Cycles and Patterns in the Biosphere

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Cycles and Patternsin the Biosphere

• Impact of plants and animals on the landscape
• Biosphere is an overlapping sphere consisting of
  all living organism
• Human modification is conspicuous
• Influences soil, landform, water and more
• In geography we seek general pattern
• Study of how energy, water and nutrient flows

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Vertical Extent of the Biosphere
Figure 10-1
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Biogeochemical Cycles

• Our main focus on this chapter is on Biosphere
• The Flow of Energy
• The Hydrologic Cycle
• The Carbon Cycle
• The Oxygen Cycle
• The Nitrogen Cycle
• The laws of thermodynamics
• Energy cannot be created nor destroyed
• There is a loss of energy through release of heat
  in energy transformation

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Biogeochemical Cycles

• Photosynthesis
• 6 Co2 6 H20 C6H12O6 O2 H20
• Carbohydrates combine with sugar molecules to
  make cellulose
• The Flow of Energy
• 0.1 solar energy is fixed in photosynthesis
• Half is immediately used in respiration
• Remainder temporarily stored

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Energy Flow in the Biosphere
Figure 10-3
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The Carbon Cycle

• Conversion from Co2 to living matter and
• back to Co2
• The cycle operates relatively rapidly
• What are Co2 Sources and sinks Near the earth
  surface over millions of years Coal, Petroleum,
  rocks, Dead organic matter, Burning of fossil
  fuels Carbon in biomass, Co2 dissolved with
  rain, Aquatic biomass respiration Biomass
  decomposition
• Net photosynthesis, net primary production.

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The Carbon Cycle
Figure 10-4
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Which cycle is this? What are sources and sinks?
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The Oxygen Cycle

• Mostly a byproduct of photosynthesis
• Water molecules
• Co2 released during respiration
• Ozone may be changed into Oxygen
• There is also oxidation during weathering

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The Oxygen Cycle
Figure 10-6
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The Nitrogen Cycle

• 78 in the air
• N2 fixation conversion from gas to other forms
  that plants can use
• Nitrates are fixated by green plants
• Animals eat plants and excrete wastes
• Bacteria attack wastes and dead animals
• Denitrifying bacteria convert nitrates into gas
  N2
• Human beings use plants or synthetic fertilizers

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The Nitrogen Cycle
Figure 10-7
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Which cycle is this? What are sources and sinks?
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Phosphorus cycle

• Mineral weathering
• Phosphate in soil
• Plants use it
• Animals eat plants
• Phosphorus as a waste product from animals

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Food Chains

• Food Chains
• Endless flow of energy water and mineral in the
  environment through the biosphere by direct
  passage from one organism to the other
• Food Pyramids
• An approach of representing links as a part of
  the food chain as primary consumers, secondary
  consumers and so on

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Food Chain
Figure 10-8
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Food Pyramid
Figure 10-9
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Final Consumers
Figure 10-10
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Energy Flow in an Ecosystem
Figure 10-11
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The search for classification system

• Biota Total complex of plant and animal life
• Terrestrial and Oceanic
• Flora plants Fauna animals
• Taxonomy
• Linnaean system
• Generic, hierarchical, comprehensive and binomial

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The search for classification system

• The Linnaean System ( see appendix VI)
• Kingdom
• Phylum
• Class
• Order
• Family
• Genus
• Species
• 1.5 m species identified 3-10 m yet not
  identified. 500 m have become extinct

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Ecosystems and Biomes

• Ecosystem
• Consists of plants animal and their habitats.
  Includes nonliving part of the environment also.
  Applied at many scales
• Biome
• Biome useful for world distribution patterns
  based on vegetation
• C Ecotones
• Transition between Biomes

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Biomes and Ecotones
Figure 10-12
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Environmental Relationships

• The Influence of Climate
• Light
• Moisture
• Temperature
• Wind
• Edaphic Influences
• Soil texture, structure, humus, chemistry, OM
• Topographic Influences
• Slope, porosity, aspect
• Wildfire
• Predictive correlations

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Light
Figure 10-13
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Moisture
Figure 10-14
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Wind
Figure 10-15
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Influence of Wildfire
Figure 10-16
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1988 Yellowstone Fires
Figure 10-A
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Yellowstone Fires Five Years Later
Figure 10-B
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Ecosystems and Biomes

• 11 major biomes
• Tropical rain forest, Tropical deciduous forest,
  Tropical scrub and tropical savanna (Af, Am, Aw)
• Desert (BW/BS)
• Mediterranean Woodlots and scrub (Csa, Csb)
• Mid lat grass lands, Mid lat deciduous forest
  (CfaCwa)
• Boreal forest (D)
• Tundra (ET)
• Mountains and icecaps EF