Ecosystem Ecology PDF

Chapter 3 Ecosystem Ecology Friedland and Relyea Environmental Science for AP®, second edition © 2015 W.H. Freeman and Company/BFW AP® is a trademark registered and/or owne...

Chapter 3 Ecosystem Ecology Friedland and Relyea Environmental Science for AP®, second edition © 2015 W.H. Freeman and Company/BFW AP® is a trademark registered and/or owned by the College Board®, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.  Easter Island Please share your synopsis and personal comments on what happened on Easter Island. “The disaster happened not with a bang but with a whimper.”  Levels of Organization Put the following terms in order from simplest to most complex: Biosphere – earth (6) Individual(1) Biome(5) Community(2) Population(3) Ecosystem (4)  Module 6 The Movement of Energy After reading this module you should be able to explain the concept of ecosystem boundaries. describe the processes of photosynthesis and respiration. distinguish among the trophic levels that exist in food chains and food webs. quantify ecosystem productivity. explain energy transfer efficiency and trophic pyramids. Ecosystem boundaries are not clearly defined An ecosystem …is a particular location on earth with interacting biotic(everything that is living) and abiotic(non-living) components Some ecosystems, such as a caves and lakes, have very _distinctive boundaries_. However, in most ecosystems it is difficult to determine where one ecosystems stops and the next begins. Even though it is helpful to distinguish between two _different, ecosystems _interact_ with other ecosystems. Biosphere The region …of our planet where life resides the combination of all ecosystems on earth.  Ecosystem Boundaries Large and small ecosystems. (a) The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem includes the land within Yellowstone National Park and many adjacent properties. (b) Some ecosystems are very small, such as a rain-filled tree hole that houses a diversity of microbes and aquatic insects.  Can you read this sentence? glucose formula  Photosynthesis captures energy and respiration releases energy Producer an organism that uses the energy of the sun to produce usable forms of energy Also known as Autotroph (only ones who can produce their own food through photosynthesis). Photosynthesis The process by which producers use solar energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose. Cellular respiration The process by which cells unlock the energy of chemical compounds ( breathing) ➔ Aerobic(using oxyg) respiration The process by which cells convert glucose and oxygen into energy,carbon dioxide and water ➔ Anaerobic(wo oxyg)respiration The process by which cells convert glucose energy in the absence of oxygen.  Photosynthesis and Respiration Photosynthesis and respiration. Photosynthesis is the process by which producers use solar energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen. Respiration is the process by which organisms convert glucose and oxygen into water and carbon dioxide, releasing the energy needed to live, grow, and reproduce. All organisms, including producers, perform _Respiration_. Who remembers the names used in ecology to describe these organisms and their interactions when it comes to energy transfer? food web- 2 or more food chains  Energy captured by producers moves through many trophic levels Consumer An organism that is incapable of photosynthesis and must obtain its energy by consuming other organisms Also known as Heterotroph.( cant produce its own food) Herbivore A consumer that eats producers.Also known as Primary consumer. Carnivore A consumer that eats other consumers Secondary consumer A carnivore that eats primary consumers Tertiary consumer A carnivore that eats secondary consumers Trophic levels The successive levels of organisms consuming each other (Who eats who?) Food chain The sequence of consumption from producers through tertiary consumers  Trophic Levels Simple food chains. A simple food chain that links producers and consumers in a linear fashion illustrates how energy and matter move through the trophic levels of an ecosystem. (a) An example of a terrestrial food chain. (b) An example of an aquatic food chain.  Trophic levels Food web A complex model of how energy and matter move between trophic levels Scavenger An organism that consumes dead animals Detritivore An organism that specializes in breaking down dead tissues and waste products into smaller particles. Decomposers Fungi and bacteria that convert organic matter into small _elements and molecules_that can be recycled back into the ecosystem. Trophic levels Trophic Levels A simplified food web. Food webs are more realistic representations of trophic relationships than simple food chains. They include scavengers, detritivores, and decomposers, and they recognize that some species feed at multiple trophic levels. Arrows indicate the direction of energy movement. This is a real but somewhat simplified food web; in an actual ecosystem, many more organisms are present. In addition, there are many more energy movements. Some ecosystems are more productive than others Gross primary productivity (GPP) The total amount of solar energy that producers in an ecosystem capture via photosynthesis over a given amount of time. (1% of solar energy)(how much energy the entire sun gives to life on earth) Net primary productivity (NPP) The energy captured by producers in an ecosystem minus the energy producers respire (What’s left for the rest of the food web)(whats left over ) Ecosystem Productivity Gross and net primary productivity. Producers typically capture only about 1 percent of available solar energy via photosynthesis. This is known as gross primary productivity, or GPP. About 60 percent of GPP is typically used for respiration. The remaining 40 percent of GPP is used for the growth and reproduction of the producers. This is known as net primary productivity, or NPP. The efficiency of energy transfer affects the energy present in each trophic level Biomass The total mass of all living matter in a specific area Standing crop The amount of biomass present in an ecosystem at a particular time Ecological efficiency The proportion of consumed energy that can be passed from one trophic level to another Trophic pyramid A representation of the distribution of biomass ,numbers, or energy among trophic levels.  Ecosystem Efficiency What’s a Joule? Remember a joule is the SI unit of work or energy. Trophic pyramid for the Serengeti ecosystem. The amount of energy that is present at each trophic level is shown in joules (J). The pyramid assumes 10 percent ecological efficiency, but efficiencies can range from 5 to 20 percent across different ecosystems. For most ecosystems, graphing the numbers of individuals or biomass within each trophic level would produce a similar pyramid.  Module 7 The Movement of Matter After reading this module you should be able to describe how water cycles within ecosystems. explain how carbon cycles within ecosystems. describe how nitrogen cycles within ecosystems. explain how phosphorus cycles within ecosystems. discuss the movement of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sulfur within ecosystems.  The hydrologic cycle moves water through the biosphere Biogeochemical cycle The movements of matter within and between ecosystems Hydrologic cycle The movement of water through the system The Hydrologic Cycle The hydrologic cycle. Water moves from the atmosphere to Earth’s surface and back to the atmosphere. know evaporation precipitation and infiltration  The Hydrologic Cycle Transpiration The release of water from leaves during photosynthesis Evapotranspiration The combined amount of evaporation and transpiration Runoff Water that moves across the land and into streams The carbon cycle moves between air, water, and land Carbon cycle The movement of carbon around the biosphere  The Carbon Cycle The carbon cycle. Producers take up carbon from the atmosphere via photosynthesis and pass it on to _consumers_ and _decomposers_. Some inorganic carbon sediments out of the water to form sedimentary rock while some organic carbon may be buried and become fossil fuels. Respiration by organisms _returns_ carbon to the atmosphere and water. _combustion_ of fossil fuels and other organic matter returns carbon to the atmosphere.  The nitrogen cycle includes many chemical transformations Macronutrient One of six elements that organisms need in relatively large amounts: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur. Limiting nutrient A nutrient required for the growth of an organism but available in a lower quantity than other nutrients Nitrogen cycle The movement of nitrogen around the biosphere(earth) The Nitrogen Cycle Nitrogen fixation A process by which some organisms can convert nitrogen gas molecules directly into ammonia( decomposers do this) Nitrification The conversion of ammonia (NH4+) into nitrite (NO2– ) and then into nitrate (NO3– ). Assimilation The process by which producers incorporate elements into their tissues(plants take in nitrogen and assimilate ( fit in) with the environment) The Nitrogen Cycle Mineralization The process by which fungal and bacterial decomposers break down the organic matter found in dead bodies and waste products and convert it into inorganic compound. Ammonification The process by which fungal and bacterial decomposers break down the organic nitrogen found in dead bodies and waste products and convert it into inorganic ammonium Denitrification The conversion of of nitrate(No3-) in a series of steps into the gases nitrous oxide(N2o) and eventually nitrogen gas which is emitted into the atmosphere Leaching The transportation of dissolved molecules through the soil via groundwater The Nitrogen Cycle The nitrogen cycle. The nitrogen cycle moves nitrogen from the atmosphere and into soils through several fixation pathways, including the production of fertilizers by humans. In the soil, nitrogen can exist in several forms. Denitrifying bacteria release nitrogen gas back into the atmosphere.  The phosphorus cycle moves between land and water Phosphorus cycle The movement of phosphorus around the biosphere(phosphorus is very imp to humans bcz they add it to fertilizer to help the plants grow faster) ( Algal bloom A rapid increase in the algal population of a waterway because of phosphorus( rapid increase in algae) Hypoxic(suffocating) low levels in oxygen The Phosphorus Cycle The phosphorus cycle. The phosphorus cycle begins with the _weathering_ or _mining_ of phosphate rocks and use of phosphate fertilizer, which releases phosphorus into the soil and water. This phosphorus can be used by _producers_ and subsequently moves through the food web. In water, phosphorus can precipitate out of solution and form sediments, which over time are transformed into new phosphate rocks. Calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sulfur also cycle in ecosystems Sulfur cycle The movement of sulfur around the biosphere you find sulfur in underground in sediments in factories fumes of volcanos The Sulfur Cycle The sulfur cycle. Most sulfur exists as _____. As these rocks are weathered over time, they release sulfate ions (SO42− ) that ______ can take up and assimilate. This assimilated sulfur then passes through the food web. ______, the burning of fossil fuels, and the mining of copper put sulfur dioxide (SO2) into the atmosphere. In the atmosphere, sulfur dioxide combines with water to form sulfuric acid (H2SO4). This sulfuric acid is carried back to Earth when it rains or snows.