Chapter Introduction

Lesson 1 Abiotic Factors

Lesson 2 Cycles of
Matter
Lesson 3 Energy in
Ecosystems
Chapter Wrap-Up
How do living things
and the nonliving parts
of the environment
interact?
Abiotic Factors

• ecosystem
• biotic factor
• abiotic factor
• climate
• atmosphere
What is an ecosystem?
• An ecosystem is all the living things
and nonliving things in a given area.
• An ecosystem can be a pond, a desert,
an ocean, a forest, or your
neighborhood.
What is an ecosystem? (cont.)
• Biotic factors are the living things in
an ecosystem.
• Abiotic factors are the nonliving
things in an ecosystem, such as
sunlight and water.
• If either a biotic or abiotic factor is
disturbed, other parts of the ecosystem
are affected.
What are the nonliving parts of
an ecosystem?
• The Sun is the source of almost all
energy on Earth.
• It provides warmth and light, and many
plants use sunlight to make food.
What are the nonliving parts of
an ecosystem? (cont.)
• Climate describes average weather
conditions in an
area over time,
• temperature,
moisture, and wind.
What are the nonliving parts of
an ecosystem? (cont.)
• Temperature is an abiotic factor that
influences where organisms can
survive.
• Temperatures on Earth vary greatly.
What are the nonliving parts of
an ecosystem? (cont.)
• All life on Earth requires water.
• Most organisms are made mostly of
water.
• All organisms need water for important
life processes, such as growing and
reproducing.
• Every ecosystem must contain some
water to support life.
What are the nonliving parts of
an ecosystem? (cont.)
• The atmosphere is the layer of gases
that surrounds Earth.
• The atmosphere
provides living things
with oxygen and protects
them from certain harmful
rays from the Sun.
What are the nonliving parts of
an ecosystem? (cont.)
• Soil is made up of bits of rocks, water,
air, minerals, and the remains of once-
living things.
• Soil provides water and nutrients for
the plants we eat and is home for many
organisms, such as insects, bacteria,
and fungi.
What are the nonliving parts of
an ecosystem? (cont.)
• Factors such as water, soil texture, and
the amount of available nutrients affect
the types of organisms that can live in
soil.
• Bacteria break down dead plants and
animals, returning nutrients to the soil.
What are the nonliving parts of
an ecosystem? (cont.)

List the nonliving things in an

ecosystems.
Cycles of Matter

• evaporation
• condensation
• precipitation
• nitrogen fixation
How does matter move in
ecosystems?
Elements that move through one matter
cycle may also play a role in another,
such as oxygen’s role in the water cycle.
During the water cycle, the processes of
evaporation, condensation, and precipitation
move water from Earth’s surface into the
atmosphere and back again.
The Water Cycle (cont.)
The Water Cycle
• Evaporation is the process during
which liquid water changes into a gas
called water vapor in the atmosphere.
• Temperature, humidity, and wind affect
how quickly water evaporates.
• Transpiration is the release of water
vapor from the leaves and stems of
plants.
The Water Cycle (cont.)
• Condensation is the process during
which water vapor changes into liquid
water.
• Clouds form because of condensation.
• Clouds are made of millions of tiny
water droplets or crystals of ice.
The Water Cycle (cont.)
• Water that falls from clouds to Earth’s
surface is called precipitation, rain,
snow, sleet, or hail that forms as water
joins together in clouds.
• Over time, living things use this
precipitation, and the water cycle
continues.
The Nitrogen Cycle
• Nitrogen is an essential part of
proteins, which all organisms need to
stay alive.
• Nitrogen is also an important part of
DNA, the chemical that contains
genetic information.
• Nitrogen cycles between Earth and its
atmosphere and back again.
Nitrogen cycle
The Nitrogen Cycle (cont.)
• The process that changes atmospheric
nitrogen into nitrogen compounds that
are usable by living things is called
nitrogen fixation.
• When organisms die, bacteria help
return nitrogen in the tissues of dead
organisms to the environment.
• Nitrogen also returns to the environment
in the waste products of organisms.
Nitrogen is found in different forms as it
cycles between Earth and its atmosphere.
The Oxygen Cycle
• Oxygen, which cycles through
ecosystems, is needed by almost all
living organism for cellular processes
that release energy.
• Photosynthesis is the primary source of
oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere.
• Many living things, including humans,
take in oxygen and release carbon
dioxide.
The Carbon Cycle
• Like other types of matter, carbon
cycles through the ecosystem.
• Like nitrogen, carbon can enter the
environment when organisms die and
decompose, returning carbon
compounds to the soil and releasing
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere for
use by other organisms.
The Carbon Cycle
The Carbon Cycle (cont.)
• Carbon is also found in fossil fuels,
which formed when decomposing
organisms were exposed to pressure,
heat, and bacteria for hundreds of
millions of years.
• Plants and other photosynthetic
organisms take in carbon dioxide and
water and produce energy-rich sugars.
The Carbon Cycle (cont.)
• When the sugar is broken down by
cells and its energy is released, carbon
dioxide is released as a by-product that
enters the atmosphere and can be
used again.
• Carbon dioxide is one of the gases in
the atmosphere that absorbs thermal
energy from the Sun and keeps Earth
warm in a process called the
greenhouse effect.
While the greenhouse effect is essential for life,
a steady increase in greenhouse gases can
harm ecosystems.
Energy in Ecosystems

• photosynthesis
• chemosynthesis
• food chain
• food web
• energy pyramid
How does energy move in ecosystems?
• Unlike other resources, energy does
not cycle through
ecosystems, but flows
in one direction.
• In most cases,
energy flow begins
with the Sun and
moves from one
organism to another.
How does energy move in ecosystems?
(cont.)
• Many organisms get energy by
eating other organisms.
• Sometimes organisms change energy
into different forms as it moves through
the ecosystem.
• Some energy an organism gets is
released to the environment as thermal
energy.
How does energy move in ecosystems?
(cont.)

The law of conservation of energy

states that energy cannot be created or
destroyed, but it can change form.

How do the movements of

matter and energy differ?
How does energy move in ecosystems?
(cont.)
• Living things that make their own
food from materials in their
environment are called producers.
• Photosynthesis is the process during
which producers use carbon dioxide,
water, and light energy to make
sugars.
• Chemosynthesis is the process
during which producers use chemical
energy in matter to make food.
How does energy move in ecosystems?
(cont.)

photosynthesis
from Greek photo, meaning “light”;
and synthese, meaning “synthesis”
Most producers are photosynthetic.
How does energy move in ecosystems?
(cont.)
• Consumers do not produce their
own energy and can be classified as
herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, and
detritivores.
• Herbivores feed on only producers.
• Carnivores eat other animals and
are usually predators.
How does energy move in ecosystems?
(cont.)
• Omnivores eat both producers
and other consumers.
• Detritivores get their energy by
eating the remains of other
organisms.
Modeling Energy in Ecosystems
• Scientists use models to study the flow
of energy through an ecosystem.
• A food chain is a model that shows
how energy flows in an ecosystem
through feeding relationships.
• The amount of available energy
decreases every time it is transferred
from one organism to another.
In a food chain, arrows show the transfer
of energy.
Modeling Energy in Ecosystems (cont.)

How does a food chain model

energy flow?
Food Webs
• Scientists use a model called a food
web to illustrate all the complex
feeding relationships in an ecosystem.
• Some organisms in a food web might
be part of more than one food chain in
that web.
Like in a food chain, arrows show how
energy flows in a food web.
Energy Pyramids
• Scientists use a model called an
energy pyramid to show the amount
of energy available in each step of a
food chain.
• The steps of an energy pyramid are
called trophic levels.
• Producers, such as plants, make up
the trophic level at the bottom of the
pyramid.
Energy Pyramids (cont.)
• Consumers that eat producers
make up the next trophic level.
• Consumers that eat other
consumers make up the highest
trophic level.
• Less energy is available for
consumers at each higher trophic
level.
Energy Pyramid
• Energy flows in ecosystems from
producers to consumers.
• Producers make their own food
through the processes of
photosynthesis or chemosynthesis.
• Food chains and food webs model
how energy moves in ecosystems.
What happens to the amount of
available energy when it is
transferred from one organism to
another?
A. it increases
B. it remains the same
C. it decreases
D. it disappears
What model do scientists use to
show the amount of energy available
in each step of a food chain?

A. a food chain
B. a food web
C. an energy pyramid
D. food pyramids
Which process enables
producers to use chemical energy
to make food?
A. chemosynthesis
B. photosynthesis
C. decomposition
D. eating
Do you agree or disagree?

5. The Sun is the source for all energy

used by living things on Earth.
6. All living things get their energy from
eating other living things.
Key Concept Summary
Interactive Concept Map
Chapter Review
Standardized Test Practice
Living things interact with
and depend on each other
and on the nonliving
things in an ecosystem.
Matter and energy are
recycled through cycles
such as the carbon cycle.
Lesson 1: Abiotic Factors
• The abiotic factors in an environment include
sunlight, temperature, climate, air, water, and soil.
Lesson 2: Cycles of Matter
• Matter such as oxygen nitrogen, water, carbon, and
minerals moves in cycles in the ecosystem.
Lesson 3: Energy in Ecosystems
• Energy flows through ecosystems from producers to
consumers.
• Food chains, food webs,
and energy
pyramids
model the flow
of energy in
ecosystems.
Which term refers to all of the
living things in an ecosystem?

A. abiotic factors
B. producers
C. biotic factors
D. animals
What is the source of almost all
energy on Earth?

A. water
B. soil
C. climate
D. the Sun
Which of these refers to water
that falls from clouds to Earth’s
surface?
A. condensation
B. evaporation
C. weather
D. precipitation
Which process changes atmospheric
nitrogen into nitrogen compounds
that are usable by living things?

A. the greenhouse effect

B. condensation
C. nitrogen fixation
D. the nitrogen cycle
Which model do scientists use to
show how energy flows in an
ecosystem through feeding
relationships?
A. food chain
B. abiotic pyramid
C. energy pyramid
D. flow of energy
Which term refers to all the living
things and nonliving things in a
given area?
A. abiotic factor
B. ecosystem
C. biotic factor
D. atmosphere
Which of these provides water
and nutrients for the plants we
eat?
A. the ocean
B. the atmosphere
C. soil
D. the Sun
During which process does liquid
water change into a gas called
water vapor?
A. evaporation
B. condensation
C. precipitation
D. nitrogen fixation
Clouds form because of which of
these?

A. precipitation
B. evaporation
C. condensation
D. nitrogen fixation
Which model do scientists use to
illustrate all the complex feeding
relationships in an ecosystem?
A. a food chain
B. a food web
C. an energy pyramid
D. an energy web