Ecology

Energy and Ecosystem Pyramids

September 27, 2010 FRQ’s are due We will grade… in class Tests were correct, A and B re scanned You may buy back points by ½ for every one.

I need full question and answer plus page you found it in the book. Please list answer to Left in the margin

Begin Chapter 4 Learning Targets I will be doing a notebook check for 4 not

points for activities

THE NATURE OF ECOLOGY

Ecology is a study of connections in nature. How organisms

interact with one another and with their nonliving environment.

Figure 3-2

Nonliving and Living Components of Ecosystems

Ecosystems consist of nonliving (abiotic) and living (biotic) components.

Figure 3-10

Fig. 3-3, p. 52

Insects751,000

Other animals281,000

Fungi69,000

Prokaryotes4,800

Plants248,400

Protists57,700

Known species1,412,000

Populations, Communities, and Ecosystems

Members of a species interact in groups called populations.

Populations of different species living and interacting in an area form a community.

A community interacting with its physical environment of matter and energy is an ecosystem.

Biosphere

Atmosphere Membrane of air around the planet.

Stratosphere Lower portion contains ozone to filter out most of

the sun’s harmful UV radiation. Hydrosphere

All the earth’s water: liquid, ice, water vapor Lithosphere

The earth’s crust and upper mantle.

Fig. 3-7, p. 55

Nitrogencycle

Biosphere

Heat in the environment

Heat Heat Heat

Phosphoruscycle

Carboncycle

Oxygencycle

Watercycle

Fig. 3-8, p. 55

Absorbed by ozone Visible

Light

Absorbed by the earth

Greenhouse effect

UV radiation

Solarradiation

Energy in = Energy out

Reflected by atmosphere (34% ) Radiated by

atmosphere as heat (66%)

Heat radiated by the earth

Heat

Troposphere

Lower Stratosphere(ozone layer)

Energy Flow in an Ecosystem: Losing Energy in Food Chains and Webs

In accordance with the 2nd law of thermodynamics, there is a decrease in the amount of energy available to each succeeding organism in a food chain or web.

Productivity of Producers: The Rate Is Crucial

Gross primary production (GPP) Rate at which an

ecosystem’s producers convert solar energy into chemical energy as biomass.

Figure 3-20

Net Primary Production (NPP)

NPP = GPP – R Rate at which

producers use photosynthesis to store energy minus the rate at which they use some of this energy through respiration (R).

Figure 3-21

Ocean Food Pyramid

07_06a.jpg

06_10.JPG

06_11.JPG

Energy Flow in an Ecosystem: Losing Energy in Food Chains and Webs

Ecological efficiency: percentage of useable energy transferred as biomass from one trophic level to the next.

Figure 3-19

Fig. 3-19, p. 66

Heat

Heat

Heat

Heat

Heat

DecomposersTertiary

consumers(human)

Producers(phytoplankton)

Secondaryconsumers

(perch)

Primaryconsumers

(zooplankton)

10

100

1,000

10,000Usable energy

Available atEach tropic level(in kilocalories)

Biomass Pyramid

Numbers Pyramid

The Gaia Hypothesis: Is the Earth Alive?

Some have proposed that the earth’s various forms of life control or at least influence its chemical cycles and other earth-sustaining processes. The strong Gaia hypothesis: life controls the

earth’s life-sustaining processes. The weak Gaia hypothesis: life influences the

earth’s life-sustaining processes.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

A GIS organizes, stores, and analyzes complex data collected over broad geographic areas.

Allows the simultaneous overlay of many layers of data.

Figure 3-33

Systems Analysis

Ecologists develop mathematical and other models to simulate the behavior of ecosystems.

Figure 3-34

Have a great day everyone!