Ecosystem_services
Ecosystem Services
Items in this lesson
Ecosystem Services
Learning Objectives
Describe what the term ‘ecosystem services’ means.
Give examples of services provided by the ocean and categorise these.
Create an infographic to educate and inform others about the value of ecosystem services.
Key Terms
Set the scene
What is an ecosystem?
© Mark Kirkland
Ecosystem Services
Activity 1
What are ecosystem services?
Ecosystem Cards
Activity 2
Kelp
Kelp are a type of brown seaweed which are often mistaken for plants, but are actually algae.
As algae they photosynthesise, and through this they produce oxygen.
Through photosynthesis they also absorb carbon dioxide.
The structure of the kelp forms a kind of underwater forest, creating a great habitat for many species to shelter.
This shelter provides a nursery for juvenile fish, including commercially-important species such as cod, pollock and haddock.
Kelp beds can help to reduce wave energy along the coast.
Seagrass is found in calm, shallow, sunlit coastal waters around the world.
It is the only flowering plant in the ocean. Seagrass therefore produces oxygen through photosynthesis.
Seagrass also absorbs and stores carbon dioxide. Seagrass can capture carbon up to 35 times faster than tropical rainforests.
Globally, seagrass meadows are known for their value as fish nurseries for many important species, including flatfish and cuttlefish.
Seagrass meadows are also home to many bivalves, worms, starfish and to rare stalked jellyfish.
Seagrass
It may at first glance look barren, but these areas are home to a large variety of animals including sand eels, rays, sea cucumbers, burrowing urchins, starfish, bivalves and many species of fish and crustaceans like shrimp, prawns and crabs.
Many fish use these areas to hide their eggs in burrows in the seabed.
The ocean provides us with many valuable resources including oil, gas and minerals.
Gravel is extracted from the seabed for use in construction – each year in the UK, around 20 million tonnes of marine sediments are removed.
Seabed
The ocean is home to a huge variety of animals, from tiny microscopic plankton to huge whales.
Ours seas provide seafood to millions of people and fishing is an important economic industry.
We use the power of the sea to harvest wave and tidal energy, and the large expanse
creates wind and a great place wind turbines.
Ocean currents transport cold water from
the poles and warm water from the tropics.
This mixing of sea temperatures helps to regulate the climate.
The ocean holds 97% of the world’s water and plays a major role in the water cycle.
People enjoy spending time on or near the ocean.
Coastal seas
The mud in saltmarshes make them a great habitat for worms and borrowing shells, and
this means saltmarshes are also a great
place for birds to feed in.
The plants in saltmarsh habitats produce oxygen and store carbon dioxide through photosynthesis.
Saltmarshes protect our coast from floods
and waves. The structure helps reduce wave energy and the roots of the plants help to stabilise the sediment.
Healthy saltmarshes have the ability to
reduce pollution entering the ocean by filtering nutrients and chemicals coming off the land, but too much pollution will damage these habitats.
Saltmarsh
© Mark Kirkland
Direct services
© Mark Kirkland
Indirect services
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Aesthetic and ethical services
Ecosystem Infographic
Activity 3
© Mark Kirkland
Marine Economy
Extension activity
© Mark Kirkland
30x30 Biodiversity Strategy
Extension Activity
© Mark Kirkland
Mapping Ecosystem Services
Extension activity
© Mark Kirkland
© Mark Kirkland
© Mark Kirkland
© Mark Kirkland
© Mark Kirkland
© Mark Kirkland
© Mark Kirkland
© Mark Kirkland
What have you learnt?
Reflect
Learning Objectives
Can you describe what the term ‘ecosystem services’ means?
Can you give examples of indirect, direct and aesthetic services provided by the ocean?
Why are infographics an important tool in
science communication?
We will continue to fight for the ocean
and protect wildlife
