Name: Ashley Jade V.

Domalanta Grade & Section: 10-Humility

WEEK 1 ACTIVITIES
(Biodiversity and Ecosystem Stability)

“The Tragedy of Easter Island”

The example of Easter Island, whilst tragic, is useful for illustrating several key points about the
relationship between environment and development. There is an intimate relationship between
environment and development. Development - understood, in this example, as the increasing use of
natural resources by humans for their economic, social, and cultural activities - cannot occur
independently of the environment that provides resources and assimilates pollution. (It is worth
pointing out that this relationship is certainly not reciprocal; whilst development depends heavily on
the environment, the environment does not require development - or human existence - at all.) In this
example, as in many other cases, the nature of the relationship between environment and
development is central to interpretations of whether or not development is sustainable.In the example
of Easter Island, we can conclude that the expansion of human activities on the island was
unsustainable because the relationship between environment and development was characterised by
the over-exploitation of natural resources, even in a situation where subsistence was already
marginal, together with a complete disregard for the warning signs and consequences of
environmental degradation.

On Easter Island, the relationship between humans and their environment was such that a trade-off
between environment and development occurred. In other words, natural resources (trees and soil)
were progressively exchanged, by the islanders, for a range of economic, social, and cultural benefits
(ceremonial activities, stone platforms, statues, dominance, power, and wealth). Such a trade-off
becomes inevitable if development conflicts with the need for environmental protection. As a result
of the trade-off between environment and development, the Easter Islanders did not leave a sufficient
resource base for future generations. In the language of sustainable development, there was no
intergenerational equity. Each current generation failed to protect the resources that would be needed
by its descendents. Once the deforestation of the island had reached a critical point, future
generations were left without the resources they needed to maintain an equivalent way of life. That
failure to maintain the resource base for future generations inevitably set up conflict between
islanders and made the challenge faced by each successive generation more difficult to
surmount.Above all, the example of Easter Island illustrates the imperative for human societies to
live within the capacity of their natural resource base. If excessive demands are placed upon the
natural resource base (through deliberate or inadvertent exploitation or mismanagement of the
environment), then both natural processes and human activities are bound to decline - perhaps with
catastrophic consequences.

A famous quotation stated that “Mistakes are meant for learning, not repeating.”The best thing we
can all do is to learn, correct our course and proceed even stronger than before with the
knowledge we gain from mistakes. They are the teachers we may not care to meet, but they
are required for our advancement.The Easter Island example can be regarded as a metaphor for
global development. Like Easter Island at the time of its first inhabitants, the Earth has limited
resources to support human societies and their myriad demands.Like Easter Island at its peak, Earth
is an isolated island in the vastness of space, with no other suitable planet to migrate to. Similarly,
our population and resource consumption increase exponentially while our resources remain
finite.Will we recreate the tragedy of Easter Island ona much grander scale, or will we learn from
their story and live sustainably on this planet that is our only home.Like the stranded islanders, the
inhabitants of Earth have no realistic means of escape. Human existence depends, ultimately, upon
the continued availability of the Earth's natural resources that support life. In general, over the period
of human existence (around 2 million years), human societies have been successful in obtaining food
and in extracting natural resources, with the result that growing populations - and increasingly
complex, advanced societies - have been sustained. But what about the critical relationship that
indicates whether or not development is sustainable: the relationship between environment and
development? Have modern societies been more successful than the Easter Islanders in living in a
way that does not exhaust the available natural resources? Have we fallen - or are we falling - into
the same trap as the Easter Islanders: that of fatally damaging our life support system?Thinking
more critically about the ways to contour these possible problems through more education on
sustainability and more efforts being put inthe right direction. This story is not only a warning
but a possible future that might await us if we don’t start taking more sock into our worlds
forewarning us of environmentally impactful outcomes to come.

2.Illustrate a stable ecosystem.

3. Create a Venn diagram on the differences and similarities of resilience and resistance in an
ecosystem.
(Sir Nash,I have 2 answers po dahil akala ko po nawala yung una kong ginawa yung second
po na venn diagram pero nahanap ko po so sinama ko na din po)

Resilience Resistance

Ability of
Ability of an Both an
ecosystem to ecosystem
recover quickly Abilities of
to remain
an ecosystem
after being unchanged
to battle and
subjected to a after being
withstand
damaging damaging subjected to
ecological ecological a damaging
disturbance disturbances ecological
disturbance
4. Give 2 other examples of keystone species and explain their importance in an ecosystem.
•Grizzly bears – The diligent gourmets

The main reason why grizzlies are on the list of keystone animals is because they enrich
the forest floor with nutrients from salmon carcasses. When bears feed on salmon, they
often drag fish deep into the forest. Leftover carcasses from their grand feast fertilize
forest soil with nitrogen and phosphorus, and support growth of strong and healthy trees.

On contrary to their reputation of a scary predator, the role of grizzlies in their ecosystem
is more of a gardener. When digging for roots and bulbs to eat, bears turn over large areas
of soil in mountainous terrain. This aerates soils and mixes in organic material, enhancing
growth of many different wildflowers. Additionally, numerous seeds of berries and pine
nuts get distributed through their feces
Grizzlies also regulate the numbers of several prey species, like moose and elk. They
maintain healthy populations of these species by hunting the weak individuals, or
scavenging on carcasses and “cleaning” up the forest.

•Sea otters – The underwater forest rangers

This second smallest marine mammal that inhabits the waters of the Pacific Northwest is
the key to stabilizing the coastal marine ecosystem. More specifically, sea otters feed on
sea urchins, and in doing so, they control their population.

If urchin populations grew too large, they would eat the kelp that grows in the same
habitat. Kelp – a giant seaweed – is a major source of food and shelter for numerous other
species, such as crabs, snails, and geese. Many fish species also use kelp forests as their
hiding spot from predators.
Kelp forests are not only valuable for marine species but also for us. They reduce coastal
erosion by slowing down the impact of water on the shore, and play a role even in the
mitigation of climate change, as their capacity to absorb carbon dioxide is astounding.
According to scientists, healthy kelp forests sequester billions of kilograms of carbon from
the atmosphere.

5.Give 10 concrete examples of protective measures to be done to the habitats to preserve the
ecosystem for generations to come.

• Government legislation

Governments have the power to control what is done to the habitats within their country.
Legislation that protects natural habitats by outlawing development, harvesting of natural
resources, or other human exploitation has a huge impact on maintaining natural
biodiversity.Additionally, laws protecting specific species like the USA’s Endangered
Species Act helps protect animals that have already been impacted.Protecting habitats
before they have been altered is the best form on biodiversity conservation and is most
successfully implemented by government regulations.

• Nature preserves

Nature preserves are a form of government regulation and are often known as National
Parks. They protect a region and the organisms that live there from certain forms of
development and provide access for people to visit them. This is excellent because it
protects the natural habitat and is a place where people can view the ecosystem.

The goal is that over time this helps people have more respect for the natural world and
increases pressure on government to further protect other areas.
• Purchase sustainable products

Many protects are now labeled with ecolabels that state if they are environmentally
friendly. Our consumption of natural resources is one of the main reasons for biodiversity
loss, so it is our responsibility to consume products that are produced in the most
sustainable way possible.Additionally, when we consume these goods it increases demand
for environmentally conscious products pushing more producers to make them.

• Reduce climate change

As we know, climate change has disastrous consequences for all living things on earth. We
use huge amounts of fossil fuels, which directly cause climate change. We need to move
away from fossil fuels and towards alternative energy sources and natural or sustainable
products. Reducing the effects of climate change requires a worldwide effort.

• Research

Understanding how species interact within their environment is crucial to protecting them.
As humans further understand species interaction we find new and more direct ways to
help protect organisms and maintain biodiversity.One example is the use of wildlife
corridors in urbanized areas. By researching many different species we have found that
this dramatically increase their populations [9]. It reduces the number of animals that come
into direct contact with humans and provides areas for migratory animals to move long
distances.

• Plant local flowers, fruit and vegetables

Research the plants and vegetables that are local to your area and grow a variety. Each plant
and vegetable helps to protect biodiversity and supports the wider ecosystem of your local
area.
• Sustainable living

Sustainable living is something that we can each choose to do on a daily basis. Whether it
be by taking shorter showers, riding a bike to work, or buying ecolabeled products it helps
reduce the amount of resources we useThis is arguably the most important way of
protecting biodiversity because everyone can do it, often with only small lifestyle changes.
If everyone chose to live sustainably, biodiversity in a variety habitats would improve.

• Captive breeding and seed banks

Captive breeding is when animals in captivity (often at zoos) are bred. This is seen as
somewhat controversial, as it requires the capture of animals that are often near extinction.
On the positive side it provides the opportunity to increase the population of the species,
so they can be reintroduced into the wild.Seed banks are areas where huge varieties of
plant seeds are stored. This provides a failsafe if a species goes extinct in nature. The plant
can be grown from a saved seed and reintroduced back into its habitat.This is a very real
issue and seed banks have been collecting samples for many years, with some seed banks
having over 2 billion seeds stored at a time

• Reduce,Reuse,and Recycle
Recycling lessens pollution by decreasing energy, electricity, and water consumption and the
need for landfills. Not only can you recycle bottles and cans, but your local recycling center
will usually allow you to recycle clothes, electrical goods and batteries.
• Education

As with most environmental topics, education is one of the keys to success. Educating
people about the importance of biodiversity conservation increases public awareness of the
issue. As public awareness increases people become more involved and eventually
influence their government representatives, pushing for more environmental
protection.Government legislation protecting our natural environments is one of the most
effective ways of protecting biodiversity.

WEEK 2 ACTIVITY
(Properties of Gases)
WEEK 3 ACTIVITY
(Graham's Law)