Threats to an

ecosystem

includ
e

loggin overgrazin irrigati oil

g g on extraction
of of in in the

rainfores grasslands deserts tundra

ts

Which
can
contribut
e to
erosio
n 2
Biomes
 Explain The Relationship Between the
Carrying Capacity of a Population and
the Factors That Impact an Ecosystem

Carrying Capacity is the number of animals

an area (land or water) can support
throughout a year without causing damage
to the animals or habitat.

Increased population will result in many

consequences:
• depletion of natural resources
• polluted water and air
• lack of space
• increase of disease-causing organisms
• decrease in the quality of life

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Carrying Capacity graph
Quality of Air: Explain How a
Highly Populated Society Causes
Air Pollution
 One result of air pollution is global warming.
 Humans cause global warming by burning the fossil
fuels.
 Levels of carbon dioxide are also increased by
deforestation and cement production.

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 Air Pollution and
Environmental Degradation
 Air pollution affects the following:
 Global Warming is the increase in Earth’s average
surface temperature.
 Ozone Depletion is the depletion of the layer that
exists in the atmosphere and absorbs ultraviolet
radiation from the sun.
 Acid Precipitation is precipitation with a pH of less
than 5.0.

Gizmos Lab: Greenhouse Effect

http://explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspView&Resou
rceID=372

Click here for “How Resourceful Are You?”

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Acid Rain
 Air Pollution

includes

primary secondary
pollutant pollutants
s
such as such as

volatile
smog
organic
compounds
which can be removed which can be trapped
from the air by a near Earth’s surface by a

temperature
scrubber inversion

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How Can Recycling Improve
Our Quality of Life?
Example:
 Recycling paper = more trees = more CO2
absorbed = reduced green house gasses =
reduced global warming = less polar ice caps
melting = saving coastal land masses = more
habitats = more biodiversity = healthier
ecosystem = a healthier planet = improved
quality of life for all living things.

The above example

demonstrates how everything
on Earth is interconnected!!!
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 Changes to an Ecosystem
Primary succession is a type of succession that occurs on a surface where no ecosystem existed before. It begins in an area that previously did
 not support life.
can occur on rocks, cliffs, or sand dunes


Secondary succession occurs on

a surface where an ecosystem has
previously existed. It is the process
by which one community replaces
another community that has been
partially or totally destroyed by
humans, animals, or by natural
processes such as storms,
hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, or
volcanic eruptions.
Primary and Secondary Succession
FCAT Multiple Choice
Sample Questions
Scientists are studying the relationship between the amount of
rainfall and reported cases of malaria, a disease, that is spread by
mosquitoes. The scientists' data are shown in the table below. Based
on the data, what conclusion can be made?

A. Malaria cases increase as rainfall amounts decrease.

B. Mosquito breeding increases with the amount of rainfall.
C. Greater amounts of rainfall cause mosquito breeding to
decrease.
D. Malaria cases decrease as the population of mosquitoes
increases. 12
FCAT Multiple Choice
Sample Questions
Plants use carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to aid in the
production of food. Plants then release oxygen into the
atmosphere. What might be a long-term result of clearing
large areas of forestland?

A. an increase in global levels of oxygen

B. a decrease in global levels of carbon dioxide
C. an increase in global levels of carbon dioxide
D. an increase in the number of trees in another
forest

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FCAT Multiple Choice
Sample Questions
Great horned owls feed on snakes and mice among other
mammals. A great horned owl population is threatened
when a logging company decides to harvest its forest
habitat. After many years of continuous deforestation,
much of the owl population has fled in search of a new
forest for nesting. Which of the following scenarios in the
owl's previous habitat is most likely?

A. Both the snake and mouse populations will increase

B. Both the snake and mouse populations will decrease
C. The mouse population will increase but the snake
population will decrease
D. The snake population will increase but the mouse
population will decrease

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 Multiple Choice Sample Questions

The eruption of the volcano, Mount

St. Helens was followed by

A. primary succession.
B. secondary succession.
C. old–field succession.
D. forest succession.

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FCAT Short-Response Sample
Questions
 The diagram below shows the relationship
between three types of animals in a food chain:
Worms are eaten by birds, which in turn are eaten
by snakes.
 If all the birds in an area died due to a new
disease, what would the impact be to the local
populations of worms and snakes after one month?
After one year? Explain your answer.

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 Multiple Choice Sample Questions

What type of vegetation would you expect

to find on newly formed volcanic islands?

A. lichens
B. short grasses
C. shrubs
D. young trees

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