Characteristics and Components of an Ecosystem

AICE EM: Biosphere Key Content 1 Or everything I should

remember from Biology class!!!

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What are the major abiotic and biotic factors, which drive and influence the distribution of different ecosystems?

• The biotic and abiotic factors which control the distribution of the world’s major biomes as listed in the notes for guidance.– A survey of the global system followed by a study

of the distribution of the following biomes: tropical rain forest, monsoon rain forest, tropical savannah, desert, temperate deciduous and high latitude tundra.

Fig. 3-3, p. 52

Stepped Art

Smallest unit of a chemical element that exhibits its chemical propertiesAtom

Molecule Chemical combination of two or more atoms of the same or different elements

CellThe fundamental structural and functional unit of life

Organism An individual living being

Population A group of individuals of the same species living in a particular place

Community Populations of different species living in a particular place, and potentially interacting with each other

Ecosystem A community of different species interacting with one another and with theirnonliving environment of matter and energy

Parts of the earth's air, water, and soil where life is found

Biosphere

Habitats

• Place where organism lives.– Small (termite intestine)– Large (ocean)

• Includes abiotic & biotic features• “Natural address”

BIOMES

• Biomes are major areas where interactions between abiotic & biotic factors occur. They are groups of similar ecosystems characterized by precipitation, and temperature ranges, soil properties, plant communities, and animal communities.

Natural Capital: Generalized Map of the Earth’s Current Climate Zones

Fig. 7-6, p. 144

Moist air rises, cools, and releases moisture as rainPolar cap

Arctic tundraEvergreen coniferous forest60°Temperate deciduous forest and grassland

30°Desert

Tropical deciduous forest

Equator 0° Tropical rain forest

30° Desert

60°

Temperate deciduous forest and grassland

Tropical deciduous forest

Polar cap

The Earth’s Major Biomes

Latitude

Tropical Forest Deciduous Forest Coniferous Forest

Tundra (herbs, lichens, mosses)

Polar ice and snow

Biome Location Based on Altitude & Latitude

Fig. 7-9, p. 147

ElevationMountain ice and snowTundra (herbs, lichens, mosses)Coniferous Forest

Deciduous Forest

Tropical Forest

Stepped Art

Major Biomes along the 39th Parallel in the U.S.

Fig. 7-10, p. 147

Cold Polar

TundraSubpolar

TemperateConiferous forest

Desert

Deciduous forest

GrasslandChaparral Tropical

Hot

DesertWet Rain forest Savanna

Tropical seasonal forest

Dry

Scrubland

Fig. 7-11, p. 149

Stepped Art

Climatogram

Your Responsibilities• Research information

pertaining to: – Temperature range:– Precipitation range:– Soil properties:– Plants:– Animals:– Other details about the

biome:

• Refer to slide 2 for a list of required biomes.

• Also look up the human impacts on Terrestrial Ecosystems (K 2)

• Next slides discuss Aquatic Systems

– Research influence of human activity on marine ecosystems: including coastal waters, oceans, and coral reefs.

Fig. 8-5, p. 166

Low tideCoastal Zone

Open SeaDepth in meters

High tideSun

Sea level

50Estuarine Zone Euphotic Zone

100

Phot

osyn

thes

is

Continental shelf 200

Bathyal Zone 500

1,000

Twili

ght

1,500

Water temperature drops rapidly between the euphotic zone and the abyssal zone in an area called the thermocline .

Abyssal Zone

2,000

3,000

4,000

Dar

knes

s

5,000

10,000

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

0

Water temperature (°C)

Fig. 8-15, p. 175

Sunlight

Painted turtle

Blue-winged teal

Green frog

Muskrat

Pond snailLittoral zone Plankton

Limnetic zoneProfundal zoneDiving

beetle Benthic zone

Northern pike

Yellow perchBloodworms

Fig. 8-17, p. 176

LakeGlacierRain and

snowRapids

WaterfallTributary

Flood plainOxbow lake

Salt marsh

Delta Deposited sediment

Source ZoneOcean

Transition Zone

WaterSediment

Floodplain Zone

What are the main components and characteristics of ecosystems and how are they structured?

• The characteristics of ecosystems in terms of their biotic and abiotic components (soil, temperature, rainfall, photosynthesis, net primary productivity, succession, biomass, biodiversity, trophic levels, food chains and webs, habitats and niches).

• The interaction of these components to be illustrated through relative size of the flows and stores of nutrients between vegetation, litter and soil.

Range of Tolerance

Fig. 3-10, p. 58

Feworganisms

Feworganisms

Noorganisms

Noorganisms

Lower limitof tolerance

Higher limitof tolerance

Abundance of organisms

Zone ofintolerance

Zone ofphysiological

stress

Optimum range

Temperature

Zone ofintolerance

Zone ofphysiological

stress

Low High

Popu

latio

n si

ze

NICHES: the role you fill

• Trophic level– Producer / autotroph– Consumer / heterotroph

• Herbivore, carnivore/omnivore, 3° consumer, decomposer

• What do you provide/do for ecosystem/habitat– Pollinator– Provide shelter– Nutrient cycler– Trap soil– Absorb nutrients

Fig. 4-11, p. 91

Num

ber o

f ind

ivid

uals

Specialist specieswith a narrow niche

Resource use

Region ofniche overlap

Nichebreadth

Nicheseparation

Generalist specieswith a broad niche

Fig. 4-13, p. 93

Black skimmerseizes small fishat water surfaceBlack skimmerseizes small fishat water surface

Brown pelican divesfor fish, which itlocates from the air

Avocet sweeps billthrough mud andsurface water in searchof small crustaceans,insects, and seeds

Dowitcher probesdeeply into mud insearch of snails,marine worms, andsmall crustaceans Herring gull

is a tirelessscavenger

Ruddy turnstonesearches undershells and pebblesfor smallinvertebrates

Flamingo feeds on minute organisms in mud

Scaup and other diving ducks feed on mollusks, crustaceans, and aquatic vegetation

Louisiana heron wades into water to seize small fish

Oystercatcher feeds on clams, mussels, and other shellfish into which it pries its narrow beak

Knot (sandpiper)picks up wormsand small crustaceansleft by receding tide

Piping plover feeds on insects and tinycrustaceans on sandy beaches

Energy

• Photosynthesis• Net Primary Production• Biomass• Energy Diagrams

– Food chain– Food Web– Energy Pyramid

• 10 % Rule

6CO2 + 6H2O → C6H12O6 + 6O2

Draw a picture representing the

molecules. Use colored pencils for each

element. Translate this chemical formula into a sentence using words.

Primary productivity is the amount of photosynthesis / time.

NPP: Amount of biomass produced minus amount of

energy lost to cellular respiration

Photosynthesis

• 6 CO2 + 6 H20 → C6H12O6 + 6 O2

• Is two separate reactions– 1st Light reaction

• Chlorophyl is located in thylakoid membranes• Light energy splits H20 and enters a photosystem,

located in thylakoid membranes• Electrons move along photosystem• Oxygen is byproduct• 2 H20 → 4 H+ + 4e- + O2

Photosynthesis

– 2nd reaction• Calvin Cycle (or alternative pathways)• Carbon fixation – CO2 is “fixed” into an organic

molecule like C6H12O6

• Uses the H+ & energy from first reaction• Occurs in stroma

– Rate of photosynthesis is dependant on light intensity, level of CO2, and temperature.

Fig. 7-16, p. 155

Blue and gold macaw

Harpy eagle

Ocelot

Squirrel monkeys

Climbing monstera palm

KatydidSlaty-tailed trogon

Green tree snake

Tree frog

Ants

Bacteria Bromeliad

Fungi

Producer to primary consumer

Primary to secondary consumer

Secondary to higher-level consumer

All producers and consumers to decomposers

Fig. 3-13, p. 62

Heat Heat

Heat

Heat Heat

Heat

Heat

Solarenergy

Tertiaryconsumers

(top carnivores)

First TrophicLevel

Second TrophicLevel

Third TrophicLevel

Fourth TrophicLevel

Producers(plants)

Primaryconsumers

(herbivores)

Secondaryconsumers(carnivores)

Decomposers and detritus feeders

Flow of energy is __________ system and can be represented by a ____________Flow of matter is a __________ system and can be represented by a _____________?

Word bank: closed, cyclical flowchart, open, straight line flow chart

Fig. 3-15, p. 63

10

Heat

Heat

Heat

Heat

HeatDecomposers

Tertiaryconsumers(human)

Secondaryconsumers(perch)

Primaryconsumers(zooplankton)

Producers(phytoplankton)

Usable energy availableat each trophic level

(in kilocalories)

1,000

10,000

100

Nutrient Cycles

• Water• Carbon• Nitrogen• Phosphorus• Sulfur

Fig. 3-17, p. 66

Transpirationfrom plants

Evaporationfrom land

Precipitationto land

Precipitationto ocean

Evaporationfrom ocean

Condensation Condensation

Infiltrationand percolationinto aquifer

Surfacerunoff

Surface runoffRunoff

Globalwarming

Reduced recharge ofaquifers and floodingfrom covering land withcrops and buildings

Aquiferdepletion fromoverpumping

Increasedfloodingfrom wetlanddestruction

Pointsourcepollution

Groundwatermovement (slow)

Lakes andreservoirs

Ice andsnow

Ocean

Processes

Processes affected by humans

Reservoir

Pathway affected by humans

Natural pathway

Fig. 3-18, p. 68

Pathway affected by humans

Diffusion

Transportation

Deforestation

Respiration

Respiration

Decomposition

Forest fires

Compaction

Burningfossil fuels

Photosynthesis

Animals(consumers)

Plants(producers)

Marine food websProducers, consumers,decomposers

Carbonin plants

(producers)

Carbonin fossil fuels

Carbon dioxidedissolved in ocean

Carbonin limestone ordolomite sediments

Carbonin animals

(consumers)

Processes

Reservoir

Natural pathway

Carbon dioxidein atmosphere

Fig. 3-19, p. 69

Decomposition

Nitrogenloss to deepocean sediments

Processes

Reservoir

Pathway affected by humans

Natural pathway

Nitrogenin atmosphere

Nitrogenin oceansediments Ammonia

in soil

Nitratein soil

Nitrogenin plants

(producers)

Nitrogenin animals

(consumers)Volcanicactivity

ElectricalstormsNitrogen oxides

from burning fueland using inorganicfertilizers

Nitratesfrom fertilizer

runoff anddecomposition

Nitrificationby bacteria

Denitrificationby bacteria

Uptake by plants

Bacteria

Fig. 3-21, p. 71

Processes

Reservoir

Pathway affected by humans

Natural pathway

Phosphatesin mining waste

Phosphatesin sewage

Animals(consumers)

Bacteria

Plants(producers)

Phosphatesin fertilizer

Phosphatedissolved inwater

Phosphatein shallowocean sediments Phosphate

in deep oceansediments

Oceanfood webs

Phosphatein rock(fossil bones,guano)

Seabirds

Platetectonics

Erosion

Runoff

Runoff Runoff

Fig. 3-22, p. 72

Processes

Reservoir

Pathway affected by humans

Natural pathway

Dimethylsulfide

a bacteriabyproduct

Sulfurin oceansediments

Sulfurin soil, rock

and fossil fuels

Sulfurin plants

(producers)

Sulfurin animals

(consumers)

Sulfur dioxidein atmosphere

DecayDecay

Uptakeby plants

Mining andextraction

Sulfuric acidand Sulfate

deposited asacid rain

Smelting Burningcoal

Refiningfossil fuels

Natural Capital: Major Components of the Earth’s Biodiversity

Species Diversity: Variety, Abundance of Species in a Particular Place

Species diversity• Species richness• Species evenness

Diversity varies with geographical location• Most species-rich communities• Tropical rain forests• Coral reefs• Ocean bottom zone• Large tropical lakes

Variations in Species Richness and Species Evenness

Relationships• Predator/prey

– Can cause coevolution• Symbiosis

– Commensalism– Mutualism– Parasitism

• Competition– Drives evolution

Fig. 5-11, p. 111

Bioticpotential

Popu

latio

n si

ze

Time (t)

Carrying capacity (K)

Environmentalresistance

Population stabilizes

Exponentialgrowth

Population curves

Fig. 5-12, p. 111

1925

Num

ber o

f she

ep (m

illio

ns)

.5

1.0

1.5

2.0 Populationovershootscarryingcapacity

Carrying capacity

Population recoversand stabilizes

Exponentialgrowth

Populationruns out ofresourcesand crashes

18251800 1850 1875 1900

Year

Population Cycles for the Snowshoe Hare and Canada Lynx

Fig. 5-16, p. 116

Time

Exposedrocks

Lichens andmosses

Small herbsand shrubs

Heath mat

Jack pine,black spruce,and aspen

Balsam fir,paper birch, andwhite spruceforest community

Primary Succession

Fig. 5-17, p. 117

Time

Annualweeds

Perennialweeds andgrasses

Shrubs andsmall pineseedlings

Young pine forestwith developing understory of oak and hickory trees

Mature oak and hickory forest

Secondary Succession