REFERENCE: The Blue Planet An Introduction to Earth System Science. Brian J. Skinner and Barbara W. Murck (2011) Third Edition. John Wiley and Sons

Transcription

1 REFERENCE: The Blue Planet An Introduction to Earth System Science. Brian J. Skinner and Barbara W. Murck (2011) Third Edition. John Wiley and Sons Inc.

2 The basic lifesupporting system in which living organisms interact with each other and with the abiotic components of their environment.

3 The survival of the eight people in Biosphere II depended on two primary processes: (1)Flow of energy A futuristic structure in the Arizona desert that attempted to create a closed, life-sustaining system, like that of Earth in the 90 s ( ). It failed because of an unanticipated depletion of oxygen, caused when bacteria digested the cement walls of the structure. It cost $120 million and had eight people (4m & 4w). (2)Continual recycling of chemical elements

4 1. Function of Energy: Involvement in the production of organic matter in ecosystems. 2. Pathways: The way energy flows, the efficiency with which it is used, and the role it plays in the various processes of life.

5 Energy flow refers to the movement of energy through an ecosystem, from the external environment (the Sun) through a series of organisms and back to the external environment (space). It is a fundamental process common to all ecosystems.

6 Biological Production: Process to increase biomass through the transformation of energy into matter by biological processes. Biomass: The total amount of organic matter on Earth or in any particular ecosystem. This includes all living things and all products of living things. Plant biomass is called Phytomass Animal biomass is called Zoomass

7 Primary Production: It is the carbohydrate production and the consequent building of body mass by autotrophs. Secondary Production: It is the production of body mass by heterotrophs organisms that derive their food energy by eating other organisms.

8 Organisms that synthesize their own organic compounds are called autotrophs, and they accomplish this most commonly through photosynthesis. The conversion of sunlight into food energy by photosynthesis happens according to the following reaction: CO 2 + H 2 O + energy CH 2 O + O 2

9 There are three steps in the production of biomass and its use as a source of energy by autotrophs: 1-Gross Primary Production (GPP): first, the autotrophic organism produces organic matter within its body (by photosynthesis or, less commonly, by chemosynthesis); 2-Respiration (R): then it uses some of this new organic matter as a fuel in metabolism and respiration, releasing energy back to the surrounding environment in the form of heat; 3-Net Primary Production (NPP): finally, it stores some of the newly produced organic matter for future use, in the form of carbon-based compounds.

10 gross production respiration = net production GPP R = NPP

11 The energy in this impossible ecosystem is being recycled again and again. In the real world, the energy would become degraded and would eventually be lost, and the system would run down.

12 In this ecosystem, grasses (autotrophs; primary producers) capture and lock up energy from the Sun, as food molecules. These plants form the base of the trophic pyramid. Deer (heterotrophs; firstorder consumers) eat the grass and form the second trophic level. Wolves (heterotrophs; second order consumers) eat the deer and form the third trophic level. Various bacteria decompose waste products and dead organisms, recycling their material components. Energy flows one-way through the trophic levels of the ecosystem, whereas chemical elements are recycled (the wolf will eat the deer, and excrete waste products). Energy is lost, and stored biomass decreases in moving from one trophic pyramid to the next.

13 This diagram shows who feeds on whom in the Mono Lake ecosystem. Compared to most ecosystems, Mono Lake has few species and the food web is relatively simple.

14 Food web of the harp seal. The arrows show who feeds on whom. The harp seal feeds on more than one trophic level.

15 This version of the periodic table of the elements shows which elements are required for life and which are toxic to living things.

16 Elements essential to the biosphere have cycles affected by Earth processes. (A) Box models are a convenient way to represent the transfer of materials from reservoir to reservoir in biogeochemical cycles. (B) These are the basic elements of a biogeochemical cycle, using water as an example. A, B, and C are reservoirs, and the arrows represent transfer processes and fluxes of material between the reservoirs.

17 A BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLE IS THE COMPLETE PATHWAY THAT A CHEMICAL ELEMENT FOLLOWS THROUGH THE EARTH SYSTEM. BIO Involves life. GEO Includes rocks and soils. CHEMICAL Chemical elements are considered. 24 Chemical Elements are known to be required for life: Macronutrients Elements required in large amounts by all life. Micronutrients Elements required either in small amounts by all life or in moderate amounts by some forms of life.

18 ANNUAL CALCIUM CYCLE IN A FOREST ECOSYSTEM Circles are the amounts transferred per unit time (the flux rates) (kilograms per hectare per year).

19 ANNUAL SULFUR CYCLE IN A FOREST ECOSYSTEM Circles are the amounts transferred per unit time (the flux rates) (kilograms per hectare per year).

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21 BASIC PROCESSES IN THE NITROGEN CYCLE

22 GLOBAL PHOSPHORUS CYCLE

23 The geographic distribution of living organisms and the characteristics of their communities and ecosystems are the central focus of biogeography. The most important unit of biogeography is the BIOME, a large geographic area defined by its environmental attributes mainly temperature and precipitation as well as by the plants, animals, and soils that inhabit and characterize the area. Biomes are Earth s major ecosystem types

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25 Some important terrestrial biomes: (A) Tundra (Yukon Territory, Canada) (B) Boreal forest (Minnesota, USA) (C) Temperate rain forest (Washington, USA) (D) Temperate deciduous forest (New England, USA) (E) Tropical rain forest (Georgia, USA) (F) Savanna (Kgaligadi, South Africa) (G) Grassland (Colorado, USA) (H) Desert (Utah, USA)

26 EARTH'S PRODUCTIVITY

27 Phytoplankton are the foundation of the marine food chain and can change the color of the ocean.

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29 CZCS SeaWiFS MODIS

30 GLOBAL ESTIMATION OF PHYTOPLANKTON CHLOROPHYLL-A USING SEAWIFS DATA

31 LAND VEGETATION

32 NDVI IR - IR R R

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35 VEGETATION INDEX

36 Ecosistemas de Puerto Rico

37 BAHIA DE MAYAGUEZ UN EJEMPLO DE ECOSISTEMA Deep and Clear Waters Sewage Outfall Añasco River Tuna Factories Outfall Yaguez River Guanajibo River Shallow and Clear Waters with Coral Reefs

38 Suspended Sediments using MERIS Created by Josué Aceituno Díaz using ArcGIS Desktop 10.1

39 Phytoplankton Chl-a using SeaWiFS

40 Watch the YouTube video called Introduction to Biomes