Eco Syestem

Ecosystem Components Paper
Christy Stevenson
SCI/256
November 27, 2012
Raed Aldouri
Ecosystem Paper In this paper I will be discussing three main points; the first will be the major and functional dynamics of the ecosystem including change over time. Second, will be how humans may have affected biogeochemical cycles in that ecosystem. Last I will discuss how knowledge about that ecosystems structure and function can help or has helped to develop plans for its management and restoration and the implication of species interactions in ecosystem management and restoration. Major and functional dynamics of the ecosystem Deserts are able to sustain many different wildlife as well as plant life, in which many different ecosystems depend on. The Mohave Desert like many other deserts uses the suns energy to convert food fuel from the green plants that live in the desert. The Mohave Desert has a massive dry land which makes it very structural. Its functional dynamics is how important it is for the plants to receive nourishment and sunlight from the sun. Being part of the major food chain in the desert is very important and for most inevitable. The perfect example could be the hawk that eats the lizard, which eats the scorpion, which eats the tarantula that eats insects. Humans and biochemical cycles Since the beginning of time humans have affected the biochemical cycles in many different ecosystems. Some of the impacts made have been within the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycle. The Mohave Desert is affected by the carbon cycles when people are driving at 70mphs and they surprise a helpless animal which might be trying to cross the highway, and then get shit by the car. The poor animal is now lying dead on the side of the road, and this will release a large quantity of carbon dioxide that will eventually ties up the biological tissues which are released again into the atmosphere. One other way that humans affect the desert cycles is by wild fires when wildfires burn out of control by burning the plants and the homes of many animals.
According to "Human Impacts On The Biogeochemical Cycles" (2012), “In nature, phosphorus enters lakes and streams gradually as phosphorus is released from rock weathering and decay of biological tissue. Rock weathering in particular is a very slow process. Human activities such as phosphate extraction for fertilizer manufacture greatly increase the rate at which mineral phosphorus becomes available for biological processes.”

So that we understand the phosphorus cycle it is important to know that the use of heavy fertilizer can add phosphorus to any water sources that may be nearby. This can cause over nitrification within the water sources. As far as the desert is concerned there is almost hardly any water around so over nitrification may be very rare. Conclusion As a human race I think that we all need to be more aware of the area that we live in. it is very important to understand the environment around us. There are many living organisms around us and for some that may even be in our own back yard. A perfect example is El Paso, we live in a desert it may not be as harsh as the Mohave Desert but just the same it is a desert. Even so with the continued growth of the city it has interfered with the much wildlife that lives or used to live in the desert. We also need to be mindful of accidental fires which most have happened in California or even more recent Colorado.

References

Human Impacts on the Biogeochemical Cycles. (n.d). Retrieved from http://wps.prenhall.com/esm_wright_envisci_9/21/5494/1406699.cw/content/index.html Desert Ecosystem. (n.d). Retrieved from http://digital-desert.com/joshua-tree-national-park/ecosystems.html

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References: Human Impacts on the Biogeochemical Cycles. (n.d). Retrieved from http://wps.prenhall.com/esm_wright_envisci_9/21/5494/1406699.cw/content/index.html Desert Ecosystem. (n.d). Retrieved from http://digital-desert.com/joshua-tree-national-park/ecosystems.html ECOSYSTEM COMPONENTS PAPER PAGE 3 ECOSYSTEM COMPONENTS PAPER PAGE 1