ecosystem and biomes and energy flow

8/10/2019 Ecosystem and Biomes and Energy Flow

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What is an Ecosystem?

An ecosystem includes all of the living things (plants, animals and organisms) in a given area,

interacting with each other, and also with their non-living environments (weather, earth, sun, soil,

climate, and atmosphere).

In an ecosystem, each organism has its' own niche, or role to play.

Consider a small puddle at the back of your home. In it, you may find all sorts of living things, from

microorganisms, to insects and plants. These may depend on non-living things like water, sunlight,

turbulence in the puddle, temperature, atmospheric pressure and even nutrients in the water for

life.

This very complex, wonderful interaction of living things and their environment, has been the

foundations of energy flow and recycle of carbon and nitrogen.

Anytime a stranger (living thing(s) or external factor such as rise in temperature) is introduced to

an ecosystem, it can be disastrous to that ecosystem. This is because the new organism (or factor)

can distort the natural balance of the interaction and potentially harm or destroy the ecosystem.

Usually, biotic members of an ecosystem, together with their abiotic factors depend on each

other. This means the absence of one member, or one abiotic factor can affect all parties of the

ecosystem.

Unfortunately ecosystems have been disrupted, and even destroyed by natural disasters such as

fires, floods, storms and volcanic eruptions. Human activities have also contributed to the

disturbance of many ecosystems andbiomes.
http://eschooltoday.com/ecosystems/what-is-a-biome.htmlhttp://eschooltoday.com/ecosystems/what-is-a-biome.html


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Biomes and Ecosystems

Biomesare large regions of the world with similarplants,animals,and otherliving things that are

adapted to the climate and other conditions.

Earth s biomes are areas with similar climate, geography, and other conditions as well as similar

plants, animals, and other living things.

Relatedlinks:

Ocean biome

Tundra biomeTropical rainforest biome

Arctic tundra

Temperate forest biome

Grassland biome

Desert biome

Tundra

Taiga

Temperate forest

Tropical rainforest

Desert

Grassland

Ocean biome

A biome is made of many similar ecosystems. An ecosystem is often much smaller than a biome,

although the size varies.
http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Life/plantae.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Life/animalia.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Life/classification_intro.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Water/marine_ecology.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Water/marine_ecology.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/tundra_ecosystem.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/tundra_ecosystem.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/rainforest.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/rainforest.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/polar/arctic_tundra.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/polar/arctic_tundra.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/forest_eco.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/forest_eco.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/grassland_eco.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/grassland_eco.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/desert_eco.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/desert_eco.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/tundra_ecosystem.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/tundra_ecosystem.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/taiga_ecosystem.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/forest_eco.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/forest_eco.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/rainforest.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/rainforest.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/desert_eco.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/desert_eco.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/grassland_eco.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/grassland_eco.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Water/marine_ecology.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Water/marine_ecology.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/grassland_eco.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/desert_eco.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/rainforest.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/forest_eco.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/taiga_ecosystem.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/tundra_ecosystem.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/desert_eco.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/grassland_eco.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/forest_eco.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/polar/arctic_tundra.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/rainforest.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/tundra_ecosystem.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Water/marine_ecology.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Life/classification_intro.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Life/animalia.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Life/plantae.html


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Ecosystemsare the interactions between the living things and the nonliving things in a place. In an

ecosystem, the plants, animals, and other organisms rely on each other and on the physical

environmentthe soil, water, and nutrients, for example.

Even though they are living in the same place, each species in an ecosystem has its own role to

play. This role is called a niche. The niche for one species might be to climb trees and eat theirfruit, while the niche for another species might be to hunt for small rodents. For a tree, a niche

might be to grow tall and make food with the Suns energy through the process ofphotosynthesis.

If the niche of two species is very similar, they might compete for food or other resources.

Sometimes ecosystems get out of balance. If, for example, it rains a lot and a type of bird that

thrives with extra water increases in numbers, other species in the ecosystem might be crowded

out. The birds might take food or space or other resources from other species. They might eat all

the food. Sometimes an ecosystem naturally gets back into balance. Other times an ecosystem

will become more and more out of balance. Today, human actions are having an impact on

ecosystems all over the world. Making buildings and roads, fishing and farming all have an impact

on ecosystems. Pollution on land, air pollution,andwater pollution is sending many ecosystems

out of balance too.
http://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Life/plantae.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Life/animalia.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Life/photosynthesis.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Atmosphere/airpollution_intro.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/climate/nitrogen_fertilizer.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/climate/nitrogen_fertilizer.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Atmosphere/airpollution_intro.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Life/photosynthesis.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Life/animalia.htmlhttp://www.windows2universe.org/earth/Life/plantae.html


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Scales of Ecosystems

Ecosystems come in indefinite sizes. It can exist in a small area such as underneath a rock, a

decaying tree-trunk, or a pond in your village, or it can exist in large forms such as an entire rain

forest. Technically, the Earth can be called a huge ecosystem.

Theillustrationaboveshowsanexampleofasmall(decayingtreetrunk)ecosystem

To make things simple, let us classify ecosystems into three main scales.

Micro:

A small scale ecosystem such as a pond, puddle, tree trunk, under a rock etc.

Messo:

A medium scale ecosystem such as a forest or a large lake.

Biome:

A very large ecosystem or collection of ecosystems with similar biotic and abiotic factors such as

an entire Rain forest with millions of animals and trees, with many different water bodies running

through them.

Ecosystem boundaries are not marked (separated) by rigid lines. They are often separated by

geographical barriers such as deserts, mountains, oceans, lakes and rivers. As these borders are

never rigid, ecosystems tend to blend into each other. This is why a lake can have many small

ecosystems with their own unique characteristics. Scientists call this blending ecotone

Ecosystems can be put into 2 groups. If the ecosystem exists in a water body, like an ocean,

freshwater or puddle, it is called an aquatic ecosystem. Those that exists outside of water bodies

are calledterrestrial ecosystems.
http://eschooltoday.com/ecosystems/ecosystem-in-a-decaying-tree-trunk.html


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The Desert Biome

Deserts make up about 20% of total land cover on earth and are characterized by little

(less than 50cm/yr.) or no rainfall. Desert biomes come in four major kindseach of these having

their unique features, but have similarities in their biotic and abiotic makeup. They are the

Hot and Dry Deserts, Semi-Arid Deserts, Coastal Deserts and Cold Deserts, and within these aremany deserts located in many places of the world.

Desert biomes have very high temperatures because of the little vegetative cover, less cloud cover,

low atmospheric moisture and the lands exposure to the sun. Humidity is very low, with a few

events of very little rain in a year.

Soil cover is shallow and rocky, as a result of very little weathering (breakdown) and supports only

a few plant types. Soils have very little or no organic matter, and very low in salt content.

Plants that survive here are short shrubs and cacti, which

have the ability to conserve water. Plants are also less leafy,

using their stems for photosynthesis. Examples of plants are

the yuccas and the sotol.

Animals here tend to burrow, or stay in hideaways till dusk

to avoid the heat. They are mainly small carnivores, birds,

insects, snakes and lizards, and are adapted to survive with

very little water. Examples of the Hot and Dry Desert biomes

include the Sahara of North Africa and the Chihuahuan of

Southern USA and parts of Mexico.

Semiarid Desert biomes include the sagebrush of Utah, Montana and Great Basin. Atacama Desert

of Chile and Peru are examples of Coastal Desert biomes.


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The Aquatic Biome

This includes all water bodies on the earths surface. Aquatic biomes are grouped into two,

Freshwater Biomes (lakes and ponds, rivers and streams, wetlands) and Marine Biomes

(oceans, coral reefs and estuaries). These biomes make up about 73% of the totalearths surface.

Life forms in these waters depend on the abiotic factors such as sunlight entering the waters,

temperature, pressure, salt content and so on. Water biomes with lots of light tend to have

more flora (plant) diversity, and the growth of algae and plankton is more. Small water bodies

that freeze during the cold seasons, or dry out in the dry and hot seasons tend to have less

diversity.

Examples of animals found in marine biomes include star

fishes, sharks and tuna and sea birds. Examples of animals

in freshwater biomes include salmon, tilapia worms,

water-surface insects and crabs.

Aquatic biomes are very important because apart from

being home to millions of water animals, they also form the

basis of the water cycle and help with atmospheric moisture,

cloud formation and precipitation. One example of a marine

biome is the Great Barrier Reef (a coral reef system) of

Australia.

An example of a fresh water biome is the Amazon River in Brazil.


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The Forest Biome

Forests make up about 30% of the total land cover on earth, and are of incredible value to life on

earth. They are a store of carbon and play a very important role in climate control. They have a

watershed role, and are a source of many raw materials that humans depend on. It is believed

that forests have the most bio-diversity. A small portion of the Rainforests, for example, may behome to millions of insects, birds, animals and plants. There are three main biomes that make up

Forest Biomes. These are theTropical Rainforest, Temperate and Boreal Forests(also called the

Taiga)

Temperatures of forests biomes (especially the tropical rainforest) are generally high all year

though, but a lot cooler at the surface. This is because there is very little sunlight reaching the

forest floors as a result of the heavy vegetative cover.

Humidity is extremely high with lots of rainfall, exceeding 200cm all year though.

Soils are loose and very airy, with high acidity and decaying organic matter.

Plant types of the Tropical Rainforests are usually huge trees with buttress roots, lots of large green

leaves and shallow roots. Ferns and palms are also common. Plants in the Temperate forests are

less dense with a bit of sunlight reaching the floors. Tree types include the willow, basswood and

elm. Plants of the Boreal are mostly conifers with needle-like leaves. There is very little understory

and lots of light at the floors. Trees like fir and spruce are common.

Small mammals, birds, insects and bats are common in the

tropical rainforests, as they either can fly up for sunlight or

do not need sunlight. However all the forest biomes have lotsof skunks, deer, squirrels, foxes, birds and reptiles.

An example of the Tropical Rainforest is the Amazon. Other

examples are the Scandinavian forest (boreal) and those in

the North East of America.


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The grassland biome

As the name suggests, these are massive areas dominated by one or a few species of grass, with a

few sparsely distributed trees. There are two main types of grassland biomes: theSavanna

Grasslands and the Temperate Grasslands. One major savanna is located in Africa, and takes up

more than a third of the continents land area. Others can be found in India, South America andAustralia. Temperate grasslands can be found in South Africa, Argentina, and some plains in

Central North America.

If the grassland is prevented to develop into a forest by climatic conditions such as rainfall, it is

termed as climatic savannas. If their characteristics are kept by soils, they are termed as edaphic

savannas. Sometimes, large animals such as elephants can constantly disturb young trees from

taking over grasslands. Human causes like farming or bush fires can also prevent grasslands from

developing into forests. Such grasslands are termed derived savannas.

Soils in savanna are thin layered and do not hold water. The soils contain some organic matter

from dead grass, which is the main source of nutrients for plants.

Rainfall is moderate, and not enough to cause major floods.

Animals in the savannas include large mammals such as

Lions, hyenas, snakes, giraffes, buffaloes with lots of insects.

Temperatures in the Temperate grasslands are extreme,

with high summer and freezing winter temperatures.

Animals here include hawks, owls, deer, mice, foxes, rabbits

and spiders. Temperate grasslands with short grasses are

called steppes and those with tall grasses are calledprairies


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The Tundra Biome

This is known to be the coldest of all the terrestrial (land) biomes, with the least bio-diversity

capacity. Tundra got its name from Tunturia a Finnish word that means barrenland. This biome

has very little rain and extremely freezing temperatures, and covers about a fifth of the earths

land surface.

There are two major tundra biomes: The Arctic Tundra and the Alpine Tundra. The Arctic tundra is

located around the north-pole in the northern hemisphere. This biome has temperatures of about

2-3 in the summer and about -35 in the winter. Bogs and ponds are common as a result of

constantly frozen surface moisture and melted permafrost.

Plants in the Arctic Tundra are short and grow closely to each

o there. Examples include mosses, heaths and lichen. They are

adapted to perform photosynthesis even in the freezing

conditions. Animals here include herbivores like hares and

squirrels. Carnivores include polar bears and

artic foxes. It also has lots of birds, insets and fish like cod

and salmon.

The Alpine Tundra is very cold, located on top of high

mountains, often with very few trees and very little

vegetative cover. They are icy for a larger part of the year.

Animals in this biome include some birds, mountains goats

and marmots. There are also beetles and butterflies.


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Trophic levels of food chains.

The levels of a food chain (food pyramid) is called Trophic levels. The trophic level of an organism is the

level it holds in a food pyramid.

The sun

is the source of all the energy in food chains. Green plants, usually the first level of any food chain,

absorb some of the Suns light energy to make their own food by photosynthesis. Green plants (autotrophs)

are therefore known as Producers in a food chain.

The second level of the food chains is called the Primary Consumer. These consume the green plants.

Animals in this group are usually herbivores. Examples include insects, sheep, caterpillars and even cows.

The third in the chain are Secondary Consumers.These usually eat up the primary consumers and other

animal matter. They are commonly called carnivores and examples include lions, snakes and cats.

The fourth level is called Tertiary Consumers.These are animals that eat secondary consumers.

Quaternary Consumerseat tertiary consumers.

At the top of the levels areredators

. They are animals that have little or no natural enemies. They are the

bosses of their ecosystems. Predators feed on preys. A prey is an animal that predators hunt to kill and

feed on. Predators include owls, snakes, wild cats, crocodiles and sharks. Humans can also be called

predators.

When any organism dies, detrivores(like vultures, worms and crabs) eat them up. The rest are broken down

by decomposers (mostly bacteria and fungi), and the exchange of energy continues. Decomposers start the

cycle again.


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Energy Flow (ECOLOGY)

Left:Energy flow diagram of a frog. The frog represents a node in an extended food web. The

energy ingested is utilized for metabolic processes and transformed into biomass. The energy flow

continues on its path if the frog is ingested by predators, parasites, or as a decayingcarcass in soil.

This energy flow diagram illustrates how energy is lost as it fuels the metabolic process that

transform the energy and nutrients into biomass.

Right:An expanded three link energy food chain (1. plants, 2. herbivores, 3. carnivores) illustrating

the relationship between food flow diagrams and energy transformity. The transformity of energy

becomes degraded, dispersed, and diminished from higher quality to lesser quantity as the energy

within a food chain flows from one trophic species into another.

Abbreviations: I=input, A=assimilation, R=respiration, NU=not utilized, P=production, B=biomass.

Inecology,energy flow, also called the calorific flow, refers to the flow ofenergy through afood

chain. In an ecosystem, ecologists seek to quantify the relative importance of different

componentspecies and feeding relationships.

A general energy flow scenario follows:

Solar energy is fixed by the photoautotrophs, called primary producers, like

green plants. Primary consumers absorb most of the stored energy in the plant

through digestion, and transform it into the form of energy they need, such asadenosine

triphosphate (ATP), through respiration. A part of the energy received by primary

consumers,herbivores,is converted tobody heat (an effect of respiration), which is radiated

away and lost from the system. The loss of energy through body heat is far greater inwarm-

blooded animals, which must eat much more frequently than those that are cold-blooded.

Energy loss also occurs in the expulsion of undigested food (egesta)

byexcretion orregurgitation.

Secondary consumers, carnivores, then consume the primary consumers,

although omnivores also consume primary producers. Energy that had been used by the

primary consumers for growth and storage is thus absorbed into the secondary consumers

through the process of digestion. As with primary consumers, secondary consumers convert

this energy into a more suitable form (ATP) during respiration. Again, some energy is lost from

the system, since energy which the primary consumers had used for respiration and regulation

of body temperature cannot be utilized by the secondary consumers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_chainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_chainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecologisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantification_(science)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_energyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoautotrophhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_consumershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digestionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adenosine_triphosphatehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adenosine_triphosphatehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_respirationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbivorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermoregulationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warm-bloodedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warm-bloodedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ectothermhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digestionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excrementhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regurgitation_(digestion)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnivorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omnivorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omnivorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnivorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regurgitation_(digestion)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excrementhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digestionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ectothermhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warm-bloodedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warm-bloodedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermoregulationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbivorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_respirationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adenosine_triphosphatehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adenosine_triphosphatehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digestionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primary_consumershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoautotrophhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_energyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantification_(science)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecologisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_chainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_chainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrion


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Tertiary consumers, which may or may not beapex predators,then consume the secondary

consumers, with some energy passed on and some lost, as with the lower levels of the food

chain.

A final link in the food chain aredecomposers which break down theorganic matter of the

tertiary consumers (or whichever consumer is at the top of the chain) and

releasenutrients into thesoil.They also break down plants, herbivores and carnivores thatwere not eaten by organisms higher on the food chain, as well as the undigested food that is

excreted by herbivores and carnivores.Saprotrophicbacteria andfungi are decomposers, and

play a pivotal role in thenitrogen andcarbon cycles.

The energy is passed on fromtrophic level to trophic level and each time about 90% of the energy

is lost, with some being lost as heat into the environment (an effect of respiration) and some being

lost as incompletely digested food (egesta). Therefore, primary consumers get about 10% of the

energy produced by autotrophs, while secondary consumers get 1% and tertiary consumers get

0.1%. This means the top consumer of afood chain receives the least energy, as a lot of the food

chain's energy has been lost between trophic levels. This loss of energy at each level limits typical

food chains to only four to six links.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apex_predatorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decomposerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_matterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrienthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saprotrophic_nutritionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacteriahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fungihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen_cyclehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_cyclehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trophic_levelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_chainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_chainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trophic_levelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_cyclehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen_cyclehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fungihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacteriahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saprotrophic_nutritionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutrienthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_matterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decomposerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apex_predator

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