ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACT ON ECOSYSTEMS

1
ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACT ON ECOSYSTEMS
PUNJABI UNIVERSITY, PATIALA
2
WHAT IS THE MEAN OF TERM ANTHROPOGENIC ?

• Activities that are carried by human beings.
• British ecologist Arthur Tansley , used this term
  first time in English in reference to Human
  Influences on climax plant communities.
• Term was first time used by Russian Geologist
  A.P. Pavlov.

3
WHAT IS ECOSYSTEM ?

• Any unit that includes all organisms(a biotic
  community- group of populations) in a given area
  interacting with physical environment so that a
  flow of energy leads to clearly defined biotic
  structures and cycling of materials b/w living
  and non living components is a ecological system
  or ecosystem.
• Three basic interacting components -
• (a) Biotic community (man as a part),
• (b) flow of energy (food chain, food web etc.)
• (c) cycling of materials (biogeochemical
  cycles).

4
MAN AND ECOSYSTEM

• Before the Agricultural Industrial revolutions
• Humans were hunters and gathers living on whether
  whatever they could kill or harvest from natural
  systems.
• Early humans fit into the Ecosystem Model as a
  terminal heterotrophs (Top predator omnivore).
• Now in Modern Urban-industrial Society
• Humans, just no longer effected but also modified
  natural systems
• Created a completely new arrangement, termed as
  HUMAN DOMINATED TECHNOECOSYSTEMS

5
WHY HUMAN PERFORMS THESE
ACTIVITIES ?

• PURPOSES-
• Ensuring food supply (agroecosystem).
• Building shelters (residential plots)
• Achieving economic security (employment and
  income source to peoples)
• Providing social security (protection)

6
ARTIFICIAL ECOSYSTEMS

• For fulfilment of these purposes human developed
  new artificial ecosystems against natural
  ecosystems
• Human Dominated Technoecosystems.
• Industrialised Agroecosystem
• - these ecosystems interact with other
  ecosystems

7
TECHNOECOSYSTEMS v/s NATURAL ECOSYSTEM

• Competitive with and are parasite on natural
  ecosystem
• In addition to sun light energy as inputs other
  energy sources such as fossil fuels and nuclear
  fission energy used in case of technoecosystems.
• Pioneer landscape ecologist ZEN NEVESH (1982)
  used term TOTAL HUMAN ECOSYSTEM to describe
  relationship of Industrial Society
  (TECHNOECOSYSTEM) to the total Ecosphere

8
HUMAN DOMINATED TECHNOECOSYSTEMS

• Inputs -fossil fuels, uranium energy sources and
  natural resources.
• Outputs-increased air, water and solid waste
  pollution (much toxic than outputs by natural
  ecosystems)

9
INDUSTRIALISED AGROECOSYSTEM

• Explosive growth of megacities, increased demand
  of another technoecosystem known as
  industria-lised agroecosystem.
• Excessive use of water.
• Use of toxic and eutrophicating chemicals.

10
HUMAN ACTIVITIES AND IMPACT ON ECOSYSTEMS

1. Modern Agriculture.
2. Animal husbandry fishing.
3. Energy industry.
4. Manufactured products.
5. Mining.
6. Housing.
7. Transport.
8. Forestry.
9. Tourism and recreation.
10. War.

11
A. MODERN AGRICULTURE

• i. Deforestation and ploughing-
• -massive loss of top soil .
• -desertification of soil.
• -degradation of soil microcosm (soil
  micro-ecosystem).
• Monoculture cropping -
• -loss of diversity of native crop species.
• -reduction of wild genetic pool for traditional
  agroecosystem.

12
A. MODERN AGRICULTURE contd.

• iii. Irrigation-
• -change in quantity and quality of water.
• -drawing of water from rivers, downstream
  discharge reduced, effects river based aquatic
  ecosystem.
• -water logging soil salination.
• -irrigation by high powered water pumps, dams
  and by pipelines , large scale depletion of fresh
  water resources, aquifers , lakes and rivers.

13
A. MODERN AGRICULTURE

• iv. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides-
• -used to increase food production.
• -causes air, soil and water pollution.
• -Biomagnification , increases the reproduction
  failure that causes the extinction of organisms
  (loss of biotic components of ecosystem).
• -serious illness effects on human health.

14
B. ANIMAL HUSBANDRY (RAISING OF ANIMALS)

• USES- food (meat production), dairy products,
  fibre, fertilizer, labour, etc.
• Effects-
• -reduction of agricultural land.
• -much food consumption in form of grain feeding.
• -disturbances in food chains, by factory
  farming(use of chemicals for production of growth
  harmones and drugs, animals used for this on
  dying offer meat effected by chemicals.
• -vultures in INDIA AND PAKISTAN died due to use
  of anti-inflammatory drug Diclofenac given to
  livestock to alleviate arthritis like symptoms.
• -loss of huge amount water( 1kg. Meat need 10
  times more water than growing 1 kg. of wheat).
• -more energy use (8 times more, as mainly
  required for production and transport of
  artificial feed and moving animals themselves)
• -emission of green house gases(by FAO 18 in
  2006 and 51 in2009 by meat industry)

15
B. FISHING

• Alter the biotic community of aquatic ecosystem.
• Over fishing degrade the ecosystem so extinction
  of original biodiversity.

16
C. ENERGY INDUSTRY

• All energy forms and types sources, potential
  impact on natural environment to varying degrees
  at all stages of use from extraction through
  processing to end use.
• Fossil fuel- coal mining and coal natural gas
  burning
• -destruction of non-renewable resources
• Thermal electricity- air and soil pollution
• -use so much area, disturb local floral and
  faunal diversity
• Nuclear power- nuclear fuel cycle
• -mining, processing, transportation storage of
  fuel and dumping of radioactive fuel waste.
• -released isotopes pose health danger to human
  populations, animals, plants and
  microorganisms(biotic components of ecosystem)
  e.g. Chernobyl Disaster.
• iv. Petroleum- toxic to almost every form of
  life.

17
C. ENERGY INDUSTRY contd..

• Hydroelectric power-
• -making of water reserves(Dams) on rivers.
• -adverse environmental and sociological impacts.
• -prevents sea run fish from reaching their
  historical mating grounds.
• -less access to water downstream.
• -both regional and surrounding communities are
  effected
• Wind power- relatively minor impact
• -covers large area, many uses agricultural
  compatible area
• -reports of bird and bat mortality, as for wind
  turbines are artificial structures
• -noise pollution for those who live near such
  establishments.

18
D. MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS

• Cleaning agents- there releasing, change the
  chemistry of abiotic components of ecosystem like
  air, water, soil and minerals
• Nanotechnology- novel type of pollution by
  released nanotechnological waste materials
• -under debate to what extent industrial and
  commercial use of nonmaterial's will affect
  organisms and ecosystems.
• Paint- traditional painting materials ,harm full
  effects like use of lead and other additives
• -defect air, soil and water bodies.
• iv. Paper-harvesting of wood defect forest
  ecosystems

19
D. MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS contd..

• v. Pesticides- 98 sprayed insecticides and 95
  herbicides reach a destination other than their
  target
• -non-targets are air, water, bottom, sediments
  and food.
• vi. Pharmaceutical and personal care products
• -products used by agribusiness to bost growth
  and health of livestock.
• -released to water bodies change physical and
  chemical state of abiotic components of natural
  ecosystems

20
E. MINING.

• For mineral resources, metals etc.
• -soil erosion,
• -formation of sink holes,
• -contamination of soil,
• -displacement of peoples,
• -loss of diversity components.

21
F. HOUSING

• Rapidly increasing human population
• Early wood was building (caused deforestation)
• Rapid clearing of forests for housing place
• For construction of houses and apartments consume
  water and other resources such as bricks, steel
  and cement in addition to wood that materials
  need so much inputs that tat in natural ecosystem

22
G. TRANSPORT.

• Major use of energy, burns most of worlds
  petroleum
• -for widening of roads, falling of trees and
  clearing of forest for new road construction as
  habitat destruction.
• -roads and railway lines through forests
  disturbs the natural forest ecosystem components
  eg. accidents
• -other environmental effects are noise and air
  pollution by road transport, pollution in
  stratospheric layer by aviation.

23
H. FORESTRY.

• By this introduction of exotic/ invasive species
• Degradation of original floral and faunal
  diversity of natural ecosystem.
• Monocultures(sensitive to infection-biological
  decline)
• Change of floristic components of non forest
  area, dominated by one or two species

24
I. TOURISM AND RECREATION.

• Locations of touristic interests, conflicting
  land use eg. as in alpine regions.
• Detrimental to sensitive areas.
• Habitat destruction.

25
J. WAR

• Greater devastation of environment.
• Environmental pollution.
• Destruction of natural habitats

26
EFFECTED ECOSYSTEMS

• Destruction of biotic and abiotic components of
  major ecosystem types
• Marine ecosystems (open oceans, continental shelf
  waters, estuaries).
• Fresh water ecosystems (lentic or standing water,
  lakes and pond lotic or running water, rivers
  and streams wetlands, marshes and swamp forest).
• Terrestrial ecosystems .

27
SOME COMMON EFFECTS ON ECOSYSTEMS contd...

• Alteration of physiochemical environment and pace
  of biogeochemical cycles
• -caused by artificial inputs and outputs of
  technoecosystems
• Carbon cycle (emissions).
• Nitrogen cycle (fertilizers organic compounds).
• Sulphur cycle (emissions).
• Phosphorus cycle (fertilizers).
• Water cycle (irrigation reservoirs).
• Introduction of toxic substances in nutrients
• Destruction and blinding of original food chains
• Acceleration of rate of species extinction
  100-1000 times against the normal background.

28
SOME COMMON EFFECTS ON ECOSYSTEMS contd...

• Reduction and fragmentation of habitats and
  landscapes
• -exploration of land for human, reduced area for
  wildlife (habitat loss).
• -reduction of species carrying capacity.
• -smaller habitats can accommodate only smaller
  populations, leads to impoverished gene pool.
• -reduction of genetic resources.
• -diminishes its flexibility and evolutionary
  adaptability(negative impact on survival).

29
REFERENCES

1. Odum, E.P. and Barrett , G.W. 2006. Fundamentals
   of ecology, East-West Press, U.S.A.
2. Rajagopalan, R.2009. Environment And Ecology,
   Oxford University Press, New York.
3. Biology topics.2009. Human Impact On Natural
   Environment.
4. Human Impact On Environment, www.wikipedia.com.

30
THANKS