Transcript Energy in the Environment

The Biosphere – Part 1
Biology 1
What is Ecology?
• Ecology is the study of
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interactions among
organisms and between
organisms and their
environment
The biosphere contains
combined portions of the
planet in which all of life
exists (includes land,
water and
air/atmosphere)
Levels of Organization
Energy Flow
• The sun is the main source of energy for
our planet
• The sun makes life possible for humans,
animals, plants, fungi, bacteria and other
single cell organisms
Energy Flow
• Energy is the ability to do
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work
All living things need
energy to survive
Energy transfer is never
100% efficient
Energy is lost through
heat
More energy is lost as
energy is transferred
through the system
Energy Flow
• Energy flows through the
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ecosystem by changing
forms
Two main forms of
energy are chemical and
mechanical
Chemical energy is stored
energy in bonds and the
energy is released when
the bonds are broken
Mechanical energy is
energy of movement
Producers
• Producers are organisms
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capable of creating their
own energy
The process is called
photosynthesis
Plants are generally our
main source of producers
Plants use the sun's
energy to create sugars
Producers
• Chemosynthesis
occurs when
organisms (usually
bacteria) use
chemical energy to
produce energy as
opposed to the sun
Primary Consumers
• Primary consumers eat plants
• If a primary consumer eats
only plant they are called
herbivores
• When a primary consumer eats
plants, energy is transferred
from the plant to the
consuming organism
• Energy is transferred in the
form of chemical energy
• Energy is lost through heat
Secondary Consumers
• Secondary consumers eat
organisms that are primary
consumers
• If an animal only eats other
animals they are called
carnivores
• The total amount of energy is
less with the transfer from
primary to secondary
consumer
• That means there is less
energy available to secondary
consumers and even less to
tertiary consumers (secondary
consumers that eat other
secondary consumers)
Decomposers and Detritivores
• Decomposers – an
organism that breaks
down nutrients in the
environment
– Examples: bacteria and
fungi
• Detritivores feed on the
remains of dead plant
and animal material
– Examples: earthworms,
snails, crabs
Food Chains
• A food chain shows the transfer of energy
from one organisms to another
Energy Pyramid
• A energy pyramid
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shows how much
energy is transferred
In an energy pyramid
there are more
organisms at the
bottom and fewer at
the top
Each level is called a
trophic level
Food Webs
• Food webs show how energy is
transferred in an ecosystem
Food Webs
• The greater number
of organisms in a
food web the more
stable the
environment is
– Usually, the warmer
the environment the
greater number of
plants and animals and
the cooler, the less
number
Predator-Prey Relationships
• Predators
– Are usually at the top
of the food chain
– The bigger the
predator the greater
the chance are
becoming endangered
– There is less energy
available at the top of
the food chain
Predator-Prey Relationships
• Prey
– Are eaten by the
predators
– The predator-prey
relationship will cycle
Other Relationships
• Symbiotic
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relationship: two
organisms living
together as one
organism
Mutualistic:
relationship between
two species where
both benefit
Other Relationships
• Commensalism:
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relationship where
one species benefits
and the other is
unaffected
Parasitic: relationship
where one species
benefits and the other
is harmed
Water Cycle
• Like energy water is
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transferred throughout
the environment
Water can pass through
several forms in the
water cycle
– Infiltration: when water is
absorbed by the soil
– Groundwater: water that is
located underground
Water Cycle
• Water can pass through
several forms in the
water cycle
– Runoff: water that does not
absorb into the ground, but
runs off into stream, lakes and
reservoirs
– Surface water: water that
located on the surface
(streams, lakes, ponds,
oceans, etc)
– Evaporation: surface water
that is heated by the sun and
changes from a liquid to a gas
and escapes into the
atmosphere
Water Cycle
• Water can pass
through several forms
in the water cycle
– Transpiration: water
that is evaporated
from plants
• Water is constantly
changing forms in the
environment
Carbon Cycle
• Carbon is the
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molecule of life –
everything living
contains carbon
molecules
Plants use carbon
molecules during
photosynthesis to
create carbohydrates
(or energy)
Carbon Cycle
• When primary
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consumers eat plants
or secondary
consumers eat other
organisms the carbon
is transferred
When organisms die
(plants or animals)
the carbon is broken
down and used again
Nitrogen Cycle
• Nitrogen in the form of NH4+
or NO3- is used by plants to
grow
• Plants use these molecules
during the growing season and
often times fertilizer needs to
added to soil because it gets
used up before it can be
replaced naturally
• Lightening, bacteria and other
processes help to put nitrogen
into the soil