The Biosphere Fun

Interactions and Interdependence  Ecology: The scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment, or surroundings.

Natures’ Houses and Levels of Organization  Natures “houses” come in many sizes from single celled to the entire planet.  The largest of these “houses” is called the Biosphere: Contains all life on earth including land, water, air, and the atmosphere. –Interactions in the biosphere produce a web of relationships between the environment and organisms living there.

Levels of Organization  An Individual: One single organism living on it’s own. –A deer  A Population: A group of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area. –A herd of deer.  A Community: An assembly of different populations that live together in the same area. –A herd of deer, rabbits, raccoons, birds, and cheetahs.

Levels of Organization Continued  An Ecosystem: A collection of all the organisms that live in one place, and all of the non-living things that make up their environment. –For example a herd of deer, rabbits, raccoons, birds, and cheetahs all living at the base of a mountain range with a stream flowing nearby.

Levels of Organization Continued  All of the ecosystems put together that are similar in climate and have similar communities make up a Biome: A group of ecosystems with the same climate and similar dominant communities. –For example North America.  In Review: The Biosphere is the largest level and is made up by the entire planet.

Cycles of Matter (Ch. 3, Section 3)  Although Energy is critical to sustain life organisms also need water, minerals, and life sustaining compounds. –In order to acquire these things they must be in a chemical form. On earth there are 3 main cycles that process these resources into chemical form:  1. The Water Cycle  2. The Nitrogen Cycle  3. The Carbon Cycle

The Nitrogen Cycle

A Step by Step Break Down of the Nitrogen Cycle!!!

The Water Cycle Precipitation Condensation Evaporation Transpiration Runoff Seepage Root Uptake

A Step by Step Break Down of the Water Cycle!!!  1. It rains and water falls to the ground on earth. This process is called Precipitation.  2. Runoff: occurs when the water that is not absorbed into the ground runs into streams, lakes, oceans, and rivers.  3. Seepage: The process in which water that is absorbed into the ground slowly over time leaks back into the ground water below the soil level.  4. Plants then take up the water from the soil in a process known as Root Uptake.

A Step by Step Break Down of the Water Cycle!!!  5. Then Evaporation occurs and water is heated by the sun causing it to go from a liquid state into an atmospheric gas.  6. At the same time Transpiration: the process in which water evaporates form the leaves of plants and becomes and atmospheric gas is occurring in all plant life on earth.  7. Finally all of the water in the atmosphere Condenses in the clouds and when the pressure build up too high the process of Precipitation occurs again starting the water Cycle over.