This document contains a summary of a student's exam on environmental systems and societies from February 2013. It includes 4 questions on topics like biomass, net primary productivity, ecosystem structure and function, and human impacts. Question 1 defines biomass and describes methods to estimate total biomass. Question 2 asks about factors influencing biomass and NPP in different biomes. Question 3 defines ecological terms like ecosystem and discusses matter flows. Question 4 examines trophic efficiency and impacts of CFCs, acid deposition, and global warming on NPP.
Ecosystems cycle materials and energy through producers, consumers, and decomposers. Photosynthesis and respiration drive carbon and nitrogen cycles. Primary productivity is the gain by producers, while secondary productivity is the gain by consumers. Limiting factors like temperature, resources, and weather influence populations. Succession involves predictable changes in communities over time from pioneer to climax species. Measuring ecosystem changes involves repeated transects, satellite imagery, and environmental impact assessments.
This document provides summaries of key topics related to systems and models, ecosystems, and human population dynamics.
1) It defines systems, models, laws of thermodynamics, and equilibrium concepts. It also discusses feedback, transfers and transformations of matter and energy.
2) It defines ecosystem components and processes like biotic and abiotic factors, trophic levels, and ecological pyramids. It also summarizes different biomes and their characteristics.
3) It discusses human population dynamics concepts like exponential and logistic growth models, r/K selection strategies, and factors affecting population size. It also summarizes Malthusian and Boserup theories on population growth and food supply.
This document describes the interactions between living things and their environment. It discusses the biotic and abiotic components of the environment. Organisms interact with both components and have a niche defining how they obtain resources and interact. Ecology is the study of these interactions within and between species and their environment. The document also describes the organization of living things from individual to population to community to ecosystem to biosphere. It outlines different types of interactions like competition, predator-prey relationships, and symbiosis.
Fire can be used for ecosystem maintenance, by triggering normal successional processes, or restoration, to repair degradation and reinstate conditions to enable recovery. Maintenance uses fire to avoid excessive senescence, while restoration uses fire to revive declining diversity, reduce fire-sensitive species, and trigger recovery. Shifting a site to alternative fire-sensitive vegetation is a last resort that should only be considered under specific conditions. Cultural burning can also restore cultural practices and landscapes when combined with ecological restoration goals.
1) Ecosystems have trophic structures that determine energy flow and nutrient cycling through feeding relationships between species organized into trophic levels.
2) Producers, which include photosynthetic plants, algae, and bacteria, occupy the first trophic level and support all other levels by harnessing solar or chemical energy.
3) Consumers are organisms that feed on producers or other consumers and are ranked according to the trophic level they occupy, such as herbivores on the first level or carnivores on higher levels.
Ecology is the study of the relationships between organisms and their environment. There are several subdivisions and fields within ecology including autecology, which studies individual species, and synecology which studies the interactions within entire communities. Ecosystems are dynamic systems with biotic and abiotic components that interact through food webs, energy flows, and nutrient cycling. Populations grow according to biotic potential but are regulated by density-dependent and density-independent factors like climate, resources, competition, and predation that determine the ecosystem's carrying capacity.
This document summarizes key concepts from a chapter on community and ecosystem ecology:
1) Communities contain interacting populations that compete for resources but can partition resources to coexist. Predator-prey interactions and symbiotic relationships like parasitism and mutualism also connect populations.
2) Ecosystems involve biotic communities interacting with abiotic environmental factors. Energy flows through food webs while chemical elements cycle through biotic and abiotic components.
3) Human activities can disrupt ecosystems by altering nutrient cycles, polluting the environment, depleting resources, and contributing to climate change through greenhouse gas emissions.
This document contains a summary of a student's exam on environmental systems and societies from February 2013. It includes 4 questions on topics like biomass, net primary productivity, ecosystem structure and function, and human impacts. Question 1 defines biomass and describes methods to estimate total biomass. Question 2 asks about factors influencing biomass and NPP in different biomes. Question 3 defines ecological terms like ecosystem and discusses matter flows. Question 4 examines trophic efficiency and impacts of CFCs, acid deposition, and global warming on NPP.
Ecosystems cycle materials and energy through producers, consumers, and decomposers. Photosynthesis and respiration drive carbon and nitrogen cycles. Primary productivity is the gain by producers, while secondary productivity is the gain by consumers. Limiting factors like temperature, resources, and weather influence populations. Succession involves predictable changes in communities over time from pioneer to climax species. Measuring ecosystem changes involves repeated transects, satellite imagery, and environmental impact assessments.
This document provides summaries of key topics related to systems and models, ecosystems, and human population dynamics.
1) It defines systems, models, laws of thermodynamics, and equilibrium concepts. It also discusses feedback, transfers and transformations of matter and energy.
2) It defines ecosystem components and processes like biotic and abiotic factors, trophic levels, and ecological pyramids. It also summarizes different biomes and their characteristics.
3) It discusses human population dynamics concepts like exponential and logistic growth models, r/K selection strategies, and factors affecting population size. It also summarizes Malthusian and Boserup theories on population growth and food supply.
This document describes the interactions between living things and their environment. It discusses the biotic and abiotic components of the environment. Organisms interact with both components and have a niche defining how they obtain resources and interact. Ecology is the study of these interactions within and between species and their environment. The document also describes the organization of living things from individual to population to community to ecosystem to biosphere. It outlines different types of interactions like competition, predator-prey relationships, and symbiosis.
Fire can be used for ecosystem maintenance, by triggering normal successional processes, or restoration, to repair degradation and reinstate conditions to enable recovery. Maintenance uses fire to avoid excessive senescence, while restoration uses fire to revive declining diversity, reduce fire-sensitive species, and trigger recovery. Shifting a site to alternative fire-sensitive vegetation is a last resort that should only be considered under specific conditions. Cultural burning can also restore cultural practices and landscapes when combined with ecological restoration goals.
1) Ecosystems have trophic structures that determine energy flow and nutrient cycling through feeding relationships between species organized into trophic levels.
2) Producers, which include photosynthetic plants, algae, and bacteria, occupy the first trophic level and support all other levels by harnessing solar or chemical energy.
3) Consumers are organisms that feed on producers or other consumers and are ranked according to the trophic level they occupy, such as herbivores on the first level or carnivores on higher levels.
Ecology is the study of the relationships between organisms and their environment. There are several subdivisions and fields within ecology including autecology, which studies individual species, and synecology which studies the interactions within entire communities. Ecosystems are dynamic systems with biotic and abiotic components that interact through food webs, energy flows, and nutrient cycling. Populations grow according to biotic potential but are regulated by density-dependent and density-independent factors like climate, resources, competition, and predation that determine the ecosystem's carrying capacity.
This document summarizes key concepts from a chapter on community and ecosystem ecology:
1) Communities contain interacting populations that compete for resources but can partition resources to coexist. Predator-prey interactions and symbiotic relationships like parasitism and mutualism also connect populations.
2) Ecosystems involve biotic communities interacting with abiotic environmental factors. Energy flows through food webs while chemical elements cycle through biotic and abiotic components.
3) Human activities can disrupt ecosystems by altering nutrient cycles, polluting the environment, depleting resources, and contributing to climate change through greenhouse gas emissions.
Ecology is the study of the relationships between living organisms and their environment. The key components of ecology include organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, habitats, niches, and trophic relationships. Energy and nutrients flow through ecosystems in food chains and food webs, and are recycled through nutrient cycles. Species interact through competition, predation, parasitism, commensalism, and mutualism. Keystone species have outsized impacts on the structure and function of ecological communities.
Ecology is the science of the relationships between organisms and their environments. It includes the study of biomes, ecosystems, biological and geological systems, biotic and abiotic factors, biological classification, autotrophs and producers, consumers, decomposers, food chains and webs, resources, habitats, niches, limiting factors, carrying capacity, and the environmental impacts of human activity. Humans can cause ecological imbalance through introduced species, fossil fuel use, habitat destruction, pollution, overhunting, and overgrazing.
Ecology is the study of the relationships between organisms and their environment. It involves interactions between organisms and both biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) factors. Ecology can be studied at different levels of complexity, from the individual organism to the biosphere. Populations are dynamic groups of organisms of the same species that live in the same area. Population size and composition can change over time due to factors such as birth rates, death rates, migration patterns, and population density.
Light is a limiting factor that varies between ecosystems and affects both plants and animals in different ways. It has direct effects like influencing photosynthesis, chlorophyll production, and plant distribution. Light also has indirect effects through processes like transpiration and respiration. Animals are impacted by changes in light through behaviors such as migration, hibernation, and biological clocks that are synchronized with day-night cycles.
I didn't make this powerpoint, this is from my IB Biology teacher but it's one of the only topics I actually really enjoyed sooo I'm putting it up, ^_^
This document defines key terms related to organisms and their environment, including biosphere, ecology, habitat, population, and community. It also discusses the components of a community, including producers, consumers (herbivores, carnivores, omnivores), and decomposers. Additionally, it covers topics like primary/secondary/tertiary consumers, predator-prey relationships, ecosystems, and how energy flows through trophic levels in a food chain and food web.
Topic 2.4 Understanding community changeNigel Gardner
The document discusses succession and zonation in the Pyrenees mountains. It explains that primary succession occurs on newly exposed surfaces like after glacial retreat, while secondary succession occurs on previously vegetated land. In the Pyrenees, there is zonation from forest to grassland biomes depending on elevation and precipitation. However, human activities like grazing and agriculture have maintained an open garigue shrubland community between the natural forest and grassland zones.
AP Biology energy and matter transfer through ecosystemsStephanie Beck
Energy enters ecosystems through photosynthesis, where autotrophs like plants convert sunlight into chemical energy stored in organic compounds. Approximately 10% of this primary productivity is passed to primary consumers at the next trophic level, with smaller percentages passed between higher trophic levels, forming an energy pyramid. Matter cycles through ecosystems as well, with carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and other elements moving between abiotic and biotic components through natural processes. Human activities like burning fossil fuels and using fertilizers have altered these natural biogeochemical cycles.
The document provides an overview of ecology, discussing key concepts like ecology scales, the ten rules of ecology, adaptations, niches, biogeochemical cycles, trophic structure, energy flow, food webs, community structure and stability, competition, predation, succession. It covers these concepts across multiple levels from individuals to ecosystems.
Ecology is the study of interactions between organisms and their environment. There are several levels of ecological organization from smallest to largest: species, population, community, and ecosystem. Energy flows through ecosystems via food chains and webs from autotrophs like plants, which produce their own food, to heterotrophs like animals. Organisms fill different roles such as producers, consumers, and decomposers to cycle matter and energy.
The document discusses various abiotic factors such as light, temperature, water, wind, fire, soil and topography and their effects on plants and animals. It describes how organisms have adapted morphological, physiological and behavioral adaptations to extreme conditions caused by these abiotic factors. For example, plants in hot climates are adapted to conserve or store water while animals in windy places develop thick hides and shelter. The document also classifies different types of these abiotic factors and their importance in ecosystems.
This document summarizes key concepts from the book "Landscape Ecology in Action" by Almo Farina. It discusses the origins and definition of landscape ecology, approaches to scaling landscapes, and different types of landscapes including skyscapes, waterscapes, terrestrial landscapes categorized by biotic and abiotic processes, and vertical/suspended landscapes. The conclusion emphasizes that the book provides a detailed description of landscape ecology and can help landscape architects, planners, and geographers better understand how to apply its concepts in practice.
This document contains an answer scheme for an end of semester test in Grade 11. It provides the questions asked in the test and the marking scheme for student responses. The test covered topics related to population ecology, including predator-prey interactions, food webs, methods for estimating population sizes, biodiversity indices, and energy flow through ecosystems. The summary provides the essential information while being concise.
This document discusses various concepts related to how organisms adapt to their environments, including adaptation, evolution, natural selection, ecological niches, and species interactions. It defines key terms like adaptation, evolution, Darwin's theory of evolution, mechanisms of evolution, ecological niche, niche types, speciation, extinction, and organism interactions. Examples are provided to illustrate concepts like natural selection, genetic drift, mutation, migration, microevolution vs macroevolution, fundamental vs realized niche, and speciation patterns. Factors that can influence speciation and extinction like continental drift, climate change, and catastrophic events are also outlined.
When an ecosystem is disturbed through natural or human causes, it undergoes ecological succession over time as species populations change. Succession can be primary on new lands or secondary in previously inhabited areas. In secondary succession, smaller pioneer species arrive first, followed by larger species that feed on them as habitat changes. Eventually a climax community develops if the ecosystem remains undisturbed. Human activities like pollution and overharvesting of resources can disrupt succession and damage ecosystems. A sustainable approach preserves biodiversity, habitats, and uses resources renewably so they are available for future generations.
Andy Moldenke - Insects in Early Seral HabitatsEcoshare
The document discusses how insect communities differ between open canopy and closed canopy forest environments. It finds that about 50% of total arthropod species are only found in early succession open canopy areas in the short time after clearcutting. Open canopy areas tend to have higher species richness and abundance than closed canopy forests. Individual insect species, functional guilds, and whole taxa have different preferences and responses to shade versus sun conditions. Riparian zones also have distinct insect communities that can extend 50-70 meters from the stream, with higher richness and abundance closer to water.
This document discusses ecological niches and the relationships between organisms and their environments. It defines key terms like ecology, biotic and abiotic factors, and ecological niche. An ecological niche refers to an organism's role and position in its environment, including what it eats, habitat requirements, and tolerance of environmental conditions. The document contrasts fundamental and realized niches, and explains Hutchinson's niche concept and Gause's competitive exclusion principle. Examples are provided of how different species occupy different niches to avoid competition, such as various finch species on the Galapagos Islands. Habitat is defined as the actual environment an organism lives in, while niche refers more to the specific requirements that allow it to survive and reproduce.
This document discusses ecosystems and population change. It defines key terms like ecology, ecotones, ecological niche, biotic potential, and carrying capacity. It explains how populations can be limited by factors within ecosystems, including competition for resources. Examples are given of rabbit overpopulation in Australia disrupting the ecosystem. The roles of biotic and abiotic factors in determining population sizes and ecosystem stability are also summarized.
This document discusses the levels of organization in ecology from smallest to largest: organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, biomes, and the biosphere. It defines each level and provides examples. Ecologists study interactions between organisms and their environments at each level of organization. Both biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) factors influence where and how organisms live within their particular niches in a community or habitat.
This presentation by Miles Holmes and Oliver Costello explores key themes emerging from cultural burning discussions, clearly indicating the value Aboriginal people place on burning activities that strengthen cultural identity, support natural and cultural values, develop confidence and provide meaningful learning opportunities.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2015 Bushfire Conference - Fire and Restoration: working with fire for healthy lands.
This presentation by Justin Mallee of Byron Shire Council and Tweed Shire Council discusses how recent studies have shown the importance of fire to the regeneration and ongoing survival of key koala habitat vegetation communities but testing of on-ground techniques for regeneration indicate that adaptive restoration is the key given climatic factors and urban growth issues.
Ecology is the study of the relationships between living organisms and their environment. The key components of ecology include organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, habitats, niches, and trophic relationships. Energy and nutrients flow through ecosystems in food chains and food webs, and are recycled through nutrient cycles. Species interact through competition, predation, parasitism, commensalism, and mutualism. Keystone species have outsized impacts on the structure and function of ecological communities.
Ecology is the science of the relationships between organisms and their environments. It includes the study of biomes, ecosystems, biological and geological systems, biotic and abiotic factors, biological classification, autotrophs and producers, consumers, decomposers, food chains and webs, resources, habitats, niches, limiting factors, carrying capacity, and the environmental impacts of human activity. Humans can cause ecological imbalance through introduced species, fossil fuel use, habitat destruction, pollution, overhunting, and overgrazing.
Ecology is the study of the relationships between organisms and their environment. It involves interactions between organisms and both biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) factors. Ecology can be studied at different levels of complexity, from the individual organism to the biosphere. Populations are dynamic groups of organisms of the same species that live in the same area. Population size and composition can change over time due to factors such as birth rates, death rates, migration patterns, and population density.
Light is a limiting factor that varies between ecosystems and affects both plants and animals in different ways. It has direct effects like influencing photosynthesis, chlorophyll production, and plant distribution. Light also has indirect effects through processes like transpiration and respiration. Animals are impacted by changes in light through behaviors such as migration, hibernation, and biological clocks that are synchronized with day-night cycles.
I didn't make this powerpoint, this is from my IB Biology teacher but it's one of the only topics I actually really enjoyed sooo I'm putting it up, ^_^
This document defines key terms related to organisms and their environment, including biosphere, ecology, habitat, population, and community. It also discusses the components of a community, including producers, consumers (herbivores, carnivores, omnivores), and decomposers. Additionally, it covers topics like primary/secondary/tertiary consumers, predator-prey relationships, ecosystems, and how energy flows through trophic levels in a food chain and food web.
Topic 2.4 Understanding community changeNigel Gardner
The document discusses succession and zonation in the Pyrenees mountains. It explains that primary succession occurs on newly exposed surfaces like after glacial retreat, while secondary succession occurs on previously vegetated land. In the Pyrenees, there is zonation from forest to grassland biomes depending on elevation and precipitation. However, human activities like grazing and agriculture have maintained an open garigue shrubland community between the natural forest and grassland zones.
AP Biology energy and matter transfer through ecosystemsStephanie Beck
Energy enters ecosystems through photosynthesis, where autotrophs like plants convert sunlight into chemical energy stored in organic compounds. Approximately 10% of this primary productivity is passed to primary consumers at the next trophic level, with smaller percentages passed between higher trophic levels, forming an energy pyramid. Matter cycles through ecosystems as well, with carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and other elements moving between abiotic and biotic components through natural processes. Human activities like burning fossil fuels and using fertilizers have altered these natural biogeochemical cycles.
The document provides an overview of ecology, discussing key concepts like ecology scales, the ten rules of ecology, adaptations, niches, biogeochemical cycles, trophic structure, energy flow, food webs, community structure and stability, competition, predation, succession. It covers these concepts across multiple levels from individuals to ecosystems.
Ecology is the study of interactions between organisms and their environment. There are several levels of ecological organization from smallest to largest: species, population, community, and ecosystem. Energy flows through ecosystems via food chains and webs from autotrophs like plants, which produce their own food, to heterotrophs like animals. Organisms fill different roles such as producers, consumers, and decomposers to cycle matter and energy.
The document discusses various abiotic factors such as light, temperature, water, wind, fire, soil and topography and their effects on plants and animals. It describes how organisms have adapted morphological, physiological and behavioral adaptations to extreme conditions caused by these abiotic factors. For example, plants in hot climates are adapted to conserve or store water while animals in windy places develop thick hides and shelter. The document also classifies different types of these abiotic factors and their importance in ecosystems.
This document summarizes key concepts from the book "Landscape Ecology in Action" by Almo Farina. It discusses the origins and definition of landscape ecology, approaches to scaling landscapes, and different types of landscapes including skyscapes, waterscapes, terrestrial landscapes categorized by biotic and abiotic processes, and vertical/suspended landscapes. The conclusion emphasizes that the book provides a detailed description of landscape ecology and can help landscape architects, planners, and geographers better understand how to apply its concepts in practice.
This document contains an answer scheme for an end of semester test in Grade 11. It provides the questions asked in the test and the marking scheme for student responses. The test covered topics related to population ecology, including predator-prey interactions, food webs, methods for estimating population sizes, biodiversity indices, and energy flow through ecosystems. The summary provides the essential information while being concise.
This document discusses various concepts related to how organisms adapt to their environments, including adaptation, evolution, natural selection, ecological niches, and species interactions. It defines key terms like adaptation, evolution, Darwin's theory of evolution, mechanisms of evolution, ecological niche, niche types, speciation, extinction, and organism interactions. Examples are provided to illustrate concepts like natural selection, genetic drift, mutation, migration, microevolution vs macroevolution, fundamental vs realized niche, and speciation patterns. Factors that can influence speciation and extinction like continental drift, climate change, and catastrophic events are also outlined.
When an ecosystem is disturbed through natural or human causes, it undergoes ecological succession over time as species populations change. Succession can be primary on new lands or secondary in previously inhabited areas. In secondary succession, smaller pioneer species arrive first, followed by larger species that feed on them as habitat changes. Eventually a climax community develops if the ecosystem remains undisturbed. Human activities like pollution and overharvesting of resources can disrupt succession and damage ecosystems. A sustainable approach preserves biodiversity, habitats, and uses resources renewably so they are available for future generations.
Andy Moldenke - Insects in Early Seral HabitatsEcoshare
The document discusses how insect communities differ between open canopy and closed canopy forest environments. It finds that about 50% of total arthropod species are only found in early succession open canopy areas in the short time after clearcutting. Open canopy areas tend to have higher species richness and abundance than closed canopy forests. Individual insect species, functional guilds, and whole taxa have different preferences and responses to shade versus sun conditions. Riparian zones also have distinct insect communities that can extend 50-70 meters from the stream, with higher richness and abundance closer to water.
This document discusses ecological niches and the relationships between organisms and their environments. It defines key terms like ecology, biotic and abiotic factors, and ecological niche. An ecological niche refers to an organism's role and position in its environment, including what it eats, habitat requirements, and tolerance of environmental conditions. The document contrasts fundamental and realized niches, and explains Hutchinson's niche concept and Gause's competitive exclusion principle. Examples are provided of how different species occupy different niches to avoid competition, such as various finch species on the Galapagos Islands. Habitat is defined as the actual environment an organism lives in, while niche refers more to the specific requirements that allow it to survive and reproduce.
This document discusses ecosystems and population change. It defines key terms like ecology, ecotones, ecological niche, biotic potential, and carrying capacity. It explains how populations can be limited by factors within ecosystems, including competition for resources. Examples are given of rabbit overpopulation in Australia disrupting the ecosystem. The roles of biotic and abiotic factors in determining population sizes and ecosystem stability are also summarized.
This document discusses the levels of organization in ecology from smallest to largest: organisms, populations, communities, ecosystems, biomes, and the biosphere. It defines each level and provides examples. Ecologists study interactions between organisms and their environments at each level of organization. Both biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) factors influence where and how organisms live within their particular niches in a community or habitat.
This presentation by Miles Holmes and Oliver Costello explores key themes emerging from cultural burning discussions, clearly indicating the value Aboriginal people place on burning activities that strengthen cultural identity, support natural and cultural values, develop confidence and provide meaningful learning opportunities.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2015 Bushfire Conference - Fire and Restoration: working with fire for healthy lands.
This presentation by Justin Mallee of Byron Shire Council and Tweed Shire Council discusses how recent studies have shown the importance of fire to the regeneration and ongoing survival of key koala habitat vegetation communities but testing of on-ground techniques for regeneration indicate that adaptive restoration is the key given climatic factors and urban growth issues.
This presentation by Andy Baker discusses how fire-exclusion threatens the vast majority of Byron Shire’s fire-dependent vegetation and is likely to result in irreversible vegetation change and habitat loss unless fire is restored across the landscape.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2015 Bushfire Conference - Fire and Restoration: working with fire for healthy lands.
This presentation by Robert Quirk of NSW Office of Environment & Heritage provides an overview of how the National Parks & Wildlife Service has been using fire for community and environmental outcomes.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2015 Bushfire Conference - Fire and Restoration: working with fire for healthy lands.
This presentation from Dan Pederson discusses how there is scope to use fire to assist rehabilitation on mine sites, however, there are significant constraints to using fire as a management tool on mine sites in NSW. Through identifying the constraints, the industry could target solutions and gain confidence in this important land management activity (i.e. risk management and fire control capacity building).
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2015 Bushfire Conference - Fire and Restoration: working with fire for healthy lands.
This presentation from Tom Dexter of Eurobodalla Shire Council discusses the process of re-introducing burning to Themeda Grass Headland Endangered Ecological Communities on the south coast of NSW.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2015 Bushfire Conference - Fire and Restoration: working with fire for healthy lands.
This presentation by Emily Moskwa discusses perceptions of risk, fire and vegetation management in urban–rural interfaces are explored with regard to biodiversity values and relationships to landscape in order to understand community concerns for the maintenance of healthy and functional lands.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2015 Bushfire Conference - Fire and Restoration: working with fire for healthy lands.
This presentation by Dave Curry discusses the Bushfire resilience for Aboriginal Communities project (BRAC). By a mutual use of fire and better communication the fire resilience of Aboriginal Communities across the state has improved greatly and the understanding of the Aboriginal Culture by RFS staff has been improved to the level where traditional burns can be used in conjunction with hazard reduction.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2015 Bushfire Conference - Fire and Restoration: working with fire for healthy lands.
This presentation by Phil Paterson of NSW Rural Fire Service discusses a collaborative community engagement initiative on the NSW South Coast which drew on community interest in koalas and potoroos to develop positive outcomes for the management of bushfire risk and threatened species.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2015 Bushfire Conference - Fire and Restoration: working with fire for healthy lands.
Grassy ecosystems in northeast NSW and southeast Queensland will benefit from a coordinated approach to the reintroduction of fire with stakeholders who share a vision for integrating traditional Aboriginal practices with the science of fire ecology.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2015 Bushfire Conference - Fire and Restoration: working with fire for healthy lands.
This presentation from Den Barber of Blue Mountains Fire Sticks shares the story of Blue Mountains Fire Sticks and how they strongly believe that cultural fire can help us to care for Country and for ourselves as people.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2015 Bushfire Conference - Fire and Restoration: working with fire for healthy lands.
This presentation by Professor Lesley Hughes outlines the latest climate observations and projections for Australia and NSW and discuss how the climate-fire interaction is, and will continue, to change the way in which we manage both the natural environment, and the urban/bushland interface.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2015 Bushfire Conference - Fire and Restoration: working with fire for healthy lands.
This presentation by Samantha Lloyd of SE Queensland Fire and Biodiversity Consortium will explore the importance of supporting regional fire applied research, the opportunities for dissemination of the key fire applied research findings to landholders and policy makers and management implications drawn from the current South East Queensland focused research.
This presentation by Paul Gibson-Roy provides case studies from Greening Australia to explore the role of fire in maintaining or enhancing species rich grassy communities.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2015 Bushfire Conference - Fire and Restoration: working with fire for healthy lands.
This presentation by Stuart Midgley, Assistant Commissioner of NSW Rural Fire Service presents an update on the 2014-15 fire season and an overview of the RFS projects related to fire and restoration.,
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2015 Bushfire Conference - Fire and Restoration: working with fire for healthy land
This presentation from Felipe Aires of Sydney University discusses how adding information about plant flammability and fuel complex alteration to current weed classification frameworks can help integrate fire and weed management.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2015 Bushfire Conference - Fire and Restoration: working with fire for healthy lands.
Mark Graham of Nature Conservation Council NSW discusses the growing interest in integrating fire and weed management strategies for better restoration outcomes. In collaboration with many partners the Nature Conservation Council’s ‘Healthy Ecosystems Program’ is trialling new strategies for fire and weed management across NSW. The Hotspots Fire Project team seeks any practical experiences of integrated fire and weed management.
This presentation by Andrew Sheath of the Department of Environment Water and Natural Resources - South Australia discusses how burning is an important weed management tool in degraded sites on the urban fringe.
This presentation by Jeremy Russell-Smith discusses how economic incentives can be a powerful catalyst for development of sustainable landscape fire management
This presentation by Mick Wilson of Forestry Corporation NSW discusses case studies of burns and the experiences of fire management in Forestry lands presented, highlighting the challenges of resuscitating a fuel management programme within a complex regulatory framework.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2015 Bushfire Conference - Fire and Restoration: working with fire for healthy land
This presentation by Associate Professor Alan York of the University of Melbourne provides a brief overview of some of the studies that have increased our knowledge on the response of animals to fire and fire regimes. It outlines current research directions and discusses some of the evolving fire management strategies being implemented by land management agencies.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2017 Bushfire Conference - Fire, Fauna & Ferals: from backyards to bush.
David Lindenmayer_Transforming long-term plot-based research in Australia: LT...TERN Australia
This document discusses a collaborative book project involving 83 environmental professionals that described changes in Australian ecosystems based on long-term research. It included 14 chapters covering nine ecosystems, drawing from 35 core long-term studies. Key findings included detecting increased woodland bird populations and impacts of interventions like grazing control. The book aims to inform natural resource management by documenting ecosystem changes. Future work will maintain long-term sites, curate datasets, succession plan, and conduct new synthesis using long-term data to understand drivers of change across systems over time.
Forest fires play an important natural role in forest regeneration. Climate change may lead to more frequent and severe forest fires due to warmer and drier conditions. Fires release nutrients that promote new growth and allow species migration. However, increased fires also release more carbon into the atmosphere, exacerbating climate change. Researchers are studying past climate and fire relationships to understand future patterns and aid forest management.
Ecological effects of repeated low-intensity fire.pdfJoão Soares
This document summarizes the findings of a long-term study investigating the ecological impacts of repeated low-intensity prescribed burning in mixed eucalypt foothill forests in southeastern Australia from 1984-1999. Some key findings include:
1) Surface fine fuels returned to pre-burn levels within 4 years with no significant differences between season or frequency of burns.
2) No plant species were lost or gained, but some groups like bracken and grasses increased with frequent spring burns while shrubs decreased.
3) Invertebrate populations like beetles and flies recovered within 1-3 years with minimal long-term impacts observed.
4) Reptiles and small mammals depended on unbur
This document discusses environmental issues related to PCB contamination of the Hudson River from General Electric dumping, dredging proposals, and natural breakdown timelines. It also covers the introduction to environmental biology class including the scientific method, models, statistics, and history of environmentalism from conservation to current global problems. Key questions are examined like humanity's role in nature and how to protect the Earth.
Assignment 1 Discussion—Biomes, Development, Pollution, and YouEa.docxmyrljjcpoarch
Assignment 1: Discussion—Biomes, Development, Pollution, and You
Each part of the United States has at least one ecological crisis based on location, biome, and industrialization pattern. For example, the Midwest was once a prairie with very fertile soil. However, when people realized that with the right watering and drainage system this area could become productive farmland, there arose ecological problems. The conversion of the prairie to farmland is the root cause of many ecological problems in this region.
Regardless of what biome you consider, humans have likely had an impact on the ecology of that area.
For this assignment, identify the biome in which you live. The following are a few examples of biomes:
Tropical rainforests: This biome has high average temperatures, high moisture levels, and high species diversity.
Prairies: The prairies have grassland-variable temperatures, variable moisture levels—depending on proximity to mountain ranges—and are mainly dominated by grasses and ungulate herbivores.
Deserts: These biomes have hotter average temperatures, low moisture, lower species diversity, and a composition of species limited mainly to those that are adapted to hot temperatures.
Temperate forests: The temperate forests have variable temperatures, high moisture levels, and higher species diversity.
Taigas: These biomes have colder average temperatures, lower moisture levels, and lower species diversity.
Tundras: The tundras have cold average temperatures, low moisture levels, and low species diversity.
Coral reefs: These biomes have high average temperatures and high species diversity.
Open oceans: These biomes have a wide range of temperatures and species diversity varies.
Chaparrals: The chaparrals have higher average temperatures, lower moisture levels, and are dominated mainly by grasses and shrubs.
Alpines: These biomes have low average temperatures, low precipitation, and receive high ultraviolet (UV) rays due to high elevation.
Using the readings for this module, the Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet, respond to the following:
Explain how humans have impacted the biome in which you live. List the types of environmental damage that have been caused and the species that have been impacted.
Describe the major pollution issues for your biome, and elaborate on the sources of this pollution.
List any species that have become extinct in this biome.
Support your statements with appropriate examples and scholarly references.
Write your initial response in approximately 300–350 words. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.
By
Saturday, October 31, 2015
, post your response to the appropriate
Discussion Area
. Through
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
, review and comment on at least two peers’ responses. Address the following:
Propose how the environmental damage listed in your classmates’ posts could be reversed.
Consider if any “ideal” laws exist today to address these issues. Cite your examples.
Recommen.
This lesson plan outlines a 35-minute class on renewable and non-renewable energy sources for 11-year old students. The teacher will use a PowerPoint presentation to explain key concepts like the meaning of renewable and non-renewable energy, examples of each, the implications of misusing non-renewables, and how energy generation affects quality of life. A debate on the pros and cons of non-renewable energy use and a discussion categorizing energy sources will evaluate students' understanding. The goal is for students to explain the difference between renewable and non-renewable resources and give examples of each by the end of the lesson.
This document contains an article and exercises about ecosystems. It discusses different components of ecosystems like producers, consumers, food chains, and relationships between species. It also includes diagrams of a food web and examples of different ecosystem relationships. The exercises test understanding of key ecosystem concepts and require labeling parts of diagrams and food chains.
This document provides an overview of the conceptual framework and course for a biodiversity conservation class. It discusses key messages around biodiversity loss and the need for sustainability education. The conceptual framework will focus on landscape change and habitat fragmentation as threats. It introduces conceptual landscape models from a human and species perspective. The course will include lectures, tutorials, discussion forums, a field trip, and practical sessions. Assessments will include tutorial facilitation, essays, and a research paper following the field trip.
The passage describes the ponderosa pine forests of the Colorado Plateau, which cover a large area from 6000-8000 feet in elevation. The largest ponderosa pine forest in the US is located on the Mogollon Rim in central Arizona, with an average elevation of 7000 feet. The dominant tree species is ponderosa pine, which commonly associates with Gambel oak and New Mexico locust at lower elevations. At higher elevations, ponderosa pine shares the habitat with other conifer species like white pine, white fir, and Douglas fir, as well as quaking aspen. Common understory plants include grasses, forbs, apache plume, buckbrush, currant, and cliffrose.
Running head ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE1ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE.docxcharisellington63520
Running head: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
1
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
2
Environmental Science
Student’s Name
University Affiliation
Environmental Science
Environmental science part 1
1page Define stewardship and define sustainability.
Stewardship of the ecosystem refers to a framework that is action-oriented and that seeks to develop the sustainability of the socio-ecological environment of a planet that is rapidly changing planet. It considers the means through which the resources availed by the environment are managed with the intent of ensuring they are not wasted or exhausted. Sustainability on the other hand refers to the facilitation of current needs by using the environment without jeopardizing future generations’ ability to meet their needs.
Considering the Amazon forest, there are several considerations that can be made in light of the stewardship and sustainable utilization of the resource. To begin with, it is imperative that Amazon resource are conserved by being included as a conservation reserve and marked for protection and sustainability. Additionally, it could be placed under a covenant of conservation. There should also be an inventory of the natural resources in the Amazon including a comprehensive inventory of the biological resources found in the forest and which should be monitored within regular intervals. Additionally, there should be increased research on the identification of maintenance procedures of proper biological and physical processes from the forest. There should also be policies set that determine the sustainable utilization of timber from the Amazon rainforest according to proper standards that will ensure that future generations use of the same is not endangered (Chapin III & Matson, 2011).
The environmental implications that can arise as a result of deforestation of the Amazon forest are innumerable. To begin with animals dependent on the forest would find it difficult to survive and, therefore, may become extinct. This would make them unavailable for future generations. Additionally, deforestation leads to an imbalance between the carbon dioxide: oxygen ratio in the atmosphere. As a result, air pollution will become aggravated.
PART 2
Ecosystems and How They Work - Sustainable Development close
In this assignment, you will investigate the biotic and abiotic structure and function of an ecosystem. Choose one of the following ecosystems:
Tropical rainforest
An ecosystem refers to a correlated community of both living and non-living organisms and the environment in which they are found. It comprises an abiotic and biotic component. For this discussion the ecosystem chosen is a tropical rainforest. The biome of a rainforest is highly complex as it comprises a myriad of various plant and animal species which are adapted to surviving under rainy conditions. An example is the Amazon rainforest. In the rainforest ecosystem there exist various plant levels, with the highest being the tall trees that fo.
This chapter introduces concepts related to environmental sustainability. It discusses how deforestation on Easter Island led to societal collapse, providing a lesson about unsustainable practices. It then defines ecological footprint and explains how this measures human demand on natural resources. Four global trends are identified as particularly concerning: population growth, decline of ecosystems, atmospheric changes, and loss of biodiversity. The chapter presents the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment framework for understanding links between human well-being and ecosystem services and the need for conservation. It outlines strategic themes and integrative dimensions to consider in forging a sustainable future.
The document defines key terms in environmental science and ecology, outlines the major fields of study that contribute to environmental science, and describes how hunter-gatherers, the agricultural revolution, and the industrial revolution impacted the environment. It identifies the goals of environmental science as understanding and solving environmental problems by studying human use of natural resources and how human actions change the environment. The document also classifies the three major environmental problems as resource depletion, pollution, and loss of biodiversity.
Aelsdeep Singh Mann Impact of Global Warming On insects THES.docxnettletondevon
Aelsdeep Singh Mann
Impact of Global Warming On insects
THESIS- Global warming is a great concern throughout the world. In nature insects are greatly affected by changing temperature. Insect will experience additional life cycles with rapid growth rate. Because of changes in the population dynamics including distribution and migration the reliability on current insect pest ETL will be reduced. Increased insect pests outbreak will affect agricultural production. Research on basic biology of insect, population dynamics and behavior patterns should be focused to ascertain the effect of global warming on insect behavior Because the insects serve as a warning for other global warming effects.
Generally global warming refers to an increase in average global temperatures. There are many gases like nitrous oxide, methane, nitrogen in atmosphere which keeps the earth warm and cause global warming or greenhouse effect. Global warming is caused by natural as well as human activities. There are number of natural factors responsible for climate change. Some of the most prominent are volcanoes, ocean currents, forest fires etc. Among human activities, emissions of greenhouse gases, industrialization, deforestation, fuel burning, etc. are most important factor contributing towards global warming. It is not new that global warming can affect agriculture through their direct and indirect effects on the crops, soils, livestock, and pests. So, because of global warming insects are effected in many ways. Increased temperature has resulted in increased northward migration of some insects, insect development rate and oviposition, potential for insect outbreaks, invasive species introductions and insect extinctions because, insects are able to respond rapidly to climate changes and adapt to the changing environment due to high reproductive potential and relatively short generation time. Here are some examples of researches conducted in ISRAEL of the species of insects named (Orius). These are the bugs which are mostly generalist predators commonly found in flowers of herbaceous vegetation In this study, there was a Comparison of the relative abundance of Orios species revealed significant differences among years (G12= 1060.2, P,0.0001). The relative abundance of O. laevigates has decreased from 50%, 38% and 60% during 1940–59, 1960–79 and 1980–99, respectively, to 4–6% during 2001–2 and the present survey. In contrast, the relative abundance of O. abidingness has increased gradually from 9% and 1% during 1940–59 and 1960–79, respectively, to 26% during 1980–99 and 65% and 62% in 2001–2 and in the present survey, respectively. There are other effect on the insects listed below
· Effect of global warming on insect biology: Temperature is probably the single most important abiotic factor influencing insect biology. Pests may become more active than they currently are, thus posing the threat of greater economic losses to farmers. It has been estimated that wit.
Jerry Franklin - Early seral forest: a diminishing resource?Ecoshare
The document discusses early successional forest communities that occur after stand-replacing disturbances before the reestablishment of a closed forest canopy. These communities have altered microclimates, are structurally and biologically rich, and alter ecosystem processes. They provide important habitat and are highly biodiverse, but salvage logging and reforestation efforts can negatively impact the recovery of these communities by removing structural legacies and reducing heterogeneity. Naturally regenerated early successional forests are likely more resilient to climate change due to their diversity.
This document provides information about natural resource education activities for different grade levels. It includes the titles of 5 activities for grades K-3, 2 activities for grades 5-6, and lists the subject areas, skills and grade ranges for each. It also includes an index of skills covered and subjects for each activity.
This document provides an introduction to forest ecology, discussing key concepts and topics. It covers three major topics: site factors like climate, substrate and hydrology that influence forest composition; forest succession and changes over time due to disturbance; and natural disturbances like flooding, fire, wind, ice, insects and disease. Forest ecology examines how living organisms interact with each other and the physical environment in complex forest ecosystems.
Dan Metcalfe_Long-term monitoring of tropical rainforests of eastern AustraliaTERN Australia
Long-term monitoring of tropical rainforests in eastern Australia has provided key insights into the maintenance of biodiversity, role of natural disturbances, and dynamics of vertebrate populations over decades. This research has informed management of invasive species and climate change scenarios. While only covering 0.2% of Australia, these rainforests harbor significant biodiversity and are culturally important. Ongoing threats include fragmentation, weeds, feral animals, and climate change. Long-term local investment in monitoring is critical to understanding community change over time.
Similar to BushfireConf2015 - 6. When is burning good for the bush (20)
This presentation by Michelle McKemey of the University of New England and Lesley Patterson of Banbai Enterprise Development Aboriginal Corporation shows how cross-cultural monitoring of targeted species, including the echidna and black grevillea, reveals the impact of the reintroduction of cultural burning to these species and establishes an independent monitoring program that Aboriginal communities can continue to use into the future.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2017 Bushfire Conference - Fire, Fauna & Ferals: from backyards to bush.
This presentation by Stuart Midgley of the NSW Rural Fire Service gives a brief overview of the 2016/2017 fire season and presents some of the initiatives and projects that the RFS is pursuing with their partner agencies.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2017 Bushfire Conference - Fire, Fauna & Ferals: from backyards to bush.
In this presentation Justin Leonard of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) advocates that we accept fire as an inevitable process and an integral part of our landscape and that we build our houses and backyards to embrace this fact.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2017 Bushfire Conference - Fire, Fauna & Ferals: from backyards to bush.
This presentation by Wayne Kington of the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council discusses how the National Burning Project has brought together inter-related aspects of prescribed burning across Australasia to design a national framework for addressing ecological risks that arise from inappropriate fire and fire regimes.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2017 Bushfire Conference - Fire, Fauna & Ferals: from backyards to bush.
This presentation by Lloyd Van der Wallen of the NSW Rural Fire Service provides information on the review of the Bush Fire Environmental Assessment Code and highlights the key proposed amendments.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2017 Bushfire Conference - Fire, Fauna & Ferals: from backyards to bush.
This presentation by Dr Brad Murray of the University of Technology Sydney shows how a triple threat from gully plant flammability, climate change and exotic plant invasion could lead to catastrophic losses of gully habitat in the Sydney Region and highlights that reliance on gully habitat as refugia for native fauna may not be a robust strategy for the future.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2017 Bushfire Conference - Fire, Fauna & Ferals: from backyards to bush.
This presentation by Kellie Langford presents the various mechanisms adopted and being developed by Central Coast Council to overcome the gaps between fire risk management, enhancing community resilience to bushfire risks and ecological restoration of bushland in the Local Government Area.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2017 Bushfire Conference - Fire, Fauna & Ferals: from backyards to bush.
This speedtalk by Den Barber, Founding Director of the Koori Country Firesticks Aboriginal Corporation, discusses the newly created non-profit organisation which aims to revive Traditional Aboriginal cultural practices of burning Country as an alternative approach to Hazard Reduction techniques used by private and public landholders and managers.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2017 Bushfire Conference - Fire, Fauna & Ferals: from backyards to bush.
This presentation by Denna Kingdom of the Tasmanian Land Conservancy discusses how highland grasslands at the Vale of Belvoir are being managed through a regime of burning and/or low-intensity stock grazing. She gives an overview of the experiments that have been conducted to determine what aspects of the previous management regime are affecting the grassland condition and threatened species populations.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2017 Bushfire Conference - Fire, Fauna & Ferals: from backyards to bush.
This presentation by Dr John Hunter of the University of New England discusses why the re-introduction of regular fire on north coast grassy headlands would be an inappropriate management strategy and could possibly cause loss of threatened species, reduction in richness and diversity and homogenisation of the system.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2017 Bushfire Conference - Fire, Fauna & Ferals: from backyards to bush.
This speedtalk by Kirstin Abley of the South Australia Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources discusses how monitoring and habitat mapping conducted after prescribed burns and bushfires in Mount Lofty Ranges has drastically reversed thinking about the habitat requirements of the Chestnut-rumped Heathwren.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2017 Bushfire Conference - Fire, Fauna & Ferals: from backyards to bush.
This document summarizes a study quantifying the flammability of rainforests compared to Eucalyptus forests. The study examined fuel characteristics, microclimate conditions, and fire behavior in different forest types. Key findings include: 1) Rainforests have less fuel mass and burn more slowly than Eucalyptus forests. 2) Rainforest fuel moisture is less sensitive to diurnal changes than Eucalyptus forests. 3) Wildfire seasons in the region are starting earlier than 50 years ago, and climate change may increase rainforest fire risk by affecting fuel accumulation. The study provides improved understanding of rainforest fire behavior to inform predictive modeling and risk planning.
1. This document summarizes research on the decline of the endangered Eastern Bristlebird population in northern New South Wales from 156 birds across 14 populations in 1989 to 38 birds across 4 populations in 2017.
2. By mapping and comparing habitat in 1966 and 2009, the study found widespread loss (53%) of primary and secondary Eastern Bristlebird habitat due to reduced fire frequency, clearing, weed invasion, and shrub encroachment.
3. The recommendations are to use improved habitat mapping for targeted fire management, with more frequent controlled burning (every 3-6 years) needed in mapped Eastern Bristlebird habitat areas to maintain the necessary grassy understory.
Oliver Costello of NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service discusses the new NPWS cultural fire management policy which aims to support Aboriginal community aspirations to connect to and care for Country through cultural fire management on parks.
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This presentation by Craig Holland, Matthew Anderson and Suzanne Pritchard discusses how Lake Macquarie City Council, Fire & Rescue NSW and Coal Point Progress Association Landcare group combined efforts to achieve positive environmental outcomes for a reserve heavily impacted by weeds including Asparagus Fern, African Olive and broad leaf Privet.
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This speedtalk by Rochelle Lawson of Central Coast Council discusses how cool burn techniques were trialled on a Council reserve dominated by exotic grasses and environmental weeds in an effort to restore suitable Wyong Sun Orchid (Thelymitra adorata) habitat.
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This presentation by Naomi Stephens of the National Parks and Wildlife Service provides a brief overview of NPWS’s role and contribution to bushfire management in New South Wales.
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Max Beukers of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and Scott Hetherington of Tweed Shire Council each describe a case study on fire management approaches for koala habitat in New South Wales. They compare and contrast different management approaches from the north and south coast, discussing key outcomes and highlighting the importance of community involvement, collaboration and long term commitments to monitoring.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2017 Bushfire Conference - Fire, Fauna & Ferals: from backyards to bush.
This presentation by Luke Smith of the Vic. Department of Environment, Land Water and Planning and Emily Cordy of the Federation University Australia shows that planned burns cause hollow-bearing trees, a vital ecological asset in most mature forest ecosystems, to collapse at an elevated rate. Their study highlights the importance of mitigation through manual vegetation clearing, modification of burning prescriptions and ignition pattern.
Presentation from Nature Conservation Council of NSW 2017 Bushfire Conference - Fire, Fauna & Ferals: from backyards to bush.
This document summarizes research on the effects of fire on fauna habitat. It finds that:
1) Logs and bark are important habitat for many species but are consumed by fire, reducing their quality and time to recover.
2) Invertebrate numbers were over double under unburnt logs and bark compared to burnt.
3) Burning removes shrub layers and litter instantly, and the amount of logs, hollows, and fuel takes 50+ years to recover to pre-fire levels.
More from Bushfire Program - Nature Conservation Council NSW (20)
BushfireConf2017 – 20. Habitat features of open forests and woodlands in rela...
BushfireConf2015 - 6. When is burning good for the bush
1. the role of fire in ecological restoration:
unanswered questions
naomi rea, mulga.data@westnet.com.au
2. This presentation:
arose from the use of fire for ecological restoration having
brought many different groups or sectors together in a space
where fire promotion overshadows discussion about risks
highlights research areas to inform a judicious role of fire in
ecological restoration
Research that:
resolves uncertainty
clarifies assumptions
leads to unambiguous language
3. key feature of fire - generally easy to start
training/expertise not required
but shouldn’t detract from fire’s serious nature and impact
whole ecosystems are effected
fire for ecological restoration and Indigenous cultural
burning involves knowledge and understanding (why,
when, where) … … but fire is still a risky business
fine line between destructive and restorative impact
fires are often hard to put out
more country is burnt than often intended
4. In this situation
critically important that evidence underpins practise
without informed fire management, there may be
counterproductive outcomes
knowledge base is developing
noticeable gaps
opportunity to frame research questions
5. Observation 1. Using fire as a management tool involves
underlying tensions between:
Bushfire is an EPBC listed ecologically threatening process
versus used as an ecological restoration tool
National policy to decrease Carbon emission versus burning that
accelerates emissions (caveat: small burns can limit larger burns)
Use of fire to control fire
National policy to restore and increase Soil Carbon versus
burning that overall reduces Soil Carbon
Adverse respiratory health problems from smoke versus
accepting health consequences of bushfire
Land managers interest in fire for ecosystem management versus
emergency services interest in fire for fire suppression
6. Issue 1
As an environmental factor, fire is relatively uncommon -
lightning ignition (albeit more common in lightning prone regions).
Fire has become very much a human activity and
has become relatively common.
Prior to human evolution, fire along with
other stochastic forces (unexpected
disturbances: ie flood, drought, tsunami,
cyclone), was uncommon.
Fire as a human activity is a relatively
recent driver on the evolutionary clock.
7. As a human activity, fire is now used (or avoided) not so much
to reinstate ‘natural’ fire regimes but:
a) as a management tool and
b) to reinstate Indigenous burning practises
This presentation focusses on a subset of (a) fire as a
management tool: ie
(c) fire as a management tool in ecological restoration:
questions and research that could inform the role and merit
of fire in this situation
8. Fire as a human activity
Black Friday, January 13, 1939. There were multiple sources of ignition:
Lightning kindled some fires, but most emanated from a register of casual
incendiarists that reads like a roster of rural Australia: settlers, graziers,
prospectors, splitters, mine workers, arsonists, loggers and mill bushmen, hunters
looking to drive game, fishermen hoping to open up the scrub around streams,
foresters unable to contain controlled burns, bush residents seeking to ward off
wildfire by protective fire, travellers and transients of all kinds. Honey gatherers lit
smoking fires. Campers burned to facilitate travel through thick scrub.
Locomotives threw out sparks along their tracks. A jackeroo tossed lighted
matches alongside a track so that his boss would know where he was. Residents
hoping to be hired to fight fires set fires. Possibly a third of the documented fires
had no known cause. A self styled bushman shrugged off the multiple sources by
explaining to a royal commission that “the whole of the Australian race have a
weakness for burning.”
Pyne,S. Burning Bush. A Fire History of Australia. 1991, pg31.
9. Research Q1:
Background:
There is a great deal of both consistent and contradictory
evidence from paleoecology, palynology, archaeology,
anthropology about the extent and nature of fire in Australia
prior to human records, across recorded Aboriginal occupation
and over 200+ years of European colonization.
Objective:
Collate and summarize the major theories supported by
evidence as a benchmark at this time, and
to inform reasoned debate, action and research needs.
10. Issue 2
What shapes vegetation types?
vegetation types are shaped by topography, climate,
soil (many references)
these drivers underpin a plant’s essential requirements
(water, light, O2, CO2, nutrients, space)
seasonal variation in essential requirements is a stress that limits
productivity and performance
stochastic or unexpected disturbances are not essential
(fire, flood, drought, cyclone, tsunami, human activity)
not necessary for plants to grow and reproduce; major disturbances
can plant death, species loss or ecosystem change
11. Plant growth and survival
Essential and Non-essential Factors
Some plants may have some traits that allow them to withstand some
disturbance some of the time, but this does not mean a plant needs fire
(or other stochastic disturbances) to survive.
Ecosystem change post fire depends on fire timing, intensity,
frequency.
one shift is from fire sensitive to fire prone vegetation
(caveat: careful judicious use of fire can protect fire sensitive vegetation)
Non-essential forces or disturbances can leach a landscape of
essential elements and ‘take an ecosystem back to the starting line’
from where it has to re-establish and recover. This is a difficult
challenge where weeds are present and where the climate has
become less favourable.
12. Research Q2:
Background:
Fire has become part of some of the Australian landscape
as a result of human activity past and present. With regard
to this situation, there are many generalisations with
underlying assumptions that are open to interpretation.
Objective:
Investigate possible merit, fallacies or risks of
generalizations such as ‘fire is part of the Australian
landscape’ and the ‘bush needs a burn’ and develop
accurate defensible descriptions of specific aspects
of fire and Australia’s environment.
13. Issue 3
Tolerance vs adaptation
a fire tolerant plant does not necessarily equate with a fire
adapted plant, nor a plant that needs fire
traits may have been selected for, but that may not equate with
saying that a plant needs fire to survive, nor that an ecosystem
needs fire to function
diet analogy – people can tolerate being starved to a certain
extent, but most people do not need to go on a diet
Huon Pine forests (1in 2000 year fire regime) are not adapted to a
very low fire regime they just not able to tolerate fire
14. Research Q3a:
Background
Plant traits that have enabled a plant to withstand an impact
are not necessarily traits that are adaptations
Objective:
With regard to fire, distinguish between:
– what a plant needs and what it can tolerate
– a plant adaptation versus a plant trait (that enables
tolerance of a stress or disturbance)
– the impact of fire on plant species versus plant
communities versus the whole ecosystem
15. Epicormic growth
epicormic buds are not necessarily an ‘adaptation’
they are a trait that is a response to any serious stress
its what eucalypts do
Seed Dormancy
is fire or chemicals in smoke necessary to break seed
dormancy or emergence from underground structures?
it is one cue, but there are many other cues for breaking
dormancy of seeds with hard coats:
• alternating temperatures (diurnal variation)
• frost, ice, saturation
• microorganisms causing seed coat decay
• animal or bird foraging, break seed coat
16. Research Q3b:
Background
Epicormic buds are often regarded as an adaptation to fire.
Some plants are referred to as being adapted to fire because
heat/smoke can break their seed dormancy
Objective:
1) Explore the difference between adaptation and tolerance
using epicormic shooting in eucalypts.
2) Investigate factors that break dormancy in different species
relative importance of fire or smoke as a cue
relative frequency of different factors
frequency of factors vs seed bank viability
consequences of flushing seed bank, possible exhaustion
17. Issue 4
Terminology
The term ‘adaptation’ illustrates the ambiguity of language and underlying
assumptions and how terms can be misinterpreted.
Fuel
Litter
Both refer to ‘dead and decomposing plant and organic matter’ in
natural environments. Opportunity for new language.
18. Research Q4:
Background
• Issues around language; misunderstanding, misinterpretation
• Many Indigenous languages, as compared to English, are
more diverse and better describe complexities of the
environment.
Objective
Need to clarify and define terms
Opportunity for new vocab to explain nuances
19. Issue 5
Coarse particulate organic matter
(colloquially known as fuel or litter)
ameliorates ecosystem temperature
extremes; warm in winter, cool in summer
water retention, carbon and nutrient storage and cycling
prevents leaching and run-off of water, nutrients, carbon
litter load (dwt g m2) is often less than it appears
habitat for micro-organisms, fungi, bacteria, animals and birds
20. Coarse particulate organic matter - role of biota
Native animals and birds -
reduce litter load through:
foraging and scratching by bush hens, bandicoots, echidna,
wombats, scrub fowl, lyre birds etc that also turns over the soil
facilitating decomposition and recycling of nutrients for plants and
animals to use again
controlling weeds and weed seeds by eating, scratching, trampling
likely break seed dormancy, and facilitate seed germination and
establishment of native plants
wallaby/kangaroo also graze grasses making some places look
like a lawn
21. Research Q5:
Background
Loss and decline of native animals in Australia.
Dead and decomposing plant material (fuel, litter) generates
concerns and mitigating actions.
Objective
Does absence of biota result in higher litter loads?
What is the role of native animals and birds in terms of:
a) litter loads
b) nutrient cycling
c) seed germination
d) weeds
Could reintroducing native wildlife reduce risk of wildfire?
22. Issue 6
Soil Carbon
global soil carbon is twice global atmospheric C
small changes in soil carbon flux could impact atmospheric CO2
(Zhaosheng Fan & Chao Liang 2015)
microbial populations in soil and litter drive carbon cycle
todays litter (‘fuel’) will be tomorrows soil
maintaining and increasing soil carbon is a major Government
policy and investment
fire results in carbon emissions and limits carbon entering the soil
if litter can be allowed to decompose, a cooler world
23. Research Q6:
Background
Fire results in carbon emissions and limits carbon entering
the soil. Todays litter (‘fuel’) will be tomorrows soil … if
allowed to decompose. This promotes a more resilient
healthy ecosystem and a cooler world.
Objective
What are the impacts on soil carbon from burning for
ecological restoration and how is the whole
ecosystem effected?
24. Summary - risks of using fire in ecological restoration
managing for single species can be problematic as fire does not
discriminate, it is a blunt tool
what helps one species may be detrimental to another
whole ecosystems effected; large ±error possible extinctions
possible counterproductive outcome – weeds proliferate and
environment becomes more flammable, increasing risk of wildfire
fire and inappropriate frequency and intensity can deplete soil
fertility, decrease infiltration and protective plant cover, increase
surface runoff, erosion ecosystem degradation, species loss, more
fire prone environment
the more stress and disturbance from fire, the less chance an
ecosystem can recover slow process of desertification, amplified
by warmer drier climate
eg in dry sclerophyll forest, bark took 15-25yrs to recover to pre-
burn conditions (Tolhurst 1994); tree canopy never fully recovers
(pers.obs.)
25. Summary - fire for ecological restoration
fire is all about vegetation, however there is a scarcity of plant
ecologists working in this space
Although Australia’s vegetation is shaped by topography, soil,
and climate … fire as a human activity and management tool, has
influenced vegetation in many places and has potential to
become major driver of vegetation change (desirable or
otherwise)
fire as a powerful and blunt instrument with far reaching
consequences could be ‘up the back’ as an option, ‘up front’ or
somewhere between
26. Summary - Research topics
Test generalisations and underlying assumptions through
rigorous analysis of the literature
Discriminate between essential vs non-essential plant
requirements
Discriminate between adaptation vs tolerance
Fire management to help soil carbon capture and
storage
Expand terminology and articulate accurately