1. Ecology: The Biosphere
Mrs. Yanac

2. Origin of the word…”Ecology”
Greek origin
Oikos = household/home
Logos = study of
“Study of household/home”
Real meaning
Study of organisms & their environment or surroundings

3. Levels of Organization

4. Levels of Organizations
“Ida, please come eat baked beans”

6. What is the Biosphere? All the life on the planet PLUS
the land (lithosphere)
the water (hydrosphere)
the air (atmosphere)

7. Biotic vs Abiotic Factors
Biotic (Living)
Plants
Animals
Fungi
Microorganisms

8. Abiotic Factors
Light
Water
Wind
Soil
Heat
Atmosphere

9. Energy Flow Sunlight is the main energy source for all life on Earth
Producers (AUTOTROPHS)
Green plants & Photosynthetic organisms
Consumers (HETEROTROPHS)
Herbivores & Carnivores
Decomposers (HETEROTROPHS)
Fungi & Bacteria

10. Photosynthesis
Autotrophs (plants & some microorganisms) use light to make food
These producers are found at the beginning of the food chain

11. Food Chains
Shows a one-way flow of energy

12. Food Webs
Links or connects ALL the food chains in an ecosystem together.

13. Another Food Web

14. Trophic Levels Producers Primary Consumers Secondary Consumers
Get energy from the sun or chemicals
Primary Consumers
Consumes producers
Secondary Consumers
Consumes primary consumers
Tertiary Consumers
Consumes Secondary/Primary Consumers

15. Rule of 10
Only 10% of the energy is passed on to the next trophic level
The remaining 90% of energy is lost as heat

16. Biomass pyramid

17. Pyramid of numbers

18. Recycling in the Biosphere
All major components of life are neither created nor destroyed, they are just recycled.
Water – all living things need water to survive
Carbon – key component of living tissue
Nitrogen – used to make amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins
Phosphorous – essential to living organisms because it forms part of DNA & RNA

19. The water cycle

20. The carbon cycle

21. The nitrogen cycle

22. The phosphorous cycle

23. Limiting Nutrient
A chemical needed for growth that is either missing or only available in a small amount
Algae needs both phosphorous and nitrogen to grow
if one of these is limited the algae can not continue to grow
If one of these is abundant the algae will grow until resources are used up
Algal blooms  deplete oxygen levels in water & toxic to aquatic life

24. Algal Blooms

25. Recap What are the levels of organization in the biosphere?
What are the trophic levels found in a food chain?
What are ABIOTIC factors in the environment? BIOTIC factors?
Where does all energy flow begin?
How much energy is transferred to the next trophic level?
What is a limiting nutrient?

26. The End