Terrestrial Ecosystems 2

Examine the role plants play in an ecosystem, including ways in which humans use plants.

## Indicators

**a. Discuss the many roles of plants including their roles as providers of ecological goods and services as well as natural capital.** https://greentumble.com/how-do-plants-help-the-environment/ kw

https://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/environment/ecological-goods-and-services/index.html This website tells you a description of ecological goods, services and natural capital. It tells you the benefits and what is produced by the different plants and services, and how they affect us. It gives you a chart of examples of ecological goods and services in different areas. It also gives a chart to show how agricultural ecosystems change throughout each process of the change in plants and services. KDP

**b. Examine the significance (e.g., medicinal, spiritual, nutritional and shelter) of plants, including tobacco, in First Nations and Metis cultures.**

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RANcnIOtR1o - This video includes two First Nations elders that share their stories in relation to natural medicines and their significance nutritionally & spiritually. The first elder, Barb Whyte, talks about how she asks the Creator for guidance when she is gathering plants. Due to her nursing experience, she also wants people to know that many medicines come from nature. The second elder, June Johnson, talks about her experience as a child being healed by natural medicine. She also points out the uses of the Devil's Club. Although this video does not include any mention of tobacco, it still shows the significance of many other plants. SR

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXFPBD6k73I - Due to the lack of any mention of tobacco in the last video, I have also included this additional link to another video specifically about tobacco. The video gives many visuals of how tobacco is used in ceremonies and as a form of respect. With that being said, for ceremonial purposes tobacco is burned and, without inhalation, it is waved around an individual. As mentioned, tobacco is also used as a sign of respect in any Indigenous environment. It is commonly used as an offering to elders when an individual is seeking advice. SR

https://www.teachers.ab.ca/SiteCollectionDocuments/ATA/For%20Members/ProfessionalDevelopment/Walking%20Together/PD-WT-16i%20-%209%20First%20Nations%20Traditional%20Plants%20and%20Uses-2019%2001%2028.pdf - Many Indigenous peoples share a holistic worldview, with an interconnectedness to all living aspects of Earth. The medicine wheel is a tool used for maintaining balance and harmony in all aspects of a person’s well-being. The medicine wheel has four directions and four corresponding sacred medicines: sweetgrass in the north, tobacco in the east, cedar in the south and sage in the west. Indigenous peoples use plants, trees and sacred medicines to promote healthy living, cure illness, and for ceremonial purposes. The most common sacred medicines used by First Nations for ceremonies are tobacco, cedar, sage, sweetgrass and diamond willow fungus. Tobacco is a sacred plant in First Nations culture. When people want an elder or knowledge keeper to give them advice, they should offer them tobacco first. Tobacco is typically not smoked, except on special ceremonial occasions. Sweetgrass is used by almost all First Nations people for spiritual cleansing. The braiding of sweetgrass honours the teachings of interconnection between the mind, body and spirit. -KTMP

**c. Explain how plant morphology and physiology determines the role of plants in an ecosystem (e.g., anchoring soil, filtering air and water, providing shelter for other organisms and providing organic matter to the ecosystem).**

**https://www.omicsonline.org/plant-morphology-peer-reviewed-open-access-journals.php**

this website describes what plant morphology and physiology is and what it does. Plant morphology explains the external structure of a plant. This website also describes the different systems of the plant such as the root system and the shoot system. ZB

**d. Interpret the relationship between photosynthesis, respiration and net primary productivity.**

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227712282\_Photosynthesis\_respiration\_and\_net\_primary\_production\_of\_sunflower\_stands\_in\_ambient\_and\_elevated\_atmospheric\_CO2\_concentrations\_An\_invariant\_NPPGPP\_ratio- **this website shows effect of elevated CQ2 on photosynthesis, respiration, and growth efficiency of sunflower plants at the whole-stand level was investigated using a whole-system gas exchange facility- WDP**

**e. Identify factors which influence plant pollination and reproduction, including the role of integrated pest management.**

**f. Analyze the relationship between plants and climate change, including plants’ roles in reducing greenhouse gases, as well as potential impacts of climate change on plant growth and distribution.**

https://legacy.climate.ncsu.edu/edu/Vegetation#:~:text=Plants%20also%20help%20keep%20our,the%20burning%20of%20fossil%20fuels. - Plants help keep our climate stable over time by offsetting temperature and moisture fluctuations through transpiration. Plants also use carbon dioxide during photosynthesis, which slightly offsets the amount of greenhouse gas being released in the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels. This website shows how much land each tipe of vegitation occupies, and a lot of other interesting information about how plants affect climate change. - AZ

**g. Examine advances in crop science that have impacted the types and yields of agricultural and/or horticultural crops grown in various areas of Saskatchewan.**

https://nifa.usda.gov/topic/agriculture-technology

Modern farms and agricultural operations work far differently than those a few decades ago, primarily because of advancements in technology, including sensors, devices, machines, and information technology. Today’s agriculture routinely uses sophisticated technologies .

**h. Assess the economic, environmental and societal impacts of various agriculture practices (e.g., industrial, traditional, subsistence, sustainable agriculture, agriculture and locally-supported).**

**i. Analyse forestry practices (e.g., selective cutting, clear cutting, shelterwood system and integrated resource management) in terms of productivity, profitability and environmental stewardship.**

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/timber\_harvest\_methods - This link leads to Michigan State's Univerisity website that goes into detail about different foresty practices. It explains how the procedures work, the good things about and why they can be harmful. Some of the techniques were clearcutting, selective cutting, shelterwood and more. It explains how managing the trees can help them grow healthier and produce more value for the environment and a profit. - RL

**j. Assess the impact of agriculture or forestry on a natural ecosystem.**

http://wwf.panda.org/what\_we\_do/footprint/agriculture/impacts/ - The link above leads to a website that lists and provides detailed explanations of ways that agriculture affects the environment. Some of these things include: land conversion and habitat loss, wasteful water consumption, and soil erosion and degradation. It also lists habitats that are largely impacted by farming and agriculture such as the Amazon, the Atlantic Forest and the North American Great Plains, with links to information pages about each of the different places. The main mission of the company that runs the website is to help the planet by focusing primarily on biodiversity and our ecological footprint. - ALA

https://www.cbd.int/ibd/2008/youth/farming/-Farming can have positive and negative affects on the environment-EB

https://www.oecd.org/agriculture/topics/agriculture-and-the-environment/- This article provides information about the impact of agriculture on the environment. It lists both negative and positive impacts agriculture may have on the surrounding ecosystem and provides ways it can be further improved. At the bottom of the webpage, there are two boxes with plus signs. If you click on the "Country Data" it will open the box and provide you with a link. If you click the link it will take you to a chart. In the blue space at the top of the chart, it provides you with years and different country data for things such as the sale of pesticides, water abstraction, agriculture land area, energy use, greenhouse gases, soil erosion, and water quality. I chose this link because it provides the impacts, ways you can monitor and evaluate the ecosystem's performance, and it provides you with a chart that can help you understand more about your country's statistics in agricultural impacts and use. -TC