ECOSYSTEMS AND THE BIOSPHERE CHAPTERS 18.3/18.4/21 NOTES

VOCABULARY WORDS- words Producers biogeochemical cycle Chemosynthesis groundwater permafrost Gross primary productivity tropical forest Biomass water cycle tundra Net primary productivity transpiration canopy Consumer carbon cycle epiphyte Herbivore nitrogen cycle coniferous tree Carnivore nitrogen fixation deciduous tree Omnivore nitrogen-fixing bacteria Detritivore ammonification taiga Decomposer nitrification savanna Trophic level denitrification chaparral Food chain phosphorus cycle desert Food web biome temperate grassland Temperate deciduous forest

Autotrophs produce their own food I. Producers Autotrophs produce their own food Photosynthesis: Plants, Protists, Bacteria Chemosynthesis: Bacteria, Archaea Carbohydrates (sugars and starches) are produced as food Gross Primary Productivity: the rate at which producers in an ecosystem capture energy

D. Biomass is the organic material found in an ecosystem Net Primary Productivity is the rate at which biomass accumulates. Ecosystem vary in productivity Light, temperature, and precipitation affect terrestrial ecosystems Light, available nutrients, & water temperature affect aquatic ecosystems

II. Consumers Heterotrophs obtain energy by feeding on other organisms or their waste products. Herbivores eat producers. Carnivores eat other consumers. Omnivores eat producers and consumers. Detritivores eat rotting carcasses, fallen leaves and branches (detritus). Decomposers obtain energy by breaking down complex molecules into simpler ones.

III. Energy Flow A. Trophic levels indicates organisms’ positions in sequences of energy transfers.

B. A food chain is a single pathway of feeding relationships. C. A food web is composed of interrelated food chains.

D. 10% of energy from one trophic level is available for the next trophic level. E. There are more organisms in lower trophic levels than in higher ones.

IV. The water cycle Evaporation adds water to the atmosphere. Transpiration is when plants release water vapor. Precipitation is the release of water from the atmosphere.

V. The carbon cycle Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are the basis of this cycle. Humans add much carbon dioxide to the air.

Proteins and nucleic acids use nitrogen. VI. The nitrogen cycle Proteins and nucleic acids use nitrogen. Nitrogen fixation is the conversion of nitrogen gas to ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. This is nitrification and is accomplished by aerobic nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Ammonification is the release of ammonia from dead organisms and waste products. 1. This provides nitrogen for living organisms.

D. Denitrification is the release of nitrogen gas back into the air by anaerobic bacteria.

VII. Phosphorus Cycle Phosphate (PO4-3) erodes from rocks into the soil. Plants absorb phosphorus atoms from the soil. Animals get phosphorus atoms by eating plants and other animals. DNA and RNA use phosphorus atoms in part of their make-up, so do teeth and bones.

VII. The seven major biomes Biomes: very large terrestrial ecosystems that contain a number of smaller but related ecosystems within them. Temperature and precipitation distinguish the biome. Plants and animals are unique to each biome.

D. Tundra

E. Taiga

F. Temperate Deciduous Forests

G. Temperate Grasslands

H. Deserts

I. Savannas

J. Tropical Rain Forests

VIII. Aquatic Ecosystems A. Ocean Zones

1. Intertidal zone

2. Neritic zone

3. The Oceanic zone

4. Estuaries

B. Freshwater Zones