Transcript What Else Changes the Environment?

Ecosystems Review
Biomes of the World
Rainforest
Desert
Grasslands
Deciduous Forest
Boreal Forest /Taiga
Tundra
Biomes are determined based on their climate-temperature
and precipitation.
Changes In the Environment
Ecosystems are always changing. Sometimes those changes are
quite fast, like in the case of a natural disaster. A natural disaster like a
flood, fire, earthquake, mudslide, hurricane or volcanic eruption can
instantly change an environment and kill the communities that live there. If
this happens, a new community will replace the old community over time.
This is called succession. An example of succession is when a field is left
untouched for a long time, it may turn into a forest. If a volcano wipes out a
forest, it will eventually grow back.
What Else Changes the Environment?
The Greenhouse Effect:
There are gases in the Earths atmosphere that are
known as greenhouse gasses. The gases let sunlight
pass through and trap some of the sun’s heat so that
the Earth stays warm. This is called the greenhouse
effect. This is great for plants and animals to live, but
too much greenhouse effect is a bad thing.
Worldwide pollution caused by humans is creating more greenhouse
gasses. Some scientists believe that this will increase the temperature of
the planet, resulting in global warming. This warming may cause glaciers
to melt and ocean levels to rise.
Other scientists think that the Earth will become colder because the sun’s
rays will be blocked by pollution. Either way, people should be more
thoughtful of the Earth because it is our only home!
What Else Changes the Environment?
Ozone Depletion
The Earth is protected by the atmosphere.
The atmosphere is the air that surrounds
the Earth. It protects us from the sun’s bad
rays. Ozone, a gas, absorbs most of the UV
rays. Ozone protects people when it is high
in the atmosphere, but it can hurt people
when it is near the ground. Smog, is a foglike substance caused by pollution. It
contains ozone that can harm people. Bad
ozone formed on Earth, rises into the
atmosphere and causes good ozone to
break down. This thinning of the good
ozone layer weakens the part of the
atmosphere that protects animals, plants
and humans from the sun. Again, humans
creating pollution is bad for our planet!
What Harms Our Environment?
Air Pollution: We pollute our air with
factory pollution and car exhaust.
Organisms, including humans need
clean air to survive.
Soil Pollution: We pollute our
ground with chemicals, hazardous
waste and garbage. These
hazardous materials can get into
our drinking water and harm us.
Water pollution destroys life in the
Earth’s freshwater ecosystems and
oceans.
What Else Harms our Environment?
Spraying pesticides and insecticides.
It kills the bugs we don’t want, but what
does it do to the environment?
Deforestation is the cutting down of
many trees and not replacing them.
We use wood as a resource, but trees
support plant and animal life. We
must think about our future before
cutting down acres of forests, without
making plans to replace them!
What Else Harms Our Environment?
Waste: People produce so much
waste! Humans should be
encouraged to follow the three R’s:
reduce, reuse, and recycle! Many
materials like plastic, glass, metal and
paper can be recycled and re-used
without causing more harm to our
environment.
Construction: Expanding the
places where humans live
harms the natural ecosystems.
Life in those ecosystems must
move elsewhere and some do
not survive.
Extinction
Extinction means the disappearance of a species. This is a
natural process and throughout history, many organisms have become
extinct, like the dinosaurs. Organisms that are in danger of becoming
extinct are known as endangered species. Although extinction happens
naturally, humans have a large role in endangering species. Our actions
destroy the ecosystems and endanger the organisms that live in them.
Species are more likely to become extinct if:
They are naturally rare
They are sensitive to changes in the
environment
They have “picky” food or shelter needs
They have small numbers of offspring
They interfere with people in some way
Key Concepts
• What is ecology?
• What basic processes keep us and
other organisms alive?
• What are the major components of
the ecosystem?
• What happens to energy in the
ecosystem?
• How do scientists study the
ecosystem?
• What are ecosystem services?
What is ecology?
The study of how organisms interact
with one another and with their nonliving environment.
(oikos “place to live”
of”)
logos “study
How nature is connected.
Universe
Galaxies
Solar systems
Biosphere
Planets
Earth
Biosphere
Ecosystems
Ecosystems
Communities
Populations
Realm of ecology
Organisms
Organ systems
Communities
Organs
Tissues
Cells
Populations
Protoplasm
Molecules
Atoms
Subatomic Particles
Organisms
The Nature of Ecology
Ecosystem Organization
Organism
Any form of life
The Nature of Ecology
Ecosystem Organization
• Organism
– Any form of life
– Species
• Group of organisms
that resemble one
another
• Actually or potentially
breed with one
another
• Produce live, fertile
offspring
The Nature of Ecology
Ecosystem Organization
• Communities
– Populations of the different
species occupying a
particular place
– Biological community
• Populations
– Group of interacting
individual of the same
species that occupy a
specific area a the same
time.
• Organisms
– Any living organism
The Nature of Ecology
Ecosystem Organization
•Biosphere
All of the earth’s ecosystems
•Ecosystem
A community of different species
interacting with one another and
their nonliving environment
The Source of Energy
Ecosystem Concepts and Components
• Biomes
– “By-ohms”
– Land
ecosystems
– Distinct climate
and specific
life-forms
• Role of climate
– Long term
patterns of
weather
– Determines
what type of
life will thrive
• Aquatic life
zones
– freshwater
– ocean or
marine life
Ecosystems Use Sunlight As Their
Source of Energy
Conservation of Matter and Energy
Capture
Photosynthesis
6 CO2 + 6 H20
C6H12O6 + 6 O2
Respiration
C6H12O6 + 6 O2
6 CO2 + 6 H20
Trophic “Feeding” Levels
•
First Trophic Level
Producers (plants)
•
Second Trophic Level
Primary consumers
(herbivores)
–
•
Third Trophic Level
Secondary consumer
(carnivores)
–
•
Fourth Trophic Level
Feed directly on
producers
Feed on Primary
Consumers
Tertiary consumer
–
Feed on other
carnivores
Trophic Levels
• Omnivore
– Eat plants and animals
• Detritivores and Scavengers
– Feed on detritus, dead organisms, and waste
• Decomposers
– Break down dead organic material
– Release the resulting simpler compounds into the
soil
– Anaerobic respiration (absence of oxygen)
• Methane, ethyl alcohol, acetic acid, hydrogen sulfide
Detritus feeders
Bark beetle
engraving
Long-horned
beetle holes
Carpenter
ant
galleries
Decomposers
Termite and
carpenter
ant
work
Dry rot fungus
Wood
reduced
to powder
Time progression
Mushroom
Powder broken down by decomposers
into plant nutrients in soil
Biodiversity:
What is it and why is it important?
The different life-forms and
life-sustaining processes.
Biodiversity:
What is it and why is it important?
Kinds of biodiversity include:
• Genetic diversity
– Variety in the genetic makeup among
individuals within a species
• Species diversity
– Variety among species found in different
habitats of the planet
• Ecological diversity
– Variety of biological communities
• Functional diversity
– Biological and chemical processes or
functions needed for survival
Connections: Food Webs and Energy Flow in
Ecosystems
Food chains – sequence of organisms each of
which is a food source for the next.
Connections: Food Webs and Energy Flow in
Ecosystems
Food webs – a
network of
interconnected food
chains