1 Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Week of Oct. 6 Week of Oct. 13 No labs – Fall Break Week of Oct. 20 Wet, muddy outdoor lab – wear closed-toed shoes Week of Oct. 27 Independent project set-up Class in Library Multimedia Room

2 Outline for ecosystems Introduction How does energy move through an ecosystem? How does matter move through an ecosystem?

3 Matter = elements e.g., what are ways that a carbon atom moves from one compartment of an ecosystem to another? How fast do carbon atoms move from one compartment to another?

4 Organisms move elements through chemical transformations organic C inorganic C

5 Figure 7.1 inorganic organic

6 Figure 7.2

7 How does matter move through an ecosystem? Cycles between inorganic and organic forms and between different compartments of ecosystems Difference between matter and energy movement?

8 Figure 7.3

9 Cycles of matter water carbon nitrogen phosphorus sulfur Focus on important pools and transfers

10 Figure 7.4 Water cycle

11 Figure 7.5 Carbon cycle C cycle

12 Figure 7.6 Biological transformations of carbon

13 Fig N cycle

14 Figure 7.11b e.g., proteins inorganic forms used by plants Biological transformations of nitrogen

15 Figure 7.13 P cycle

16 Figure 7.14a S cycle

17 Figure 7.14b Biological transformations of sulfur

18 What do I expect you to know about element cycles? - which forms are available to bacteria, plants, and animals -which transfers are changes in form of the element - which transfers are biological transfers vs. chemical or physical transfers

19 How does matter move through an ecosystem? Nutrient recycling in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems

20 Nutrient recycling in terrestrial systems - where is it happening?

21 Nutrient recycling in terrestrial systems - new weathering of bedrock provides small amount of nutrients taken up by vegetation each year (~10%) - how do we know that?

22 -mass balance -inputs = outputs -weathering + precipitation =loss in streams measure calculate by difference

23 Organic matter decomposition 1.Leaching of soluble compounds by water 2.Consumption by detritus-feeding orgs. -e.g., earthworms, millipedes, etc. 3.Breakdown of rest by fungi and bacteria - how do they decompose? What factors affect rate of decomposition?

24 Effect of rainfall on rate of leaf decomposition

25 Litter/living leaf Soil P/plant P Soil N/plant N %of total org C Tropical Temperate Which column is larger?

26 Land use affects phosphorus retention in a system

27

28 Nitrogen fixation can increase nitrogen avail. Litter quality (nitrogen content) of different tree species

29 Mychorrhizae increase nutrient content of plants Fig. 8.7