1. ECOSYSTEMS: COMPONENTS, ENERGY FLOW & MATTER CYCLING
CHAPTER 4

2. ECOLOGY
Study of the relationships between organisms and their environment
How organisms interact with their nonliving environment such as sunlight, temperature, moisture, nutrients, etc.
KEY WORK IS: INTERACT - Connections in Nature

3. What is an organism? What make up organisms?
Cell - basic unit of life of all organisms

4. Organisms are either: EUCARYOTIC - PROCARYOTIC -
SURROUNDED BY A MEMBRANE
HAVE A DISTINCT NUCLEUS
HAVE INTERNAL ORGANELLES
All organisms except bacteria.
PROCARYOTIC -
SURROUNDED BY A MEMBRANE
NO DISTINCT NUCLEUS
NO INTERNAL PARTS SURROUNDED BY MEMBRANES
Bacteria

5. What is the difference between sexual and asexual reproduction?
What is a SPECIES?
How do species differ?
What is the difference between sexual and asexual reproduction?
Number of species on earth is not known
5 million to 100 million maybe
Wild species - found in natural habitat
Domestic species - have been taken and therefore play a smaller role.
Species - group of organisms that interbreed and produce fertile offspring
Asexual reproduction - cell divides to produce two new cells, etc
Sexual - combine sex cells or gametes (egg and sperm) and organism gets genetic material from both parents.

6. Population
A group of organisms of the same species in a given area at a given time
Can vary with:
Season
Time of day
Time of year
Density = number of organisms/area
What is genetic diversity?

7. What is habitat?
Where an organism lives

8. What is a Community?
Populations of all species in a particular place at a particular time.

9. What is an Ecosystem?
Community of different species interacting with one another and with their nonliving environments.
Ecosystems can be small or large.
What is the Biosphere?

10. lithosphere
Atmosphere
hydrosphere
Make up the Biosphere

11. What makes up the Atmosphere?
Troposphere miles up - contains our air.
What are the major gases that make up the air we breathe?
Stratosphere miles up - lowest portion contains the ozone layer
What is the purpose of the ozone layer?

12. What is the Hydrosphere?
Liquid water - surface and underground
Ice
Water vapor in the atmosphere

14. Interior of earth: Core - mostly iron, some nickel
Center solid surrounded by a liquid core of molten material
Mantle - mainly iron with some Si, O,& Mg
Mostly solid rock except for asthenosphere which flows like plastic.
Crust - thinnest zone - 98% of it is only 8 elements

15. Life is sustained by:
One -way flow of energy - from sun through plants to animals - then back into space
Cycling of matter or nutrients
Gravity - allows planet to hold its atmosphere.
Earth is a closed system - receives energy from sun but loses no matter into space
Nutrients are recycled

16. Organisms are open systems - exchange matter and energy between the system and the environment.
Take in matter and energy - use it to stay alive and put waste back into the environment.

17. How does the sun sustain life?
Lights & warms the planet
Supplies energy for photosynthesis
Powers cycling of matter
Drives the climate and weather systems

18. Facts about the sun Middle- aged star
Takes 8 minutes for light to get to the earth
Most of light to earth is ultraviolet
About 28% of its light is reflected back into space by clouds, dust, and land
72% warms air and land, evaporates water, generates winds,
Only about .023% is used by plants for photosynthesis

19. Nutrient cycles
Nutrient - any atom, ion or molecule an organism needs to live
Macronutrients are needed in large amounts - CHONPS and a few others
Micronutrients - needed in small or trace amounts.
Also called Biogeochemical cycles. - life - earth - chemical cycles.
Driven by the sun
Main ones are hydrologic, nitrogen,carbon, phosphorus, and sulfur.

20. Ecosystem Concepts
Biomes - large regions characterized by climate and life-forms - especially vegetation
Climate - long term weather - mainly temperature and precipitation.
Aquatic life zones - freshwater & marine
Lakes & streams
Estuaries, coastlines, coral reefs, & deep ocean.

21. Ecosystem concepts Ecotone - a region where two ecosystems meet.
Has more species diversity than either adjacent ecosystem.
Biotic - living components - plants and animals
Abiotic - nonliving components - water, nutrients, air, solar energy, etc.

22. Range of Tolerance
Ability to survive within variations of a physical or chemical environment
Individuals within a population may have differing ranges of tolerance
Tolerance limits - beyond which no member of a species is able to survive

23. Abundance of organisms
Range of Tolerance
Population Size
Low
High
Temperature
Zone of
intolerance
physiological stress
Optimum range No
organisms
Few
Lower limit
of tolerance
Abundance of organisms
Upper limit

24. Limiting Factors
Any one factor that is responsible for regulating population growth
Light, water
In aquatic ecosystems
D.O.
Sunlight
Temperature

25. What is photosynthesis?
The producers (plants) also called autotrophs take carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight and produce glucose and oxygen.
Chemosynthesis in the ocean uses heat energy from the thermal vents to convert dissolved hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide into organic nutrient molecules.

26. What is trophic level?
The feeding level of the organism.

27. Plants are
__________________
They are the
__________________in an ecosystem.
They occupy the
_______________
Trophic level.

28. Cows are __________________ which are ________________
Consumers. They occupy the ______________
Trophic level.

29. Lions are
__________________
They are
_____________
Consumers.
They occupy the
___________trophic level.

30. Pigs are _______
Which means they eat
______and ______;

31. Sharks are ______
Which means they eat
__________

32. What are DETRITIVORES? What are decomposers?
What are detritus feeders?

33. What is AEROBIC RESPIRATION?
Uses _____ + ______ and release _____ ,_______ ______, and _______

34. What is AEROBIC RESPIRATION?
Uses glucose + oxygen and release carbon dioxide, water, and energy.
All organisms carry on respiration!!!

35. What is Anaerobic Respiration?
Also called fermentation.
Does not use free oxygen
The end produces are compounds such as methane gas, ethyl alcohol, acetic acid, and hydrogen sulfide.