Ecology: The Biosphere Mrs. Yanac

Origin of the word…”Ecology” Greek origin Oikos = household/home Logos = study of “Study of household/home” Real meaning Study of organisms & their environment or surroundings

Levels of Organization

Levels of Organizations “Ida, please come eat baked beans”

What is the Biosphere? All the life on the planet PLUS the land (lithosphere) the water (hydrosphere) the air (atmosphere)

Biotic vs Abiotic Factors Biotic (Living) Plants Animals Fungi Microorganisms

Abiotic Factors Light Water Wind Soil Heat Atmosphere

Energy Flow Sunlight is the main energy source for all life on Earth Producers (AUTOTROPHS) Green plants & Photosynthetic organisms Consumers (HETEROTROPHS) Herbivores & Carnivores Decomposers (HETEROTROPHS) Fungi & Bacteria

Photosynthesis Autotrophs (plants & some microorganisms) use light to make food These producers are found at the beginning of the food chain

Food Chains Shows a one-way flow of energy

Food Webs Links or connects ALL the food chains in an ecosystem together.

Another Food Web

Trophic Levels Producers Primary Consumers Secondary Consumers Get energy from the sun or chemicals Primary Consumers Consumes producers Secondary Consumers Consumes primary consumers Tertiary Consumers Consumes Secondary/Primary Consumers

Rule of 10 Only 10% of the energy is passed on to the next trophic level The remaining 90% of energy is lost as heat

Biomass pyramid

Pyramid of numbers

Recycling in the Biosphere All major components of life are neither created nor destroyed, they are just recycled. Water – all living things need water to survive Carbon – key component of living tissue Nitrogen – used to make amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins Phosphorous – essential to living organisms because it forms part of DNA & RNA

The water cycle

The carbon cycle

The nitrogen cycle

The phosphorous cycle

Limiting Nutrient A chemical needed for growth that is either missing or only available in a small amount Algae needs both phosphorous and nitrogen to grow if one of these is limited the algae can not continue to grow If one of these is abundant the algae will grow until resources are used up Algal blooms  deplete oxygen levels in water & toxic to aquatic life

Algal Blooms

Recap What are the levels of organization in the biosphere? What are the trophic levels found in a food chain? What are ABIOTIC factors in the environment? BIOTIC factors? Where does all energy flow begin? How much energy is transferred to the next trophic level? What is a limiting nutrient?

The End