SCIENCE QUEST 1.02.pdf

NAME: Kaukab Khalil DATE: Sun, 28/09/24 SCIENCE QUEST 1.02 Unit B: Sustainable Ecosystems & Climate Change - Ecologists and Ecology: ○ Ecologists are people who study ecology. ‘Logy’ means the study of something. Ecology is the study of ecosystems, how organisms...

NAME: Kaukab Khalil DATE: Sun, 28/09/24 SCIENCE QUEST 1.02 Unit B: Sustainable Ecosystems & Climate Change - Ecologists and Ecology: ○ Ecologists are people who study ecology. ‘Logy’ means the study of something. Ecology is the study of ecosystems, how organisms interact with each other, as well as their environment. - What’s Stewardship? ○ Stewardship is a way of acting that involves taking personal responsibility for the care of something. - Environment: ○ All the living and non-living things that exist on earth, and as well as their interactions. - What’s an ecosystem? ○ Basically, a complex, self-regulating system in which living things (biotic factors) interact with each other as well as non-living things (abiotic factors). ○ These interactions help to keep the ecosystem healthy and sustainable. ○ Biotic Factor: Living things in an ecosystem. Ex: Polar Bear ○ Abiotic Factor: Non-living things in an ecosystem. Ex: sea, air, ice. → Biotic vs. Abiotic Animals, plants, Sun, water (lake), bacteria, living & oxygen, temperature, dead organisms nutrients, soil - Biotic factors are divided into 3 categories: → Autotrophs (producers): Are organisms that produce their own food. Plants are an example of an autotroph because they make their own energy using energy from the sun. → Heterotrophs (consumers): Are organisms that cannot create their own food, but instead rely on other organisms like plants and animals for food. → Detritivores (decomposers): Are organisms that feed on dead organic material and decaying matter. They eat the leftovers of scavengers. - All living things have six things in common. What are these commenalities? ○ 1. Grow 2. Reproduce 3. Produce waste 4. Need nutrients 5. Move 6. Require oxygen - Water is an abiotic factor. Describe 5 variables that can affect whether the water will be suitable for an ecosystem. → 1. Water temperature (how cold/hot the water is.) → 2. Water acidity (how salty or acidic water is.) → 3. Water sanity (how clean it is.) → 4. Water oxygen content (amount of oxygen dissolved in water.) → 5. Mineral content (the more there is the better.) - What are biomes? ○ A biome is an area classified according to the species that live in that location. ○ It’s a large region of earth that is defined as having a certain climate and certain types of living things. ○ A large naturally occurring community characterized by its wildlife, soil, vegetation, and climate. ○ Biomes are also called major life zones. - Types of biomes: ○ Canada consists of 5 large biomes: → Boreal Forest, Tundra, Temperate Deciduous Forest, Grassland, Mountain Forest. - Boreal Forest: ○ About 11% of the land mass of the planet. ○ Known for its coniferous forests and freshwater bodies. ○ Low fertility soil and slightly acidic. ○ Lots of moss. ○ Animal Ex: Caribou, moose, elk, bison. - Tundra: ○ Regions in Arctic and on top of mountains. ○ Cold, windy climate with limited rainfall. ○ Permafrost is a layer of ice of frozen soil and dead plants. ○ Animal Ex: Arctic foxes, polar bears, wolves. - Temperate Deciduous Forest: ○ Many deciduous trees with leaf fall in autumn. ○ Warm and cold air masses cause them to have 4 seasons: winter, spring, summer, fall. ○ Depending on the time of year, there is snow or rain. Moderate sunlight goes through tree canopies. ○ Animal Ex: Rabbits, beavers, raccoons, porcupines, squirrels, bears. - Grassland: ○ Made up of large open areas of grasses, as well as grazing animals. ○ Frequent fires caused by the amount of limited rainfall ○ Includes Savannas and temperate grasslands. ○ Savannas are located in Africa, and temperate grasslands are common in the U.S. Species significantly varying between the two. ○ Animal Ex: Elephants, cheetahs, gazelles, lions, tigers. - Mountain Forest: ○ Located on the west coast of the U.S, Canada, and some parks of Eurasia. ○ A combination of deciduous forest and a mountain range. ○ Cold, windy climate with very high ground elevation. - Spheres of earth: ○ Life is possible on earth because of three unique qualities, its atmosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere; together they play vital roles in maintaining the biosphere. ○ The area nearest the surface of the earth can be divided up into four interconnected “geo-spheres”; the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere. - Greek words: → Litho - stone, atmo - air, hydro - water, bio - life. - Atmosphere: ○ The atmosphere of earth is a layer of gasses surrounding the planet that is retained by earth’s gravity. ○ The atmosphere protects life on earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation or UV rays. ○ This radiation warms up the surface by retaining heat from incoming solar radiation (the greenhouse effect). ○ Reducing temperature extremes between day and night. (the diurnal temperature variation.) - Gasses in the atmosphere: ○ The gasses that cover earth consist of about 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.96% other gasses (water vapor, argon), and 0.04% carbon dioxide. - Lithosphere: ○ The lithosphere includes the crust, and uppermost mantle, which constitute the hard, rigid rocky outer layer of the earth. ○ About 29% of earth’s surface is land (other 71% water.) ○ It can be 50-150 km thick. - Hydrosphere: ○ The hydrosphere is the liquid water component of the earth. This includes oceans, seas, ponds, rivers, and streams. ○ Covering about 71% of the surface of the earth and is home for many plants and animals. ○ 97% of that water is in the oceans. - Biosphere: ○ The part of the earth and its biosphere in which living organisms exist or that is capable of supporting life. ○ This also includes plants, trees, birds, and aquatic life. - Interactions: ○ The 4 spheres of the earth interact with each other to form many processes essential to life and the formation of distinctive landforms. - What does sustainability mean? ○ Sustainability refers to the ability of the elements of an ecosystem (both abiotic and biotic) to continue to interact and reproduce indefinitely. - What is an example of a sustainable and an unsustainable ecosystem? - An example of a sustainable ecosystem would be a healthy forest, with lots of trees, diversity, plants, and a clean environment. An unsustainable ecosystem would be an unhealthy forest, with deforestation, dirty water, pollution and trash everywhere, as well as animals who suffer from the environment that is not taken care of properly. - Biodiversity: ○ Another aspect of sustainability being preserved. ○ Biodiversity is the number of different types of organisms that are present in an ecosystem. More organisms = higher biodiversity. ○ Higher biodiversity generally means a healthier, more sustainable ecosystem. - Ecological Balance: → A climax community. → Refers to a state of balance within a community of organisms. → E.g. a mature deciduous forest. - How to stay sustainable: ○ Looking at the system as a whole is called a holistic approach. - What might sustainable logging practices look like? How does this compare to clear-cutting practices? ○ Sustainable logging would involve leaving patches of trees standing and planting sapling or seedlings to promote forest regeneration. Clear-cutting forests, in contrast, would involve cutting every single tree with no plans for forest regeneration. - Who should be accountable for ensuring logging practices are sustainable? Explain your thinking. ○ Governments should monitor and limit the amount of logging that can occur. ○ Environmental groups and consumers should put pressure on corporations to log sustainably. Consumers should try to purchase products that are sustainably sourced. - Energy flow in ecosystems: (100% from the sun) (20% absorbed by the atmosphere) (30% reflected) (50% absorbed by the surface) → Chemical energy is stored in a variety of plant structures. - How do organisms (e.g. humans) obtain chemical energy if they cannot produce their own food as plants do? ○ Organisms get energy after consuming foods. ○ Foods contain calories which release chemical energy during digestion. ○ Food and glucose are broken down to provide chemical energy to our bodies. - Cellular Respiration: ○ Cellular respiration is the process by which organisms use oxygen to break down food molecules to get chemical energy for cell functions. ○ During cellular respiration, sugar and oxygen are used to release energy along with water and carbon dioxide.  - Cellular respiration: ○ While photosynthesis, C.R. does not require light energy. * Glucose + oxygen → Carbon dioxide + water + energy - Energy flow; Photosynthesis: ○ Photosynthesis is the process by which plants transform light energy into chemical energy. ○ Plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to create oxygen and energy in the form of sugar[glucose]. - Why can C.R. occur during the night, but photosynthesis can not? - C.R. can occur during the night because it does not require sunlight. - Photosynthesis requires sunlight so it does not happen at night. - Energy flow; photosynthesis: ○ Photosynthesis * Light energy → Sugar[glucose] + oxygen - Energy flow; photosynthesis: ○ Plants are called producers because they produce the food that humans and all other consumers depend on. - How do plants make their food? ○ Plants use light energy to carry out photosynthesis. - Think about a greenhouse. What effect does this structure have on plants that allow them to grow even in the colder months? ○ During the day, a typical greenhouse will trap heat from the sun, which allows the plants inside to stay warm at night. Solar radiation passes freely through the glass of a greenhouse. - *Proteins can’t be made without nitrogen. - Thus photosynthesis and cellular respiration are complimentary processes. - The matter that first existed on earth is the same matter that exists today. New matter cannot be “created”, however it can be recycled between biotic and abiotic creatures. - Matter cycling: ○ Matter cycling is the process of matter moving from one form to another, and from one location to another. The water, carbon, and nitrogen cycle are three examples of matter cycling. - The water cycle: ○ The water cycle is an example of matter cycling. ○ Water travels in a cycle through evaporation, condensation, and precipitation, as well as through the currents of bodies of water. - The carbon cycle: ○ Photosynthesis, respiration, and combustion (fires), are involved in the carbon cycle where carbon dioxide enters the living tissue and gets returned to the atmosphere. ○ Most of earth’s carbon is stored in fossil fuels that are created from the compression of dead organisms over millions of years. - The nitrogen cycle: ○ Most nitrogen is located in earth’s atmosphere. Nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria take this nitrogen and produce nitrogen compounds that get added to the soil in a process called nitrogen fixation. ○ Thus, nitrogen gas gets (nitrogen) N² →(nitrates) NOз →(ammonia) NHз converted into different compound forms such as nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia. - Elements: N² → Nitrogen NO → Nitrogen Oxide NO2 → Nitrogen Dioxide (nitrite) NOз → Nitrate NHз → Ammonia - The nitrogen cycle: ○ Humans also add nitrogen to soil as a fertilizer because it is important for plant growth and chlorophyll production. ○ The nitrogen gets absorbed into plants and move through each stage of the food chain. ○ Eventually, dentrifying bacteria converts NHз → NOз → N² nitrates back into nitrogen gas and releases it into the atmosphere.  - Atmospheric nitrogen and hydrogen are combined to form ammonia (NHз), which may then be processed further, to produce nitrates (NOз), a form of nitrogen that can be added to soils and used by plants. - Nitrogen-fixing bacteria: ○ Are microorganisms that are capable of transforming nitrogen gas from the atmosphere into “fixed nitrogen” compounds, such as ammonia, that are usable by plants. NHз → N² Review: Study from all of your: -Notes (until Matter Cycling) -Handouts -corresponding TB pages (p.29-30, 32-35, 38-41, 48-51, 56-59). Youtube Videos(from modules): Types of biomes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaZ9jKPuS5Q&ab_channel=DynamicEarthLearning Water and Carbon Cycles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urzpnjwazV0&ab_channel=Cognito Nitrogen and Carbon Cycles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHqEthRCqQ4&ab_channel=AmoebaSisters Biomass Pyramid Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=CReZd9OHEfs&ab_channel=ChristopherRafalik