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Ecosystem services are a range of benefits humans receive from the natural environment and healthy ecosystems.
- These ecosystems include forest ecosystems, agroecosystems, grassland ecosystems, and aquatic ecosystems.
- These ecosystems provide benefits like natural crop pollination, clean air, extreme weather mitigation, and human mental and physical well-being.
- These advantages are collectively known as ecosystem services.
- They are usually essential to the availability of food, clean drinking water, waste disposal, and the resilience and productivity of food ecosystems.
| Table of Content |
Key Terms: Ecosystem, Ecosystem services, Species, Provisioning Services, Regulating Services, Supporting Services, Cultural Services, Human beings, Life processes, Biodiversity
Ecosystem Services
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Ecosystem services, often known as eco-services, are the goods and services that ecosystems provide to humans.
- There are millions of species on Earth.
- Every organism relies on another organism for energy, survival, and other essential life processes.
- The mutual dependency of organisms and their surroundings produces an interactive system known as ecosystems.
- The interactions between ecosystem components are essential for maintaining a well-defined environment.
- As part of an ecosystem, humans benefit greatly from both the biotic and abiotic components.
- These advantages are usually referred to as ecosystem services.
- Life and biodiversity on Earth rely on these services.
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| Terrestrial ecosystem | Components of ecosystem | Food chains and webs |
| Classification of Animal Kingdom | Importance of Ecosystem | Population Interactions |
Types of Ecosystem Services
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The scientific body has identified four different types of ecosystem services:
- Provisioning Services
- Regulating Services
- Supporting Services
- Cultural Services
An ecosystem does not have to provide all four types of services at the same time; nonetheless, it is generally considered that people benefit from a combination of them.
- The services provided by various types of ecosystems (forests, coral reefs, seas, mangroves, etc.) vary in nature and as a consequence.
- In fact, some services directly affect the livelihoods of neighboring human populations (for example, fresh water, food, or aesthetic value).
- Whereas others affect general environmental conditions that have an indirect impact on humans
- For example, climate change, erosion regulation, or natural hazard regulation.
Provisioning Services
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Provisioning services include all "the products obtained from ecosystems". The services listed below are also known as ecosystem goods.
- Food (such as seafood and game), wild foods, crops, and spices.
- Genetic resources, containing genes for crop improvement and health care.
- Raw materials, such as fuelwood, timber, skins, fodder, organic matter, and fertilizer.
- Medicinal resources, such as chemical models, pharmaceuticals, and test and assay organisms.
- Ornamental resources, such as handicrafts, fashion, jewelry, pets, worship, and decoration.
- Energy, including hydropower, and biomass fuels.
- Biogenic minerals
Regulating Services
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The "benefits obtained from the regulation of ecosystem processes" are known as regulating services. This includes:
- Carbon sequestration and climate regulations
- Purification of Water and Air
- Waste breakdown and detoxification.
- Pollination
- Predation governs the prey populations.
- Biological Control Pest and Disease Control
- Disturbance regulation, i.e. flood protection
Supporting Services
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Supporting services allow the presence of other ecosystem services.
- They have long-term, indirect consequences on humans.
- Several services can be classified as both supporting services and regulating/cultural/provisioning services.
- Supporting services include primary production, nutrient cycling, soil formation, and habitat provision.
- These services help ecosystems to continue delivering essential services such as food supply, flood management, and water purification.
Cultural Services
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Cultural services are relevant to the non-material world because they enhance recreational, aesthetic, cognitive, and spiritual activities that are difficult to explain in monetary terms. They include:
- Cultural, which includes the use of nature as a motif in books, films, paintings, advertising, folklore, national symbols, and so on.
- Recreational experiences, such as ecotourism, outdoor sports, and recreation.
- Spiritual and historical, includes the use of nature for religion or heritage value.
- Therapeutic, includes eco-therapy, social forestry, and animal-assisted therapy.
- Science and education, including the use of natural systems for school trips and scientific discoveries.
Things to Remember
- Ecosystem services or eco-services, are the products and services that ecosystems offer to humans.
- Life and biodiversity on Earth rely on these services.
- Types of ecosystem services are Provisioning, Regulating, Supporting, and Cultural Services.
- An ecosystem does not have to provide all four types of services at the same time.
- Provisioning services include all the products obtained from ecosystems.
- The benefits obtained from the regulation of ecosystem processes are known as regulating services.
- Supporting services allow the presence of other ecosystem services.
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Sample Questions
Ques. What is called an ecosystem? (2 Marks)
Ans. An ecosystem is composed of all of the living things (plants, animals, and organisms) in a specific region that interacts with one another as well as their non-living environment. Each organism in an ecosystem performs a certain niche or role.
Ques. What is an ecosystem service? (2 Marks)
Ans. Ecosystem services can be defined as the direct and indirect contributions of ecosystems to human well-being, which influence our survival and quality of life.
Ques. What are the 4 types of ecosystem services? (3 Marks)
Ans. The four different types of ecosystem services are
- Provisioning Services
- Regulating Services
- Supporting Services
- Cultural Services
Ques. Mention an example of the relationship between humans and the natural ecosystem. (3 Marks)
Ans. The following example shows the relationship between humans and ecosystems. The Department of Defence lands military stations of the US military through the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, which has financed significant ecosystem services to local communities, including advantages like as carbon storage, climate resilience, and habitat for endangered species. In 2020, Duke University will contribute $110 million in ecosystem services annually. If no base is present, they offer an additional $40 million.
Ques. What are the major methods for valuing ecosystem services? (3 Marks)
Ans. The following are the six main methodologies for valuing ecosystem services:
- Costs saved: Society avoids the expense in the absence of services.
- Cost of replacement: Ecosystem services can sometimes take the role of man-made systems.
- Factor earnings: Services are supplied in order to increase income.
- Costs of travel: The amount set aside to keep the services that need travel charges running smoothly.
- Pricing based on the hedonic principle: Hedonic pricing is a type of pricing used by people to meet their needs for services.
- The valuation that is conditional: Contingent valuation is the process of valuing alternatives in order to create hypothetical scenarios.
Ques. Describe briefly the nutrient cycling. (3 Marks)
Ans. The nutrition cycle is carried out by biotic and abiotic creatures. Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus make up the majority of the key nutrients. The majority of these may be found in the water. These are devoured by species in the marine environment, as well as the food web that exists there, and they are transmitted from one habitat to another. The nutrients are transported to the neighboring environment when the organisms die due to decomposition, and the process continues.
Ques. Mention some of the regulatory services. (3 Marks)
Ans. The following are some of the most important regulatory services:
- Regulation of the climate:
A large number of climatic changes are regulated by biotic and abiotic elements. CO2 and other greenhouse gases are among these gases. This has a negative impact on the climate.
- Treatment of waste and disease control:
When garbage is carried to marine habitats, it dilutes and detoxifies, reducing the risk of serious illnesses.
Ques. Mention some of the provisional services. (3 Marks)
Ans. The following are some of the most important provisional services:
- Forest goods include:
Forests provide a wide range of services, including timber such as round woods, sandalwood, and so on.
- Products from the sea:
Some of the key items acquired from marine ecosystems include fibers and fuel, as well as biochemical and genetic resources.
Ques. What are the Cultural Ecosystem Services? (3 Marks)
Ans. Recreational experiences for enjoyment and a sense of good social connection are examples of cultural services in the environment. Outdoor sports, ecotourism, and recreation are examples of these. Science and education include things like scientific breakthroughs, the utilization of natural systems in educational projects, and so on. Religious nature, intrinsic or legacy value, and so forth are examples of historical and spiritual elements. Cultural ecosystem services include films, art, national emblems, and other forms of culture. Such services establish a feeling of community among individuals, promote social cohesiveness and aid in the maintenance of human health and well-being.
Ques. What are Forest Ecosystem Services? (3 Marks)
Ans. Human society relies on forest ecosystem services for a variety of functions and values. As a key habitat for a variety of species, it promotes conservation and biodiversity preservation. Forests help to mitigate climate change and the carbon cycle by storing carbon and capturing growth from the atmosphere. The forest ecosystem generates and conserves soil, as well as regulates streamflow and water runoff. Natural calamities such as droughts, floods, and landslides are also reduced.
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