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Ecosystems and Sustainability
• A community of various organisms interacting
with each other within a particular physical
environment is known as an ecosystem.
An ecosystem is
sustainable if it
can support its
diversity and
ecological
processes
through time.
Ecology: the study of organisms and their
environment
Biotic factors: Living parts of the
environment
Ex. Plants, animals, predators
Abiotic factors: Nonliving parts of the
environment
Ex. Sunlight, water, temperature, nitrogen
Levels of Organization:
1. Population- 2 or more groups of
organisms of same species
Ex. Beavers at Jordan Lake State Park
2. Community – populations of
multiple species living in the same
area
Ex. Beavers and Deer at Jordan Lake
3. Ecosystem – a community of
organisms interacting with each other
(biotic factors) within the environment
(abiotic factors)
Ex. Beavers, deer, fish, water, and
sunlight at Jordan Lake
4. Biomes - Group of ecosystems that
have the same climate
Ex. decidious forest or tundra
5. Biosphere - Can support life
(Bio = life Sphere = circle)
Ex. The earth
HABITATS VS NICHES
HABITAT
NICHE
Where an organism
lives
• The role an organism plays
in its habitat
• What it eats; is it predator
or prey; how does it find
mating partners
HABITATS might describe:
• The NAME of the place where the creature lives.
• Arctic Canada is the habitat of the polar bear
Ursa maritima.
HABITATS might describe:
• The DOMINANT VEGETATION of the place
where the creature lives.
• eg Heather moorland is the habitat of the
grouse.
HABITATS might describe:
• The TYPE of place where the creature lives.
• eg species of fish like Pike (Esox lucius) are
found in freshwater lakes and ponds.
MAJOR COMPONENTS OF EARTH’S
LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM
ATMOSPHERE
• TROPOSPHERE...
– Closest to surface
– Air we breath
– ~4-11 miles
• STRATOSPHERE...
– 11-31 miles up
– Ozone (O3)
Factors that Sustain Life
• Solar Energy
– Provides energy for
photosynthesis; energy
flow thru all organisms
– Creates Greenhouse
Effect
• Nutrient Cycling
– Continuous supply of the
chemicals necessary to
sustain life
• Gravity
– holds our atmosphere
– Enables cycling of
nutrients
Energy in Ecosystems
Within ecosystems energy flows from the radiant energy of the sun through organisms as
chemical energy this is ultimately transformed into heat energy.
What is this
diagram called?
Components of
the ECOSYSTEM
TROPHIC LEVELS....feeding levels
AUTOTROPHS....”self feeding”
Make their own food
(photosynthesis)
Also called PRODUCERS
HETEROTROPHS....”different
feeding”
Obtain energy from food they eat
Get energy from a different
source
Also called CONSUMERS
(Primary, secondary, tertiary)
PRODUCERS
TYPES OF CONSUMERS
TYPES OF CONSUMERS
TYPES OF CONSUMERS
TYPES OF CONSUMERS
TYPES OF CONSUMERS
These are DETRITIVORES...they
physically reduce dead decaying
material...but don’t completely
break it down
TYPES OF CONSUMERS
Bacteria & fungi
are
DECOMPOSERS
How would energy flow through this
ecosystem?
FLOW OF ENERGY
Why are food chains rarely longer than
4-5 links?
Energy Flow is NOT efficient
• About 10% of energy
available to next trophic
level...
• What happens to the
rest?
– Some energy was used
– Not all food is eaten
– Lost as heat
PRODUCTIVITY
• Rate at which organic matter is made
by photosynthesis (g/m2/yr)
GROSS PRIMARY
PRODUCTIVITY
(GPP)
• Rate at which producers
convert solar energy
into chemical energy in
form of biomass found
in the tissues
• Amount of carbon
dioxide fixed by plants
during photosynthesis
• Energy stored as sugars
& starches
Remember PHOTOSYNTHESIS??
Chemosynthesis
Chemosynthesis: The process by which some organisms, such as
bacteria, produce energy through a chemical reaction.
Ex. Organisms found near deep sea hydrothermal vents use hydrogen
sulfide coming out of seafloor in vent fluids to create energy.
Equation:
Hydrogen sulfide chemosynthesis: CO2 + O2 + H2S → CH2O + S + H2O
NET PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY
NET PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY
(NPP)
• GPP – R
• R= respiration
• Energy
available to
next trophic
level
BIOMASS
• Dry weight of all organic matter in an
organism
Humans use/waste/destroy 38% Earth’s total potential
NPP
Humans make up less than 1% total biomass of Earth’s
consumers
Food Web - Interconnected Food Chains.
• The arrow in a food web always points toward the
consumer in the direction of the flow of energy.
ECOLOGICAL PYRAMIDS...
show the decrease of
energy...numbers...biomass
Only 10 percent of energy goes
to the next level. The rest is
either used or lost as heat.
Producers make up
the greatest numbers
of organisms...#s of
consumers also
decrease as you go
higher in the food
chain
There is far greater
plant biomass than
consumer biomass as
well
.
SUN
Top
consumers
4th trophic level
3rd heterotroph
(tertiary consumer)
Carnivore- eats meat
3rd trophic level
2nd heterotroph
(secondary consumer)
Carnivore- eats herbivore
2nd trophic level
1st heterotroph
(primary consumer)
Herbivore- eats plants
1st trophic level.
Autotroph- plant.
Producer.
Energy must be
replaced by the sun
Decomposers
feed on
everything...
they usually are
listed outside
the pyramid
Ecological Pyramid – shows the amount of energy or matter contained within each
trophic level.
Pyramids (Diagrams) that show the transfer of: (pg. 72 and 73 in text)
• Energy
• Biomass – amount of living matter at each trophic level
• Population Size – relative # of organisms at each trophic level
What is
BIODIVERSITY??
Biodiversity
What does “Bio” mean?
Bio =
Biodiversity
What does “Diversity” mean?
Diversity = Variety
Biodiversity is the variety of life on
Earth and the essential
interdependence of all living things
• Scientists
have identified more than 1.4 million
species. Tens of millions -- remain unknown
(www.thecatalogueoflife.org)
•The tremendous variety of life on Earth is made
possible by complex interactions among all living
things including micro-oganisms.
There are 4 components of biodiversity
1. GENETIC: variety of genes among
species
Chihuahuas, beagles, and rotweilers are all the same
species —but they're not the same because there is
variety in their genes.
Chihuahua
Beagle
Rottweilers
2. Species Diversity: number of species
For example, monkeys, dragonflies, and
meadow beauties are all different species.
Golden Skimmer
Saki Monkey
Meadow Beauty
3. Variety of ecosystems
4. Functional diversity
• Ecosystem
processes
that sustain
life:
ECOSYSTEM
SERVICES
So what is a SPECIES?
• A group of
morphologically
similar
creatures which
can Interbreed
to produce
fertile offspring
GENERALIST
SPECIES
•
•
•
•
Broad niches
Many habitats
Variety of food
Wide range of
environmental
conditions
• EX:
flies...cockroaches...
Rats...deer...humans
• Have advantage in
changing
environmental
conditions
EDGE EFFECT
• Boundary between 2 habitats...as edge effects
increase...so does biodiversity
SPECIALIST
SPECIES
• Narrow niches
• 1 habitat
• Limited food supply
• Narrow range of
environmental
conditions
• EX: shorebirds, Panda,
• Advantage: reduced
competition
NATIVE
SPECIES
• Normally live/thrive In
a particular area
• EX: (NC)...black bear,
beaver, gray squirrel,
cottontail rabbit,
white tail deer, red
fox, black racer
(snake), Carolina
anole, sweetgum, red
maple, dog wood
NATIVE SPECIES
ENDEMIC
• found ONLY in that
particular area
• EX: the venus flytrap can
only be found in a 60 mile
radius of Wilmington, NC
INDIGENOUS
• Found in the area and
others
NON NATIVE SPECIES
• Migrate into an area
deliberately or
accidentally
• Also called “exotic”,
“introduced”, “alien”
• Some non-native
species can cause harm
to the ecosystem by
outcompeting the
native species...invasive
species
INDICATOR SPECIES
• Provide early warnings of damage to
community/ecosystem
• Read about the decline of the amphibians in your
text...p. 78...what does the their decline indicate?
• Find 2 other examples of indicator species
KEYSTONE SPECIES
• Have large effect on
types and abundance of
other species
• Their population is
usually limited in size
• Their removal can result
in population crashes &
even extinction of other
species
• EX: top predators:
alligator, wolves,
leopard, lions, sharks;
pollinators: bees,
hummingbirds, bats
How do Species Interact?
• Competition- fighting over resources (food, water,
sunlight)
• Predation: Predator/Prey- predator
hunts/pursues the prey
• Symbiosis  close relationship of organisms
COMPETITION
INTERSPECIFIC
• 2 or more species
interacting with same
limited resources
– Fighting
– One species usually more
efficient
– Overlapping niches
– Resource partitioning
INTRASPECIFIC
• Competing with members
of same species
• As population size
increases, competition
increases...resource
becomes more limited
PREDATOR
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Pursuit
Ambush
Speed
Keen eyesight
Camouflage
Chemical warfare
Hunt in groups
PREDATION
PREY
• Speed
• Keen senses
• Protective coverings (bark,
spines, shells, thorns)
• Camouflage
• Mimicry
• Chemical warfare (poisons,
irritants, ink, foul-tasting/
smelling
• Bright colors
SYMBIOSIS
• “living together”...2 or more organisms...at
least one benefits
COMMENSALISM
MUTUALISM
PARASITISM
Matter is Recycled
Water Cycle
B
D
C
A: evaporation
B: condensation
C: precipitation
D: transpiration
A
C
Y
C
L
E
S
OF
M
A
T
T
E
R
Carbon Cycle
A
CO2
D
O2 B
Food C
a. Plants take in CO2
“photosynthesis”
b. We breathe in O2 from plant
c. We eat plants
d. We breathe out CO2 “cellular
respiration”
Pollution  bad CO2 into air
Other sources of carbon:
•Decomposition of dead organisms
•Erosion and volcanic activity
•Burning fossil fuels
•Cutting and burning trees
Carbon Cycle
Organisms/Input
Effects
Plants (autotrophs)
Photosynthesis: (uses carbon)
CO2 + H2O
C6H12O6 + O2
Decomposers
Fungi/Bacteria
Carbon Released when things die
Animals
Cellular Respiration: (release
carbon)
C6H12O6 + O2
CO2 + H2O
Burning of Fossil Fuels
(Dead organisms become coal, Carbon Released
gas, oil)
Photosynthesis
Plants
eating
CO2 in air
Respiration and
Decay
Heterotrophs
What would happen if decomposers were removed from the
carbon cycle? The amount of carbon in the atmosphere would decrease
Carbon Cycle Video: make me genius: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFE9o-c_pKg
NITROGEN CYCLE
•Nitrogen gas in soil
•Enters in root nodules of plant like legumes
•Converted to ammonia by nitrogen-fixing bacteria
•Plant uses ammonia to build protein
•An animal converts plant protein to animal protein
•Animal carcass decomposed into nitrates (nitrification)
•Some nitrates broken down by soil bacteria (denitrification)
Nitrogen Cycle Video: make me
genius:https://www.youtube.c
om/watch?v=ZaFVfHftzpI