ecosystems a division of the biome through which energy flows and materials cycle
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EcosystemsA division of the biome through which energy flows and materials cycle
Biogeochemical Cycles The pattern of movement
of the elements through living organisms
Dependent upon the characteristics of the element and the need of the organism for the element
SPONCH elements Sulfur Phosphorous Oxygen Nitrogen Carbon Hydrogen
Carbon Carbon is taken in as CO2 in the
gaseous form or As Bicarbonate ion in water( HCO3
-1)
Atmospheric CO2 has increased in the past 100 years due to the burning of fossil fuels
Greenhouse gases are CH4 – methane and
CO( carbon monoxide) as well as CO2
Levels of Carbon Dioxide
Carbon Dioxide levels
Oceans and CO2 levels The CO2 in the ocean is
related to the amount of photosynthesis in the plankton in the surface waters of the ocean
Carbonates are stored in the shells of the ocean
CO2 is dispersed throughout the ocean by a conveyer like belt that distributes water from the top to the bottom
Carbon Levels
Photoautotrophs Organism that convert
light energy to chemical energy and utilize CO2 to build the basic molecules of life( molecular skeletons)
The organisms are classified as producers
Cyanobacteria
Primary consumers Small larvae and
invertebrates eat the plankton and algaes and pass the energy along
These are organoheterotrophs
Zooplankton
Secondary Consumers Eat primary consumers .
Energy transferred from one organism to another
Secondary Consumers
Higher level consumers
Predatory fish eyes Swordfishes, which hunt in water as
cold as 3°C (about 37°F), can maintain their brain and eye temperatures 10°C15°C (18°F 27°F) above ambient temperatures by using a specially adapted heating organ in muscle next to their eyes. The biological significance of this has been a mystery. Now, however, innovative research has shown that warm eyes allow swordfishes to process visual information more than 10 times more quickly than eyes cooled to the temperatures of deep-water environments.
Trophic level The level for the capture
of energy Producer, primary
consumer, secondary consumer, tertiary consumer, decomposers
Basic food chain
Food web Shows all of the organisms
at each trophic level Connects the organisms to
each other on the basis of nutritional dependency
Food webs show relationships between trophic level
Energy Sunlight is absorbed by
pigments in producers Chlorophyll a, chlorophyll
b, carotene, xanthophyll,
Sunlight
Transformation of light energy to chemical energy Light dependent reaction Light absorbed by pigments
to generate Pigments arranged in
photosystems Photosystem II produces
ATP Photosystem I produced
NADPH
Wavelengths of light
Antenna Complex
Chlorophyll moleculehttp://www.uphs.upenn.edu/biocbiop/local_pages/dutton_lab/etprc.html
Chlorophylls and the absorption of light
Carotenoids compared to chlorophylls
Arrangement of light capturing structures in chloroplasts
Thylakoids
Photosystem II on the thylakoids
Photosystems
Photosystem II
http://www.bio.ic.ac.uk/research/barber/psIIimages/PSII.html
Stomates on leaves-uptake CO2
Stomates
Carbon fixationhttp://www.science.smith.edu/departments/Biology/Bio231/calvin.html
Calvin cycle
Decomposers Bacteria and fungi Recycle carbon from dead
and decaying organisms Carbon stored in the earth
in the form of hydrocarbons
Coal - Carbon
The Sulfur Cycle Sulfur is apparently always abundant enough
to meet the needs of living organisms. Volcanoes and fumaroles emit sulfur dioxide
(SO2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S). These are the natural nonbiological fluxes of sulfur, but they are rare events.
Certain marine algae produce dimethyl sulfide (CH3SCH3), which accounts for half of the biotic component of the sulfur cycle.
Sulfur plays an important role in global climate.
Dimethyl sulfide is the major component of particles in the air, which allow clouds to form.
The Sulfur Cycle
Humans have altered the sulfur cycle by burning fossil fuels.
Acid precipitation is caused by sulfuric and nitric acids derived largely from the burning of fossil fuels.
Acidification of lakes in the Adirondack region of New York has reduced fish species richness there.
The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 have helped reduce acid precipitation in the Eastern United States.
Canadian ecologists have shown that lakes can recover from acid conditions if the amount of sulfuric acid is reduced.
Figure 58.11 Acidification of Lakes Exterminates Fish Species
Figure 58.12 Acid Precipitation Is Decreasing in the Eastern United States
The Phosphorus Cycle Phosphorus, a key component of DNA and
ATP, is essential for life. Phosphorus does not have a gaseous
phase like the other elements. The global phosphorus cycle is very slow
(taking millions of years to complete) because the processes of rock formation on the ocean bottom, subsequent uplifting, and weathering of rock into soil all occur slowly.
However, a single atom of phosphorus may cycle rapidly through organisms.
Figure 58.13 The Phosphorus Cycle
The Phosphorus Cycle Human activity has affected the
phosphorus cycle. About 90 percent of the phosphorus that is mined is used to produce fertilizers and animal feeds.
Phosphorus is accumulating in soils at a rapid rate due to fertilizer use.
Eutrophication of lakes with phosphorus allows algae and bacteria to multiply, forming blooms.
Decomposition of the dead cells occurs after the bloom consumes all oxygen in the lake and anaerobic bacteria take over.
Figure 58.14 Phosphorus Is Accumulating in Agricultural Soils
The Phosphorus Cycle
Lake Erie is a eutrophic lake today, although improved municipal waste handling has reduced the phosphorus level in the lake by 80% from its maximum level.
The potential for recovery and recycling of phosphorus is high. The amount of phosphorus contained in sewage and animal wastes could supply major industrial needs.
Careful application of fertilizers on agricultural lands can reduce the rate of phosphorus accumulation without reducing crop yields.
Interactions among Biogeochemical Cycles Biogeochemical cycles are strongly
interrelated. Humans have altered biogeochemical cycles on Earth.
Winter typically kills 99 percent of pathogenic organisms. However, global warming is causing warmer winter conditions, which can lead to increased outbreaks of disease.
The 1996 assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change expressed concern about the effects of climate change on human health.