Ecosystems Day 2
You find that there is 37g of C/ cubic meter in an aquatic setting, and 49g of C/cubic meter in a terrestrial setting. Why? Primary productivity is lower in aquatic settings due to various factors Water only absorbs so far down in the water. Which means what for the aquatic life?
What are the two biogeochemical cycles? Phosphorous & Nitrogen and Carbon
In what ways can chemicals move through the ecosystem? 1. Geological Erosion or run off (drainage) 2. Biological Organisms can absorb chemicals directly from the ecosystem and atmosphere 3. Chemical Dissolved in rain, from wind or snow, and other atmospheric gases
Draw a nutrient cycle showing all of these types of chemical movement
3 factors control the nutrient cycling rate, what are those? 1. Abiotic conditions 2. The quality of nutrition of detritus 3. Amount and diversity of detritivores present
What chemical makes up the most of our atmosphere? Nitrogen! (N2) How much is there in there? 78%
The Global Nitrogen Cycle Fixes what? N2 to NH3 There is so much N2 available, yet plants do not use this. Why? What can they use? They must change the N2 to NH4+ and NO3-- When plants convert to these from N2 what is that called? Nitrogen fixation
Nitrogen Fixation Who does it? Only bacteria in the ground can fix it Is it energy efficient? Plants need it to be done, but it is energy costly How have humans affected the nitrogen in our atmosphere? We have doubled the amount put into the ecosystem What issues can this cause? This can make for runoff from fields (via fertilizer). This ultimately makes its way to seas and causes dead zones
Phosphorous cycle Where do we find phosphorous? The ground (soil) and aquatic ecosystems Phosphorous can move quickly through animals, but slow through what? Soil and ocean. This makes it one of the slowest cycles
What is the difference between climate change and global warming? Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the planet Climate change is the sum of all the changes in local temperature and precipitation patterns that result from global warming
Have a nice day! Don’t forget about our exam review tomorrow