Download abiotic reservoir

Ecosystems
Studying organisms in their environment
organism
population
community
ecosystem
biosphere
Essential Questions
 What limits the production in ecosystems?
 How do nutrients move in the ecosystem?
 How does energy move through the ecosystem?
Ecosystem
 All the organisms in a community plus abiotic
factors
 ecosystems are transformers of energy
& processors of matter
 Ecosystems are self-sustaining
 Sunlight is needed only
 capture energy
 transfer energy
 cycle nutrients
Ecosystem inputs
energy flows
constant
input
of energy
through
nutrients cycle
Matter
cannot
Don’t
forget
the
laws of or
be created
Physics!
destroyed
biosphere
nutrients
can only
cycle
Inputs:
 energy
 nutrients
Generalized
Nutrient
cycling
consumers
producers
consumers
decomposers
decomposers
nutrients
ENTERnutrients
FOOD CHAIN
made
available
= made available
to producers
to producers
Decomposition
connects all
trophic levels
abiotic
abiotic
reservoir
reservoir
geologic
geologic
processes
processes
return to
abiotic
reservoir
Carbon cycle
CO2 in
atmosphere
Diffusion
Respiration
Dissolved CO2
abiotic reservoir:
 CO2 in atmosphere
enter food
Combustion
of chain:
fuels
 photosynthesis =
Industry
andfixation
home in
carbon
Photosynthesis
Calvin cycle
Recycle:
 decomposition
Plants
return to abiotic:
Animals
 respiration
 Combustion of
fossil fuels
Bicarbonates
Photosynthesis
Animals
Plants and algae
Carbonates in sediment
Deposition of
dead material
Deposition
of dead
material
Fossil fuels
(oil, gas, coal)
Nitrogen cycle
Carnivores
abiotic reservoir:
 N in atmosphere
enter food chain:
 nitrogen fixation by soil
& aquatic bacteria
recycle:
 decomposing &
Herbivores
nitrifying bacteria
return to abiotic:
 denitrifying bacteria
Birds
Plankton with
nitrogen-fixing
bacteria
Atmospheric
nitrogen
Plants
Death, excretion, feces
Fish
excretion
Decomposing bacteria
amino acids
Ammonifying bacteria
loss to deep sediments
Nitrifying bacteria
soil nitrates
Nitrogen-fixing
bacteria
(plant roots)
Nitrogen-fixing
bacteria
(soil)
Denitrifying
bacteria
abiotic reservoir:
 surface & atmospheric
water
enter food chain:
 precipitation & plant
uptake
Solar energy
recycle:
 transpiration
to abiotic:
Evaporationreturn
 evaporation & runoff
Water cycle
Transpiration
Water vapor
Precipitation
Oceans
Runoff
Lakes
Percolation in soil
Groundwater
Aquifer
Ecosystem inputs
energy flows
through
nutrients cycle
biosphere
inputs
 energy
 nutrients
Energy flows through
ecosystems
sun
secondary
consumers
(carnivores)
primary consumers
(herbivores)
producers (plants)
loss of
energy
loss of
energy
Food chains
Level 4
Tertiary consumer
sun
top carnivore
 Trophic levels
Level 3
 feeding relationships
Secondary consumer
 start with energy from
carnivore
the sun
Level 2
 captured by plants
Primary consumer
 1st level of all food chains
heterotrophs
herbivore
 food chains usually go
Level 1
up only 4 or 5 levels
Producer
 Due to inefficiency of energy
transfer
autotrophs
 all levels connect to decomposers
Decomposers
Bacteria
Fungi
Inefficiency of energy transfer
sun
 Loss of energy between levels of food chain
 To where is the energy lost? The cost of living!
17%
growth
only this energy
moves on to the
next level in
the food chain
energy lost to
daily living
33%
cellular
respiration
50%
waste (feces)
Ecological pyramid
 Loss of energy between levels of food chain
 can feed fewer animals in each level
 Few organisms at the top due to energy loss
sun
Humans in food chains
 Dynamics of energy through ecosystems have important
implications for human populations
 how much energy does it take to feed a human?
 if we are meat eaters? Vegetarians?
What is your
ecological
footprint?!
Food webs
 Food chains are linked
together into food webs
 Who eats whom?
 a species may weave into
web at more than one level
 bears
 humans
 eating meat?
 eating plants?