Transcript Producers

Ecosystems
Chapter 16
Ecology Hierarchy
• Species – one particular living organism
• Population – two or more of the same species
• Community – A group of organisms of different
species living together in a particular place
• Ecosystem – both living organisms (biotic) &
non-living (abiotic) in a particular place
• Biome – group of ecosystems
Ecology Hierarchy
examples
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Species – One dolphin
Population – Pod of dolphins
Community – Pod of dolphins & group of sharks
Ecosystem – Pod of dolphins/sharks/water
Biome- the entire ocean with all biotic & abiotic factors
• HABITAT- The physical location of an ecosystem
in which a given species lives
• ABIOTIC – only non living
factors that effect the
ecosystem
Ex.– soil / water / weather/ sun
• BIOTIC -
only living factors that affect an ecosystem
Ex. Plants / people / animals / bacteria
Succession
• Two types of Succession
– Primary
– Secondary
• PRIMARY – Where NO life was previously
– Ex. Lichens appear after a volcanic eruption
• SECONDARY – as a previously existing
community is replaced.
– Ex. Plants grow after a forest fire.
Primary Succession
• Succession that occurs where life has
NOT existed before
• Ex. Receding glacier (Glacier Bay)
• Ex. Volcano forms a new island
• Lichens / Moss – two primary organisms
that appear first.
Pioneer species – 1st species to appear
and grow in an area.
Pioneer Species
• Pioneer Species – 1st organisms to appear
are SMALL, FAST-GROWING plants
• They make the ground more hospitable for
other species
Secondary Succession
• Succession that occurs in areas where there HAS
been PREVIOUS growth.
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Example - When settlers arrived in New England, many forests
were turned into fields, Eventually, some fields were
abandoned and then grew back into forests.
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Example - An abandoned garden
Natural Causes
Forest fires
Floods
Earthquake
Sudden climate change
• When an organism dies, the nutrients in the body –
are released by the action of decomposers
• Examples of decomposers – FUNGI & BACTERIA
• Primary Producers - Organisms that manufacture
organic nutrients for an ecosystem.
• Grasses – Primary producer in a grassland
ecosystem
• Green Algae – Primary producer in water ecosystem
NOT all algae arephotosynthetic.
Trophic Levels
• Trophic levels – Energy levels
• Lowest level – Producers
(highest energy)
• Usable energy decreases as you
move up.
• Only 10% useable energy passes
up to the next level
• Number is limited by the amount
of energy that is lost at each
level
Highest Trophic level
(lowest energy)
Carnivores
2nd order Consumer
Secondary level Consumer
Herbivores
1st order consumer
Primary level Consumer
Lowest Trophic
1st order Producers
(Highest energy)
Energy moves UP
As it moves up it DECREASES
Carnivore
Secondary level Consumer
Only has 50 units of energy
Herbivore
Primary level Consumer
Only has 500 units of energy
Producer
Most energy
5000 units of energy
• Because energy diminishes at each successive trophic
level, few ecosystems can contain more than three or
four trophic
• Food chain – path of energy through tropic levels of an
ecosystem (pg 346)
• Food Web – made up of interrelated food chains (pg 347)
• Energy Pyramid – shows the amount of
energy contained in the bodies
of organisms at each trophic level
(pg 348)
Page 347 (Draw Out)
• The Algae are PRODUCERS
• This diagram is an example of a FOOD WEB
• The Leopard seals are carnivores ( they may
eat elephant seal/squid/cod/Adelie
penguin/crabeater seal)
• Killer whales feed at the third & fourth
trophic levels
• Every time that energy is transferred in an
ecosystem, potential energy is lost as
HEAT.
• The change in the number of predators in
a food web CAN affect an entire
ecosystem
Types of Consumers
• Consumer (Heterotroph) – can NOT make its
own food
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Carnivores – meat eaters
Carnivores – eat carnivores /herbivores /omnivores
Herbivores – Feed only on producers
Herbivores – Feed only on plants
Omnivores – eat meat & plant material
Omnivores – eat omnivores/herbivores/producers
Decomposers – organism that receives energy from
every other type – found in all levels
First level
(PRODUCERS)
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Bottom of the pyramid
Algae – Plants – Phytoplankton
Use the sun’s energy to make food
Plankton – the base of most aquatic
webs/pyramids/chains
Second Level
• HERBIVORES Eat only plant material
• Cows / horses
• Must be able to break down a plant's
molecules into useable cpds.
• Must be able to digest cellulose ( cell wall
of plants)
Third & Higher levels
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Carnivores and Omnivores
Carnivore – animals that eats other animals
Omnivores – animals that eat both carnivores & herbivores
A relationship between a producer and a consumer may be
illustrated by a zebra eating grass. (zebra-consumer/ grassproducer)
Energy Pyramid
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Energy stored – one-tenth of the energy in the level BELOW it.
In going from one trophic level to the next higher level, the amount of usable
energy DECREASES
Animals that feed on plant eaters are no lower than level C (snake)
Level A = producers
10% level B energy is available to level C
Tertiary (3rd) consumer- carnivore
30,000 kcal
300,000 kcal
3,000,000 kcal
Eagle
(D)
Secondary consumer (carnivore)
Snake
(C)
Rat
(B)
Primary consumer (herbivore)
30,000,000kcal
Plants
(A)
Producers
Section 3 cycling materials
• WATER CYCLE STEPS
Condensation
(forms clouds
Precipitation
evaporation/transpiration
condensation (forms clouds)
Precipitation
Evaporation
&
Transpiration
Water Cycle
• TRANSPIRATION – water leaves plants
and enters the atmosphere.
• TRANSPIRATION – movement of water
from the biotic to the abiotic
• More than 90% of the moisture in the
Tropical Forest ecosystem passes
through plants by transpiration.
CARBON CYCLE
pg 352
• Carbon returns to atmosphere by
– Respiration (we exhale carbon dioxide)
– Combustion (burning fossil fuels or wood)
– Erosion (erosion of limestone)
• Carbon is temporarily removed from the
atmosphere by Photosynthesis
Nitrogen Cycle pg 353
• About 78% of the atmosphere is Nitrogen.
However, most organisms are unable to use it in
this form (nitrogen gas)
• Therefore for nitrogen to be useful is must go
through a process call nitrogen fixation
• Nitrogen fixing bacteria – live in the soil
and plant roots.
Nitrogen Cycle
general overview
• conversion of nitrogen into usable organic
cpds by bacteria
• conversion of nitrogen from decaying
organisms into ammonia
• Nitrogen fixation