The links below provide an outline of the material for this lesson. Be sure to carefully read through the entire lesson before returning to Canvas to submit your assignments.
In Lesson 6, you will just begin to appreciate the valuable and valued biodiversity dependent upon freshwater aquatic ecosystems. Assignment 6.2 will lead you through the myriad of ecosystem services provided to us – mostly free of charge – by healthy aquatic habitats.
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
This lesson is one week in length. Please refer to the Course Calendar in Canvas for specific time frames and due dates. To finish this lesson, you must complete the activities listed below.
Requirements | Assignment Details | Access/Directions |
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Optional
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If you have any questions, please post them to our Questions? discussion forum located under Orientation and Resources in Canvas. While you are there, feel free to post your own responses if you, too, are able to help out a classmate.
… the status of living systems provides the most direct and most effective measure of the "integrity of water," the resource on which all life depends."
James R. Karr and Ellen W. Chu, 1997
Biological Monitoring…
Aquatic ecosystems are some of the most amazing habitats on Earth. Their species and communities are staggeringly diverse. Lesson 6 is but a brief introduction into the complexities of biological communities that are dependent upon freshwater. Trained as a biologist, I have observed, investigated, and experienced aquatic ecosystems all of my life, and still I know there is so much more to learn. For this lesson, my advice is to sample the fascinating species and vital services provided by these systems, and maybe it will provide a springboard of interest into their natural history and their never-ending diversity. I hope you enjoy this part of the journey.
Chapter 6 of the text provides a simple, but reasonably complete overview of the characteristics of aquatic ecosystems, how they function, and their relationship to ecosystem services.
Holden (2020) – Brown et al., Chapter 6 – Aquatic ecosystems (p.195-232)
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment of 2005 was a seminal synopsis of the values and services of waters from which we all benefit. Although this set of assessments was begun before the turn of the millennium, this part took five more years to complete. Still, it forms the basis of how many free services are provided to us from healthy aquatic ecosystems.
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005). Ecosystems and human well-being: Wetlands and water. Synthesis. World Resources Institute, Washington, DC. 80pp.
Registered students can access a copy of this reading under Lesson 6 in Canvas.
The following reference describes a novel and thorough approach to considering and measuring the economic value of wetlands, broadly defined, and other waters. It provides the next steps in thinking about valuing ecosystem services. You can use it as one of the required references for Assignment 6.2. I heartily recommend you review the document, but it will not be included as part of any evaluation for this course.
Russi D., ten Brink P., Farmer A., Badura T., Coates D., Förster J., Kumar R. and Davidson N. (2013). The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity for Water and Wetlands. IEEP, London and Brussels; Ramsar Secretariat, Gland.
Registered students can access a copy of the reading under Lesson 6 in Canvas.
To 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!
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):
Description | Full points | Partial points | No points | Points total |
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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 |
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.)
Lesson 6 was designed to introduce you to the primary beneficiaries, besides us, of healthy aquatic ecosystems - that is, diverse animal and plant communities that are dependent upon water. Obviously, there is much more to learn about the biological diversity of these systems, such as how to identify and recognize species, their role in the functioning of these ecosystems, and how they can be used in monitoring programs to assess the health or condition of aquatic habitats. As stated by Karr and Chu (1997) at the beginning of this lesson, “… the status of living systems provides the most direct and most effective measure of the "integrity of water," the resource on which all life depends.”
Don't forget to complete Quiz 2 by 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, July 3rd. The quiz will cover material from lessons 4, 5, and 6 so you should take the quiz after completing all of the activities for Lesson 6. Registered students can access Quiz 2 under Lesson 6 in Canvas. (See the Calendar in Canvas for specific due dates.)
You have reached the end of Lesson 6! Double check the to-do list on the Lesson 6 Overview [1]page to make sure you have completed all of the activities listed there before you begin Lesson 7.