Ecosystem Goods and Services (Edexcel IGCSE Geography)

Ecosystems

• An Ecosystem is a community of living organisms (plants and animals) and their non-living environment

• They function most efficiently when they are in balance:

  • The living (biotic) and non-living components (abiotic) are linked and interact with each other to try to maintain this balance

• Ecosystems can be any size

• All ecosystems have inputs, stores, transfers and outputs
  

  • Inputs: solar radiation and precipitation

  • Stores: biomass and soil

  • Transfers: energy is transferred through food chains and webs

  • Outputs: gases, dead matter

• All ecosystems provide goods and services

Goods & Services

Goods 

• Goods are tangible products which can be taken from the ecosystem

• Timber, food and water are all examples of goods 

• These can be sold or used to sustain the communities in the ecosystem

• They are one of the four services ecosystems provide

Services

• The services provided by ecosystems are essential for life to survive

• There are four groups of services:

  • Provisioning

  • Regulating 

  • Cultural 

  • Supporting

Provisioning services (goods)

• These are from managed or semi-managed ecosystems

  • Timber

  • Fruit/nuts

  • Medicine

  • Water

  • Fuel

  • Animal products (meat/skin)

Regulating services

• These control or maintain the different aspects of the ecosystem

  • Climate regulation

  • Water quality

  • Waste decomposition

  • Soil quality 

  • Disease and pest control

  • Air quality

  • Pollination

Cultural services

• Where the interaction of people and the ecosystem creates positive benefits

  • Health and spiritual benefits

  • Leisure and recreation

  • Employment

  • Cultural heritage

  • Education

Supporting services

• These are the processes which support all the other services in the ecosystem

  • Soil formation

  • Nutrient cycling

  • Plant growth