Ecosystem Services

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Ecosystem Noun

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[ee-koh-sis-tuhm]

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Ecosystem

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A community of living organisms interacting with their nonliving physical environment as a single, functional system.

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Example: This pond shows an ecosystem where living things (biotic), like fish and plants, interact with their non-living (abiotic) environment, like the water and soil.

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Ecosystem Services Noun

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[ee-koh-sis-tuhm sur-vis-iz]

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Ecosystem Services

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The many and varied benefits that humans freely gain from the natural environment and from properly-functioning ecosystems.

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Example: This chart shows benefits humans get from nature, grouping them into categories like materials (food, wood), natural processes (pollination), and cultural benefits (recreation).

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Provisioning Services Noun

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[pruh-vizh-uh-ning sur-vis-iz]

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Provisioning Services

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Tangible goods and products obtained from ecosystems, such as food, fresh water, raw materials, and medicinal resources.

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Example: This image shows fishing, a provisioning service where people get products, such as food, directly from an ecosystem like a river or ocean.

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Regulating Services Noun

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[reg-yuh-ley-ting sur-vis-iz]

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Regulating Services

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Benefits obtained from the regulation of ecosystem processes, such as climate regulation, flood control, and water purification.

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Example: This diagram shows how ecosystems provide a regulating service by controlling floods, with trees and soil absorbing rain and wetlands slowing down water.

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Cultural Services Noun

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[kuhl-cher-uhl sur-vis-iz]

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Cultural Services

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Non-material benefits people obtain from ecosystems, including recreation, aesthetic enjoyment, spiritual enrichment, and educational opportunities.

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Example: This image shows people enjoying recreation in a park, which is a non-material benefit from nature known as a cultural service.

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Supporting Services Noun

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[suh-pawr-ting sur-vis-iz]

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Supporting Services

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Fundamental ecosystem functions necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services, like soil formation and nutrient cycling.

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Example: This image shows nutrient cycling, where decomposers break down dead material, returning nutrients to the soil for plants to use, which is a supporting service.

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Biodiversity Noun

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[bahy-oh-di-vur-si-tee]

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Biodiversity

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The variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat, encompassing genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity.

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Example: This image shows biodiversity by displaying many different types of living things, like mammals, birds, fish, insects, and plants, all in one habitat.

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Keystone Species Noun

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[kee-stohn spee-sheez]

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Keystone Species

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A species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend, such that its removal would drastically change the ecosystem.

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Example: This image uses a collapsing block tower as an analogy for an ecosystem. Removing one critical piece—the keystone species—can cause the entire structure to fall apart.

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Carbon Sequestration Noun

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[kahr-buhn see-kwes-trey-shuhn]

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Carbon Sequestration

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The process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide in long-term sinks like forests, soils, and oceans.

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Example: This image shows how trees perform carbon sequestration by absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and storing the carbon in their biomass and in the soil.

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Pollination Noun

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[pol-uh-ney-shuhn]

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Pollination

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The transfer of pollen from a male part of a plant to a female part, enabling fertilization and seed production.

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Example: A pollinator, like a bee, transfers pollen from one flower to the stigma of another, which is the first step in plant reproduction.