Change is a Constant Study Guide

1. Change is a Constant = Ecosystems are always changing! This is not always a bad thing! (In fact, many times it is a very good thing!)

2. Changes to an ecosystem are called disturbances

   1. Disturbances can be Natural or Man-made

      1. Examples of natural disturbances: seasons, earthquakes, hurricanes

2. Examples of man-made disturbances: oil spills, habitat destruction to build buildings

3. REMEMBER that some disturbance  can be both natural AND man-made (example: forest fires!)

2. Disturbances can be short-term or long-term

   1. Short-term disturbances last for a “short” (hours, days, months) amount of time. Because they occur so quickly, individual organisms either need to flee or die :(. An example would be an earthquake.

2. Long-term disturbances take place over MANY, MANY years.  Since they occur so slowly, entire populations, communities, and ecosystems can adapt over many generations. An example would be climate change and global warming.

3. Disturbances can affect both the biotic and abiotic parts of an ecosystem.

   1. Example: An earthquake can kill animals or cause them to flee (biotic). It can also change the land and destroy buildings (abiotic). 

4. Disturbances can change the amount of energy and matter in an ecosystem.

   1. Example: After a fire, there are fewer plants, which means there is less sugar (glucose) for animals to eat for energy (which disrupts the food chain).

3. Graphs provide data in a visual format to make it easier to interpret ecosystem changes.

Some information is represented directly in the graph. Other information needs to be inferred based on the information shown in the graph.