Inch in a Pinch "Hello! This is Inch in a Pinch, welcoming you to the Terrestrial Ecosystem. Terrestrial refers to 'anything living on or in or growing from land'. This ecosystem includes a wide variety of habitats!

In the Terrestrial ecosystem, you will find some of the largest land mammals (elephants), as well as, some of the smallest plants (lichen)! Rainfall in this ecosystem ranges from as little as 8 inches per year in the deserts to as much as 80 inches per year in the tropical rainforests! The plants and animals found in this ecosystem are as varied as the amount of moisture! The Terrestrial ecosystrem covers a lot of ground! It is second only to the Marine ecosystem in total area. Soils are a critical component of the Terrestrial ecosystem. It provides storage pools for nutrients, water, and air, and a medium of support (i.e., root anchoring) for terrestrial plants. How productive any given habitat area is within the Terrestrial ecosystem is intimately linked to the quality of the soil. The better the soil; the higher the productivity level. The Terrestrial ecosystem is the MOST ALTERED of any of the ecosystems on planet Earth!

"This place is really wild! I think

I could find my niche somewhere in this ecosystem! That statement about 'most altered' of all ecosystems bothers me. Doesn't it bother you? Below are some of the alterations that have taken place in this magnificent ecosystem. Read through them. I'm going to call them 'threats' instead of alterations. That's what's happening. These alterations are threatening the very existence of the Terrestrial ecosystem. I think they will worry you as much as they do me!"

Threats To The Terrestrial Ecosystem

One of the biggest threats to the Terrestrial ecosystem is overpopulation. Earth's population is approximately 5 billion and on the increase. It also shows no signs of slowing down. Every time we take a breath, another child enters this world! Pollution from pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, industrial waste, trash, automobile exhaust, acid rain, chemical waste, and sewage threaten the demise of the Terrestrial ecosystem. Mining operations threaten this ecosystem. Tailings from mines that closed long ago introduce heavy metals into our water supplies through runoff, seepage and leaching. Strip-mining, at the very least, alters critical habitat temporarily and if mismanaged, can alter the landscape permanently. Overgrazing by domestic animals (mainly cattle and sheep) is a critical factor in habitat destruction for the Terrestrial ecosystem. Logging is taking an incredible toll on the forest habitat areas (deciduous, coniferous, and rainforest) of the Terrestrial ecosystem. In some places, less than 10% of the original forest remains! The indiscriminate use of off road vehicles results is habitat disturbance and degradation. Changes in naturally occurring burn cycles disrupt the life cycles of many plants and animals in the Terrestrial ecosystem.

"These are only a few of the things we need to be concerned about in this ecosystem. I'm sure you can come up with more if you take some time to think about it. I know this stuff sounds impossible to change. I also hear you saying that 'no one else cares, why should I care?' It has to start somewhere. Someone, just one someone, has to begin to care enough to start making changes to help save this ecosystem. Why can't it be you? Here are some ways to get you started."

Ways You Can Help

In developing countries, women are often not given the opportunities that women in developed countries are given. Often their contributions are limited to what they can do for their families. When this happens, the women see their greatest asset as being the ability to give their husband and their family as many children as possible. Sometimes this lack of opportunity for these women is a result of cultural values, other times it results from the conditions under which they live. Lack of knowledge often denies women the opportunity to contribute more than children to their socities. The best possible way to help in these situations is to support any kind of beneficial educational help (given by reputable sources) that is being sent to the developing countries of the world. This kind of help can focus on teaching better ways to plant, harvest, and live. It can focus on getting better medical help for the country. It can be as simple as teaching people how to bathe, what to eat or how to purify drinking water. Women, as well as men, in these countries need to be involved in the learning process. Knowledge can often open doors to ways for women to feel a sense of fulfillment, other than child-bearing. For those of us with a working knowledge of how to lessen the increase in the world's population, we must assume responsibility for our own actions. THINK BEFORE YOU ACT!! Learn all you can about the various insecticides, herbicides, and fertilizers that are commonly used in yards and in farming and agriculture. Make it your responsibility to know which ones are toxic and DON'T USE THEM!!! Investigate using non-toxic, organic methods of pest and weed control. Naturally occurring, non-toxic, biological methods also work to control pests (i.e. use ladybugs to control aphids). In your own yard, don't be so lazy! Bend down and pull the weeds. It's good exercise and puts you closer to nature. Drive less! Ride a bicycle or walk, instead! Car exhaust releases carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides, and sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. Acid rain is one of the products of this air pollution. Acid rain adversely affects the bark and leaves on trees. It also causes the fruits borne by plants to be smaller and fewer in number. By driving your car less, you can help improve the overall health of the Terrestrial ecosystem. Many developing countries do not have sewage treatment plants. This means that raw sewage is absorbed into the land. Support organizations, United Nations and Peace Corp, that teach people in developing countries to value the environment, as well as, how to construct water treatment facilities. Abandoned mines often fill with water. Heavy metals (primarily arsenic, lead, zinc, and cadmium) from these flooded shafts come to the earth's surface and enter our water systems. Mine tailings (huge mounds of waste from mining operations usually near the mouth of the mine) also contain heavy metals. As snow melts, it runs across these tailings taking with it these heavy metals. A lot of the water that nourishes the Terrestrial ecosystem and all of its inhabitants, including man, comes from spring runoff. New mining operations can disturb and degrade surrounding habitat. Strip mines are now required, by law, to return the surrounding habitat to its original state. Can this really happen? Become aware of proposed mining operations in your area. Oppose any mining operations that pose a threat to native plant and animal species. The best way to do this is to VOTE in all elections. In order to make an informed decision when voting, it is necessary to read several different sources of information about campaign issues. Surf the web, attend town meetings, ask questions, watch television specials - BE INFORMED! Most importantly, make your voice heard - vote! Grasslands and forests belong to a group of resources known as "renewable resources". Just how "renewable" these resources are depends on the rate at which we are using (grazing and logging) them. Unfortunately, in the very recent past, mankind had the mistaken idea that in nature "there will always be more where that came from". Ideas, today, are slowly changing to ones incorporating the concept of "wise use" of natural resources. Look at your own lifestyles. Are you making "wise use" of the natural resources you employ in your everyday life? Learn all you can about "wise use of natural resources". The number of people who are "getting out into nature" has increased dramatically in the last ten years. This means the number of people using off road vehicles has also increased. It is always best to use your two feet to get closer to nature. Walking is the least destructive method. If you feel you must use an off road vehicle, stay on designated paths! Always drive slowly. Never spin the tires needlessly! Be careful not to spill gasoline or oil on the ground when maintaining the vehicle. Some trees, like the Santa Cruz Cypress, have pine cones that are serotinous. This means the cones will open only in very high heat situations (during a fire). If fires are not allowed to burn, these cones do not open and the tree has no chance of propogating. As we build homes further and further into wildlife habitat areas, we interfer more and more with the naturally occurring burn cycles. We prevent fires at all costs because we do not want our homes to burn or our lives and the lives of our loved ones to be endangered. What we don't realize is that in protecting ourselves, we are endangering other species.

"Before you leave, why don't you check out these links? You can learn more about the Terrestrial ecosystem at these sites. I'll be here when you get back. Take your time. We need to make sure we know as much as possible about this place, if we're going to be able to help save it."

Links

Institute of Terrestrial Ecology Terrestrial Ecosystems

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choose one of the following buttons and we're outta' here! If you are ready for a habitat adventure, click on the arrow below! I'll join you there."

Send me back! I'm ready to join the others!

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Produced by Georgia Lozinsky ©1999-2002.