Tag: Biodiversity and ecosystems

Why does the number of organisms decrease as you move up the pyramid level?Of all the birds that are pellet ejectors, which type of bird is probably the most efficient at this process?  

None

What are owl pellets?

What happens to the soft parts of the prey?

What is the purpose of the gizzard in the owl pellet formation?

Where does the pellet remain until it is expelled?

These pellets are not eliminated as _________________, but are regurgitated through the ___________________.
List 6 other birds that are known to regurgitate pellets.

Of all the birds that are pellet ejectors, which type of bird is probably the most efficient at this process?

How many pellets does the common barn owl produce per day?

What color are the pellets when fresh?

Describe the appearance of a dry owl pellet.

The pellets are from what owl family?

Why are the pellets fumigated?

How do food webs and food chains differ?

Why does the number of organisms decrease as you move up the pyramid level?

In terms of energy flow in an ecosystem, why is the amount of energy passed from one trophic level to the next so small?  Since we know energy cannot be destroyed, account for the loss of energy that occurs between the prey and the owl.

We know that about 50% of the energy in an organism is not digested by the consumer and is simply passed through as waste or feces.  Is the energy stored in the feces lost to the ecosystem?  Why or why not?

Examine how humans will meet their energy needs in the future in a way that will enable maintenance of a sustainable, habitable atmosphere and climate.

The Journey to Sustainability

Your paper will consist of seven paragraphs using the format below to address the elements with the assumption that environmental sustainability has been achieved:

Paragraph 1:

Describe how the human relationship to nature will be different from what it is at present.

Examine how humans will cope differently with the ways that natural phenomena like hurricanes affect lives.
Paragraph 2:

Describe what Earth’s biodiversity and ecosystems will look like in a sustainable future.

Explain what humans have done differently to enable biodiversity and ecosystems to function sustainably.
Paragraph 3:

Examine how agricultural production will be different in a sustainable future.
Paragraph 4:

Differentiate between how humans will manage water resources (fresh water and ocean) in the sustainable future compared to how it is done now.

Paragraph 5

Examine how humans will meet their energy needs in the future in a way that will enable maintenance of a sustainable, habitable atmosphere and climate.

Indicate the changes that humans have made that are enabling them to maintain a healthy atmosphere and climate for all.
Paragraph 6:

Describe how waste management will be different in a sustainable future.

Indicate the changes have been made to how humans think about and treat what is currently called “waste.”
Paragraph 7:

Summarize some of the major social, economic, political, and ecological choices and tradeoffs that will need to be overcome for this sustainable future to arrive.

What are some of the major issues and challenges humans will have to face in order to achieve sustainability on a global scale?

The Journey to Sustainability final paper

Must be seven paragraphs in length (700 to 1400 words) (not including title and reference pages) and formatted according to APA Style as outlined in theWriting Center’s APA Style

Must incorporate all four of your previously selected terms.

Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice resource for additional guidance.

Include two scholarly sources including the course text.

The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types.

If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.

Must document any information used from sources in APA style as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA: Citing Within Your Paper.

Can include, as an option, a separate references list that is formatted according to APA Style as outlined in theWriting Center.

See the APA: Formatting Your References List resource in the Writing Center for specifications.