Ecosystem Properties

Ecological Hierarchies• Biosphere• Biome• Ecosystem• Community• Population• Organism• Tissue• Cell• Molecules

Definitions

• Biosphere - The entire portion of the globe that can support life, including the atmosphere, oceans, terrestrial surface and belowground

• Biome – The largest easily recognized subsection of the biosphere, based upon climate

Definitions

• Ecosystem – A region where plants, animals and microbes can interact with each other and their environment.

• Community – A region where plants, animals and microbes can interact with each other.

• Population – An interbreeding group of organisms

Ecosystem Emergent Properties

• All “systems” are made up of components. Once those components are assembled into the system, they take on new properties, those of the “system”.

• E.g., bridge over South Canadian River

• E.g., living system

Ecosystem Emergent Properties• What are the emergent properties of a living

system, e.g., you?• You are composed of carbon, nitrogen,

hydrogen, oxygen, etc., but you are so much more than bags of elements flopping around

• As a living entity you:• Respire• Irritable• Capable of reproduction

Ecosystem Emergent Properties

• So, as a “system” ecosystems also have emergent properties

• Nutrient cycling

• Energy flow

Energy in Ecosystems

• Energy Movement follows 1st and 2nd laws of thermodynamics– Energy can’t be

created or destroyed

– Any transfers of energy are not 100% efficient

Energy flow

Energy Flow

Solar Energy

Producers

Herbivores

Carnivores

Top Carnivore

1 %

10%

10%

10%

Consumers

Calories

10,000

1,000

100

10

1,000,000

Energy Flow

Solar Energy

Producers

Herbivores

Carnivores

Top Carnivore

1 %

10%

10%

10%

Consumers

Food Chain

Energy Flow

Solar Energy

Producers

Herbivores

Carnivores

Top Carnivore

1 %

10%

10%

10%

Consumers

Trophic Level

Any Questions?

Nutrient Cycling

• There are two major types of nutrient cycles– Gaseous – Most of the nutrient is stored in the

atmosphere– Sedimentary – Most of the nutrient is stored in

the sediments or soils

So what nutrients do we need?

• Macro-nutrients are needed in large quantities

• Na,Cl, C, H, O, P, K, I, N, S, Ca, Fe, Mg

• Micro-nutrients are also essential, but are needed in only small amounts

• Mo, B, Cl, Mn, Cu, Zn

Gaseous Nutrient CycleThe carbon cycle

CO2

plant

herbivore

carnivore top carnivore

Respiration

Decomposers

(photosynthesis)

Sedimentary Nutrient CycleExample: The Phosphorus Cycle

P in rock (apatite)

(weathering)

P in soil

plant herbivores carnivores

decomposers

erosion

So what nutrients do we need?

• Macro-nutrients are needed in large quantities

• Na,Cl, C, H, O, P, K, I, N, S, Ca, Fe, Mg

• Micro-nutrients are also essential, but are needed in only small amounts

• Mo, B, Cl, Mn, Cu, Zn

• The elements in blue have gaseous cycles

Quick Quiz on Ecosystems

• What’s the definition of an ecosystem?

• An area where plants, animals and microbes interact with each other and the environment

• So why do you need an ecosystem for – Energy Flow?– Nutrient Cycling?

• Does energy ever cycle?

NO-O-O!

Take out a clean piece of paper

• A practice quiz

• List two types of symbiotic relationships

Quiz, continued

• Competition between organisms of different species is known as:

a. Intraspecific interactions

b. Intraspecific competition

c. Interspecific interactions

d. Interspecific competition

Quiz, continued

• If you went up a tall mountain, how many meters increase in elevation would you have to go up to see the same change in vegetation structure that you would see if you went north 30 degrees latitude?

a. 1800 mb. 4000 mc. 400 md. 100 m

Quiz, continued

• Which biome has the greatest number of species?

• Which biome produces most of the wood pulp used for paper in the U.S.?

Quiz, continued

• In which grassland ecosystem would you expect to find the greatest number of species and why?

a. Undisturbed tall grass prairie

b. Wheat field

c. Corn field

d. Heavily grazed tall grass prairie