BIOSPHERE

BIOSPHERE Portion of Earth that contains and supports life Homeostasis – internal regulation Organization – structure containing one or more cells Metabolism – transformation of energy Growth – physical development in size, structure, function Adaptation – ability to adjust to environment over time Stimuli-Response – a physical reaction to a stimulus Reproduction – ability to produce a new organism Includes both the organisms and their environment

BIOSPHERE - CELLS Cell – basic “unit” of all living organisms Unicellular – single celled organism, bacteria Multicellular – multiple cells, plants- animals-fungi Prokaryotic – lacks a membrane-bound nucleus and organelles, simple Eukaryotic – contains membrane-bound nucleus and organelles, complex

BIOSPHERE - ORGANIZATION Biosphere – all of Earth’s ecosystems Ecosystem – community of organisms interacting with each other and the environment Community – complex network of different organisms Population – group of related organisms Organism – individual living body

BIOSPHERE – ENVIRONMENTS Biosphere is separated into large environments or ecosystem types called biomes. Biome – large group of ecosystems that share a similar environment and climate Ecosystem – the interaction between organisms and their environment Environment – the living and nonliving components of an organism’s surroundings

BIOSPHERE - ENVIRONMENT Biomes, environments, and ecosystems are comprised of both biotic and abiotic factors Biotic – living organisms Abiotic – nonliving components

BIOSPHERE - BIOMES Aquatic Biomes Terrestrial Biomes Marine Estuary Fresh Terrestrial Biomes Tundra Taiga / Boreal Desert Grassland Temperate Tropical

BIOSPHERE - BIOMES Tundra Polar Climate Treeless land with little sunlight Permafrost – frozen soil horizons Grasses and brush with shallow root systems Weasels, Artic Fox, Snow Hares, Penguins, Polar Bears

BIOSPHERE - BIOMES Taiga / Boreal Continental Climate Pines, Furs, and Spruce evergreen trees Warmer and more precipitation than tundra Elk, Reindeer, Moose, Bears, Hares

BIOSPHERE - BIOMES Desert Arid / Dry Climate Little to no vegetation Low precipitation is major limiting factor Cacti, Tumbleweeds, Brush – C4 type plants (specialized for dry climates) Coyotes, Hawks, Snakes, Lizards, Insects

BIOSPHERE - BIOMES Grasslands Drier Climates, no forests Large communities of grasses and similar plants supported by fertile soil Ideal for grain crops; wheat, oats, rye, barley Bison, Deer, Prairie Dogs, Rabbits, Reptiles, Insects

BIOSPHERE - BIOMES Temperate Forest Mild / Temperate Climate Average precipitation and deciduous trees (broad-leaf seasonal) Bears, Deer, Rabbits, Squirrels, Rodents, Birds, Reptiles, Insects, Amphibians

BIOSPHERE - BIOMES Tropical Rainforest Tropical Climate, constant Warm and high precipitation Heavy vegetation; bamboo, orchids, carnivorous plants Highest terrestrial BIODIVERSITY Apes, Monkeys, Birds, Jaguars, Tigers, Reptiles, Rodents, Insects, Amphibians

BIOSPHERE – NUTRIENT CYCLES Biogeochemical Cycles aka “nutrient cycles” – natural cyclic process involving the abiotic and biotic transfer of nutrients Water Carbon Nitrogen Phosphorous Sulfur Rock Soil Energy

BIOSPHERE - ECOLOGY AUTOTROPHIC – self feeding Producer – produce usable forms of chemical energy from another source. Photosynthesis – make sugars and O2 from CO2, water, and sunlight*** Chemosynthesis – make sugars from chemical sources, Hydrothermal vents

BIOSPHERE - ECOLOGY HETEROTROPHIC Consumers – obtain an usable form of chemical energy from another organism Herbivore – plant based diet Carnivore – animal based diet Omnivore – both plant and animal Decomposer – breakdown dead organisms to obtain food

BIOSPHERE - ECOLOGY Food Chain – series of organism in which each organism consumes the preceding one Food Web – complex network of interlocking food chains Trophic Pyramid – a structure representation of the transfer of nutrients and energy through a community

Food Chain Hawk (tertiary consumer) ^ Snake (secondary consumer) ^ Rat (primary consumer) ^ Cacti (primary producer)

Trophic Pyramid

BIOSPHERE - BIODIVERSITY Biodiversity – the variety or number of different species in a given area Measured by the total number of different species in a community, ecosystem, biome, globally. Tropical Rain Forests and Marine Coral Reefs have the greatest level of biodiversity

BIOSPHERE - BIODIVERSITY Why is biodiversity important? More species = more competition and need to succeed Creates a more STABLE community, specialization Helps protect communities from catastrophic events (local extinction) Genetic variety Increases available biotic resources for anthropogenic needs

BIOSPHERE - BIODIVERSITY Threats to biodiversity Habitat Loss – clear cutting, deforestation, complete destruction of the living area Without habitats organisms are vulnerable Habitat degradation – damage to or decrease in the quality of the living area Increase in pollution, decrease in available nutrients, erosion, fires Habitat fragmentation – breaking living area into smaller discontinuous pieces Smaller fragments support smaller communities, less diversity, vulnerable Exotic / Invasive species – NONnative species that has no natural predator/competition Species can out compete or out “grow” native species, Kudzu

BIOSPHERE - BIODIVERSITY Healthy Ecosystem Maintain a variety of species, biodiversity Populations do not exceed the carrying capacity Carrying capacity – the total number of individuals that an ecosystem / environment can support Healthy and successful indicator species Indicator species – a species that is sensitive to environmental changes, amphibians or lichen Abundance of healthy keystone species Keystone species – a species that serves as a food source, population regulator, or unique function for a food web or ecosystem.

BIOSPHERE – PROTECTING BIODIVERSITY Legal Protection U.S. Endangered Species Act – illegal to harm, sell, abuse, or remove any species on the endangered or threatened list Preserving Habitats Nature Preserves, Wildlife Sanctuaries, National Parks Conservation World Wildlife Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency, Fish and Wildlife Education Zoos, Environmental Centers, Public Messages, You

BIOSPHERE – FUTURE OF BIODIVERSITY Sustainability – the capacity to endure or survive, balanced ecosystem. Nature balances consumption with productivity Ecological factors regulate the success of organisms Humans currently are unsustainable We use and consume goods faster than nature can produce or replace them The Earth cannot sustain the current rate of consumption