1. Succession, Nutrient Cycles & Pollution
Compare primary and secondary succession.
How are matter and nutrients recycled through an ecosystem?

2. Succession – the predictable changes that an environment goes through as its being established or redeveloping
Competition for light influences the stages of succession.

3. Primary Succession -

4. Stages of Primary Succession:
Pioneer species – Lichens
Mosses & Ferns
Grasses
Shrubs & small softwood trees
Large hardwood trees (climax community)

5. Secondary Succession -

6. Keystone species – critical to homeostasis ex
Keystone species – critical to homeostasis ex. Top predators (sharks, mountain lions), hummingbirds -pollinators
Climax community – stable ecosystem in equilibrium or steady state
Other Vocab

7. Nutrient Cycles
Matter and Nutrients are recycled through an ecosystem.
Energy, however, is replenished by the sun.

8. Turn and Talk
Why are the Carbon Cycle, the Water Cycle and the Nitrogen Cycle so important to humans? (hint: biomolecules and cell transport)

9. Water Cycle Water occurs on Earth as a solid, liquid, and gas.
PrecipitationAccumulationEvaporationCondensation

10. Water Cycle

11. Carbon Cycle Carbon is found in ALL living things- Organic Molecules
Photosynthesis, Cellular Respiration, pollution are major components

13. Nitrogen Cycle Nitrogen makes up almost 78% of air.
Every living organism needs nitrogen to make proteins & nucleic acids
Nitrogen fixation caused by lightning & bacteria

15. Nitrogen Fixation N2 in the air is unusable
Nitrogen Fixation- bacteria living on roots of legumes (bean family) convert N2 to NH3 “Fixed” Nitrogen
NH3 “Fixed” Nitrogen is then passed from consumer to consumer along the food chain
The nitrogen is then “reused”

17. Eutrophication of a lake

18. Algal bloom leads to dead zones.
Causes: fertilizer runoff, wastes in water, increased water temp.

19. Nutrient Cycling Stations

20. Toxic Chemicals
Nonbiodegradable materials CANNOT be broken down in nature, remain in environment
Ex. Glass, plastic, Styrofoam, DDT
Biological magnification concentration of harmful nonbiodegradable substance increases as it moves up food chain

21. Biomagnification of DDT Video

22. Biological magnification
Fish-Eating Birds
Magnification of
DDT Concentration
10,000,000
100,000
10,000
1,000,000 1
1000
Large
Fish
Small Fish
Zooplankton
Producers
Water
Biological magnification

23. 2 main causes of pollution
Increase in human population
Demand for better lifestyle

24. Endangered Species Organisms threatened with extinction
Caused by hunting, disease, pollution, habitat destruction
Ex. Sea turtles, Ivory-billed woodpecker

25. Ten Animals that May Go Extinct Video