1. Ecosystems: What Are They and How Do They Work?
Chapter 3
Ecosystems: What Are They and How Do They Work?

2. The Earth’s Life-Support Systems
Atmosphere
Vegetation and animals
Soil
Rock
Biosphere
Crust
core
Mantle
Lithosphere
(crust, top of upper mantle)
Hydrosphere
(water)
(air)
(Living and dead
organisms)
(soil and rock)
Atmosphere
Hydrosphere
geosphere
Biosphere
Fig. 3-6

3. Species=A group of sexually reproducing organisms
Species=A group of sexually reproducing organisms. Set of individuals that can mate and produce fertile offspring.
Genetic diversity

4. Ecological and Species Diversity
Habitat?

5. Some Levels of Organization of Matter in Nature
3-3

6. Population, community, ecosystem?

7. Science Focus: Have You Thanked the Insects Today?
Many plant species depend on insects for pollination.
Insect can control other pest insects by eating them
Figure 3-1

8. Ecosystem Boundaries: Ecotones
Land zone
Transition zone
Aquatic zone
Number
of species
Species in land zone
Species in aquatic zone
Species in transition
zone only
Ecotone- transition area. Examples swamp/wetlands between dry land and ocean.

9. Go to chp. 7 rainforest animation

10. The Biotic Components of Ecosystems
Producers (autotrophs)
Heat
Abiotic chemicals
(carbon dioxide,
oxygen, nitrogen,
minerals)
Producers
(plants)
Decomposers
(bacteria, fungus)
Consumers
(herbivores,
Carnivores,omnivores)
Solar
energy
Photosynthesis
Consumers (heterotrophs)
Photosynthesis- co2+water+sun and produce o2 and growth.
Producers- plants- make their own food. From photosysnthesis
Consumer- Consume other organisms.
Aerobic respiration
Decomposers
Fig. 3.12

11. Producers: Basic Source of All Food
Most producers capture sunlight to produce carbohydrates by photosynthesis:

12. Aerobic and Anaerobic Respiration: Getting Energy for Survival
Organisms break down carbohydrates and other organic compounds in their cells to obtain the energy they need.
This is usually done through aerobic respiration.
The opposite of photosynthesis

13. Connections: Food Chains and Energy Flow in Ecosystems
Sequence of organisms-each is a food for the next.
Ecological efficiency=10%
Loss?
Fig. 3-13

14. Food web Fig 3-14 Several different food chains. Overlapping feeding.
Humans
Food
web
Blue whale
Sperm whale
Killer
whale
Elephant
seal
Crabeater seal
Leopard
seal
Emperor
penguin
Adélie
penguins
Petrel
Fig 3-14
Squid
Several different food chains. Overlapping feeding.
Fish
Carnivorous plankton
Herbivorous
zooplankton
Krill
Phytoplankton

15. and unavailable to consumers Respiration
Sun
Photosynthesis
Energy lost
and unavailable to consumers
Respiration
Gross primary production
Net primary production (energy available to consumers)
Figure 3.21
Natural capital: distinction between gross primary productivity and net primary productivity. A plant uses some of its gross primary productivity to survive through respiration. The remaining energy is available to consumers.
Growth and reproduction

16. What are nature’s three most productive and three least productive systems?
Figure 3-16

17. Principles of Ecological Factors
Abiotic factors
Law of tolerance
Biotic factors
Limiting factors
Population size
Low
High
Temperature
Zone of
intolerance
physiological stress
Optimum range No
organisms
Few
Lower limit
of tolerance
Abundance of organisms
Upper limit
Minimum and maximum ranges that species can survive.
Law of tolerance existence, abundance, and distribution of a species in a ecosystem are determined by factors that can be tolerated by the species.
Limiting factors can be a variety of things. Food, water, soil nutrients
Abiotic- non living- water, nutrients, minerals.
Fig. 3-10

18. Greenhouse Effect-natural
Solar
radiation
Energy in = Energy out
Reflected by
atmosphere (34% )
Radiated by
atmosphere as heat (66%)
UV radiation
Lower Stratosphere
(ozone layer)
Absorbed
by ozone
Troposphere
Greenhouse
effect
Visible
Light
Figure 3.8
Solar capital: flow of energy to and from the earth.
Heat
Absorbed
by the earth
Heat radiated
by the earth
Fig. 3-8,

19. Hydrologic (Water) Cycle
Clearing vegetation
Use large amounts of water
Fig. 3-17

20. The Carbon Cycle (Terrestrial)
Atmosphere
(mainly carbon dioxide)
volcanic action
combustion of wood (for clearing land; or for fuel
Terrestrial
rocks
photosynthesis
aerobic respiration
sedimentation
weathering
Land food webs
producers, consumers, decomposers, detritivores
Soil water
(dissolved carbon)
Global warming- carbon dioxide
Peat,
fossil fuels
death, burial, compaction over geologic time
leaching runoff
Interactivity- #11
Fig. 3-18

21. The Carbon Cycle (Aquatic)
diffusion between atmosphere and ocean
combustion of fossil fuels
Carbon dioxide
dissolved in
ocean water
photosynthesis
aerobic respiration
Marine food webs
producers, consumers, decomposers, detritivores
incorporation into sediments
death, sedimentation
uplifting over geologic time
sedimentation
Marine sediments, including
formations with fossil fuels
Fig. 3.18

22. The Sulfur Cycle 3-22 Coal and industry sources
Acid Rain: Makes plants and animals vulnerable to drought and pests.
3-22

23. Mid-latitude Grasslands Tropical Savanna Grasslands
Biomes-Large ecological regions with characteristic types of natural vegetation and distinctive animals. Most important factor influence: climate
Desert
Tundra
Deciduous Forest
Coniferous Forest
Tropical Rainforest
Mid-latitude Grasslands
Tropical Savanna Grasslands
Chaparrel or Mediterranean Sclerophyllous Woodland

24. Information on biomes
Chapter 7 has maps( shows you where your biomes are located Fig 7-8 and discusses biomes.
The web- Search for pictures and more information
Goodwill magazines- Redondo and Anaheim
Poster board one per group and other supplies- Target or bookstore. Scissors, glue, markers, poster board.
Worth 25 points. –15 points poster, 10 points notes on other biomes Extra credit available

25. The Earth’s Major Biomes
7-8

27. Broad-winged
hawk
Hairy
Woodpecker
Gray
Squirrel
White oak
White-footed
mouse
Metallic
wood-boring
beetle and
Larvae
White-tailed
deer
Mountain
Winterberry
Shagbark hickory
May beetle
Racer
Long-tailed
weasel
Fungi
Bacteria
Wood frog
Producer
to primary
consumer
Primary
to secondary
consumer
Secondary to
higher-level
consumer
All producers and
consumers to
decomposers
Chp. 7

29. Evelyn Hutchinson
The Earth’s thin film of living matter is sustained by grand scale cycles of energy and chemical elements
End chapter 3