1. BIOSPHERE

2. BIOSPHERE Portion of Earth that contains and supports life
Homeostasis – internal regulation
Organization – structure containing one or more cells
Metabolism – transformation of energy
Growth – physical development in size, structure, function
Adaptation – ability to adjust to environment over time
Stimuli-Response – a physical reaction to a stimulus
Reproduction – ability to produce a new organism
Includes both the organisms and their environment

3. BIOSPHERE - CELLS Cell – basic “unit” of all living organisms
Unicellular – single celled organism, bacteria
Multicellular – multiple cells, plants- animals-fungi
Prokaryotic – lacks a membrane-bound nucleus and organelles, simple
Eukaryotic – contains membrane-bound nucleus and organelles, complex

4. BIOSPHERE - ORGANIZATION
Biosphere – all of Earth’s ecosystems
Ecosystem – community of organisms interacting with each other and the environment
Community – complex network of different organisms
Population – group of related organisms
Organism – individual living body

5. BIOSPHERE – ENVIRONMENTS
Biosphere is separated into large environments or ecosystem types called biomes.
Biome – large group of ecosystems that share a similar environment and climate
Ecosystem – the interaction between organisms and their environment
Environment – the living and nonliving components of an organism’s surroundings

6. BIOSPHERE - ENVIRONMENT
Biomes, environments, and ecosystems are comprised of both biotic and abiotic factors
Biotic – living organisms
Abiotic – nonliving components

7. BIOSPHERE - BIOMES Aquatic Biomes Terrestrial Biomes Marine Estuary
Fresh
Terrestrial Biomes
Tundra
Taiga / Boreal
Desert
Grassland
Temperate
Tropical

10. BIOSPHERE - BIOMES Tundra Polar Climate
Treeless land with little sunlight
Permafrost – frozen soil horizons
Grasses and brush with shallow root systems
Weasels, Artic Fox, Snow Hares, Penguins, Polar Bears

11. BIOSPHERE - BIOMES Taiga / Boreal Continental Climate
Pines, Furs, and Spruce evergreen trees
Warmer and more precipitation than tundra
Elk, Reindeer, Moose, Bears, Hares

12. BIOSPHERE - BIOMES Desert Arid / Dry Climate Little to no vegetation
Low precipitation is major limiting factor
Cacti, Tumbleweeds, Brush – C4 type plants (specialized for dry climates)
Coyotes, Hawks, Snakes, Lizards, Insects

13. BIOSPHERE - BIOMES Grasslands Drier Climates, no forests
Large communities of grasses and similar plants supported by fertile soil
Ideal for grain crops; wheat, oats, rye, barley
Bison, Deer, Prairie Dogs, Rabbits, Reptiles, Insects

14. BIOSPHERE - BIOMES Temperate Forest Mild / Temperate Climate
Average precipitation and deciduous trees (broad-leaf seasonal)
Bears, Deer, Rabbits, Squirrels, Rodents, Birds, Reptiles, Insects, Amphibians

15. BIOSPHERE - BIOMES Tropical Rainforest Tropical Climate, constant
Warm and high precipitation
Heavy vegetation; bamboo, orchids, carnivorous plants
Highest terrestrial BIODIVERSITY
Apes, Monkeys, Birds, Jaguars, Tigers, Reptiles, Rodents, Insects, Amphibians

16. BIOSPHERE – NUTRIENT CYCLES
Biogeochemical Cycles aka “nutrient cycles” – natural cyclic process involving the abiotic and biotic transfer of nutrients
Water
Carbon
Nitrogen
Phosphorous
Sulfur
Rock
Soil
Energy

18. BIOSPHERE - ECOLOGY AUTOTROPHIC – self feeding
Producer – produce usable forms of chemical energy from another source.
Photosynthesis – make sugars and O2 from CO2, water, and sunlight***
Chemosynthesis – make sugars from chemical sources, Hydrothermal vents

19. BIOSPHERE - ECOLOGY HETEROTROPHIC
Consumers – obtain an usable form of chemical energy from another organism
Herbivore – plant based diet
Carnivore – animal based diet
Omnivore – both plant and animal
Decomposer – breakdown dead organisms to obtain food

20. BIOSPHERE - ECOLOGY
Food Chain – series of organism in which each organism consumes the preceding one
Food Web – complex network of interlocking food chains
Trophic Pyramid – a structure representation of the transfer of nutrients and energy through a community

21. Food Chain Hawk (tertiary consumer) ^ Snake (secondary consumer) ^ Rat (primary consumer) ^ Cacti (primary producer)

22. Trophic Pyramid

23. BIOSPHERE - BIODIVERSITY
Biodiversity – the variety or number of different species in a given area
Measured by the total number of different species in a community, ecosystem, biome, globally.
Tropical Rain Forests and Marine Coral Reefs have the greatest level of biodiversity

27. BIOSPHERE - BIODIVERSITY
Why is biodiversity important?
More species = more competition and need to succeed
Creates a more STABLE community, specialization
Helps protect communities from catastrophic events (local extinction)
Genetic variety
Increases available biotic resources for anthropogenic needs

29. BIOSPHERE - BIODIVERSITY
Threats to biodiversity
Habitat Loss – clear cutting, deforestation, complete destruction of the living area
Without habitats organisms are vulnerable
Habitat degradation – damage to or decrease in the quality of the living area
Increase in pollution, decrease in available nutrients, erosion, fires
Habitat fragmentation – breaking living area into smaller discontinuous pieces
Smaller fragments support smaller communities, less diversity, vulnerable
Exotic / Invasive species – NONnative species that has no natural predator/competition
Species can out compete or out “grow” native species, Kudzu

31. BIOSPHERE - BIODIVERSITY
Healthy Ecosystem
Maintain a variety of species, biodiversity
Populations do not exceed the carrying capacity
Carrying capacity – the total number of individuals that an ecosystem / environment can support
Healthy and successful indicator species
Indicator species – a species that is sensitive to environmental changes, amphibians or lichen
Abundance of healthy keystone species
Keystone species – a species that serves as a food source, population regulator, or unique function for a food web or ecosystem.

35. BIOSPHERE – PROTECTING BIODIVERSITY
Legal Protection
U.S. Endangered Species Act – illegal to harm, sell, abuse, or remove any species on the endangered or threatened list
Preserving Habitats
Nature Preserves, Wildlife Sanctuaries, National Parks
Conservation
World Wildlife Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency, Fish and Wildlife
Education
Zoos, Environmental Centers, Public Messages, You

36. BIOSPHERE – FUTURE OF BIODIVERSITY
Sustainability – the capacity to endure or survive, balanced ecosystem.
Nature balances consumption with productivity
Ecological factors regulate the success of organisms
Humans currently are unsustainable
We use and consume goods faster than nature can produce or replace them
The Earth cannot sustain the current rate of consumption