Download ecosystems and the biosphere

ECOSYSTEMS
AND THE
BIOSPHERE
CHAPTERS
18.3/18.4/21 NOTES
VOCABULARY WORDS- words
Producers
biogeochemical cycle
Chemosynthesis
groundwater
permafrost
Gross primary productivity
tropical forest
Biomass
water cycle
tundra
Net primary productivity transpiration
canopy
Consumer
carbon cycle
epiphyte
Herbivore
nitrogen cycle
coniferous tree
Carnivore
nitrogen fixation
deciduous tree
Omnivore
nitrogen-fixing bacteria
Detritivore
ammonification
taiga
Decomposer
nitrification
savanna
Trophic level
denitrification
chaparral
Food chain
phosphorus cycle
desert
Food web
biome
temperate grassland
Temperate deciduous forest
I. Producers
A. Autotrophs produce their own food
1. Photosynthesis: Plants, Protists, Bacteria
2. Chemosynthesis: Bacteria, Archaea
B. Carbohydrates (sugars and starches) are
produced as food
C. Gross Primary Productivity: the rate at
which producers in an ecosystem capture
energy
D. Biomass is the organic material found in
an ecosystem
E. Net Primary Productivity is the rate at
which biomass accumulates.
F. Ecosystem vary in productivity
1.
2.
Light, temperature, and precipitation affect
terrestrial ecosystems
Light, available nutrients, & water
temperature affect aquatic ecosystems
II. Consumers
A. Heterotrophs obtain energy by feeding on
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
other organisms or their waste products.
Herbivores eat producers.
Carnivores eat other consumers.
Omnivores eat producers and consumers.
Detritivores eat rotting carcasses, fallen
leaves and branches (detritus).
Decomposers obtain energy by breaking
down complex molecules into simpler
ones.
III. Energy Flow
A. Trophic levels indicates organisms’
positions in sequences of energy transfers.
B. A food chain is a single pathway of
feeding relationships.
C. A food web is
composed of
interrelated food
chains.
D. 10% of energy from one trophic level is
available for the next trophic level.
E. There are more
organisms in lower
trophic levels than
in higher ones.
IV. The water cycle
A. Evaporation adds water to the atmosphere.
B. Transpiration is when plants release water
vapor.
C. Precipitation is the release of water from the
atmosphere.
V. The carbon cycle
A. Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are the
basis of this cycle.
B. Humans add much carbon dioxide to the air.
VI. The nitrogen cycle
A. Proteins and nucleic acids use nitrogen.
B. Nitrogen fixation is the conversion of
nitrogen gas to ammonia, nitrites, and
nitrates.
1.
This is nitrification and is accomplished by
aerobic nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
C. Ammonification is the release of ammonia
from dead organisms and waste products.
1. This provides nitrogen for living organisms.
D. Denitrification is the release of nitrogen
gas back into the air by anaerobic bacteria.
VII. Phosphorus Cycle
A. Phosphate (PO4-3) erodes from rocks into
the soil. Plants absorb phosphorus atoms
from the soil.
B. Animals get phosphorus atoms by eating
plants and other animals.
C. DNA and RNA use phosphorus atoms in
part of their make-up, so do teeth and
bones.
VII. The seven major biomes
A. Biomes: very large terrestrial ecosystems
that contain a number of smaller but
related ecosystems within them.
B. Temperature and precipitation distinguish
the biome.
C. Plants and animals are unique to each
biome.
D. Tundra
E. Taiga
F. Temperate Deciduous Forests
G. Temperate Grasslands
H. Deserts
I. Savannas
J. Tropical Rain Forests
VIII. Aquatic Ecosystems
A. Ocean Zones
1. Intertidal zone
2. Neritic zone
3. The Oceanic zone
4. Estuaries
B. Freshwater Zones