Transcript Energy Pyramid

Chapter 3
The Biosphere
3-1
I. Ecology
A. scientific study of interactions among organisms
and between organisms and their environment, or
surroundings
B. Ecological Levels of Organization
1. Organism = One individual
2. Population = One group of species in same
place and time
3. Community = Two or more species
(populations) that interact
4. Ecosystem =
Communities interacting with
abiotic factors
5. Biome = Group of “like” ecosystems
6. Biosphere = pertains to area where living organisms
occur (land, water, air)
a. extends from about 8 km (3.6 miles) up to as far as
11 km (5 miles) down
Biosphere
Biome
Ecosystem
Community
Population
Individual
C. Ecological Methods
1. Observation
2. Experimenting
3. Modeling = Using math formulas based on
observation and experimentation
example: Hardy-Weinberg Principle
3-2
I. Energy Flow
A. Producers =
(autotrophs) produce their own food
1. Photoautotrophs = use sunlight to make their own
food
2. Chemoautotrophs – use inorganic chemicals to
make their own food
B. Consumers = (heterotrophs-MANY types) rely on
other organisms for their food
1. Herbivores, Carnivores, Omnivores,
Detritivores (feed on plant and animal remains),
Decomposers (break down dead organic matter)
II. Feeding Relationships
A. Food Chain = One way flow of energy from
producers to consumers
Page 69
Small Fish
Zooplankton
Squid
Algae
Shark
1. Eventually end up with decomposers
B. Food Web =
Shows complex
interactions
1. All possible
feeding relationships
2. More realistic
C. Trophic Level =
Each step in a
food chain/web
1. Producers are 1st,
consumers 2nd, 3rd etc.
Page 71
III. 3 Types of Ecological Pyramids
A. Energy Pyramid (Page 72)
1. Shows the relative amount of energy available at
each trophic level
2. Only 10% is
transferred to
the next level
because
organisms fail
to capture and
eat all of the
food available
0.1% Third-level
consumers
1% Second-level
consumers
10% First-level
consumers
100% Producer
B. Biomass Pyramid (page 72)
1. The total amount of living tissue within a given
trophic level
2. expressed
in terms of
grams
3. represents
the amount
of potential
food
available for
each trophic
level
50 grams of
human tissue
500 grams of
chicken
5000 grams
of grain
C. Pyramid of Numbers (Page 73)
1. shows the relative
number of individual
organisms at each
trophic level
2. Decreases at
each higher trophic
level
3. Not true for forests
because one tree can
serve many other
organisms; not a
typical pyramid of #s
I. The 4 Major Cycles of Matter
3-3
A. Biogeochemical Cycles
1. Matter is passed from one organism to another
and from one part of the biosphere to another
B. Water Cycle
1. Rain, run-off, seepage, root uptake,
evaporation/transpiration, condensation (clouds),
back to rain
2. Transpiration = special form of evaporation;
water evaporates from plants leaves to atmosphere
The Water Cycle
Page 75
C. Carbon Cycle
1. Carbon moves in biosphere by: photosynthesis,
respiration, decomposition, volcanoes, coal/fossil
fuels, mining
2. Carbon is a key ingredient of living tissue
Carbon Cycle
CO2 in
Atmosphere
Photosynthesis
feeding
Volcanic
activity
Respiration
Decomposition
Human
activity
Erosion
CO2 in Ocean
Respiration
Uplift
Deposition
Photosynthesis
Fossil fuel
Page 77
feeding
Deposition
Carbonate
Rocks
D. Nitrogen Cycle
1. All organisms require nitrogen to make proteins
2. Only bacteria can use Nitrogen gas as is  must be
converted to another form for other organisms to use
3. Nitrogen Fixation = bacteria change N into useable
form (ammonia)
4. Such bacteria live in the soil and on the roots of
plants called legumes
5. Other soil bacteria convert nitrates into N gas in a
process called denitrification: releases nitrogen into
the atmosphere
Nitrogen Cycle
N2 in
Atmosphere
Synthetic fertilizer
manufacturer
Uptake by
producers
Bacterial
nitrogen fixation
Page 78
Denitrification
Reuse by
consumers
Decomposition,
excretion
NH3
Atmospheric
nitrogen fixation
Uptake by
producers
Reuse by
consumers
Decomposition,
excretion
NO3 and
NO2
E. Phosphorus Cycle
1. Not common in atmosphere
2. Two Cycles:
a. Short-term  plants get phosphorus from soil,
animals eat plants and die, phosphorus is back in
soil
b. Long-term  rock exposed, phosphorus
washed into sea by erosion, gets back into rock
Phosphorus Cycle
• Organic
phosphate
moves
through the
food web
and to the
rest of the
ecosystem.
Page 79
Short-term
cycle
Organisms
Land
Ocean
Long-term
cycle
Sediments
F. Nutrient Limitation
1. primary productivity of an ecosystem is the rate at
which organic matter is created by producers
a. Controlled by the amount of available nutrients
2. When a a single nutrient is scarce or cycles very
slowly, this substance is called a limiting nutrient
because it limits growth, development and reproduction of all
organisms within the ecosystem.
a. When an aquatic ecosystem receives a large input of
a limiting nutrient— such as phosphorus runoff from
heavily fertilized fields—the result is often an
immediate increase in the amount of algae and other
producers = Algal Bloom  disrupts the equilibrium
of an ecosystem- decomposition causes all aquatic life
to die.
3-1
The combined portions of the planet in which life
exists, including land, water, and the
atmosphere, form the
A. biosphere.
B. community.
C. species.
D. ecosystem.
3-1
A group of organisms that can breed and produce
fertile offspring is known as a(an)
A. ecosystem.
B. species.
C. biome.
D. community.
3-1
Compared to a community, an ecosystem includes
A. the nonliving, physical environment as well as the
community.
B. only the physical environment of an area without
the organisms.
C. the entire biome but not the biosphere.
D. only one of the populations within the
community.
3-1
An ecological method that uses mathematical
formulas based on data collected is
A. observing.
B. experimenting.
C. modeling.
D. hypothesizing.
3-1
An ecologist marks out an area in a specific
ecosystem and proceeds to identify the number
of insect species in the area. This is an example
of ecological
A. experimentation.
B. observation.
C. modeling.
D. inference.
3–2
The main source of energy for life on Earth is
A. organic chemical compounds.
B. inorganic chemical compounds.
C. sunlight.
D. producers.
3–2
Organisms that feed on plant and animal remains
and other dead matter are
A. detritivores.
B. carnivores.
C. herbivores.
D. autotrophs.
3–2
How does a food web differ from a food chain?
A. A food web contains a single series of energy
transfers.
B. A food web links many food chains toget
C. A food web has only one trophic level.
D. A food web shows how energy passes from
producer to consumer.
3–2
In a biomass pyramid, the base of the pyramid
represents the mass of
A. heterotrophs.
B. primary consumers.
C. producers.
D. top level carnivores.
3–2
The amount of energy represented in each trophic
level of consumers in an energy pyramid is
about
A. 10% of the level below it.
B. 90% of the level below it.
C. 10% more than the level below it.
D. 90% more than the level below it.
3-1
The combined portions of the planet in which life
exists, including land, water, and the
atmosphere, form the
A. biosphere.
B. community.
C. species.
D. ecosystem.
3-1
A group of organisms that can breed and produce
fertile offspring is known as a(an)
A. ecosystem.
B. species.
C. biome.
D. community.
3-1
Compared to a community, an ecosystem includes
A. the nonliving, physical environment as well as the
community.
B. only the physical environment of an area without
the organisms.
C. the entire biome but not the biosphere.
D. only one of the populations within the
community.
3-1
An ecological method that uses mathematical
formulas based on data collected is
A. observing.
B. experimenting.
C. modeling.
D. hypothesizing.
3-1
An ecologist marks out an area in a specific
ecosystem and proceeds to identify the number
of insect species in the area. This is an example
of ecological
A. experimentation.
B. observation.
C. modeling.
D. inference.
3–2
The main source of energy for life on Earth is
A. organic chemical compounds.
B. inorganic chemical compounds.
C. sunlight.
D. producers.
3–2
Organisms that feed on plant and animal remains
and other dead matter are
A. detritivores.
B. carnivores.
C. herbivores.
D. autotrophs.
3–2
How does a food web differ from a food chain?
A. A food web contains a single series of energy
transfers.
B. A food web links many food chains toget
C. A food web has only one trophic level.
D. A food web shows how energy passes from
producer to consumer.
3–2
In a biomass pyramid, the base of the pyramid
represents the mass of
A. heterotrophs.
B. primary consumers.
C. producers.
D. top level carnivores.
3–2
The amount of energy represented in each trophic
level of consumers in an energy pyramid is
about
A. 10% of the level below it.
B. 90% of the level below it.
C. 10% more than the level below it.
D. 90% more than the level below it.