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Coastal Ecosystem Article
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The Specific Functions of A Ecosystem Diagram
from:An ecosystem diagram can be used in determining the affects of outside influences and conditions on a terrestrial or aquatic ecosystem. The ecosystem diagram will enable researchers and developers to see how different parts of the food chain or environment will be impacted by changes. Differing climatic conditions or human influence can alter the ecosystem diagram. This will show in the numbers of plants and animals and insects that survive and multiply. If the ecosystem diagram shows radical changes, researchers can strive to offset adverse reactions through understanding and knowledge.
The ecosystem diagram will begin with the fundamental landscape of the ecosystem. If a terrestrial ecosystem is involved, the ecosystem diagram will map the ground strata, the drainage, soil types, the water catchment, the underlying types of rock and the topography of the area. The ecosystem will then record the covering of the strata. The rocks, shale, sands, soil and water that cover an area are all mapped in the ecosystem diagram. From there the plant life will be included in the ecosystem diagram.
Once the plant life is mapped, from the smallest flowering plant, fungi and spores, to the largest trees and lianas, the ecosystem diagram will begin to look at living organisms like insects, mammals, birds, reptiles and humans. The ecosystem diagram will name and correlate numbers and placement of these creatures and species.
Climatic conditions, the average daily temperature and the diurnal range will be noted in the ecosystem diagram. Humidity, rainfall, precipitation averages, drainage and frost levels will all become part of the ecosystem diagram.
The ecosystem diagram will then begin to look at the interaction between species. From the water-table through to the canopy the way in which each flower blooms or each insect feeds will become an item on the ecosystem diagram. It is through the interaction of each species of plant and animal, insect and bird that the food chain is brought into focus. As a plant absorbs water, light and air to grow, the ecosystem diagram will take that into account.
As the plants grow, they become fodder for herbivores, or insects. This is another aspect of the ecosystem diagram. The food chain is an important function of an ecosystem diagram. It helps to map where needs are met and needs are not fully achieved. When a species declines or is in crisis the ecosystem diagram can help find and alleviate the problems. When human encroachment is part of the problem an ecosystem diagram can help save endangered or threatened species before they become extinct.
Coastal Ecosystem Specific links
Coastal Ecosystem News
Speaker underlines mangroves' importance for coastal ecosystem balance - News Tribe
 News Tribe | Speaker underlines mangroves' importance for coastal ecosystem balance News Tribe By Yasir Ameen - May 25th, 2012 (No Comment) Karachi: Speakers at the seminar on 'Coastal and Marine Wealth of Pakistan' highlighted the significance of mangroves in balancing coastal ecosystem, saying that land reclamation through cutting of mangroves ... |
Louisiana hailed for coastal measures - UPI.com
Louisiana hailed for coastal measures UPI.com WASHINGTON, May 24 (UPI) -- Louisiana legislators were praised by a consortium of environmental groups for outlining a 50-year plan to protect the coastal ecosystem. Lawmakers in the southern US state passed, in a unanimous vote, a plan to lay out ... |
Toxic tsunami debris will flood Alaska shores - Anchorage Daily News
 Toronto Star | Toxic tsunami debris will flood Alaska shores Anchorage Daily News If only 1% of that reaches Alaska's shores, 30 million pounds of largely plastic and toxic debris will flood our sensitive inter-tidal ecosystem. Our predictions are that Alaska will receive closer to 15 to 20% of the debris over a period of years. Help with first wave of tsunami debris CACS helps clean up debris |
Global Study: Seagrasses Can Store More Carbon Than Forests - University of Virginia
 National Science Foundation | Global Study: Seagrasses Can Store More Carbon Than Forests University of Virginia The paper, "Seagrass Ecosystems as a Globally Significant Carbon Stock," is the first global analysis of carbon stored in seagrasses and demonstrates that coastal seagrass beds can store up to 83000 metric tons of carbon per square kilometer, ... Seagrass meadows are key carbon sinks for combatting climate change Study: Seagrass can combat climate change Study: Seagrass stores more carbon than forests |
Gulf of Mexico After the Spill - Oskaloosa news
Gulf of Mexico After the Spill Oskaloosa news Credit: US Coast Guard It is still unclear whether or not marine and coastal ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico are healthy two years after BP's offshore drilling rig exploded 40 miles off the Louisiana coast, eventually releasing 205.8 million gallons ... EarthTalk® for the week of May 21, 2012 - The Gulf of Mexico two years after ... |