Managing Ecosystems

• The ecosystem needs to looked after to ensure it is in balance
• Humans can have good or bad effects on the ecosystem
• Soil is an especially important component of the Zimbabwean ecosystem because the country’s economy is still agro-based
• There are several types of soil in Zimbabwe:
• Savannah soils are most prevalent and these can be divided into
• Granite soils and
• Red soils

Savannah soils

• Higher temperatures- soils heat up easily
• Rapid denitrification-nitrates easily decompose releasing nitrogen back into the atmosphere
• Few earthworms-indicator of fwe micro-organisms
• Low fertility- the soils have low nutrient content

Effects of ground cover in ecosystems

• Surface runoff-ground cover reduces surface runoff as more water can penetrate the soil
• Erosion-is reduced resulting in top soil being preserved
• Evaporation-is reduced as ground cover provides mulching

Effects of human activity on the ecosystem

• Acid rain
• Eutrophication
• Pollution
• Reduced biodiversity
• Global warming
• Greenhouse effect
• Reduced soil fertility
• Increased erosion
• Overgrazing

To access more topics go to the Combined Science Notes page.