Difference between revisions of "ECOSYSTEM"

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Revision as of 12:40, 8 August 2016


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An ecosystem is a community of living organisms in conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment (things like air, water and mineral soil), interacting as a system. These biotic and abiotic components are regarded as linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. As ecosystems are defined by the network of interactions among organisms, and between organisms and their environment, they can be of any size but usually encompass specific, limited spaces (although some scientists say that the entire planet is an ecosystem).

Ecosystems are controlled both by external and internal factors. External factors such as climate, the parent material that forms the soil, and topography control the overall structure of an ecosystem and the way things work within it, but are not themselves influenced by the ecosystem. Other external factors include time and potential biota. Ecosystems are dynamic entities—invariably, they are subject to periodic disturbances and are in the process of recovering from some past disturbance. Ecosystems in similar environments that are located in different parts of the world can have very different characteristics simply because they contain different species. The introduction of non-native species can cause substantial shifts in ecosystem function. Internal factors not only control ecosystem processes but are also controlled by them and are often subject to feedback loops. While the resource inputs are generally controlled by external processes like climate and parent material, the availability of these resources within the ecosystem is controlled by internal factors like decomposition, root competition or shading. Other internal factors include disturbance, succession and the types of species present.

Biodiversity affects ecosystem function, as do the processes of disturbance and succession. Ecosystems provide a variety of goods and services upon which people depend; the principles of ecosystem management suggest that rather than managing individual species, natural resources should be managed at the level of the ecosystem itself. Classifying ecosystems into ecologically homogeneous units is an important step towards effective ecosystem management, but there is no single, agreed-upon way to do this.

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Updates

General Wildlife

  • Approximately 355 Bird, 89 mammal, 47 reptile, 9 amphibian, and thousands of aquatic and terrestrial invertebrate species can be found in GCNP and GCNRA's Glen Canyon reach. (NPS CFMP-EA_pg 19)

General Plant Species

  • Approximately 129 vegetation communities, Over 850 species have been reported from GCNRA, and over 1,750 vascular plant species from GCNP (NPS CFMP-EA_pg 19)
  1. Riparian communities are dominated by species such as coyote and seep willows, arrowweed, western honey mesquite, catclaw acacia, and exotic tamarisk with many other species present.
  2. Desert Scrub communities are dominated by species such as creosote, white bursage, brittle bush, ocotillo, four-wing saltbush, big sagebrush, ephedra, dropseed, brome grasses, and many other species.
  3. Approximately 11% of flora in GCNP and GC reach is exotic.

Reports and Links

2016

2015

2014

2012

  • According to the Basin Study (2012)] results suggested that ecological and recreational metrics were amongst the most vulnerable to future conditions...[Source: 2.4;Figure 2.3]*LINK


Other Stuff