Energy and Matter in COMMUNITIES AND ECOSYSTEMS
abiotic factors physical aspects i.e. soil, water, weather (non-living) biotic factors the organisms (living) The community AND all physical aspects of its habitat.
habitat: the place where a particular population lives population community: different species that live together in a habitat The community AND all physical aspects of its habitat.
THE WEB OF LIFE all organisms interact with the biosphere and each other they depend on each other for.
TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION Energy and matter can be passed between organisms in an ecosystem. When an organism eats another, molecules are metabolized and energy is transferred and transformed.
biosphere trophic photosynthesis respiration producer consumer herbivore carnivore omnivore detritivore preditor prey decomposer
In an ecosystem, more energy is stored in plants (producers) than in animals (consumers).
WITH FEW EXCEPTIONS, THE MAIN ENERGY SOURCE FOR ECOSYSTEMS IS
Energy must continually enter the community or the community will die O 2 O 2 Radient Energy Chemical Energy CO 2 HO 2 HO CO 2 2 Heat
Energy flows one way through a community heat N 2 inorganic H 2 O 2 community (metabolism) organic C 6 H 12 O 6 sugar
map the flow of energy through a community who eats what food chain who eats who
FOOD CHAIN Is a single pathway of feeding relationships among organisms in an ecosystem that results in energy transfer
FOOD WEBS Are interrelated food chains in an ecosystem http://youtu.be/3bn7wdcp2v4
FOOD WEB = the food chains in a particular community or ecosystem
TROPHIC LEVELS The organism's position in the sequence of energy transfers Organisms are grouped according to how they obtain energy Energy transformation in a food chain
TROPHIC LEVELS 2 nd level -- herbivores (primary consumer) eat producers 1st level -- producers
TROPHIC LEVELS 3rd level -- carnivores (secondary consumers) eat other consumers 2 nd level -- herbivores (primary consumer)
TROPHIC LEVELS 4th level -- carnivores (tertiary consumers) eat other carnivores 3 rd level -- carnivores (secondary consumers)
TROPHIC LEVELS 4 th level -- carnivores (tertiary consumers) 3 rd level -- carnivores (secondary consumers) 2 nd level -- herbivores (primary consumer) 1 st level -- producers (including decomposers) obtain E from organic wastes & dead bodies of any trophic level
Organisms may obtain energy (food) from more than one trophic level.
Why are the dead things that decomposers break down still called food? Using the idea of a food chain, explain how a pesticide used on hay fed to cattle can be found in a human.
Where do YOU fit into the food chain?
THE ENERGY PYRAMID Only 10% of energy is available to pass on to the next trophic level.
A change in the size of one population in a food chain will affect other populations. For example, when there are too many giraffes; there will be insufficient food for all of them to eat. Many giraffes will starve and die. Fewer giraffes means more time for the plants to grow to maturity and multiply. Fewer giraffes also means less food is available for the lions to eat and some lions will starve to death. When there are fewer lions, the giraffe population will increase.
Energy transformation song In an ecosystem, more energy is stored in plants (producers) than in animals (consumers).
A CLOSE LOOK AT A SOIL COMMUNITY
Human impact on the natural carbon cycle has significantly contributed to global climate change.
ENERGY IN ECOSYSTEMS A CLOSER LOOK This is the first form of energy harvested by human beings. How might they have used it? Biomass was the first form of energy that was harnessed by humans in the form of wood being burned. Biomass is not only used by humans, but all other animals use biomass to get their energy for living.
BIOMASS Biomass is anything that is or has once been alive. Logs, cows, trees, plywood, cotton shirts, leaves and even people are examples of biomass. Rocks, air, windows and water are not.
Biomass is arranged in an ecosystem as shown here. carnivores omnivores herbivores Herbivores eat the plants (biomass), omnivores eat the plants as well as some animals, and carnivores eat other animals to get energy needed for everyday activities.
PYRAMIDS OF BIOMASS AND NUMBERS A pyramid of biomass illustrates the relative amount of living organic matter at each trophic level. Typically, the greatest biomass is at the base of the pyramid, as is seen in the field ecosystem modeled here.
The amount of biomass in an ecosystem can be calculated The carbon content in a food web of an ecosystem is directly related to biomass How is this related to energy?
Biomass is carbon, hydrogen and oxygen based. As an energy source, biomass can either be used directly, or converted into other energy products.
HOW MUCH ENERGY IN BIOMASS?
MATTER* IN A COMMUNITY *the stuff things are made of
matter cycles through a community
When a consumer eats a plant/animal for food -- both Energy and matter are passed to the consumer but unlike E, matter is recycled
Plants N 2 Food (carbohydrates) CO 2 H 2 O (C containing) Flow of Matter through a Community
Biogeochemical Cycles SOME IMPORTANT CYCLES IN ECOSYSTEMS Hank on cycles
Bill Nye
NITROGEN CYCLE Nitrogen Cycle Hank crash course
CARBON CYCLE http://youtu.be/u3szkjvkrxq Ecosystems need carbon to be cycled. Without it they could not survive.
THE ELEMENT CARBON Unique among the common elements of the earth's surface, the carbon atom has the ability to form bonds with as many as four other atoms (including other carbon atoms) and to form double bonds to itself.
ALL LIVING ORGANISMS ARE BASED ON THE CARBON ATOM
Carbon compounds are commonly found as solid, liquid, and gas on the earth's surface. Carbon forms solid minerals (such as limestone), 'squishy' organisms (such as plants and animals), and dissolves in water or is carried around the world through the atmosphere as carbon dioxide gas.
The attributes of the remarkable carbon atom make possible the existence of all organic compounds essential to life on earth. YOU as a carbon atom Carbon atoms continually move through living organisms, the oceans, the atmosphere, and the crust of the planet. This movement is known as the carbon cycle. The paths taken by carbon atoms through this cycle are extremely complex, and may take millions of years to come full circle.
SINKS, SOURCES AND RELEASE AGENTS The aggregation of the possible paths of carbon, where it may be stored for extended periods (the "sinks"), where it is likely to be released to the atmosphere (the "source"), and what triggers those sources (the "release agents"), together defines the carbon cycle. Coal is formed entirely from partially decayed and fossilized plant and animal remains. Fossil fuels are a valuable sink of carbon.
Carbon Reservoirs (sinks)
Carbon sinks include long-lived trees, limestone (formed from the shells of small sea creatures that settle to the ocean bottoms and build up into thick deposits), plastic (very long-lived), and the burial of organic matter (such as those that formed the fossil fuels we use today).
Just as trees and vegetation are sources of atmospheric carbon dioxide when they decay, they are a sink for carbon dioxide as they grow. During photosynthesis, trees and vegetation absorb CO 2 from the air and emit oxygen.
Releasing Agents Are any process or activity through which a greenhouse gas is released into the atmosphere including burning of fossil fuels and other organic matter, the weathering of limestone rocks, and decay of dead and respiration of living organisms.
Carbon dioxide is released by the combustion of biomass and fossilized organic matter (fossil fuel) Biomass/fossil fuel + O 2 CO 2 + H 2 O Release agents include volcanic activity, forest fires, and many human activities.
PURSUIT OF CARBON CYCLE KNOWLEDGE
ENERGY AND MATTER IN COMMUNITIES RECAP
O 2 O 2 Radient Energy Chemical Energy CO 2 HO 2 HO CO 2 2 Heat
Energy flows one way through a community heat N 2 inorganic H 2 O 2 community (metabolism) organic C 6 H 12 O 6 sugar Energy must continually enter the community or the community will die
MATTER IN ECOSYSTEMS IS CONTINUALLY RECYCLED C H N O P S