Ecosystem Model
3.1 Ecosystems
Factors such as food, water, shelter, and space affect populations in an ecosystem.
• Introduction
What is an ecosystem? All living & non-living things
that interact in an environment
Abiotic is nonliving things in an ecosystem.
Ecosystems
Biotic is living things in an ecosystem
What are Some Types of Ecosystems?
• Terrestrial ecosystems are ecosystems on land.
• They can be as big as a continent, or as small as an island!
• They make up about 28% of the entire World’s ecosystems.
Terrestrial Ecosystems
Examples of Terrestrial Ecosystems
• Forests
• Deserts
• Grasslands
Aquatic Ecosystems• There is something special
about aquatic ecosystems.
• There is actually two different types of aquatic ecosystems.
• One type is freshwater –such as pond , rivers and streams
• The other type is saltwater.
• Both types, however, are ecosystems that are in the water.
Saltwater Ecosystems• Saltwater ecosystems are
again in the water, but unlike freshwater ecosystems, saltwater ecosystems have very salty water.
• They also make up the vast majority of the Earth’s ecosystems.
• They are the world’s largest ecosystems.
• Some examples of saltwater ecosystems are oceans and coral reefs.
What Do Organisms in an ecosystem need?
Organisms in an ecosystem need…
food
Organisms in an ecosystem need…
food shelter
Organisms in an ecosystem need…
food shelterAIR
Water
Organisms in an ecosystem need…
food shelterAIR
WaterSpace
LIMITING FACTORS
What are limiting factors?• Limiting factors are things that can
limit the size of a population• Food• Water • shelter • space
What are the rules of an ecosystem?
1.Everything is connected to everything else.
2. Everything must go somewhere in an environment
Organisms live together in many different levels and classifications.
Levels of Organization in Ecosystems
• Species: An organism that creates a viable, fertile offspring through the process of reproduction.
• Population: A group of organisms of the same species living at the same place at the same time.
Levels of Organization in Ecosystems
• Community: Different populations of organisms interacting with each other in the same habitat.
Levels of Organization in Ecosystems
• Habitat: The place and conditions in which a population and biological community exist.
Levels of Organization in Ecosystems
Organization Pyramid •
BiosphereEcosystems
CommunitiesPopulation
SpeciesOrganisms
Organ SystemOrgansTissuesCells
OrganellesMolecules
Atoms
Importance of the habitat
Organisms need to satisfy all of their needs for life within their habitats.
They compete for
FoodWater ShelterSpace
Competition- interaction between individuals or populations for available resources. This usually has a negative effect for all organisms.
Importance of the habitat
Niche An organism’s role, or “job” within the habitat and ecosystem.
This includes…..
- The specific area an organism inhabits
- The role or function of an organism or species in an ecosystem.
- The interaction of all biotic and abiotic factors relating to it.
Importance of the habitat
Biotic Abiotic Species Community Habitat
• Definition
• Example
Draw and complete chart!
8L 3.2
• Summarize the relationships among produces, consumers, and decomposers including the positive and negative consequences of such interaction.
Food Chains and Food Webs
1 What is energy?
2 Why is energy important?
3 What is the ultimate source of all energy?
4 What are producers and autotrophs? Examples
5. How do organisms make their own food?
6. What are consumers and heterotrophs?
Food Chains and Food Webs
7. What is a primary consumer? Examples
8. What is a secondary consumer? Example
9. What are decomposers?
10. How is energy moved through an ecosystem?
11.What are trophic levels?
12. What is a food chain?
13.
What is energy?
• The ability to do work.
• All living things need energy to survive.
Why is energy important to an ecosystem?
• All organisms require energy for cell function: growth, maintenance, reproduction, locomotion, etc..
• For all organisms there must be:
1. A source of energy 2. A loss of usable energy
What is the ultimate source of all energy in any
ecosystem?• The SUN
• Without the sun most basic forms of life would not exist
Plants, algae, and some Bacteria convert energy fromthe sun into food.
Food Chains & Food Webs• Because of this need for energy
organism in an ecosystem are connected by feeding relationships.
• Energy flows from the sun to organism to organism
• AutotrophProducerHeterotrophConsumer
OmnivoreDecomposerHerbivoreCarnivore
Food ChainFood webTrophic levelBiomass
What are producers?
• Organism that make their own food by capturing energy from the sun.• Lowest part of the cycle• Also called autotrophs
• EX: Plants, green algae, some bacteria
How do some organisms make their own food?
• Photosynthesis is the process that organisms use to make their food (glucose) from the sun’s light, carbon dioxide and water.
What are consumers?• Consumers are organisms that feed
on other organisms. • Cannot make their food or acquire
the energy from the sun directly.• Also called heterotrophs
Different types of heterotrophs:• Herbivores - Vegetation • Omnivores - Meat and Vegetation • Carnivores – Meat• Scavengers – meat and decaying
meat • Detritivores - Decaying organic
matter
What is a primary consumer?
• A primary consumer is an organism that eats the producer. Like a rabbit that eats a carrot.
• Also called Herbivores – only eats plants
What are secondary consumers?
Organisms that feed on primaryconsumers are secondary consumers.
Also called Carnivores
Ex. A wolf that eats a rabbit
Consumers can be further divided into groups:
• quaternary consumer (top)• tertiary consumer• secondary consumer• Primary consumer
The last consumer in a chain, which is not usually eaten by any other consumer, is often referred to as the top consumer.
What are decomposers?• organisms that feed on dead
organism, break them down into simple nutrients or fertilizers.
• Also called Detritivores
• EX: fungi and bacteria • Earthworms and some• insects
What do you think?
Consumer or producer?
Consumer or producer?
What are they also called?
Primary or secondary consumers?
What are they also called?
Primary or secondary consumers?
What are they also called?
Primary or secondary producer?
Producer, consumer, or decomposer?
How is energy move through an ecosystem?
• Energy moves from one organisms to another when it is eaten.
What are Trophic Levels• Each step in this transfer of energy is
know as a trophic level– The main trophic levels are producers,
consumers, and decomposers
What is the Food Chains ?• The energy flow from one trophic
level to the other• A food chain is simple and
direct• It involves one organism at each
trophic level– Primary Consumers – eat producers– Secondary Consumers – eat the primary
consumers– Tertiary Consumer-eat the secondary
consumer– Decomposers – bacteria and fungi that
break down dead organisms and recycle the material back into the environment
Food Chain
What is a Food Web• Most organisms eat
more than JUST one organism
• When more organism are involved it is known as a FOOD WEB
• Food webs are more complex (not direct) and involve lots of organisms
Transfer of Energy
• When a zebra eats the grass, it does not obtain all of the energy the grass has (much of it is not eaten)
• When a lion eats a zebra, it does not get all of the energy from the zebra (much of it is lost as heat)
Law of Thermodynamics2nd Law of Thermodynamics: energy is not transferred from one object/organism to the next with 100% efficiency.
Some of the energy is lost to the environment.
Energy Pyramid shows the amounts of energy that moves from one level to the next
Ecological Pyramidonly 10% of energy is
passed on through consumption
Energy Flow• The ecological
pyramid shows the relative amounts of energy or matter.
• Producers make up the first level
• Consumers make up the second, third and higher
Energy Flow • Only about 10% of the
energy available within one trophic level is transferred to organisms at the next trophic level.
• The other 90% is used
by the organism to carry out its life processes or it is lost to the environment
• Biomass is the total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level.
Ecological Pyramid
Food Web: land and water connected
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NcJ_63z-mA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YRM0sy3xIY
Food Web
• Notice that the direction the arrow points the arrow points in the direction of the energy transfer, NOT “what ate what”
Ecological Pyramid
• An ecological pyramid shows the relationship between consumers and producers at different trophic levels in an ecosystem
• Shows the relative amounts of energy or matter contained at each trophic level
• The Pyramid shows which level has the most energy and the highest number of organisms
Energy Transfer
• Only about 10% of energy is transferred from one level to the next
• The other 90% is used by the organism to carry out its life processes or it is lost to the environment
Food Web
Ecological Pyramid
• Which level has the most energy?• Which level has the most organisms?• Which level has the least organisms?• Which level has the least energy?