Ecosystems: What Are They and How Do They Work?

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Ecosystems What Are They and How Do They Work?
G. Tyler Millers Living in the Environment 14th
Edition Modified By Mr. Manskopf Chapter 4
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Key Concepts

• Basic ecological principles

• Major components of ecosystems

• Matter cycles and energy flow

• Ecosystem studies

• Principles of Sustainability

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Section 1 The Nature of Ecology

• What is ecology?
• What species rule the world?
• What is population and levels of organization of
  matter in nature?
• What are communities and ecosystems?

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What is ecology?

• Ecology is the study of how organisms interact
  with another and the nonliving world.
• Connections in nature
• Organism any form of life
• Cell basic unit of life
• Eukaryotic nucleus/organelles
• Prokaryotic bacteria/algae

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What is ecology?

• Species groups of organisms that resemble each
  other in appearance, behavior, chemistry and
  genetic makeupable to reproduce
• 3.6 to 100 million species (1.4 identified)
• Mostly insects/micro
• Tropical forests

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Other animals281,000
Fungi69,000
Insects751,000
Prokaryotes4,800
Known species1,412,000
Plants248,400
Protists57,700
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What species rule the world?

• What types of organisms do you think your body
  contains billions of?
• Hint they can be both very important to your
  survival or make you ill.

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What species rule the world?

• Microbes (bacteria, protozoa, fungus, yeast) rule
  the world.
• Malaria
• Germs
• Good versus bad microbes
• Help keep us alive

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What are levels of organization in nature

• Ecology focuses on 5 levels of organization in
  nature
• Organisms
• Populations
• Communities
• Ecosystems
• Biosphere

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The Nature of Ecology

• Ecosystem organization

• Organisms

• Populations

• Communities

• Ecosystems

• Biosphere

Fig. 4-2 p. 57
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Section 2 The Earths Life Support Systems

• What are the major parts of earths
  life-supporting systems?
• How does the sun sustain life of earth?

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Earths Life Supporting Systems

• The Earth is made up of interconnected spherical
  layers that contain
• Air
• Water
• Soil
• Minerals
• Life
• All parts are interconnected and the goal is to
  understand how they all interact.

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The Earths Life-Support Systems

• Troposphere

• Stratosphere

• Hydrosphere

• Lithosphere

• Biosphere

Fig. 4-7 p. 60
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Natural Capital Sustaining Life of Earth

• Solar energy, the cycling of matter and
  nutrients, and gravity all sustain life on earth
  as we know it.
• KEY IDEA remember energy and matter can not be
  created or destroyed.

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Natural Capital Sustaining Life of Earth

• One-way flowof energy from Sun

• Cycling ofCrucial Elements

• Gravity

Fig. 4-8 p.60
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Solar Capital Flow of Energy to and from the
Earth

• Gigantic nuclear fusion 93 million miles away
  sustains life.
• One-billionth of suns energy reaches earth.
• Energy in MUST equal energy outWHY?

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Section 3 Ecosystem Components

• What are the major components of ecosystems?
• What are tolerance limits?
• What factors limit population growth?
• What are producers, consumers, decomposers and
  what role do they play in ecosystems?
• What is biodiversity?

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Life on Land and Sea

• Biomes land portions of the biosphere
• Forests, deserts, grasslands, tundra classified
  by climate and species adapted to it.
• Aquatic Life Zones watery parts of biosphere
• Fresh water (lakes, streams, etc.)
• Marine Life Zones (coral reefs, deep ocean, etc.)

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Natural Capital Major Biomes

• Biomes

• Role of climate

• Aquatic life zones

Fig. 4-10 p. 62
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Ecosystem Factors

• Abiotic factors

• Range of tolerance

• Biotic factors

• Limiting factors

Availability of matter and energy resources can
limit organisms population.
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Ecosystem Factors

• Limiting Factor Principle too much or too little
  of any abiotic factor can limit or prevent growth
  of a population, even if all other factors are
  near or above optimum.
• Why are there no citrus fruit growing in NJ?
• Why do trees grow toward the sky?

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Major Biomes found across the US at 390 North
Latitude.
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Major components of a freshwater ecosystem
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Major components of a field ecosystem
What are the biotic and abiotic factors? What
might some limiting factors be?
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Major components of a marine ecosystem

• Limiting factors
• may include
• Salinity
• Ph
• Sunlight
• Dissolved oxygen
• Temperature

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Components of Ecosystems

• Abiotic chemicals

• Photosynthesis

• Producers(autotrophs)

• Consumers(heterotrophs)

• Aerobicrespiration

• Decomposers

Fig. 4-17 p. 67
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Photosynthesis Producers

• CO2 H2O Solar Energy gtgtgt Glucose Oxygen
• 6CO2 6 H2O Solar Energy gtgtgt C6H12O6 6O2

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Detritus Feeders (Detritivores)no waste in
natural ecosystems
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Aerobic Respiration

• Glucose Oxygen gtgtgt Carbon Dioxide Water
  Energy
• C6H12O6 6O2 gtgtgt 6CO2 6H2O
  energy

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What is Biodiversity?

• Genetic diversity

• Species diversity

• Ecological diversity

Many scientists feel the loss of biodiversity is
the greatest threat humans face.
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Importance of Biodiversity

• http//www.undp.org/biodiversity/biodiversitycd/bi
  oImport.htm

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Extinctions

• Extinction occurs when there are no longer any
  living individuals of a species left.
• There have been five periods of mass
  extinction's on earth 440m, 370m, 250m, 210m and
  65m years ago.
• Scientists estimate that currently, living
  organisms represent only 1 of all the species
  that have ever been (i.e. 99 have been and gone)
  

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Energy Flow in Ecosystems

• There is a decrease in the amount of energy
  available to each succeeding organisms in a food
  chain or web.
• What does that mean?
• Where does the energy go?

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Connections Energy Flow in Ecosystems

• Food chains the sequence of organisms
• food sources

• Trophic Levels producer to primary consumer
• to secondary consumer and so on

• Food webs real ecosystems are more complex
• as most consumers feed on more than one organism.

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Trophic Levels

• Primary consumer (herbivore)

• Secondary consumer (carnivore)

• Tertiary consumer

• Omnivore

• Detritivores and scavengers

• Decomposers

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Connections Food Chains and Energy Flow in
Ecosystems
Fig. 4-18 p. 68
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Ecological Pyramids

• Pyramid ofenergy flow

• Ecologicalefficiency

• Pyramid ofbiomass

• Pyramid ofnumbers

90 energy loss each step! Ranges from 60 to 98
(90 is typical)
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Primary Productivity of Ecosystems
Estimated productivity per unit area of major
ecosystems
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Earths productivity On land forests are highly
productive in dark green, deserts least in brown.
At sea, red indicates high productivity and deep
oceans dark blue.
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Productivity of Ecosystems

• The number of consumer organisms the earth can
  support is determined by how fast producers can
  supply them with energy.
• Planets limiting factor

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Productivity of Ecosystems

• Humans are using, wasting and destroying the
  worlds biomass faster than producers are able to
  make it.
• Habitat destruction

Clear Cut Forest in OR
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Section 6 Soils Key Idea

• Origins
• Importance
• Maturity and Horizons
• Variations with Climate and Biomes
• Variations in Texture and Porosity

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What is Soil and Why Is It Important?

• Soil is a thin layer over most land that is a
  complex mix of rock, nutrients, decaying matter,
  water, air and billions of organismsmany
  microscopic decomposers.

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What is Soil and Why Is It Important?

• Renewable resourceSLOW
• Depends upon climate (1cm in 15yrs.)
• Basis of life
• Filters water
• Water storage
• Habitat

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Soil Profiles
Mature Soil have a long time to form and are
arranged into layers called horizons.
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Simplified food web found in soils
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Soil Horizons in Different Biomes
Fig. 4-27, p. 75
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Soil particles come in different texturessand,
clay, silt gravel
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Section 7 Matter Cycling in Ecosystems

• Biogeochemical cycles

• Group 1 Hydrologic cycle (H2O)

• Group 2 Carbon cycle

• Group 3 Nitrogen cycle

• Group 4 Phosphorus cycle

• Group 5 Sulfur cycle

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Hydrologic (Water) Cycle Group 1
Fig. 4-28 p. 76
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The Carbon Cycle (Marine) Group 2
Fig. 4-29, p. 78
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The Carbon Cycle (Terrestrial) Group 2
Fig. 4-29, p. 78
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The Nitrogen Cycle Group 3
Fig. 4-31 p. 80
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The Phosphorus Cycle Group 4
Fig. 4-33 p. 82
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The Sulfur Cycle Group 5
Fig. 4-34 p. 83
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How Do Ecologists Learn About Ecosystems?

• Field research

• Remote sensing

• Geographic information systems (GIS)

• Laboratory research

• Systems analysis

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Geographic Information System (GIS)
Fig. 4-35 p. 84
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Systems Analysis
Fig. 4-36 p. 85