Human Impacts

Human impacts refer to the variety of actions that people have on the environment.

-population change
-top-down effects
-bottom-up effects
-physical environment change

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Human Impact

​Population change involves any human action that may alter the populations in an ecosystem. These changes could include reducing specific populations through overhunting or introducing invasive species into an environment.

Population Change

Top-down effects refer to when populations at the top of a food chain or food web are directly impacted in a way that causes other impacts on other parts of the ecosystem.

Top-Down Effect

A bottom-up disruption leads to limited resources throughout the entire food web or food chain. Pollinators, such as bees, significantly impact plants and animals in an ecosystem.

Bottom-Up Effect

Changes to parts of the physical environment will disrupt ecosystems as habitats are altered or destroyed. Direct physical change can be related to housing and business development, while indirect change may result from pollution.

Physical Environment Change

Reducing human impacts on ecosystems is vital because ecosystems provide essential services to humans and support countless species.

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Reducing Impacts