PrintTo go beyond just a list of ecosystem services, Assignment 6.1 asks you to delve deeper into the service of your choice and briefly describe the function (what ecosystems do) or service (a function with direct benefit to humans) and potential threats to that function or service from anthropogenic stressors (e.g., excess nutrients, habitat fragmentation, etc.). You'll need to locate and incorporate information from two references (properly cited) beyond the Millennium report - I suggest using Google Scholar with keywords, or another scientific or technical search engine. Good luck!
Assignment 6.1
Choose a specific ecosystem service from the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Report for Water and Wetlands (2005), and define and describe this ecosystem service or function, and discuss any potential threats to it. Make sure your report explains how the ecosystem service or function is threatened through a threat to the aquatic ecosystem or to its ability to perform the function or service. Cite at least two primary references (i.e., journal articles or technical reports) beyond the Millennium Report to support your work in a no more than single spaced 2-page report. Here is a summary of the services covered by the report. (Registered students can access a copy of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005) report under Lesson 6 in Canvas.)
Simplified list of ecosystem services from the Millennium Report (2005):
Provisioning
- Food/shelter - plants (rice culture, crops, marsh Arabs, thatching, ornamentals)
- Food – fauna (hunting, trapping, fishing (finfish & shellfish), birding)
- Fiber & fuel - wood products, fuel wood, peat mining, forage & fodder
- Medicines and pharmaceuticals - derivatives from natural products
Regulating
- Natural hazard - flood storage and desynchronization (inland, freshwater systems)
- Natural hazard - storm protection (coastal systems)
- Erosion regulation - retention of soil and sediments
- Water purification - retention, removal and transformation of nutrients (N & P)
- Water supply & flow regulation - surface flows, groundwater (discharge & recharge)
- Waste treatment - design and operation of constructed wetlands for waste removal
- Climate regulation - source & sink for greenhouse gases, influencing local weather
Supporting
- Biodiversity - biogeography & plant communities (endangered, threatened, rare species)
- Biodiversity - fish & aquatic macroinvertebrates (insects, crustaceans, mollusks, etc.)
- Biodiversity - water birds (waterfowl, shorebirds, songbirds, raptors; migration)
- Biodiversity - other vertebrates (aquatic and semi-aquatic mammals, amphibians, reptiles)
Cultural
- Economic - approaches for estimating value for wetland ecosystems
- Educational - opportunities and approaches used for all ages
- Aesthetic & artistic - art, music, literature, scenic, etc.
- Spiritual and inspirational - cultural and religious values & differences for wetlands
| Description | Full points | Partial points | No points | Points total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ecosystem service selection | Appropriate ecosystem service selected from Millennium Report. | An appropriate ecosystem service is selected, but it is a service not included in the Millennium Report. | No ecosystem service is discussed. | 5 |
| Content | Great definition and description of the ecosystem function or service. Potential threats to it are discussed. Narrative is detailed and demonstrates that the content was well researched. | Definition and description of the ecosystem service provided. Potential threats are discussed. However, details are vague and narrative could be expanded to include more content. | Narrative is missing either definition/description of the ecosystem service or discussion of potential threats. Content is brief and lacks detail. | 15 |
| College-level writing | No grammar or spelling mistakes. Content is organized well. | 2-3 grammar or spelling mistakes. Flow and organization of content could be improved. | 3+ grammar or spelling mistakes. Content does not flow and is unorganized. | 5 |
| Citations | Included a complete works cited page. All information is in the student’s own words and appropriately cited. | Works cited page is incomplete. Some information is not written in the student’s own words. | Works cited page is incomplete or missing. Most information is not written in the student’s own words. | 5 |
Deliverable
Please submit your no more than 2 page paper using the Assignment 6.1 - Ecosystem Description drop box under Lesson 6 in Canvas. (See the Calendar in Canvas for specific due dates.)