Small Scale ecosystems

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Small Scale ecosystems
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Scales of Ecosystems
Micro habitats e.g. under leaf Habitats e.g.
freshwater pond Zones e.g. layers of the rain
forest Biomes e.g. Tropical rainforest
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Ecosystem components
Abiotic and Biotic elements
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Ecosystems Flows and Stores of Energy and
Matter.
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Trophic Levels
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Energy loss at each Trophic level transfer
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There is a tremendous loss of energy between one
trophic level and the one above. It takes an
enormous amount of vegetation to support one
herbivore and a lot of herbivores to support one
predator. So big predators need vast territories.
Inevitably, then, the big animals are few in
number and so they are easily driven to
extinction.
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Energy Loss caterpillar
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Energy Loss e.g. Body Heat and Excretion
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Mineral Flows Carbon Cycle
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Energy and Matter/Nutrients Flow through the
ecosystem.
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Food Chain
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A Deciduous Woodland Food Web.
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A Pond Food Web
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The ecological niche of an organism depends not
only on where it lives but also on what it does.
By analogy, it may be said that the habitat is
the organism's "address", and the niche is its
"profession", biologically speaking. Odum -
Fundamentals of Ecology - W B Saunders 1959 Oak
trees live in oak woodlands that's common sense.
The oak woodland is the habitat. So if Odum was
writing a letter to an oak tree he would address
the letter to Sir Deciduous Oak Tree,The Oak
Forest,England,U.K.
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What do oak trees do? If you can answer that
question you know the oak trees "profession" or
its ecological niche. Perhaps you think that oak
trees just stand there looking pretty and not
doing very much, but think about it. Oak
trees absorb sunlight by photosynthesis absorb
water and mineral salts from the soil provide
shelter for many animals and other plants act
as a support for creeping plants serve as a
source of food for animals cover the ground
with their dead leaves in the autumn.
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A TASK!
These organisms fit into the food web above. Moth
caterpillars Tawny owls Squirrels Aphids
Trees (leaves, flowers, fruits, bark) Beetles
Bank voles Foxes Sparrows