Emma Rice

Jada Nazarian
Chapin Williams
John Walsh

Polar Bears 
Driving Questions:

How do humans have a lasting impact on species or populations and their environment?
● Humans have a lasting impact on species/populations and their environments in
a few ways. For example industrial building of towns, houses, cities (etc) takes
space away from populations to live in. Also pollution from fossil fuels or other
waste products, illegal killing of animals and bringing exotic animals into the
environment. We are taking away resources and habitats from plants and
animals.
What can we do to minimize human impact on the environment?
● We can minimize human impact on the environment by being more conscientious
of waste and cut back from using fossil fuels or plastic objects. Also spreading
awareness never hurts to educate more people.
How do we humans prioritize the solutions to minimize human impact on the environment given
social, environmental, and economic factors?
● We do not prioritize solutions to a great extent as humans, and if we do they
usually favor us more than the animals because we are looking for more
convenience for ourselves. While millions are fighting this cause, the prioritise for
most of the world and the mindsets are not very urgent.
Goal: ​15 polar bear adoptions
● $25 per adoption pack
● Need to raise around $375-400

Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems:

Checklist

● Identify specific species/ecosystem, the problem it has and the authors of the project
○ We choose polar bears from the arctic. The problem is the destruction of their
habitat from human impact/actions. Authors: Emma, Jada, John, and Chapin
● Clearly explain how different biotic and abiotic factors may affect the ​carrying capacity
of this ecosystem.
○ Explanation includes ​resources, predation, competition, and disease
○ Show food webs and ecosystem interactions for chosen ecosystem

“Although there is some variation, the overall pattern remains - each

trophic level supports only a small biomass at the next level of the food
chain. Hence, to find enough food, the herbivores have large ranges,
the carnivores even larger. They also use a wide variety of foods - they
tend to be generalists rather than specialists. They are also well
adapted to conserve as much energy as possible through hibernation
and insulation, particularly because of the low plant production in the
Arctic. It is possible that Arctic food webs, because of their various
adaptations to the particular climatic conditions and sparse food
 supplies, are just as efficient as more southerly ecosystems.”

Food Web

Cycles of Matter and Energy in Ecosystems:

Checklist

Include a model of energy flowing and matter cycling in the ecosystem that includes:
● Photosynthesis, cellular respiration
● Movement of energy through trophic levels
● Connections to the carbon cycle, biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere​.

The process of cellular respiration from animals in this environment, like polar bears, foxes,
seals (etc), along with sunlight and H2O allows the plants to conduct photosynthesis.

Plants transfer most of their products to the through to the ground at the end of growing season
into storage organs. The below ground plant masses are then used by herbivores if they dig it
up, but also animals that live in the soil. “​it supports a much greater species diversity of
microorganisms and invertebrates, and a much larger production, than occurs above-ground.”
Dead plant matter is important to this ecosystem because it contains vital nutrients for life such
as nitrogen that plants have absorbed. Special types of bacteria and fungi and passes through
organisms in the food chain in the soil from the plant masses. “At the same time the carbon in
the plant remains is also recycled through the organisms, gradually being released through
respiration and returning to the atmosphere.” The cold temperatures in the Arctic slows down
the process of decomposition during the nitrogen cycle and photosynthesis.

“The circulation of carbon and nutrients through the ecosystem follows many pathways and
processes (**). It is not a closed system. Both C and nutrients enter from the atmosphere and
circulate within the system. Some of the C and Nutrients is leached from the system into
streams and rivers. Most of the C is eventually returned to the atmosphere. It is the delicate
balance between input and return which is the focus of much attention in the question of the role
of these northern regions in climate change.”

“Although plant production in the North is low, rates of decomposition are very low. The result is
that through gradual accumulation, northern soils contain almost 25% of the World's soil C,
mainly in the mires, bogs and muskeg. As the northern soils are relatively young - a mere
10,000 or so years old - they have gradually accumulated C in the plant cover and soil organic
matter. Although much of the C has been returned to the atmosphere through respiration of
plants, animals and microorganisms, the ecosystems have been 'net sinks' of C. In this way they
have helped to counteract the rise of carbon in the atmosphere which is causing climate
change.”

Ecosystem Dynamics functioning and Resilience: ​Homeostasis, small vs. large disturbances
(Human impacts)

Checklist

● Clearly state how homeostasis in this ecosystem has been challenged or disrupted and
has affected species ability to survive and address explicit complex interactions that
keep an ecosystem stable/resilient
There is more polar bears alive now than 50 years ago, but due to climate change
there is less ice and food to sustain them. Interactions can be predators and prey,
mutualism, commensalism, & competition.

● Explicitly detail the changes in the ecosystem that have occurred as a result of human
influence
The polar bear’s arctic ecosystem has been affected by humans through the
increase in air pollution and ozone depletion as a result, which is causing
increased average global temperatures and melting of the polar bears’ icy
ecosystem.
● Balance of human dependence on ecosystem services vs. exploitation
Humans should do their best to stop poachers that are murdering the bears for
their pelts and make an effort to reduce the expelling of greenhouse gases that
destroy the arctic environment.
 ● The importance of and dependence on biodiversity
Polar bears are important in biodiversity. If they died off, then the seal population
would rise rapidly. If that happened the fish population would substantially
decrease.

➢ There are between 22,000 and 31,000 polar bears in the wild
➢ Around 500 killed per year by hunters
➢ Main cause of death is hunters
➢ Will go extinct in around 62 years or so if hunters keep killing
➢ Not yet considered endangered (at risk)
➢ There are more alive now than 50 years ago
➢ Only small amount of bears actually starving from the effects of climate change
➢ Hunters are the real issue

Solutions to the Problem:

Checklist

● Discuss what is currently being done by people to address this ecological disruption
People are making an effort to reduce fossil fuel emissions which keep the polar bear
environment more in tact

● Suggest your own idea(s) of a strategy that might be employed to help address this
issue

Donate money to organizations fighting for polar bear conservation

● Discuss how these solutions might impact biodiversity in your ecosystem
This solution could prevent independent symbiosis because the lack of poachers would
allow them to flourish in their environment

Action Plan! 
- Promote the polar bears by chalking on the quad to raise awareness
- Bake sale, possibly along with stickers
- Instagram account or promote on instagram
- Posters around school
- Elizabeth on the announcements !!
- Sell marijuana for the bears
Mathews Check In
Our species is the polar bear. Polar bears live in northern canada, alaska, and
greenland. As well as the arctic ice at the north pole. Polar bear fur is actually clear its just that
the white of the snow is reflected. There are between 22,000 and 32,000 left in the wild.
Polar bears are mainly threatened by poachers. Around 500 polar bears are killed per
year by poachers. One cause of this is that the arctic habitat is melting so polar bears move
south and are easy targets. Some polar bears are threatened by starvation due to habitat loss
as well.
We are planning on raising money for the polar bears by adopting 15 of them but if we
can't afford 15 we will do as many as we can. All the proceeds are going to an organization that
helps their habitat and protecting them. We will possibly have a bake sale at jesus pizza.

Sources

https://defenders.org/arctic/basic-facts

https://www.northernforum.org/en/news/309-amazing-facts-about-the-arctic

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/02/polar-bears-starve-melting-sea-ice-global-warmin
g-study-beaufort-sea-environment/

https://www.worldwildlife.org/pages/polar-bears-and-climate-change

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5204148/

https://www.britannica.com/science/polar-ecosystem

http://www.thearctic.is/articles/overviews/ecosystem/enska/kafli_0404.htm

Whiteman, John P. “Out of Balance in the Arctic.” ​Science​, American Association for the
Advancement of Science, 2 Feb. 2018, science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6375/514.