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Herb

Unit 2 - Ecosystems & Ecology

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Globe Showing Europe Africa

Unit 1 - Foundations Of Environmental Systems & Societies

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Flexed Biceps

Unit 3 - Biodiversity & Conservation

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Writing Hand

Unit 4 -Water & Aquatic Food Production Systems & Societies

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Deciduous Tree

Unit 5 - Soil Systems & Terrestrial Food Production Systems & Societies

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Cloud

Unit 6 - Atmospheric Systems & Societies

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Thermometer

Unit 7 - Climate Change & Energy Production

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Briefcase

Unit 8 - Human Systems & Resource Use

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Bar-Chart

Internal Assessment

Humans can interrupt succession and reduce ecosystem stability:

<ul>
	<li>Activities like deforestation can decrease productivity by removing primary producers (like plants), leading to fewer available niches.</li>
	<li>More specialized species may face extinction due to these alterations.</li>
	<li>Deterioration in abiotic factors, like pollution causing harsh conditions, might lead to a habitat that fewer species can adapt to.</li>
	<li>Certain species might be completely removed, resulting in shorter food webs.</li>
	<li>Rapid changes may not give enough time for stable relationships to evolve.</li>
</ul>

This is a stage of interrupted succession due to human activities. An example is heather being set on fire to encourage fresh growth and prevent the formation of a climax community (woodland). This strategy is used in moorland management in the North York Moors National Park.

Humans often recreate pioneer seres (the first stage of succession) in agriculture. These are less stable, needing constant monitoring. Agricultural monocultures are especially vulnerable to diseases and pests.

In Amazon Rainforest, the climax community is a biodiverse rainforest with complex food webs. However, deforestation by humans interrupts this succession, leading to less stable and less diverse ecosystems.

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Moorland management in the North York Moors National Park intentionally interrupts succession by setting heather on fire, creating a plagioclimax to boost fresh growth.

Explain the relationship between ecosystem stability, diversity, and succession

<ul>
	<li>Climax communities in the succession process represent the peak of ecosystem stability and diversity. Each stage of succession adds to the complexity of the system, enriching the soil, and expanding the number of niches. This, in turn, leads to more diverse species and genetics, thus, promoting a more stable ecosystem. However, human activities can disrupt this process, creating less stable and diverse communities, a stage known as the plagioclimax.</li>
</ul>

Climax community 
This is the final, stable community in succession, which is more diverse and stable than interrupted communities. The uniqueness of climax communities includes:

<ul>
	<li>They are more productive, creating more energy for consumers and decomposers.</li>
	<li>More niches (job roles in the ecosystem) are available due to increased productivity.</li>
	<li>Each stage of succession, or &quot;sere&quot;, contributes to a richer, more nutrient-dense soil, enabling larger plants to grow.</li>
	<li>Increased habitat diversity leads to more species and genetic diversity, hence more stability.</li>
	<li>Complex food webs and greater diversity mean more stability, even if one species goes extinct.</li>
</ul>

Human Actions & Ecosystem Dynamics

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Standard Level

Environmental Systems & Societies SL

Unit 2 - Ecosystems & Ecology

Human Actions & Ecosystem Dynamics

Table of content

Human activity & succession

Plagioclimax

Agriculture & succession

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Unit 2 - Ecosystems & Ecology

Human Actions & Ecosystem Dynamics

Table of content

Human activity & succession

Plagioclimax

Agriculture & succession

Unlock the Full Content!