Living and Non-Living Interaction PDF

Living and Non-Living Interaction MS. GAYNOR AZAHAR TENERIFE GEC ELEC 8 (PEOPLES AND EARTH ECOSYSTEM)  ❖ LIVING COMPONENTS these are organisms having life. ❖ NON-LIVING COMPONENTS thes...

Living and Non-Living Interaction MS. GAYNOR AZAHAR TENERIFE GEC ELEC 8 (PEOPLES AND EARTH ECOSYSTEM)  ❖ LIVING COMPONENTS these are organisms having life. ❖ NON-LIVING COMPONENTS these are a lifeless component that are essential for living organisms to survive with the environment. ECOLOGICAL CONCEPT ❖ The science of ecology is the study of how organisms interact with each other and their non-living surroundings. ❖ Ecology deals with the ways in which organisms are adapted to their surroundings, how they make use of these surroundings, and how an area is altered by the presence and activities of organisms. ❖ These interactions involve energy and matter. ❖ Living things require a constant flow of energy and matter to ensure their survival. If the flow of energy and matter ceases, the organisms die.  ……….is the science of interactions among organisms and their physical environment. ENVIRONMENT ❖The word ENVIRONMENT originates from the French term "environ" meaning "surrounding”, (Allaby, 2000). ❖The environment is the sum of the elements, factors, and situations in the surroundings, which can also affect an organism's development, action, or survival.  Biotic Factors ❖Biotic factors of an organism's environment include all forms of life with which it interacts. ❖Examples are plants (photosynthesis); animals (eat other organisms); bacteria and fungi (causes decay); bacteria, viruses, and other parasitic organisms (causes diseases).  Abiotic Factors It helps in the synthesis of organic components that involves the exchange of energy. …………..non-living forms in the environment  Abiotic Factors ❖Abiotic factors are nonliving things that influence an organism. ❖They can be organized into several broad categories: energy, nonliving matter, living space, and processes that involve the interactions of nonliving matter and energy.  World’s Ecosystem Tolerance Range of Species Ecosystem Processes Different Types of Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystem ❖Ecosystems can be categorized based on their general environment: Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecosystems. ❖In these categories are individual ecosystem types based on the type of environmental habitat and organisms present. Aquatic Ecosystem ( Marine Ecosystem and Freshwater Ecosystem) Freshwater Ecosystem Freshwater ecosystems include running waters such as lakes, rivers, streams, and springs, which only represent 1.8% of the Earth's surface. These support different animal groups ranging from microscopic (phytoplankton, fungi, and bacteria) to macroscopic organisms (mammals, fish, amphibians. reptiles, insects).  The marine ecosystem comprises 75% of the Earth's surface. The shallow marine ecosystems include Marine Ecosystem extremely biodiverse coral reef ecosystems. The deep ocean surface is known for its large number of plankton (phytoplankton and zooplankton) and krill (small crustaceans) that support it. It contains a wide variety of marine organisms at the bottom of the ocean, where light cannot penetrate through the water.  Terrestrial Ecosystem ( Tropical Rainforest, Taiga, Deciduous, Tundra, Subtropical Deserts, Chaparral, Savannas)  Terrestrial ecosystems are distinguishably different due to the specific temperature ranges and amounts of precipitation. These two variables affect the types of vegetation and animal life that can exist in those areas. Each biome has a distinct climate. However, there are still possibilities that two biomes can occur at the geographically distinct areas have similar climates  Tropical rainforests mostly found at equatorial regions receiving a consistent daily amount of sunlight (11-12 hours). These are described as "nature's pharmacy" because of the potential for new drugs hidden mainly in the chemicals produced by the vast diversity of plants, animals, and other organisms.  The tropical rainforests shelters varying vertical vegetation and distinct habitants for different species. Plants spread their roots and their canopy shreds leaves falling through the year. An average temperature of 20OC to 34OC helps the tropical rainforests be more stable than other terrestrial biomes.  Tropical rainforest receives an annual rainfall ranging from 125 to 660 cm (50-200 inches), seasonal variation (wet months - 30 cm or 11-12 inches; dry months - less than 10 cm or 3.5 inches). Driest months on tropical sometimes exceed the threshold of other biomes' annual rainfall, such as deserts. SAVANNAS  Savannas are hot, tropical areas consisting of grasslands and scattered trees usually found in Africa, South America, and Northern Australia. These biomes have a very long dry season and consistent fires having average temperatures from 24OC to 29OC and an annual rainfall of 51-127 cm (20-50 inches).  The dominant vegetation among these heat-tolerant trees, grasses, and herbaceous flowering plants. Fire is an essential disturbance in this biome because plants developed quick resprouting root system.  Subtropical deserts exist on the downwind or lee side of mountain ranges; prevailing winds drop their water content resulting in dry winds. Subtropical deserts are arid; the process of evaporation occurs more often than precipitation. The daytime soil surface temperature of hot deserts is about 60OC and nighttime temperatures approaching 0OC.  Fewer annual precipitation than 30 cm (12 inches) with little variation and lack of rainfall predictability. There are also cold deserts experiencing shallow temperatures during winter; instead of rainfall, precipitation in the cold desert is snowfall or hail.  Chaparrals are considered as shrub forest, and many of the plants there are dormant. The vegetation is mostly adapted to fires, which produce seeds that germinate only after it. Chaparrals' annual rainfall ranges from 65 cm - 75 cm (26 - 30 inches), and most rains happen during the winter.  Prairies or steppes (temperate grasslands) are biomes with fluctuations in temperature during summers and winters producing specific growing seasons for plants. Its annual precipitation is quite moderate ranging from 25 to 89 cm (10 – 35 inches). Plants grow during spring, summer and fall due to enough exposure to warmer temperature. Grasses dominate this biome yet trees are mostly found near rivers or streams. Like savannas, grass fire occasionally strikes on prairies but it fertilizes the soil viable for plant growth.  Deciduous forest are dominated by flowering plants with few evergreen conifers. The annual temperature ranges from -30OC to 30OC (22OF to 86OF) and annual precipitation consistently from 75 cm to 150 cm (30-59 inches). Growing seasons of plants are during spring, summer, and early fall which have a relatively temperate atmosphere.  Taiga or Coniferous forest (Boreal forest) are located above an elevation in mountain ranges. There are very limited trees covering this biome because of extreme changes of weather. Precipitation, in the form of snowfall, in this biome is usually from 40cm to 100 cm (16-39 inches); evaporation is very limited due to cooler temperatures. Cold-tolerant evergreens retained needle-shaped leaves to adapt the atmosphere in this biome.  Tundra lies above the taiga biomes. The average temperature in winter is -34OC (29OF) and in summer is 3OC- 12OC (37OF-52OF). Plants only grow for about 50-60 days but during this time there is almost 24 hours of daylight which promote rapid growth. The annual precipitation is very low from 15-25 cm (6-10 inches) due to low levels of evaporation. Tolerance Range Of Species  The distribution of organisms on Earth is not even. Organisms have different tolerance in the existing factors in the environment, either biotic or abiotic factors. Abiotic factors such as temperature, humidity, soil chemistry, pH, salinity, and oxygen levels play a vital role in shaping species' habitat. Many organisms battled out their geographical Biotic Factors ranges and their arbitrary environmental conditions to perpetuate and reproduce. Those organisms adapt changes (e.i. increase in global surface temperature) in environmental conditions that happen to survive, but some were not. Also, a specific tolerance range for some abiotic environmental conditions (based on one or several Abiotic Factors factors) dictates what type of organism (best on its adaptation towards change) survives or not. The following are examples of these conditions: Polar bears' metabolism dramatically helps them perpetuate because it counters the effect of lower temperatures in their natural habitat. However, when this species of bear placed in areas with warmer climates, it will experience overheating and die if not placed into areas with similar features as their natural habitat. Giraffes survive to scorching conditions of the African savannas. Nevertheless, they will quickly die in the Arctic areas.  Salmons start their life in freshwater streams, migrate out to open ocean, then come back to up streams for mating season. Salmons can tolerate changes in the salt content and temperature in water during its life cycle. Though humans have the technology to keep up with extreme environments, they still die from freezing to death, heatstroke, drowning, suffocation, exposure to acids, or lack of clean water. Other organisms have different tolerance ranges. The survival of these organisms depends on how best they adapted to the ever-changing conditions in the ecosystem Variability of tolerance range depending on the type of species and the factors affecting it. ENERGY AND FOOD FLOW IN THE ECOSYSTEM ENERGY AND FOOD FLOW IN THE ECOSYSTEM The Sun radiates its solar energy to its surface and then distributes its heat throughout its systems. Photosynthetic plants and other organisms harness the solar energy emitted by the Sun and convert carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas) and water into organic sugar compounds in photosynthesis. Some organisms still manage to synthesize sugar compounds by converting chemical and heat in thermal vents located at seabeds not penetrated by sunlight. Some only depend on producers, which are the consumers, scavenger, and decomposers.  Autotrophs vs. Heterotrophs ❖Autotrophs are organisms able to use the energy they harnessed from their environment to convert simple molecules to organic compounds. ❖Also, these are considered as the foundation of the very trophic context wherever they exist. Autotrophs dominate the base of the food chains or food webs. ❖They reinvent and act as the producers of energy, which perverse from the base to the trophic level's peak.  Autotrophs Two types of autotrophs are ; 1) photoautotrophs - utilize solar energy in converting carbon dioxide to organic compounds (e.i. algae and cyanobacteria), and 2) chemoautotrophs - utilize chemicals to build organic compounds (hydrogen sulfide- oxidizing bacterias near undersea vents).  Heterotrophs ❖Heterotrophs, consumers acquire organic molecules by consuming other organisms or their byproducts. ❖Humans, animals, fungi, and bacteria serve as the consumers in the trophic level in different ecological areas. ❖When the top consumer dies, detrivores and decomposers act to breakdown complex molecules to simple compounds and molecules reserved in the soil to be used by producers.  Trophic Levels Energy, in an ecosystem, flows in one direction. From the base of the ecological pyramid passed, it flows to the next level until it reaches the peak. When energy flows in between trophic levels, the transferred energy is only 10%. The other 90% is utilized in the current trophic level or released to the environment as heat.  Trophic Levels Imagine that producer have 100,000 kcal of energy. Only 10,000 kcal of energy is transferred to the consumers in the next trophic level. As the succession of energy flow (succeeds in 4 trophic levels) happens, only 1 kcal of energy is left. As the pyramid goes up, the producers' energy is passed on the next trophic level (primary consumer, secondary consumer) until it reaches the peak. Depicted in the ecological pyramid is the abundance of organisms in the foundation and very few at the top. Trophic Levels Trophic Levels (producers, consumers) and breakdown of Energy Flow in an Ecological Pyramid; reduced by 10% at each level Food Chain A food chain is a group of organisms involved with the transfer of energy from one trophic level to the next. Starting from the foundation of the ecological pyramid are the producers or autotrophs (photoautotrophs or chemoautotrophs depending on its ecosystem), which converts simple molecules to organic compounds. The succeeding trophic levels are the so-called consumers.  Food Chain The distribution of consumers in the ecological pyramid narrows down as it reaches its peak. The top predator (fifth or sixth level consumers) has a vast range of hunting grounds as it requires more energy to live. Compared to the land-based food chain, ocean-based food chains are longer due to their unstable conditions. There is not much difference with a food chain and a food web. Food Chain vs. Food Web BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES BIOGEOCHEMICAL In an ecosystem, energy flows from the base to the peak of the ecological pyramid. Energy is either utilized by the organism, released to the environment as heat, or transferred to the next trophic level. Matter has a different pathway. It transforms into different CYCLES forms at each stage of its process until it is used again by the same process. With this, we can conclude that matter undergoes cycles and conserved. The primary known elements that undergo cycles associated with organic molecules are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur, taking various forms and compounds in its stages existing in the air, water, land, or beneath the ground. Different natural phenomena and processes are essential in the cycling of elements on Earth.  As the Sun bombards the surface of the Earth with solar energy, the water cycle begins as the oceans The Water Cycle and other surface waters get heated up. The process of evaporation occurs as liquid water transforms into water vapor. In colder areas, sublimation happens as ice turns into water As clouds become massive and heavy, vapor. rain, snow, or hall drops to the surface. Water vapors freely float in the This process is called precipitation, atmosphere, and as these cool which allows water to return the down, these clump and form Earth's surface. clouds consisting of liquid or As rainfall reaches the ground, it flows frozen droplets. over the surface down to either returning to water bodies or the water table.  All life forms possess carbon because it provides the structure of biomolecules. The Carbon Cycle It is present in all organic molecules and compounds, but carbon can also take the form of inorganic compounds such as carbon dioxide, graphite, and diamond. Carbon is involved with several processes like energy transformation in trophic levels, photosynthesis, and cellular respiration. In photosynthesis, carbon dioxide and water undergo different chlorophyll processes to produce organic carbon compounds (stored to provide nutrition to the plant) and oxygen (released to the environment).  The carbon dioxide and oxygen cycle happens inside the respiratory The Carbon Cycle system of larger organisms or the cell itself. Carbon also exists in land, water, and air. Carbon stored for long periods is known as a carbon reservoir. There is a significant amount of carbon in the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide, an essential reactant in photosynthesis. The carbon dioxide in the atmosphere influence by the carbon reservoir in the bodies of water. Carbon dioxide reacts with water and forms several free-floating ions. Some of the ions combined with other metallic and non-metallic ions forming different ionic compounds.  Other organisms can convert this The Nitrogen Cycle Nitrogen (triple covalent bond, ammonia to nitrites and nitrates which N2) is the most abundant are more usable form of nitrogen. element existing in the Nitrogen-containing molecules are very atmosphere (78%), but the important as it is used in different life process of incorporating it in process. living organisms is challenging. It requires free-living and symbiotic bacteria to integrate organic compounds through a biochemical process (nitrogen fixation). The process converts nitrogen gas into ammonia (NH3) and later becomes ammonium (NH4+).  Phosphorus combines with The Nitrogen Cycle different elements or compounds to naturally exist in nature (e.g. phosphate ions, PO4-3). Phosphorus is a significant components to nucleic acids and phospholipids which are abundant in cells. To higher forms of organisms, calcium phosphate provides Phosphate-containing rocks are support to the structure and weathered and eroded to flowing component of the bones. bodies of water. Phosphorous act as a limiting nutrient to the growth of plants As it reaches the oceans, it forms and in the aquatic ecosystems. sediments on the ocean surface. Its Phosphates runoff because of sediments are later send to the above human activity or natural surface through volcanic activity or surface runoff. uplifting due as geological time passes.  Sulfur plays an important The Nitrogen Cycle role among living organisms. It is responsible in the formation of amino acids (cysteine) and other proteins. Sulfur cycles happen between ocean, land, and atmosphere. Sulfur can cycle through decomposition of organic molecules, Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is a volcanic activity and geothermal form of sulfur that exist in vents, and from burning fossil fuels by humans. the atmosphere. ECOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS  Predation is a type of interaction involving a predator and prey Predation where one benefits the interaction by obtaining the energy through consuming the Not all predation interactions cause the demise or injury among prey. other one, and one experienced In some cases, herbivores consume a part of the injury or demise. plant (fruits) and disperse seeds after excreting their waste.  Competition affects both organisms negatively. When organisms compete, this leads to harm or injury in both parties and lowers the ability of Competition species involved to survive and reproduce to their limited resources. It is challenging that two or more species were competing for the same limited resource to coexist at the same place and time. One species is either reduce its number, get extinct, or evolve due to competition. The other species strive to survive and reproduce as competitors are absent. Competition is available because of the overlapping niches among species, which are requirements for survival and reproduction.  Mutualism describes the interaction between or among species that benefit both or all. (+/+ interaction). It could Symbiosis be obligate or facultative. Obligate mutualism depicts species that could not survive without such interaction. Facultative mutualism describes species to individually survive when separated but not as well Facultative mutualism describes species to when interacting. individually survive when separated but not as well when interacting.  Commensalism shows interaction between species that only benefit one and the other species is not affected. Symbiosis It is difficult to detect when the interaction is commensalism because individuals might have an indirect effect which is not recognizable. If there is, then the interaction will be recognized as parasitism.  Parasitism involves a parasite and a host. The parasite benefits from the Symbiosis host in form of getting its nutrition from the host harming it in the process. Parasites do not kill the host but weakening the host becoming vulnerable to external conditions such as disease, malnutrition, other parasites, and predation.  The parasites affects Parasite-mediated predation happens the overall metabolism when parasites inflict damage and weaken the host leading it to be eaten and health of the host by the predator Symbiosis and might lead to the death of the host. Parasites can either be found inside (endoparasites) or outside (ectoparasites) the body of the host.