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Download Intro to Energy Flow in Ecosystems
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Intro to Energy Flow in Ecosystems FOOD WEBS, ECOLOGICAL PYRAMIDS, AND CYCLES OF MATTER Food Chains and Food Webs Food chain simplest path energy takes through an ecosystem Producer Primary Consumer Secondary Consumer Tertiary Consumer Food webs interconnected food chains showing the many paths energy takes through an ecosystem Trophic Levels Trophic Level levels that energy in an ecosystem travels through •# of trophic levels is determined by # of organisms in a food web or food chain Tertiary Consumers Secondary Consumers Primary Consumers Producers Decomposers Trophic Levels Producers Creates chemical energy, or simple sugars, using the sun’s energy and photosynthesis Also called autotrophs means “self nourishing” Producers use their own sugars to feed and grow Ex. Grass, trees, algae, phytoplankton Primary Consumer Also called heterotrophs means “different nutrition” Heterotrophs obtain food by eating other organisms Herbivores are primary consumers that only eat plants Ex. Grasshoppers, cows, rabbits, zooplankton Trophic Levels Secondary Consumer consumers which eat primary consumers Also called carnivores because they eat only meat Ex. Lions, Venus fly trap, tiger Tertiary Consumer consumers which eat organisms from all the other levels Also called omnivores because they eat plants and meat Ex. Ravens, humans, bears Decomposers organisms that break down dead and decaying organisms Ex. Bacteria, mushrooms, worms Ecological Pyramids Ecological pyramid models showing how organisms or energy flows through each trophic level of an ecosystem An example pyramid looks like the one on the trophic level slide 3 types Energy pyramid Number pyramid Biomass pyramid Energy Pyramid The energy available in each trophic level Energy needs of organisms increase moving up a pyramid available energy decreases up a pyramid Each level supports fewer organisms than the one below 90% of available energy is lost to the environment in each step 10% left for use by organisms in next level Most Energy Needed Tertiary Consumers Secondary Consumers Primary Consumers Producers Least Energy Available Number Pyramid The number of individual organisms available for energy in each trophic level Number of individual organisms declines further up pyramid Least Organisms Available Tertiary Consumers Secondary Consumers Primary Consumers Producers Biomass Pyramid The total mass of living organic matter at each trophic level Does not represent total energy at each level Least Biomass Tertiary Consumers Secondary Consumers Primary Consumers Producers Cycles of Matter Law of Conservation of Matter matter cannot be created or destroyed, but it can change form The amount of matter on Earth does not change constantly cycles instead 3 Important Cycles Water Cycle Carbon Cycle Nitrogen Cycle Water Cycle Water continuously moves between Earth’s surface and atmosphere Several important processes Evaporation Condensation Precipitation Transpiration Runoff Infiltration Carbon Cycle Carbon Cycle Carbon is in every living Fossil fuels like oil and organism CO2 is one of the most common forms CO2 released as waste in cellular respiration Plants use CO2 in photosynthesis to make O2 Decomposition releases carbon from organisms to be reused coal store carbon underground Combustion, or burning, releases CO2 emissions from factories and cars Oceans take up huge amounts of CO2 leads to ocean acidification Nitrogen Cycle Nitrogen Cycle Largest nitrogen reservoir is the atmosphere as gas All organisms need nitrogen most can’t use it in this state Nitrogen fixation changes gas into compounds such as ammonia and nitrates Performed by bacteria + lightning Plants take in nitrogen from bacteria through roots Animals get nitrogen by eating plants Nitrogen returns to soil in urine and through decomposition Denitrification releases nitrogen from soil to atmosphere as gas Performed by bacteria
