Ecosystem Goods and Services (Edexcel IGCSE Geography)

Ecosystems

Spec point — 4GE1-S6.068

• 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

Spec point — 4GE1-S6.068

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

Worked Example **Identify one of the regulating services provided by natural ecosystems **

(1 Mark)

** A. **Water

** B.** Medicinal plants

C. Zinc

D. Waste decomposition

• Answer:

  • D (1) - Waste decomposition
  • D is the correct answer as the other options are all provisioning (goods) from natural ecosystems.