1. Table of Contents Energy Flow in Ecosystems Cycles of Matter
Biogeography
Biomes
Aquatic Ecosystems

2. Energy Roles
Recall that a self-sustaining ecosystem has four characteristics:
1. A constant source of energy (usually the sun)
2. Transfer of energy into organic compounds
(usually through photosynthesis)
3. Interactions between biotic factors
(predator/prey, mutualism, commensalism)
4. Cycling of materials (water cycle, nitrogen
cycle, oxygen/carbon dioxide cycle,
nutrient cycle)

3. Energy Roles
In order for these four factors to be met, organisms within an ecosystem must fit into one of three roles:
Decomposers
Producers
Consumers

4. Producers Producers —organisms that make (produce) their own food.
-Usually, producers use energy from the sun to turn water and carbon dioxide into sugar.
-This process is called photosynthesis.
-Producers include:
Plants
Algae
Cyanobacteria

5. Consumers
Consumers —organisms that get energy by feeding on other organisms. Three types:
Herbivores —eat only plants
Carnivores —eat only animals
Omnivores —eat both plants
and animals

6. Click the Video button to watch a movie about consumers.
- Energy Flow in Ecosystems
Consumers
Click the Video button to watch a movie about consumers.

7. Decomposers
Decomposers —break down wastes and dead organisms and return raw materials to the ecosystem.
Decomposers include mostly bacteria and fungi such as mushrooms.

8. Food Chains and Food Webs
To sustain any ecosystem, energy must be transferred through the many organisms that live in the ecosystem.
The movement of energy through an ecosystem can be shown in diagrams known as food chains and food webs.
Food chain —shows a series of events in which one organism eats another and obtains energy. Food chains always start with a producer. Each organism that follows is known as a first, second, and third level consumers etc. Food chains show just one path of energy. C3 C2 C1

9. Food Webs
Who is the only
C5 consumer?
Is there a
C7?
Food webs —show the many overlapping food chains in an ecosystem. In a food web, an organism can play more than one role.
Can you find this
food chain in the
food web?
Can you find an animal that is both a C2 and C3 consumer?

11. Food Chains and Food Webs
- Energy Flow in Ecosystems
Food Chains and Food Webs
The movement of energy though an ecosystem can be shown in diagrams called food chains and food webs.

12. Food chain/food web
Flip chart

13. Energy Pyramids
Energy Pyramids show the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another in a food web.
The most amount of energy is available at the producer level.
The amount of energy decreases at each level.

14. Only 10% of the energy available at one level is transferred to the next level.
The other 90% is used
by the organism or lost
to the environment in
the form of heat.
Therefore, each level
can support fewer
and fewer organisms.

15. Building Vocabulary - Energy Flow in Ecosystems
A definition states the meaning of a word or phrase by telling about its most important feature or function. After you read the section, reread the paragraphs that contain definitions of Key Terms. Use all the information you have learned to write a definition of each Key Term in your own words.
Key Terms:
Key Terms:
Examples:
energy pyramid
food web
producers
Examples:
food chain
consumer
herbivore
omnivore
carnivore
scavenger
An energy pyramid shows how much energy moves from one level to another in a food web, beginning with the producers.
In a food chain, a consumer could be an herbivore, an omnivore, or a carnivore, including a scavenger.
decomposer
Decomposers are nature’s recyclers.

16. Links on Food Chains and Food Webs
- Energy Flow in Ecosystems
Links on Food Chains and Food Webs
Click the SciLinks button for links on food chains and food webs.

17. End of Section: Energy Flow in Ecosystems

18. Cycles of Matter
Remember that one of the four characteristics of a self-sustaining ecosystem is the cycling of matter. This happens through three main processes:
The Water Cycle—the process by which water
moves from the Earth’s surface to the
atmosphere and back.
The Carbon/Oxygen Cycle—carbon dioxide
and oxygen are recycled through processes that
are linked together by producers and consumers.
The Nitrogen Cycle—nitrogen cycles from the
air, to the soil, into living things and back into the air.

19. The Water Cycle - Cycles of Matter
The processes of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation make up the water cycle.

20. Water Cycle Activity - Cycles of Matter
Click the Active Art button to open a browser window and access Active Art about the water cycle.

21. The Carbon and Oxygen Cycles
- Cycles of Matter
The Carbon and Oxygen Cycles
In ecosystems, the processes by which carbon and oxygen are recycled are linked. Producers, consumers, and decomposers play roles in recycling carbon and oxygen.
What do you notice about the amounts of carbon dioxide and oxygen in this diagram?

22. The Nitrogen Cycle - Cycles of Matter
In the nitrogen cycle, nitrogen moves from the air to the soil, into living things, and back into the air.

23. Precipitation runs off or becomes groundwater.
- Cycles of Matter
Sequencing
Sequence is the order in which a series of events occurs. As you read, make a cycle diagram that shows the water cycle. Write each event of the water cycle in a separate oval.
The Water Cycle
Water evaporates.
Precipitation runs off or becomes groundwater.
Clouds form.
Precipitation falls.

24. End of Section: Cycles of Matter

25. Biogeography Biogeography is the study of where organisms live.
From the Greek words:
Bio = life Geo = earth Graph = description
Biogeographers also try to figure out why they live there and how they got there.
One factor that affects how species are spread out on the Earth is Continental Drift —the movement of the continents on top of large continental plates of rock.

26. Continental Drift
225 million years ago = all continents were joined together in one large land mass called Pangea.
million years ago = Pangea broke into two large land masses known as Laurasia and Gondwanaland
135 million years ago = Laurasia and Gondwanaland begin to break apart into the seven continents seen today. They continue to drift apart every year.

27. Continental Drift - Biogeography
One factor that has affected how species are distributed is the motion of Earth’s continents.

28. Continental Drift Activity
- Biogeography
Continental Drift Activity
Click the Active Art button to open a browser window and access Active Art about continental drift.

29. Maps like this one (by Alfred Wegener, 1915) support the idea that the continents were once connected. They show how identical fossils of certain plants and animal that have been found on two sides of an ocean could have gotten there when the continents were joined.

30. Dispersal
Dispersal —the movement of organisms from one place to another. It is caused by:
Wind —disperses light weight organisms such as
seeds, spores, tiny insects or spiders
Water —disperses organisms that float such as
coconuts, leaves or animals floating on them
Other living things —many things are carried by other
living things to new places—either
accidentally or intentionally

31. Limits to Dispersal - Biogeography
The typical weather pattern in an area over a long period of time is the area’s climate.

32. Limits to Dispersal Three factors limit dispersal.
Physical barriers —water, mountains and deserts
can be hard to cross.
Competition —if one species out-compete
another, the other must move somewhere
else to survive.
Climate —only certain species can survive in certain
climates. This limits where they can disperse
to. Places with similar climates have species
that occupy similar niches.

33. Relating Cause and Effect
- Biogeography
Relating Cause and Effect
As you read, identify three causes of dispersal. Write the information in a graphic organizer like the one below.
Causes
Wind
Effect
Dispersal of species
Water
Living things, including humans

35. End of Section: Biogeography

36. Biomes Biome —a group of land ecosystems with similar
climates and organisms.
Biomes are determined by their climate: meaning their and precipitation amounts and temperature.
There are six major biomes in the world.
rainforest deciduous forest
desert boreal forest
grassland tundra

37. Land Biomes and their Climates
Biome Ave. Yearly Rainfall Ave. Yearly Temp.
Rainforest cm 25oC to 28oC
Deserts less than 25 cm 24oC to 40oC
Grasslands cm oC to 25oC
Deciduous
forest cm oC to 28oC
Boreal
forest cm oC to 14oC
Tundra less than 25 cm -25oC to 4oC

38. Biome Map Rainforest Deciduous Forest Boreal Forest Grasslands Desert
Tundra

39. Rain Forest Biomes: Two Types
Tropical rain forests are wet, warm biomes located near the equator. They support more than ½ of all plant and animal species on the Earth.

40. Tropical Rainforests Characteristics:
Warm all year with at least 200 cm of rain/year
Trees do not lose their leaves, creating a dense canopy that supports much of the animal life

41. Rain Forest Biomes - Biomes
Temperate rain forests receive 300 cm of rain and have moderate temperatures. They are located in northeast U.S.
Huge cedars, redwoods and firs grow there.

42. - Biomes
Desert Biomes
A desert is an area that receives less than 25 cm of rain per year. Not all deserts are hot. Some are hot in the day and cold at night (Sahara, Africa). Others are cold all the time (Gobi, Mongolia).

43. Grassland Biomes - Biomes
A grassland is an area that is populated mostly by grasses and other nonwoody plants. Grasslands close to the equator are called savannas. They have shrubs and trees along with grass. Most have fertile soil and grow good crops.

44. Deciduous Forest Biomes
Many of the trees in the deciduous forest are deciduous trees, which shed their leaves and grow new ones each year. A deciduous forest receives at least 50 cm of precipitation each year. Temperatures vary greatly through the year.

45. Click the Video button to watch a movie about deciduous forests.
- Biomes
Deciduous Forests
Click the Video button to watch a movie about deciduous forests.

46. Boreal Forest Biomes - Biomes
Most of the trees in the boreal forest are coniferous trees, trees that produce their seeds in cones and have leaves shaped like needles. Winters in the boreal forest are cold and very snowy, but summers are warm and rainy enough to melt all the snow. This biome is also know as the Taiga.

47. - Biomes
Tundra
The tundra is an extremely cold and dry biome. Most of the soil in the tundra is permafrost, which is frozen all year. Winters are long and cold with almost no daylight. Summers are short and cool with 24 hrs. of daylight.

48. Mountains and Ice - Biomes
Some areas of land are not part of any major biome. These areas include mountain ranges and land that is covered with thick sheets of ice.

49. Earth’s Biomes Activity
Click the Active Art button to open a browser window and access Active Art about Earth’s biomes.

50. Biome Climates - Biomes
An ecologist collected climate data from two locations. The graph shows the monthly average temperatures in the two locations. The total yearly precipitation in Location A is 250 cm. In Location B, the total yearly precipitation is 14 cm.

51. Biome Climates - Biomes Reading Graphs:
What variable is plotted on the horizontal axis? On the vertical axis?
Month is plotted on the horizontal axis; temperature is plotted on the vertical axis.

52. Biome Climates - Biomes Interpreting Data:
Look over the graph. How would you describe the temperature over the course of a year in Location A? In Location B?
Location A temperatures are steady; Location B temperatures fluctuate.

53. Biome Climates - Biomes Drawing Conclusions:
Given the precipitation and temperature data for these locations, in which biome would you expect each to be located? Explain your answers.
Location A: tropical rain forest
Location B: desert

54. Biome Climates - Biomes Predicting:
What would you expect a temperature graph for your biome to look like? Draw a temperature graph for the biome in which you live.
Answers will vary but should reflect whether local climate is hot or cold, seasonal or steady.

55. Comparing and Contrasting
- Biomes
Comparing and Contrasting
As you read, compare and contrast the different biomes by completing a table like the one below.
Tropical Rain Forest
Temperate Rain Forest
Character-istic
Deciduous Forest
Boreal Forest
Tundra
Desert
Grassland
Cool winters, warm in summer
Usually hot with great daily extremes
Temps vary throughout the year
Warm in summer, cold in winter
Warm to cool in summer, cold in winter
Tempera-ture
Warm all year
Cold all year
Mostly dry with a wet season
Abundant rain and snow
Precipit-ation
Rather wet all year
Moderate rainfall
Wet all year
Dry all year
Dry all year
Typical organisms
Gamble’s quail
Orangutan
Mosses
Mule deer
Grasses
Red fox
Lynx

56. End of Section: Biomes

57. Aquatic Ecosystems
Water covers 75% of Earth’s surface. There are two basic types of aquatic ecosystems:
Freshwater
Marine (saltwater)

58. Freshwater Ecosystems
Freshwater ecosystems can be divided into two major groups:
Running water ecosystems —streams and rivers.
Still water ecosystems —lakes and ponds.

59. Running Water Ecosystems
The amount of dissolved oxygen determines what organisms live in these ecosystems.
Fast-moving streams or rivers are usually cool and therefore have a lot of dissolved oxygen. Little plankton is available so dead leaves and insect larva are important sources of food.
Fish such as trout are common.
Fast-moving stream

60. Running Water Ecosystems
In slow-moving streams or rivers, plankton is the base of the food-chain. Catfish and bass are common.
Slow-moving stream

61. Still Water Ecosystems
Lakes and ponds make-up the still-water biomes.
Algae and plankton are abundant and support the other animal life.

62. Marine Ecosystems - Aquatic Ecosystems
The ocean is home to a number of different ecosystems. Factors such as water temperature and the amount of sunlight determine what types of organisms can live in each zone.

63. Marine Ecosystems - Aquatic Ecosystems Open Ocean Zone—
Surface receives most
sunlight: tuna, whales,
algae.
Deep Zone —little light
passes: giant squid,
glow in the dark animals
Intertidal zone --Area between high-tide line and low-tide line. Barnacles, sea stars, crabs, clams etc.
Neritic Zone – Area extending to the end of the continental
shelf. Large schools of fish, algae, coral reef habitats

64. Outlining - Aquatic Ecosystems
As you read, make an outline about the different types of aquatic ecosystems. Use the red headings for the main ideas and the blue headings for the supporting ideas.
Freshwater Ecosystems
Streams and Rivers
Ponds and Lakes
Marine Ecosystems
Intertidal Zone
Neritic Zone
Open Ocean

65. End of Section: Aquatic Ecosystems

66. Graphic Organizer Nitrogen Cycle Free nitrogen is present in air.
Bacteria release some free nitrogen back into the air.
Bacteria in root nodules fix free nitrogen into compounds.
Nitrogen Cycle
Decomposers break down wastes and remains of organisms.
Consumers obtain nitrogen by eating plants.