Ecosystem Services & Human Dependence
Name: Period: Date:
1.Energy flows through (lost as heat); matter cycles
2.Pyramids can be disrupted by invasives, disease, or climate
3.Ecosystem Services: Pollination, water filtration, carbon storage, and other ecosystem services have enormous economic value — estimated in the trillions of dollars globally. Replacing these natural processes with technology would be vastly more expensive and less effective.
REF STUDY GUIDE: Big Ideas Use to answer form questions
1.Ecosystems provide free services worth trillions. Pollination, water purification, climate regulation—all free.
2.Technology cannot replace nature economically. Robot bees = $30T/year; real bees = $0. Prevention beats cure.
3.Biodiversity increases service quality and quantity. More species = more services + backup systems (redundancy).
PROVISIONING
Food, water, timber, fiber
REGULATING
Climate, flood, disease control
SUPPORTING
Nutrient cycling, soil formation
CULTURAL
Recreation, spiritual, aesthetic
4 TYPES OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES: All depend on biodiversity (W4)
DRAW KEY TERMS Google each → Images tab → sketch what you see
Ecosystem services
Benefits nature provides humans
Natural capital
Nature's value as an asset
Pollination
Transfer of pollen for reproduction
Economic valuation
Putting dollar value on services
WRITE FOCUS QUESTION Your initial thinking
How much would it cost to replace bees with robots? $30 trillion/year—more than the entire US economy!
Bees pollinate 75% of food crops worldwide—for free. Scientists calculated that building robot bees to do the same job would cost $30 trillion annually. The entire US GDP is only $25 trillion.
I think this shows that nature...
WRITE AFTER HOOK FORM Reflect before continuing
I learned that ecosystem services...
Station 1 — Service Types
Provisioning services include...
Regulating services protect us by...
This explains the phenomenon because...
Station 1 — Service Types
CHECKPOINT: ecosystem service = benefit nature provides for free
Provisioning services include...
Regulating services protect us by...
This explains the phenomenon because...
Station 2 — Economic Value
Nature is cheaper than technology because...
Wetlands vs. levees comparison shows...
This connects to biodiversity (W4) because...
CHECK DAY 1 CHECK-IN Before you leave
Q1: If robot bees cost $30T/year and real bees cost $0, which is more economical? Explain.
Q2: From W4: How does biodiversity increase ecosystem services? (Hint: redundancy)
Confidence:
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Ecosystem Services & Human Dependence (Day 2)
Name:
Station 2 — Economic Value
Nature is cheaper than technology because...
Wetlands vs. levees comparison shows...
This connects to biodiversity (W4) because...
Station 3 — Conservation Economics
CHECKPOINT: natural capital = nature's value as a productive asset
Prevention is cheaper than cure because...
The true cost of destroying ecosystems includes...
A trade-off in conservation is... vs...
DRAW YOUR ECOSYSTEM SERVICES MODEL Complete before exit
Model how ecosystems provide services: (1) Show an ecosystem (forest/wetland/prairie), (2) Show 2+ services it provides, (3) Show what happens if damaged, (4) Show cost to replace. Use arrows for connections, labels for each part.
Include: Ecosystem (labeled) 2+ services provided Arrows showing flow $ value comparison Biodiversity connection
CHECK TEST YOUR THINKING Rate each: FALSE ← 1–2–3–4–5 → TRUE
1. Technology can easily replace nature's services.
F12345T
2. Ecosystem services have enormous economic value measured by replacement cost.
F12345T
3. Biodiversity only matters for endangered species, not services.
F12345T
4. Only "wild" ecosystems provide services—farms and cities don't.
F12345T
5. Biodiversity increases the resilience and quality of ecosystem services.
F12345T
Defend TWO of your ratings - what do you know that you know?
Statement #__: I rated this ___ because...
Statement #__: I rated this ___ because...
SCIENCE CIRCLE: Bring worksheet. Share ratings, defend them. Talk only—no writing!
WRITE ANSWER THE FOCUS QUESTION After Science Circle
How much would it cost to replace bees with robots? Why does this matter for humans?
My "Aha!" Moment
I now understand that...
Still Wondering
I'm still wondering...
The cost to replace bees is so high because...
This matters for humans because ecosystem services...
Biodiversity connects to this by...
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