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Ecosystems- Part 1-
Habitable Planet Unit 4CIS Environmental Studies
PLHS SiteD. Blanck, M.S.
EcologyThe scientific study of relationships inthe natural world.
Between organisms and their physicalenvironments (physiological ecology)Between organisms of the same species(population ecology)Between organisms of different species(community ecology)Between organisms and matter andenergy flow through biological systems(ecosystem ecology)
Impact of Geography on Ecosystems
Sets basic physical conditions for theorganisms that inhabit a given area
Global circulation patternsClimate zones
Most important factors:Temperature rangesMoisture availabilityLightNutrient availability
BiomesBroad areas characterized by adistinctive climate, soil type, andbiological communityRepresent consistent sets ofconditions for lifeSupport similar kinds of organismswherever they existLand biomes are typically named fortheir characteristic types of vegetation
Earth's major land biomes Example Photos of Ecosystems
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Comparisons based on averagetemperature ranges and rainfall Aquatic biomes
Cover 3/4 of the Earth's surfaceMarine: coral reefs, estuaries, openocean, abyssal zones, etc.Freshwater: rivers, lakes, wetlands, etc.Change daily or seasonally
eg. intertidal zone, seasonal poolsStratified into layers
Earth's marine and freshwater biomesBiodiversity in Biomes
Species are not uniformly spreadamong Earth's biomesSpecies richness: An approach toassessing biodiversity involvingpopulation distribution studies.Species richness increases from thepoles to the tropics in both land andaquatic biomes
Biome Distribution
Energy Flow Through Ecosystems
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TrophicLevels
Feedinglevels
within afood web.
Trophic levels (Continued)I. Primary producers: Organisms thatphotosynthesize food
Plants, Algae, Some BacteriaII. Primary Consumers: Animals that feed onproducers (Herbivores)
Zooplankton, Ungulates, Rodents, etc.
III. Secondary Consumers: Animals that eatherbivores (Predators)
Hyena, Snake, Sunfish, etc.IV+. Tertiary Consumers, etc: Predators thatmay prey on other predators
Dominant Carnivore -Top Predator
Food Webs and Trophic LevelsEnergy Pyramid & Biomes
Less energy is passed fromone level to the nextDuring decomposition energyis released as heat
Net Primary Productivity (NPP)
The rate at which new biomassaccrues in an ecosystem.
Bioaccumulation / BiomagnificationThe increase in concentration of a chemical inorganisms that reside in contaminated ecosystemsThe further increase in concentration of a chemicalin organisms at higher trophic levels
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Nutrient Cycling: Carbon (Biochemical) Nutrient Cycling: Nitrogen
Nutrient Cycling: Phosphorus