WORK: A MATTER OF FORCE AND DISTANCE
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FIGURE 2.4 Work is the product of the amount of force applied to an object and the distance the object is moved in the direction of the force. Placing a book on a shelf is an example of a small amount of work, requiring the application of low force over a short distance. By contrast, a great deal of force must be applied to lift a loaded jet airliner from a runway to an altitude of 10,000 meters, which represents a great amount of work.
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Identify an example of each of these sustainability characteristics from the ecosystem where you live.

Answers will vary: For example, consider the temperate deciduous forest ecosystem found in the Smoky Mountains. Solar energy will be the energy source for all plants that live here. (This answer should be the same for all ecosystems - no one lives in deep sea vents where chemosynthesis replaces photosynthesis!) Matter is recycled by fungi which break down dead organisms such as trees that have fallen; earthworms feed on organic matter in the soil; rabbits, mice, squirrels, deer and insects eat plant material; snakes, birds and small mammals eat the rabbits, mice and squirrels (and each other), and so on. Predators like hawks and owls keep the small mammal and bird populations in check; herbivores like the deer keep the plant populations in check. A wide variety of plants are found in different parts of the forest, each able to live in different soil, light, temperature, and moisture conditions. This maximizes the amount of solar energy captured and nutrients accessed from the soil.