Download Lecture 054 - Ecosystems

Studying organisms in their environment…
organism
population
community
ecosystem
biosphere
Chapters 57 – 58
Ecosystems
Ecosystem
 All the organisms in a community plus
abiotic factors

ecosystems are transformers of energy
& processors of matter
 Ecosystems are self-sustaining

what is needed?
 capture energy
 transfer energy
 cycle nutrients
Ecosystem
 Community of organisms plus the
abiotic factors that exist
in a certain area
Interacting with the Environment
 Biotic environment
prey (food)
 competitors
 predators, parasites, disease

 Abiotic environment
sunlight
 temperature
 water
 soil

Essential Questions
 What limits the production in ecosystems?
 How do nutrients move in the ecosystem?
 How does energy move through the
ecosystem?
Ecosystem Inputs
constant
energy flows
input
of
through
energy
materials cycle
Matter
cannot
Don’t forget
laws of or
bethe
created
Physics!
destroyed
materials
can only
cycle
biosphere
inputs
 energy
 nutrients
Energy Budget of Ecosystems
 Production by autotrophs sets
energy budget for an ecosystem

Marine
 light, temperature
& nutrients
 depth

Terrestrial
 light, moisture,
temperature
 latitude & climate
 nutrients
Generalized Nutrient Cycling
consumers
consumers
producers
consumers
decomposers
materials
nutrients
made available
to producers
Decomposition
connects all
trophic levels
abiotic
abiotic
reservoir
reservoir
geologic
geologic
processes
processes
Water Cycle
Solar energy
Transpiration
Water vapor
Evaporation
Precipitation
Oceans
Runoff
Lakes
Percolation in soil
Groundwater
Aquifer
Transpiration
Breaking the Water Cycle
 Deforestation breaks the water cycle

groundwater is not transpired to the
atmosphere, so precipitation is not
created
forest  desert
desertification
Studying Ecosystems
Hubbard Brook
Experimental Forest
7800 acres
38 acre deforestation
Carbon Cycle
CO2 in
atmosphere
Combustion of fuels
Industry and home
Diffusion
Respiration
Photosynthesis
Plants
Animals
Dissolved CO2
Bicarbonates
Photosynthesis
Animals
Plants and algae
Carbonates in sediment
Deposition of
dead material
Deposition
of dead
material
Fossil fuels
(oil, gas, coal)
Carbon Dioxide
Global Warming
CO2 NOx methane
Nitrogen Cycle
Atmospheric
nitrogen
Carnivores
Herbivores
Birds
Plankton with
nitrogen-fixing
bacteria
Plants
Death, excretion, feces
Fish
excretion
Decomposing bacteria
amino acids
Ammonifying bacteria
loss to deep sediments
Nitrogen-fixing
bacteria
(plant roots)
Nitrogen-fixing
bacteria
(soil)
Nitrifying bacteria
soil nitrates
Denitrifying
bacteria
Acid Precipitation
 power plants
 industry
 transportation
 nitrogen oxides
 sulfur dioxide
Ozone Depletion
ozone protects from UV rays
CFCs = coolants
Ozone Depletion
Bad Ozone vs. Good Ozone
ozone in smog
Repairing the Damage
 The Greenbelt Movement




planting trees in Kenya
restoring a sustainable ecosystem
establishing democracy
empowering women
Nobel Peace prize 2004
Wangari Maathai
Barry Commoner’s Laws of Ecology
 Everything is connected to everything else
 Everything must go somewhere
 there is no such place as “away”
 There is no such thing as a free lunch
Laws of Unintended Consequences
Think Globally, Act Locally
Any Questions?
Last chance!!!
FINAL
MONDAY!