and in some cases extinction
- disrupted food chains – when one species population declines or it goes extinct it affects predators, prey and pollinators connected to it
2. Introduction of invasive species
Humans accidentally or deliberately introduced non native species (like foxes, rabbits and weeds) to areas where they have no natural predators.
The consequences of introducing invasive species:
- Native Species Decline – Introduced species often outcompete, prey on or spread disease to the the native animals
- Loss of ecosystem stability – With native species gone and new introduced ones dominating, ecosystems become less resilient to change like droughts or fires
Extinction - Why its a problem?
Extinction is a rising issues we as a planet are facing currently, the issue with extinction is that it removes essential ecosystem services, this means that one extinct species can affect food chains and other important services of a ecosystem, it reduces biodiversity and lowers the gene pool.
Is it important to look after our Environment?
Looking after the environment is crucial as it supports life on earth, including our own, the species, natural process and ecosystem services all work together to keep our planet healthy. When we care for our environment we are also caring for the next generations to come by keeping the world healthy it allows us to continue to live healthy and helps other species thrive in their environment.