Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management Objectives Basic

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Objectives – Basic ecological principles that are important for understanding natural resources and their management • Plant and ecosystem focus 1

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Definitions – Natural resource management • Renewable vs. nonrenewable • Sustainable vs. non-sustainable 2

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Definitions – Ecology – Ecological Hierarchy 3

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Ecological Hierarchy Communities Landscapes Biosphere Ecosystems Organisms (Individuals) Populations 4

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Ecological Hierarchy Landscapes (Individuals) 5

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Definitions – Ecosystem ecology – Ecosystem • Biotic components • Abiotic components • Ecosystem Attributes 6

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Spatial scales of Ecosystems 7

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Ecosystem (and Soil) Development Ecosystem Development 8

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Climate - Solar Radiation • Earth’s solar energy budget • Over a year, Inputs ≈ Outputs 9

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Climate - Solar Radiation 10

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Climate - Solar Radiation 11

Where is productivity highest? Lowest? What are the latitudinal patterns? Other patterns? 13

How do temperature patterns compare with those of NPP? 14

How do precipitation patterns compare with those of NPP? 15

Is temperature or precipitation a better predictor of NPP? 16

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Climate - Ecosystem Types 17

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Climate - Global Biome Types 18

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Local Climate - Elevation & Aspect Elevation N Aspect S 23

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Solar Radiation - Photosynthesis 6 CO 2 + 6 H 2 O + energy <--> C 6 H 12 O 6 + 6 O 2 24

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Photosynthesis Temperature Light Nutrients H 2 O Nitrogen Content (g m-2) 25

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Ecosystem Water Budget Inputs - Outputs = 6 Storage 26

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Water Budget - Transpiration Sunlight CO 2 H 2 O Transpiration Hydraulic Lift 27

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Soils - So much more than dirt! 28

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Carbon Cycling - Energy cycling Nutrient Uptake Decomposers Consumption 29

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Carbon Cycling - Trophic Chains 30

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Carbon Cycling - Trophic Pyramid 31

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Nutrient Cycling & Uptake 32

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Nutrient Cycling & Uptake Inputs - Outputs = 6 S 33

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Nutrient Cycling & Uptake Inputs - Outputs = 6 S Table 7. 1. Major Sources of Nutrients that Are Absorbed by Plantsa. a Data from (Whittaker et al. 1979, Chapin et al. 1980 b) 34

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Ecological Hierarchy - Populations Landscapes (Individuals) 35

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Populations - Size 36

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Populations - Size 37

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Populations - Growth Rate 38

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Populations - Distribution 39

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Populations - Structure Single Species Mixed Species 40

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Ecological Hierarchy - Communities Landscapes (Individuals) 41

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Communities - Interspecific Interactions 42

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Communities - Mutualism (+ , +) N-fixation (root nodule) Mycorrizhae Lichens 43

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Communities - Commensalism (+ , 0) Epiphyte Facilitation 44

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Communities - Parasitism (+ , -) Korthalsella sp. (HI Mistletoe) 45

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Communities - Predation (+ , -) 46

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Communities - Competition (- , -) 47

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Communities - Competition (Niche) 48

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Communities - Competitive Exclusion Species A Species B 49

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Communities - Competitive Exclusion Species A Species B 50

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Communities - Resource Partitioning 51

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Communities - Ecological Succession 52

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management Primary Succession 53

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management Secondary Succession 54

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Communities - Disturbances (Fire) 55

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Communities - Disturbances (Wind) 56

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Communities - Disturbances (Humans) 58

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Communities - Ecological Succession 59

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Communities - Ecological Succession 60

Ecological Principles for Natural Resource Management • Ecology Matters – Natural resource management = the application of ecological principles to the management of natural resources – To manage biota, you have to understand ecology 61