Date post: | 29-Dec-2015 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | brian-banks |
View: | 217 times |
Download: | 2 times |
General Structure of the Earth
•The Earth is an integrated system that consists of rock, air, water, and living things that all interact with each other.
•Scientists divided this system into four parts:
1. Atmosphere2. Hydrosphere3. Geosphere4. Biosphere
Parts of the earth's air, water, and soil where life is found
Biosphere
Smallest unit of a chemical element that exhibits its chemical properties
Ecosystem
Community
Population
Organism
A community of different species interacting with one another and with theirnonliving environment of matter and energy; ABIOTIC with BIOTIC
Populations of different species living in a particular place, and potentially interacting with each other
A group of individuals of the same species living in a particular place; specific geographical area and interbreed.
Cell
An individual living being
The fundamental structural and functional unit of life
Molecule
Atom
Chemical combination of two or more atoms of the same or different elements
Lithosphere- The Earth’s layers
These layers of material get progressively denser as you move toward the center of the Earth.
The lithosphere is the Earth’s crust and upper mantle; contains our nonrenewable fossil fuels and minerals.
Atmosphere
•The atmosphere is the mixture of gases that makes up the air we breathe
•Mostly found in the first 30 km above the Earth’s surface. (19 miles) - TROPOSPHERE
Hydrosphere
The hydrosphere makes up all of the water on or near the Earth’s surface
Much of this water is in the oceans, which cover nearly ¾ of the globe.
However, water is also found in the atmosphere, on land, and in the soil.
BiosphereThe biosphere is the part of the Earth where life exists; a thin layer at the Earth’s surface that extends from about 9 km (5.5 miles) above the Earth’s surface down to the bottom of the ocean.
The biosphere is therefore made up of parts of the lithosphere, the atmosphere, and the hydrosphere.
3 Factors that Sustain Life on Earth
• Solar energy –one way flow
• Cycling of crucial elements
• Gravity.
Solar energy flowing through the biosphere warms the atmosphere, evaporates and recycles water, generates winds and supports plant growth.
Greenhouse effect• warming of the surface and lower atmosphere of Earth • occurs when carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other
gases in the air absorb and reradiated infrared radiation.
• Without the greenhouse effect, the Earth would be too cold for life to exist.
• The gases in the atmosphere that trap and radiate heat are called greenhouse gases.
• The most abundant greenhouse gases are:–water vapor–carbon dioxide–Methane–nitrous oxide
How greenhouse gases lead to global warming: "An Inconvenient Truth", Al Gore
BIOMES
• Biomes are major areas where interactions between abiotic & biotic factors occur.
• They are groups of similar ecosystems characterized by:– precipitation– temperature ranges– soil properties– plant communities– animal communities.
Abiotic Factors • Non-living
• Soil• Temperature • Rainfall• Photosynthesis
• Net primary productivity
Biotic Factors • Living
• Succession • Biomass• Biodiversity • Trophic levels, food
chains, webs• Habitats and niches
Tropical Rainforest• Canopy: dense covering of tree tops• Understory: 2nd story of shorter trees and vines
under the canopy• Fern Gully/Medicine Man
Tropical Savannah• In the tropics• Wet/dry season• Less rainfall than trop. Dry forest• Think “Lion King”
Desert
• Around 25-35o Latitude N and S • Plants and animal adaptations
– Spines, waxy cuticles, scales• Think “The Mummy” and “The Sahara”
Temperate Deciduous Forest• Mix of coniferous and deciduous trees• Humus (HUE-Mus) material formed from decaying
leaves….very fertile!!!• Forests with leaves that change colors• Think fairy tale forest “Snow White” and “Sleeping
Beauty”
Tundra• Permafrost: layer of
permanently frozen subsoil • “Ice Age”
Other interesting ecosystems…
• Mountain Ranges– On all continents– Abiotic and biotic factors change with ELAVATION (as u
go up)• Therefore plants and animals change VERTICALLY• Grassland at base woodland/pines
spruce/conifer forest tundra like open area at summit with wildflowers
• Polar Ice Caps– Border the Tundra– Cold year round– Characterized by ice and snow– Plants and algae are few but include Mosses and
Lichens– North Pole
• Sea ice and ice cap that covers Greenland• Polar bears, seals, insects and mites
– South Pole• 5 km thick layer of ice• Penguins and marine mammals
Energy Flow through the Biophere
• Closed systems are systems that cannot exchange matter or energy with its surroundings.
• Open systems are systems that can exchange both matter and energy with its surroundings.
• Today, the Earth is essentially a CLOSED system with respect to matter, but an OPEN system for energy as energy travels from plant to animal which is eaten by other animals. In the process, some energy is lost as heat to the environment.
Energy Flow in Ecosystems- From Producers to Consumers
• Some producers get their energy directly from the sun by absorbing it and converting it to a food source.
• Consumers get their energy indirectly by eating producers or other consumers.
• Organisms break down carbohydrates and other organic compounds in their cells to obtain the energy they need, usually through aerobic respiration.
Organisms can be classified by what they eat.
Types of Consumers:• Herbivores• Carnivores• Omnivores• Decomposers- consumers that return nutrients from organic
wastes back to the environment • ex: bacteria & Fungi
• Detritivores-feed on the waste or dead bodies of other organisms • ex: caterpillars/ vultures
• Each time an organism eats another organism, an energy transfer occurs.
• This transfer of energy can be traced by studying food chains, food webs, and trophic levels.
Food Chain• A food chain is a sequence
in which energy is transferred from one organism to the next as each organism eats another organism.
• A food web shows many feeding relationships that are possible in an ecosystem.
Trophic levels• Each time energy is transferred, some of the energy
is lost as heat.• Therefore, less energy is available to organisms at
higher trophic levels.
Trophic Levels/ BiomassMore living organisms at the base of the pyramid = more biomass
Showing energy loss from 1 trophic level to the next- grass stores 1,000 times more energy than the hawk at the top level.
Primary Productivity of Ecosystems
• Gross primary production (GPP) – Rate at which an
ecosystem’s producers convert solar energy into chemical energy as biomass; the rate is crucial
Net Primary Production (NPP)
NPP = GPP - respiration [by plants]– Rate at which producers use
photosynthesis to store energy minus the rate at which they use some of this energy through respiration (R).
• Net primary production takes into account plant cellular respiration.
BIODIVERSITY• An important RENEWABLE resource
4 major kinds:– Genetic biodiversity- a variety of genetic material within a species or
population– Species Diversity- the variety among the species or distinct types of
living organisms found in different habitats of the planet– Ecological Diversity- the variety of different biomes around the world;
all biological communities– Functional Diversity- biological and chemical processes or functions
such as energy flow and matter cycling needed for the survival of species and biological communities
SOIL• Soil formation greatly depends on the climate, and soils from
different biomes show distinctive characteristics.
• Temperature and moisture affect weathering and leaching. Wind moves sand and other particles, especially in arid regions where there is little plant cover. The type and amount of precipitation influence soil formation by affecting the movement of ions and particles through the soil, aiding in the development of different soil profiles.
Habitat vs. NicheNiche - the role a species plays in a community (job)
Habitat- the place in which an organism lives out its life (address)
• Series of predictable changes that occur in a community over time– Physical environment– Natural disturbance– Human disturbance
• Pioneer species– Any of the first species to move into a
devastated area• Climax community
– Fairly stable community that marks the end of succession
Ecological Succession
Primary Succession• Succession on land that occurs on
surfaces where no soil exists – Volcanic eruptions– Glaciers melting
Secondary Succession• Succession following a disturbance that
destroys a community without destroying the soil
• Natural – hurricane– fires
• Human disturbances– Farming– Forest clearing– Pollution (oil spills)
Fig. 5-16, p. 116
Time
Exposedrocks
Lichens andmosses
Small herbsand shrubs
Heath mat
Jack pine,black spruce,and aspen
Balsam fir,paper birch, andwhite spruceforest community
Primary Succession
Fig. 5-17, p. 117
Time
Annualweeds
Perennialweeds andgrasses
Shrubs andsmall pineseedlings
Young pine forestwith developing understory of oak and hickory trees
Mature oak and hickory forest
Secondary Succession
HYDROLOGIC CYCLE• Natural renewal of water quality: 3 major processes
– Evaporation– Precipitation– Transpiration
• Alteration of the hydrologic cycle by humans– Withdrawal of large amounts of freshwater at rates faster
than nature can replace it– Clearing vegetation leads to increased runoff– Increased flooding when wetlands are drained
Fig. 3-17, p. 66
Transpirationfrom plants
Evaporationfrom land
Precipitationto land
Precipitationto ocean
Evaporationfrom ocean
Condensation Condensation
Infiltrationand percolationinto aquifer
Surfacerunoff
Surface runoffRunoff
Globalwarming
Reduced recharge ofaquifers and floodingfrom covering land withcrops and buildings
Aquiferdepletion fromoverpumping
Increasedfloodingfrom wetlanddestruction
Pointsourcepollution
Groundwatermovement (slow)
Lakes andreservoirs
Ice andsnow
Ocean
Processes
Processes affected by humans
Reservoir
Pathway affected by humans
Natural pathway
HYDROLOGIC CYCLE
Carbon Cycle• Depends on Photosynthesis and Respiration• Link between photosynthesis in producers and
respiration in producers, consumers, and decomposers
• Alteration of the carbon cycle by humans Additional CO2 added to the atmosphere– Tree clearing– Burning of fossil fuels- energy and transportation
Fig. 3-18, p. 68
Pathway affected by humans
Diffusion
Transportation
Deforestation
Respiration
Respiration
Decomposition
Forest fires
Compaction
Burningfossil fuels
Photosynthesis
Animals(consumers)
Plants(producers)
Marine food websProducers, consumers,decomposers
Carbonin plants
(producers)
Carbonin fossil fuels
Carbon dioxidedissolved in ocean
Carbonin limestone ordolomite sediments
Carbonin animals
(consumers)
Processes
Reservoir
Natural pathway
Carbon dioxidein atmosphere
CARBON CYCLE
Nitrogen Cycle• Bacteria in action• Alteration of the nitrogen cycle by humans
Additional NO and N2O – Burning fuels– Destruction of forest, grasslands, and wetlands– Add excess nitrates to bodies of water– Remove nitrogen from topsoil
Fig. 3-19, p. 69
Decomposition
Nitrogenloss to deepocean sediments
Nitrogenin atmosphere
Nitrogenin oceansediments Ammonia
in soil
Nitratein soil
Nitrogenin plants
(producers)
Nitrogenin animals
(consumers)Volcanicactivity
ElectricalstormsNitrogen oxides
from burning fueland using inorganicfertilizers
Nitratesfrom fertilizer
runoff anddecomposition
Nitrificationby bacteria
Denitrificationby bacteria
Uptake by plants
Bacteria
NITROGEN CYCLE
Phosphorus Cycle• Cycles through water, the earth’s crust, and living
organisms
• May be limiting factor for plant growth
• Alteration of the phosphorous cycle by humans – Clearing forests– Mining and human wastes– Removing large amounts of phosphate from the earth to
make fertilizers
Fig. 3-21, p. 71
Processes
Reservoir
Pathway affected by humans
Natural pathway
Phosphatesin mining waste
Phosphatesin sewage
Animals(consumers)
Bacteria
Plants(producers)
Phosphatesin fertilizer
Phosphatedissolved inwater
Phosphatein shallowocean sediments Phosphate
in deep oceansediments
Oceanfood webs
Phosphatein rock(fossil bones,guano)
Seabirds
Platetectonics
Erosion
Runoff
Runoff Runoff
PHOSPHORUS CYCLE
Sulfur Cycle• Sulfur found in organisms, ocean sediments, soil,
rocks, and fossil fuels
• SO2 in the atmosphere• DMS (Dimethyl Sulfide)- produced by marine algae• Sulfuric acid = acid rain; H2SO4 and SO4
-
Alteration of the sulfur cycle by humans Burn sulfur-containing coal and oil
– Refine sulfur-containing petroleum– Convert sulfur-containing metallic mineral ores
Fig. 3-22, p. 72
Processes
Reservoir
Pathway affected by humans
Natural pathway
Dimethylsulfide
a bacteriabyproduct
Sulfurin oceansediments
Sulfurin soil, rock
and fossil fuels
Sulfurin plants
(producers)
Sulfurin animals
(consumers)
Sulfur dioxidein atmosphere
DecayDecay
Uptakeby plants
Mining andextraction
Sulfuric acidand Sulfate
deposited asacid rain
Smelting Burningcoal
Refiningfossil fuels
Sulfur Cycle