To be ALIVE! All life on earth is fundamentally the same— it’s just packaged in different ways. LIFE Capture, Store, and Transmit ENERGY Reproduce NON-LIFE Nothing special about the atoms or energy of life Nothing but the stuff on left to tell life vs. nonlife VS.

 Living matter can NOT function with out energy.  Energy—the capacity to do work.  Can NOT create new energy but they can???? Plant transforms light energy into chemical energy Animal transforms chemical energy into energy of movement by muscles and… Transform energy of movement into HEAT

Main source of energy for all living things on earth is the………………….

Primary productivity Primary productivity is the amount of carbon (organic matter) produced by organisms –Mostly through photosynthesis Energy source = solar radiation –Also includes chemosynthesis Energy source = chemical reactions

Photosynthetic Photosynthetic productivity

= produces ENOURMOUS quantities of energy as as —VISIBILE LIGHT— which which strikes earth but only one part in 2,000 is captured by organisms “tiny”

1. Light Energy is from the sun is trapped by CHLOROPHYLL 2. Chlorophyll is found in organisms called PRIMARY PRODUCERS 3. the Chlorophyll changes the energy from sun into chemical energy 4. Chemical energy is used to build simple carbohydrates and other organic molecules— FOOD = (which then gets used by primary producers or eaten by animals)

Photosynthesizers: Green plants and algae, and specialized bacteria Light Energy Respirers: Animals and decomposers and plants at night To space Chemical energy (carbohydrates, etc.) Energy of Movement, waste heat, entropy Producers Consumers At each step energy is degraded

Chlorophyll Green pigment found in algae and plants that allows them to absorb energy from light Greek –Chloros – green –Phyllon – leaf s/view.php?d1=MY1DMM_CHLORAhttp://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/GlobalMap s/view.php?d1=MY1DMM_CHLORA

Primary Production Global chlorophyll concentrations for Oct. 2000

Feb 5, 1998: uniformly low pigment concentrations during all seasons

Phyto and Zoo Plankton Greek Phyto = plant Zoo = animal Planktos = drifter; wanderer Phyto – autotrophs Zoo – heterotrophs – cannot produce own energy –Cnidarians – jellyfish –Crustaceans - krill

Primary Producers Common Name Blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) Red algae Brown algae Green algae Coccolithophorids Dinoflagellates Diatoms Seagrass

Plankton Sampling

picoplankton nanplankton Plankton Size microplankton Picoplankton (.2-2 µm) Nanoplankton ( µm) Microplankton ( µm) Macroplankton (200-2,000 µm) Megaplankton (> 2,000 µm)

NO SUN…… Some species of bacteria and archaea Communities at hydrothermal vents 1.Conversion of Simple Carbon molecules (CO2 & Methane) into Carbs 2.By using the oxidation of inorganic molecules (hydrogen gas, hydrogen sulfide, or methane) as a source of energy. What lives here video

Comparison: Chemo vs Photo

Secchi Disc Used to measure light penetration Black and white disc

Secchi Disc Disc is lowered into water until no longer visible – depth recorded –Then slowly raised until seen again – depth recorded –Mean of these two depths = transparency of water certify/disk.phphttp:// certify/disk.php Turbidity = clarity

Productivity The rate of accumulation/production of biomass/energy –Biomass = the mass of living biological organisms in an ecosystem at a given time Measured in terms of energy capture per unit area (or per unit volume in aquatic ecosystems) per year Almost all ecosystems = green plants are primary producers –Refer to primary production in relation to plants Consumers depend directly or indirectly on the energy captured by primary producers Productivity of an ecosystem affects all trophic levels

Productivity When conditions are favorable for photosynthesis, the productivity of the ecosystem tends to be relatively high Example: tropical rain forests, algal beds and reefs

Oceanic photosynthetic productivity Controlling factors affecting photosynthetic productivity: –Availability of nutrients Nitrates Phosphates Iron –Amount of sunlight Varies daily and seasonally Sunlight strong enough to support photosynthesis occurs only to a depth of 100 meters (euphotic zone)

Locations of maximum photosynthetic productivity Coastlines –Abundant supply of nutrients from land –Water shallow enough for light to penetrate all the way to the sea floor Upwelling areas –Cool, nutrient-rich deep water is brought to the sunlit surface

Upwelling

Coastal upwelling

The electromagnetic spectrum and light penetration in seawater

Water color and life in the ocean Ocean color is influenced by: –The amount of turbidity (cloudiness) from runoff –The amount of photosynthetic pigment, which corresponds to the amount of productivity Yellow-green = highly productive water –Found in coastal and upwelling areas (eutrophic) Clear indigo blue = low productivity water –Found in the tropics and open ocean (oligotrophic)

Table 1. Average net primary production and biomass of aquatic habitats. Data from R.H. Whittaker and G.E. Likens, Human Ecol. 1: (1973). HabitatNet primary Production (g C/m 2 /yr) Coral Reefs2000 Kelp Bed1900 Estuaries1800 Seagrass Beds1000 Mangrove Swamp500 Lakes & streams500 Continental Shelf360 Upwelling250 Open ocean50

Productivity varies TEMPORALLY and SPATIALLY: generally highest over continental shelves; over the shelf itself it is highest just offshore seasonality more pronounced at high latitudes at mid latitudes, productivity peaks both spring and fall Observations from September 1997 through July 2005

Regional productivity Photosynthetic productivity varies due to: –Amount of sunlight –Availability of nutrients Thermocline (a layer of rapidly changing temperature) limits nutrient supply Examine three open ocean regions: 1.Polar oceans (>60° latitude) 2.Tropical oceans (<30° latitude) 3.Temperate oceans (30-60° latitude)

Productivity in tropical, temperate, and polar oceans Zooplankton

Productivity polar oceans

Productivity in tropical oceans

Productivity in temperate oceans

R=P

Primary Productivity Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) –The rate of production of organic matter from inorganic materials by autotrophic organisms Respiration (R) –The rate of consumption of organic matter (conversion to inorganic matter) by organisms. Net Primary Productivity (NPP) –The net rate of organic matter produced as a consequence of both GPP and R.

Primary Productivity NPP = GPP - R

Light & Dark Experiments Photosynthesis: light + 6CO 2 + 6H 2 O C 6 H 12 O 6 + 6O 2 Respiration: C 6 H 12 O 6 + 6O 2 zooplankton phytoplankton decomposition 6CO 2 + 6H 2 O

Calculating Primary Productivity (Light - Initial) = (10 - 8) = 2 mg/L/hr = (GPP - R) = NPP (Initial - Dark) = (8 - 5) = 3 mg/L/hr = Respiration (Light - Dark) = (10 - 5) = 5 mg/L/hr = (NPP + R) = GPP Assume that our incubation period was 1 hour. Measured oxygen concentrations: Initial bottle = 8 mg O 2 /L Light bottle = 10 mg O 2 /L Dark bottle = 5 mg O 2 /L

dark bottlelight bottle photosynthesis + respirationrespiration weight

Energy Losses Along Food Chains 3 reasons: –Respiration/heat –Waste/feces Excretion (feces) or egestion (from cells) –Some parts of organism not eaten Of total energy from Sun, only a small percentage is captured and used for synthesis (NOT ALL ENERGY BECOMES AVAILABLE AS NET PRODUCTION) –Reflected back from surfaces –Pass straight through a producer – not absorbed –Inefficiencies of photosynthesis –NPP = GPP – R

…the energy consumed by the herbivore include heat from 1.Respiration 2.Losses in urine and undigested plant material in feces 3.Growth

Energy Flow in a Food Chain

BIG reason why RARELY have more than 5 levels Energy losses between trophic levels “loss of heat energy” Insufficient energy available to transfer to more than 5 trophic levels

Efficiency of Energy transfer between trophic levels Net productivity of plants in a food chain is 36,000 kJ/m 2 per year Net production of herbivores is 1,700 kJ/m 2 per year Efficiency of transfer of energy from the producers to herbivores (1,700 / 36,000) x 100 = 4.72% Energy losses: heat from respiration, losses in urine, undigested plant material (fecal matter) Energy of production of herbivores represent total energy available to carnivores (next trophic level)

Example 3.5% Show work! [1 point]

Productivity can be measured as mass of carbon incorporated into biological molecules per unit area per unit time The primary productivity of the phytoplankton in this food web is 90 g of carbon per m2 per year. The efficiency of transfer between phytoplankton and herbivores is approximately 10%. Assuming that zooplankton and bottom-feeding herbivores eat equal quantities of phytoplankton, calculate the amount of carbon incorporated into zooplankton per m2 per year. Show your working g C m–2 year–1 [2] Answer: 90/10% = 9/2 = 4.5

Ecological Pyramids Graphical representation of food chain Producers at base –Horizontal bars represents successive trophic levels Width of bar proportional to numbers, biomass or energy –Impossible to have more energy in higher trophic levels

Ecological Pyramid

A pyramid of NUMBERS shows the relative number of organisms at each stage of a food chain. Sometimes a pyramid of numbers is not the best way to represent a food chain. A pyramid of BIOMASS shows the total mass of organisms at each stage of a food chain. all producers have a higher biomass than the primary consumer, so a pyramid will always be produced. The total energy (and biomass) present at a lower tier of the pyramid, must be greater than the higher tiers in order to support the energy requirements of the subsequent organisms.

It is possible to have inverted pyramids of numbers and biomass, but pyramids of energy are always the ‘right way up’ because it is impossible to have more energy in higher trophic level than in a lower trophic level.

Example Draw a pyramid of biomass for the following food chain: Phytoplankon  krill  fish  penguins  killer whales [2] Answer: pyramid with 5 levels; each level named; (trophic)

1 st trophic level 2nd2 nd, 3rd 3 rd, 4 th, 5 th 4 th, 5 th, 6th 4 th, 5 th, 6 th, 7th 4 th, 5 th, 6th 3 rd, 4 th, 5th 4 th, 5 th, 6 th 3 rd, 4th

1 st trophic level 2nd 3 rd, 4th 3rd 3 rd, 4th 3 rd, 4 th, 5th4 th, 5th

Practice: Net Productivity of plants in a food chain is 36,000 KJ per m2 per year Net production of herbivores is 1700 KJ per m2 per year Efficiency of energy transfer from the producers to the herbivores is… (1700 / 36000) x 100= 4.72%

Inquiry 1.Why is the open ocean a biological desert? 2.Where are the most productive regions located? 3.Describe productivity in temperate, polar and tropical water. 4.Why does the zooplankton lag behind the phytoplankton? 5.If you want to catch microplankton, what size mesh net do you need? 6.Why can’t plants grow below the compensation depth? 7.Why does eutrophication sometimes result in mass fish kills?