Topic 2 pp.18-28The impact of human activities on

ecosystems Objective:

I can identify examples of human impacts on ecosystems I can analyze the relationship between the impact of humans and their needs and desires

Introduction: The habitat is the particular ________ where an organism ____

Living things can _______ a habitat with no problems.

People are ________too, thus we are apart of nature.

To meet our basic needs we rely on the __________around us.

Many human technologies depend on ____________________

o The materials and products found in ________Ex: trees, oil,

water and minerals

When humans and other living things use the same habitat, human ________ are

often in ________ with those of ____________________

This result in some ________or ____________________

Human impact on the environment is ________________to predict.

o ex: Songbirds in Toronto were dying n great numbers as they flew into the

windows of highrise buildings lit at night

? Read the « Did You Know » on page 19. What impact do humans have on other living

organisms?

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The environment will ________ depending on the _______of the organisms that live in

it. For example: The population of Canada ______ and the ____________________ Give

three major changes that took place due to this growth in population.

1.

2.

3.

The impact that humans can have can be ______________

and can put a lot of pressure

on the environment. What impact do millions of cars have on the environment? (4)

- –

- -

The ways people interact with the environment as ____________over time.

This change often had a great deal to do with ____________________________

Before modern engines and machines, people had relatively ________ impact on

the environment

Modern technology has resulted in an ____________ impact on the ecosystems

in which we live.

As the population grows, our needs put pressure on our ____________ and because we

have the ________________________________________________________________

Activity Explain how the following situations have an impact on our environment.

A student is mountain biking in the scenic parts of the forest. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A biologist puts trout in a lake.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Needs vs wants

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People often mix the idea of ________ and ________. ________ refer to one of our

____________________ , so ________________________________. Whereas

________ relate to _______________________________________________________.

Organisms ________if their wants are not met.

Ex : ________is a need because organisms can not live

without eating.

Ex : ________________are a want. We can survive without

video games, but life would not be as fun.

Activity – classify the following things as needs or wants

Pencil WantWater (to wash) WantWater (to drink) NeedBathroom (modern) WantFood Need – your preferences are wantsYour bed WantYour clothes Want/ Need

– Fashion = want– Staying warm in the winter = need

Desk WantChair WantHouse Want/ Need You need a place that will shield you from

the elements, keep you safe and warm in the winter. You do not need the house like the one you are currently in to survive.

Air NeedMirror WantGlasses WantBrushing your teeth WantDog Want

Most Canadians do not have an ongoing problem finding food and shelter, so they can spend more time, and attention, on attaining their “________”.

o This has resulted in the line between needs and wants becoming blurred.

Since meeting needs and wants often requires ____________________each time we satisfy a need or a want we are making a choice to ________our environment.

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Our demand for consumer products often ________with the health of the ecosystem.

In our haste to satisfy our wants, we often ________the basic needs of plants and animals.

Activity – using your textbook answer the following questions.

(1) a) Why we must have large dams in our ecosystem? (Figure 1.12)

b) What impact do these dams have?

Aboriginals used indigenous plants and animals available for food and making clothes, and they lived in simple shelters.(2) With what did the Nootka use to make their clothes? (figure 1.13)

Changes in lifestyle have led to increase our impact on ecosystems. Using the information on page 21 answered questions below.(3) How did the aboriginals hunt buffalo?

(4) What impact did prairie settlers have on their environment?

(5) What is a feedlot?

(6) What is the impact on the environment?

(7) Fruits and vegetables have become a luxury for many during the winter. So would you say that this is a need or a want? (page 22)

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(8) Look at the photos in your manual on page 23 (figure 1.15). Explains how our actions demonstrate that we are living beyond our basic needs.

1.______________________________________________________________________

2.______________________________________________________________________

3.______________________________________________________________________

4.______________________________________________________________________

(9) What is the effect of the « giant » greenhouse located outside of Vancouver on the ecosystem? Page 23

(10) Why do guards of Banff National Park intentionally light fires? P. 24

(11) What is the effect of DDT on peregrines? Page 24

(12) What is the government of Canada doing to resolve this problem?

(13) Why is it that the swift fox has almost become endangered? Page 25

(14) What happened to the other animals?

(15) Why are predators important?

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No Simple Answers Sometimes what appears to be damaging to the environment is actually ____

o After years of doing everything to fight forest fires, Park Wardens have discovered that ____ forest fires are beneficial.

o By controlled burning Park Wardens clear areas of small trees, leaves, and other forest debris. This allows ________in the form of new grasses, and other plants that provides nourishment to wildlife.

Sometimes what appears to be good for the environment is actually ___________o The use of DDT in the early 1900’s

Through the ____________of natural areas and natural systems Ecologist continue to learn how humans can reduce their impact on the environment.

o Predators such as wolves, coyotes, and cougars were once seen as “bad” and unnecessary animals. Now we have come to realize their role, as ________ ________, in the ecosystem and how they help control the deer, mice, rabbit and other small animal populations.

Based on what we have just learned what can we do to limit our impact on the environment…

Wetlands Wetlands are areas where the soil is ____ for all or most of the year.

o These areas ____________and are important parts of the ecosystem, for they have more wildlife than either fields or forests.

o When wetlands are filled in, the flow of water can change, causing ________ and ________

o Wetlands are one of the most ____________ habitats in Canada

Topic 2 Questions p.28 #1, 2, 3, 6

Science Focus 7 p.26 Wetland WondersUnit 1 Topic 2

A. Background information:a) Define wetland –b) Where have you seen one?

B. Question: How do roads affect the wetlands they 19

are built through?

C. Manipulated Variable:

D. Responding Variable:

E. Controlled Variable:

F. Hypothesis:

G. Materials: pan, sponges, clay road, water

H. Data:Number of

spongesTime to drain

(s)Amount of water collected

(mL)01234

4+

I. Conclusion:

J. Analysis: Questions 1 – 4, p.27.

“RECYCLING”

Materials Recovery Facility

Blue Bag materials, and a small number of materials from Recycling Depots, are processed at Edmonton’s new 64,000 square foot Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), located at the Edmonton Waste Management Centre in East Edmonton. This facility is one of the most advanced in North America for recycling mixed materials.

Opened in March 1999, the $12 million facility is a public-private business partnership wherein the City of Edmonton retains ownership and a private contractor is responsible for operation. It processes approximately 30,000 tonnes per year.

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The facility operates in conjunction with the Edmonton Composting Facility as part of an integrated waste management system that is unique in the world. Together, the new facilities bring Edmonton closer to its goal of 70 per cent waste diversion from landfill.

What Comes to the MRF from Blue Bags & Recycling Depots? And What Does it Become? (by weight)

Newsprint - including inserts 65% newsprint or boxboard, building paper, asphalt shingles Cardboard - corrugated boxes 10% cardboard or boxboard Mixed Paper* 17% recycled into boxboard, egg cartons, building paper

asphalt shinglesMetal Cons - food tins, empty aerosols 3% rebar, tractor/grader blades and other metal products Plastic Film - blue bags, shopping bags 2% plastic lumber and other plastic productsPlastic Milk Jugs 1% plastic sheeting Mixed Plastics - containers for common 1% different types of plastic can be made into a variety of household products such as pop, soap, items such as plastic lumber, carpet, clothing, office detergent, fabric softener and shampoo supplies Glass (green, brown or clear glass) 1% used in reflective paint Milk Cartons & Juice Boxes <1% return as tissue paper, napkins, and toilet tissue Returnable Containers <1% returned to bottle depots for revenue

* Mixed paper includes: magazines, catalogues, shredded paper, writing and loose leaf paper, junk mail paper bags, envelopes, paper egg cartons paperback books, hard cover books (with covers removed), gift wrap (no Foil or metallic kinds),flattened boxboard such as cereal, food and shoe boxes, telephone books, computer & photocopy paper

Eco Stations and Clover Bar Landfill The City of Edmonton provides two comprehensive drop-off facilities — Eco Stations — for household hazardous waste, recyclables, and landfill waste. Residents can also bring these materials to the City-operated Clover Bar Landfill. Much of the material brought to Eco Stations and the Clover Bar Landfill is recycled or reused:

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Two facts that prove Edmonton’s recycling programs are beneficial

1 Fact: Recycling is good for the environment Virtually every household in the City of Edmonton has played a part in recycling waste, helping to divert waste from landfill, thus helping to preserve our environment and natural resources. Landfill space is conserved; 15 per cent of waste is diverted from the landfill through the City’s recycling programs. By sending less waste to landfills, less methane gas is released from landfills into the atmosphere. Methane gas is a major contributor to the greenhouse effect. Recycling helps reduce the consumption of natural resources, such as fossil fuels used to manufacture products, trees that generate paper, and metals extracted through strip mining. • Producing aluminum from scrap instead of bauxite cuts energy use and air pollution by 95 per cent. • Making paper from discards instead of virgin timber not only saves forests, it reduces the energy used by up to three quarters and requires less than half as much water.

2 Fact: Recycling is good for the local economy

Many companies in the Edmonton area are directly involved in processing recyclable materials or in manufacturing and marketing products containing recycling materials. Ninety per cent of the material collected for recycling is sold. Approximately 10 per cent is either unsuitable for recycling or is bypassed by the sorting process. Potential uses for the residue are being researched. Here are some companies in Alberta that use Edmonton’s recycled materials. • Alberta Newsprint Company - old newsprint and magazines are used to make new newsprint • Can-Cell Industries Inc.- newspapers and low grade paper are made into cellulose insulation • EMCO (formerly Building Products Company) - cardboard, boxboard and low grade paper are used to make building paper and shingles • Alta Steel - household metal is used to make rebar and tractor/grader blades

Eco Station Material Recycled as...

antifreeze (glycol) recycled as antifreezemotor oil/oil filters recycled by oil recycler or used as fuelcar batteries plastic casing becomes new plastic casing, lead cells become

new lead cells, acid is reused in the production of polystyrenefluorescent tubes the glass is used in the manufacture of fibreglass; aluminum end

caps are sent to an aluminum smelter; and the mercury is distilled into useable mercury

tires become rubber paving stones, livestock mattressesplastic oil containers cleaned and recycled into various plastic productscomputer components the metals and plastics are recycled (about 90% of the total weight).aerosol cans, large recycled as rebar or tractor/grader bladesappliances, disposable recycled as rebar or tractor/grader bladespropane/ butane cylinders,and all scrap metal usable paint (including full made available For free to the public. (Edmontonians have receivedor partially full aerosols) about 100,000 litres of free paint since the first Eco Station opened in

1995)

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• Harvey Enterprises - glass is used for reflective paint and signage

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Science 7 Module 1 Name:Class:

DATE: NAME: CLASS:TOPIC 2

Lower Your ImpactBLM 1-4

REINFORCEMENT

Goal • Develop a plan to lower the impact you have on the environment.

What to DoAnswer the following questions in the space provided.

1. Read and think about each statement in the left-hand column of the table below. Place a check mark () in the right-hand column that applies to the way you live.

Statement Never Rarely Often Always

If I eat at school, I bring all parts of my lunch in re-usable containers.

I keep empty bottles and cans for recycling.

I put fruit and vegetable waste in a composter.

I do not buy food with unnecessary packaging.

I turn off the lights and electrical equipment when no one is using them.

I wear sweaters instead of turning up the heat.

I open the door of a refrigerator only to get what I need or to put something away.

I usually walk, or ride a bicycle, instead of asking for a ride.

I keep the water volume low when I have a shower, and I run the shower for no more than 5 min.

I turn off the water flow while I brush my teeth.

I use both sides of each sheet of paper.

I re-use paper and plastic bags.

I repair or re-use rather than throwing things away.

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Science 7 Module 1 Name:Class:

DATE: NAME: CLASS:TOPIC 2

Lower Your ImpactBLM 1-4

REINFORCEMENT(continued)Statement Never Rarely Often Always

I recycle as much as possible.

I visit and respect natural places.

I pay close attention to plants and animals.

I pick up litter and throw it into a garbage can.

I find out about environmental issues.

I write letters to decision makers about ways to limit human impacton the environment.

[Table adapted from “Living Lightly Checklist” on the Internet site for the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) Calgary/Banff Chapter.]

2. Use your results in question 1 to develop a plan to lower your impact on the environment. Identify at least one way to improve the way you live in each of the following areas.

(a) food packaging

(b) energy use

(c) water use

(d) waste reduction

(e) interaction with nature

(f) environmental action

Interactions and Ecosystems Practice Quiz Topic 2 — Human Impacts on Ecosystems

1. The Nootka, an Aboriginal tribe from the West Coast of Canada, utilized the natural resources of the environment around them. They used the bark of the red cedar tree for

A. clothing B. canoes C. tipis D. cooking utensils

2. Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is in the Porcupine Hills, in southern Alberta. The Buffalo were

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Science 7 Module 1 Name:Class:

hunted for their meat, hides, bones and sinew. Instead of hunting the Buffalo with spears and arrows they

A. shot them with weapons provided by the settlers B. herded them into corrals C. ran them over a cliff D. cornered them up against a cliff

3. ‘Wants’ are things that make our life more enjoyable. The distinction between a ‘need’ and a ‘want’ has become blurred. Satisfying our needs and wants usually uses natural resources. Which of the following is an example of a luxury?

A. Water from a well B. Potatoes from a garden C. Greenhouse tomatoes D. Crabapples from your tree

4. Do we learn from our mistakes? Using pesticides that contained DDT was very effective in controlling insect pests on many crops. It was subsequently banned because of this harmful side effect.

A. Birth defects in baby chicks B. Soft egg shells C. Bioaccumulation in wolves D. Death of small mammals

5. Predators such as wolves and coyotes - and even bears - are moving closer and closer to highly populated areas. This is posing an increased danger to people, so predator populations are being culled (reduced in number). This can have a devastating effect on the ecosystem because without this natural control

A. prey will also be reduced B. prey will become overpopulated C. prey will be kept in check D. vegetation will be overgrown

6. The peregrine falcon, the swift fox and the burrowing owl were all once on the brink of extinction until these practices helped save them, EXCEPT for. . .

A. banning of DDT B. alternative food supply C. captive breeding program D. relocation of predators

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