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03 Biosphere

This document summarizes key concepts in ecology. It discusses: 1) Ecology is the scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment. Ecologists recognize a hierarchy of organization from the biosphere down to individual organisms. 2) The biosphere is the part of Earth where life exists, including land, water, and air. Biomes are large regions defined by climate that contain characteristic communities. Ecosystems are communities of organisms and their physical environment. 3) Energy enters ecosystems mainly through photosynthesis by autotrophs like plants. This energy is then transferred as heterotrophs like herbivores and carnivores consume other organisms. Only about 10% of energy

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Ronel A Gaviola
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437 views

03 Biosphere

This document summarizes key concepts in ecology. It discusses: 1) Ecology is the scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment. Ecologists recognize a hierarchy of organization from the biosphere down to individual organisms. 2) The biosphere is the part of Earth where life exists, including land, water, and air. Biomes are large regions defined by climate that contain characteristic communities. Ecosystems are communities of organisms and their physical environment. 3) Energy enters ecosystems mainly through photosynthesis by autotrophs like plants. This energy is then transferred as heterotrophs like herbivores and carnivores consume other organisms. Only about 10% of energy

Uploaded by

Ronel A Gaviola
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter 3: The Biosphere

The Study of Ecology


What is Ecology?
• Ecology is the scientific study of
interactions among organisms and
between organisms and their
environment
Why do we study ecology?
• We live in the natural world and use its
resources (water, space,food, etc)
• The natural world effects our lives
(weather, fire, economy)
• To protect biodiversity
Levels of Organization
• Ecologists recognize there is a
hierarchy of organization in the
environment: biosphere, biome
ecosystem, community, population, and
organisms
Levels of Organization
What is a Biosphere?
• Part of Earth in which life exists
including land, water, and air or
atmosphere
What is a Biome?
Tundra
Temperate Forest
Coldest biome
temperate., boreal
Low biotic diversity
Simple vegetation
structure
• A group of ecosystems that have the same
climate and similar dominant communities
What is a Biome?
• Low rainfall
Desert specialized
animals like
camel
• A group of ecosystems that have the same
climate and similar dominant communities
What is a Biome?
• Aquatic – • Grassland -
freshwater – grasses
plants and
animals
• A group of ecosystems that have the same
climate and similar dominant communities
What is an Ecosystem?
• A collection of all
organisms that live
in a particular place,
which includes the
nonliving, or
physical,
environment
What is a Community and a
Population?
• A community is • A population is a
assemblage of group individuals
different populations that belong to the
that live together in same species and
a defined area live in the same
area
How Do We Study Ecology?
• Observing
• Experimenting
• Modeling
(Ecological
phenomena that
occur over long
periods of time)
How Do Organisms Obtain
Energy in an Ecosystem?
• Sunlight is the main energy source for life on
Earth
• Autotrophs will then use the energy from the
sun (or chemicals) to make their own food
• Autotrophs are also known as producers
• Examples of autotrophs: plants, algae,
cyanobacteria
How Do Organisms Obtain
Energy in an Ecosystem?
• Autotrophs use photosynthesis to
convert sunlight, carbon dioxide, and
water into oxygen and carbohydrates
How Do Organisms Obtain
Energy in an Ecosystem?
• What if there is no light in the
ecosystem?
• The autotrophs will use
chemosynthesis, which is a process that
uses chemical energy to produce
carbohydrates (ex: bacteria living in
volcanic vents)
How Do Organisms Obtain
Energy in an Ecosystem?
• Organisms that rely on other organisms
for energy are known as consumers or
heterotrophs
Types of Heterotrophs
• Herbivores- consume only plants
• Carnivores- consume only meat
• Omnivores- consume both plants and
animals
• Detritivores- consume plant and animal
remains (earthworms, mites, crabs)
• Decomposer= breaks down organic matter to
obtain energy (bacteria & fungi)
Feeding Relationships
• Energy in an ecosystem flows in one
direction (from sun to the heterotrophs)
• Food chain- a series of steps in which
organisms transfer energy by eating
and being eaten
Food Chain
Food Web
Transfer of Energy
• Each step in a food chain or food web is
called a trophic level
• Autotrophs make up the first trophic
level, consumers make up 2nd, 3rd, 4th
or higher levels
• Only about 10% of energy is transferred
to organisms at the next trophic level
Transfer of Energy
• If 10% of solar energy is captured by
plants then animals who eat the grass
gain only 10% of that energy (1%),
animals who those animals gain 10%
from that (.1%)
• 10% --> 1% --> .1%
What is Biomass?
• Biomass is the total amount of living
tissue within a given trophic level
• A biomass pyramid can show you much
food is available to each trophic level
Recycling Matter in the
Biosphere
• Elements, chemical compounds, and
other forms of matter are passed from
one organism and from one part of the
biosphere to another in
biogeochemical cycles
Important Biogeochemical
Cycles
• Water cycle
• Carbon Cycle
• Nitrogen Cycle
• Phosphorus Cycle
The Water Cycle
The Water Cycle
• Water moves between the ocean,
atmosphere, and land
• Water evaporates from bodies of water into
the atmosphere
• Water can also enter the atmosphere through
transpiration (process by which water is lost
through the leaves of plants)
Nutrient Cycles
• A nutrient is a chemical substance that
an organism needs to sustain life
• Important nutrient cycles
– Carbon Cycle
– Nitrogen Cycle
– Phosphorus Cycle
The Carbon Cycle
• Carbon’s Roles
– Ingredient in living tissue
– Important component of animal skeletons (CaCO3)
– Important component of the atmosphere (CO2)
The Carbon Cycle
• Carbon enters the atmosphere by:
– Respiration
– Geochemical processes
– Human activities
• Carbon is taken up by:
– Photosynthesis
– Burial and decomposition of dead organisms
(formation of fossil fuels)
The Carbon Cycle
CO2 in
Atmosphere

CO2 in Ocean
The Nitrogen Cycle
• The roles of nitrogen:
– Important component of amino acids
– Major component of fertilizer (NO3-)
– Major component of atmosphere (N2)
The Nitrogen Cycle
• Nitrogen gas (N2) cannot be used by plants
so it must be converted into a usable form
• Soil bacteria convert nitrogen gas into
ammonia (NH3) in the process of nitrogen
fixation
• More soil bacteria convert ammonia into
nitrates (NO3-) and nitrites (NO2-) a usable
form
• Other soil bacteria then convert nitrates and
nitrites back into nitrogen gas, which is known
as denitrification
The Nitrogen Cycle
The Phosphorus Cycle
• Roles of Phosphorus
– Important component of DNA and RNA
• Does not enter atmosphere (gas)
• Steps
– Phosphorus is found in rocks and sediment which
gets moved by water
– Plants absorb phosphorus in the form of
phosphate from soil and water
– Heterotrophs consume plants
What is a Limiting Nutrient?
• A nutrient that is scarce of cycles very
slowly
• When an aquatic ecosystem receives a
large amount of a limiting nutrient it
immediately increases the amount of
algae, which is known as algal bloom
Algal Bloom
• What is the result of
algal bloom?

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