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The Biosphere
Ecology- the scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment.
The word ecology was first used in 1866 by Ernst Haeckel.
Biosphere- contains the combined portions of the planet in which all of life exists, including land, water, air, and atmosphere.
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February 16, 1834 – August 9, 1919
German biologist, naturalist, professor, and artist
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Interactions within the biosphere
produce a web of interdependence
between organisms and the
environments in which they live.
Organisms respond to their
environments and can change
their environments, producing an
ever-changing biosphere.
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Species- a group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring.
Populations- groups of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area.
Communities- assemblages of different populations that live together in a defined area.
Ecosystem- a collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place, together with their nonliving, or physical, environment (biotic and abiotic factors).
Biome- a group of ecosystems that have the same climate and similar dominant communities.
Biosphere- the highest level of organization that ecologists study.
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A biotic factor is any living part of
the environment with which an
organism might interact, including
animals, plants, mushrooms and
bacteria.
An abiotic factor is any nonliving
part of the environment, such as
sunlight, heat, precipitation,
humidity, wind or water currents, soil
type, etc.
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pond muck contains nonliving
particles, and also contains mold
and decomposing plant material that
serve as food for bacteria and fungi.
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Biosphere:
Species:
Population:
Community:
Part of Earth in which life exists, including land, water, and the atmosphere
a group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring.
groups of individuals that belong to the same species and live in the same area.
assemblages of different populations that live together in a defined area.
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Ecology:
Ecosystem:
Biome:
the scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment.
a collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place, together with their nonliving, or physical, environment
a group of ecosystems that have the same climate and similar dominant communities.
Biotic Factor:
Abiotic:
Any living part of the environment with which an organism might interact
Physical, or nonliving, factor that shapes an ecosystem
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Autotrophs- organisms that can capture energy from sunlight or energy from chemicals and use that energy to produce food.
Plants, algae, and certain bacteria are autotrophs, or primary producers.
Autotrophs turn inorganic compounds into organic ones.
Both types of autotrophs are important to the flow of energy through an ecosystem.
Photosynthesis- organisms that can harness solar energy and convert CO2 and H2O into a carbohydrate and oxygen.
Plankton, plants, and cyanobacteria make most of the Earth’s oxygen.
Chemosynthesis- when organisms use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates.
Certain bacteria that live in hot springs, and thermal vents perform chemosynthesis.
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Autotrophs are producers
Producers are autotrophs
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Heterotrophs- organisms that rely on other organisms for their energy and food supply.
Consumers- heterotrophs like animals, fungi, some protists, and many bacteria that cannot make their own food.
Heterotrophs are Consumers
Consumers are Heterotrophs
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Herbivores- consumers that feed on plants
Carnivores- heterotrophs that eats other heterotrophs.
Omnivores- eat both plant and animal materials
Detritivores- break down the complex compounds of dead or decaying plants and animals into simpler molecules that can be absorbed.
Decomposers- break down organic matter
Scavengers - animals that consume the carcasses of other animals that have been killed by predators or have died of other causes. The king vulture is a scavenger.
Detritus- non-living particulate organic material
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Herbivores- Cows, Caterpillars, Deer
Carnivores- Kill and eat other animals. Snakes, dogs, cats, lions, ect.
Omnivores- Humans, bears, pigs, ect.
Detritivores- Earthworms, mites, snails, crabs
Decomposers- Bacteria and fungi that break down organic matter
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Herbivores- consumers that feed on plants
Carnivores- heterotrophs that eats other heterotrophs
Omnivores- eat both plant and animal materials
Detritivores- break down the complex compounds of dead or decaying plants and animals into simpler molecules that can be absorbed.
Decomposers- break down organic matter
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Energy flows through an ecosystem in one direction, from the sun or inorganic compounds to autotrophs and then to various heterotrophs.
Food chain- a series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten.
B.1.44
Food web- when the feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem form a network of complex interactions.
Trophic level- each step in a food chain or food web .
Producers make up the first trophic level.
Consumers make up the upper layers, where each consumer depends on the trophic level below it for energy.
B.1.37 Explain that the amount of life any environment can support is limited by the available energy, water, …and that human activities and technology can change the flow and reduce fertility of land.
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Ecological pyramids- used by ecologists to model the amount of energy or matter in an ecosystem.
Three types of ecological pyramids: energy, biomass, and numbers.
Energy pyramid- shows the relative amount of energy available at each trophic level.
Organisms use about 10% of this energy for life processes. The rest is lost as heat.
There is no limit to the number of trophic levels, but due to the loss of energy, they are limited.
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Ecologists research using three basic approaches: observing, experimenting, and modeling.
Observing- often the first step, where a problem is noticed for the first time.
Experimenting- process where either an artificial set up is created to explain what is going on in the environment, or interactions are observed in their natural surroundings.
Modeling- created by ecologists to explain phenomena like pyramids and food webs.
Energy- the ability to do work Energy is needed to power life’s processes Sunlight is the main energy source for life on
Earth. Less than 1% of Sun’s energy is used by living
things. Some organisms rely on the energy stored in
inorganic chemical compounds, instead of the sun’s energy (ex. Mineral water that flows underground or boils out of hot springs and vents are loaded with energy.)
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Energy flows through an ecosystem in one direction, from the sun or inorganic compounds to autotrophs and then to various heterotrophs.
Food chain- a series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten.
In some aquatic food chains, primary producers are a mixture of floating algae called phytoplankton and attached algae.
These primary producers may be eaten by small fish. Larger fish will then eat these smaller fish.
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In oceanic food chains, most animals depend directly or indirectly on shrimplike animals called krill, which feed on marine algae.
Krill are one example of a diverse group of small, swimming animals called zooplankton.
Food web- when the feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem form a network of complex interactions.
Trophic level- each step in a food chain or food web .
Producers make up the first trophic level.
Consumers make up the upper layers, where each consumer depends on the trophic level below it for energy.
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Ecological pyramids- used by ecologists to model the amount of energy or matter in an ecosystem.
Three types of ecological pyramids: energy, biomass, and numbers.
Energy pyramid- shows the relative amount of energy available at each trophic level.
Organisms use about 10% of this energy for life processes. The rest is lost as heat.
There is no limit to the number of trophic levels, but due to the loss of energy, they are limited.
The more levels that exist between a producer and a top-level consumer in an ecosystem, the less energy that remains from the original amount.
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Pyramid of Biomass- The total amount of living tissue within a given trophic level.
Typically, the greatest biomass is at the base of the pyramid.
Biomass is usually expressed in terms of grams of organic matter per unit area.
Based on how many individual organisms there are at each level.
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Not all pyramids have a typical pyramid shape.
In a forest, there are more consumers than there are producers.
Pyramids may change over time due to population fluctuations and environmental factors.
Pyramids are used by ecologists to model phenomena that are occurring in the environment.
Unlike energy, matter can be recycled. Matter can not be created nor
destroyed. 95% of our bodies are made up of just
four elements: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen
In order for cells to take them in, these elements need to be in the correct chemical form.
B1.43 organisms are influenced by a particular combination of living and nonliving components of the environment.
Biotic factors
Abiotic factors
Sun Autotrophs Producers
Heterotrophs Consumers
ENERGY
MATTER
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Elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another through biogeochemical cycles.
Matter is cycled through the biosphere because biological systems do not use up matter, they transform it.
Matter is either assembled into living tissue, or passed out of the body as waste products.
(B.1.44)
infiltration
Root intake
B.1.44
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Precipitation- rain, sleet, snow, or hail that falls from clouds.
Condensation- process where water as a gas cools down and moves slower, and thus forms clouds.
Evaporation- process where water goes from a liquid to a gas.
Transpiration- process where water is released by plants in the morning, and it evaporates from the surface of leaves during the day.
Runoff- process where rain water, or melted snow carries things with it as it flows down the natural slope of a land into creeks, rivers, ponds, and lakes.
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Infiltration- process where water works its way into the ground.
Some types of soils have faster infiltration rates than others.
Ground water- water that has accumulated underground from infiltration
Root intake- process where water fills up an air space surrounding a root hair, and the water goes into the root hair by osmosis.
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Nutrients- all the chemical substances that an organism needs to sustain life.
Organisms need the building blocks of life to make new cells and tissues and to carry out life processes. B1.6
Nutrients are passed through an ecosystem via biogeochemicial cycles.
The carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, and phosphorous cycle are all very important.
Oxygen is a part of all of these cycles by combining and paired with different atoms.
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Carbon is one of the most important atoms for making organic compounds.
It is involved in photosynthesis and respiration.
It also is found in CaCO3 (calcium carbonate) that forms bones.
There are four main processes that move carbon through the cycle.
Biological processes: photosynthesis, respiration, and decomposition.
Geological processes: erosion and volcanic activity release CO2.
Chemical and physical processes: Chemical and physical processes include the formation of clouds and precipitation, the flow of running water, and the action of lightning.
Human activities: mining, cutting and burning forests, burning fossil fuels release CO2.
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Respiration Photosynthesis
Photosynthesis = CO2 + H2O C6H1206 + O2
Respiration = C6H12O6 + O2 CO2 + H2O
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All organisms require nitrogen to make amino acids, which make up proteins.
Nitrogen gas makes up about 78% of the atmosphere, but only certain bacteria can use it directly.
Nitrogen also found in forms of ammonia, nitrite ions, and nitrate ions.
Plants can absorb nitrates directly, but not ammonia, nor nitrites.
It is also found in many forms in oceans and other bodies of water.
Nitrogen fixation- process of converting nitrogen gas into ammonia.
Bacteria are key to converting ammonia, nitrites, and atmospheric nitrogen sources into nitrates, so they can be absorbed by plants.
Some plants like legumes have symbiotic relationships with bacteria in the nodules of their roots.
Denitrification- conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas.
Nitrogen is released back into the atmosphere again.
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It is essential because it forms part of important life-sustaining molecules such as DNA and RNA.
It is not very common in the biosphere.
It does not enter the atmosphere.
It remains mostly in rock and soil minerals, and in ocean sediments.
It is usually found in the form of phosphate.
Organic phosphate moves through the food web, and to the rest of the ecosystem.
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Primary productivity- the rate at which organic matter is created by producers.
One factor that affects primary productivity is the amount of available nutrients.
If a nutrient is short in supply, it will limit an organism’s growth.
Limiting nutrient- when an ecosystem is limited by a single nutrient that is scarce or cycles very slowly.
This is why farmers put fertilizers on their fields.
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Nitrogen is usually a limiting factor for oceans and phosphorous is for fresh water ecosystems.
Run offs can carry phosphorous from fertilizers in large amounts into fresh water ecosystems and cause algal blooms.
Too much algae atop a lake or pond can cut off oxygen levels and sunlight to organisms down below them.
the scientific study of interactions among organisms and between organisms and their environment.
Ecology
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contains the combined portions of the planet in which all of life exists, including land, water, air, and atmosphere.
Biosphere
a collection of all the organisms that live in a particular place, together with their nonliving, or physical, environment (biotic and abiotic factors).
Ecosystem
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a group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring.
Species
a group of ecosystems that have the same climate and similar dominant communities.
Biome
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Population groups of individuals that belong
to the same species and live in the same area.
Community assemblages of different
populations that live together in a defined area.
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Biotic Factor:
Abiotic:
Any living part of the environment with which an organism might interact
Physical, or nonliving, factor that shapes an ecosystem
Autotroph =
organisms that can capture energy from sunlight or energy from chemicals and use that energy to produce food.
Producer
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Heterotroph =
organisms that rely on other organisms for their energy and food supply.
Consumer
When organisms harness solar energy and convert CO2 and H2O into a carbohydrate and oxygen
Photosynthesis
When organisms use chemical energy to produce carbohydrates.
Chemosynthesis
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Herbivores- consumers that feed on plants
Carnivores- heterotrophs that eats other heterotrophs
Omnivores- eat both plant and animal materials
Detritivores- break down the complex compounds of dead or decaying plants and animals (detritus) into simpler molecules that can be absorbed.
Decomposers- break down organic matter into detritus
In some aquatic food chains, primary producers are a mixture of floating algae
phytoplankton
In oceanic food chains, most animals depend directly or indirectly on shrimplike animals called…
Krill
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Krill are one example of a diverse group of small, swimming animals called
Zooplankton
each step in a food chain or food web
Trophic Level
When the feeding relationships among the various organisms in an ecosystem form a network of complex interactions.
Food Webs
Used by ecologists to model the amount of energy or matter in an ecosystem.
Ecological Pyramid
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The total amount of living tissue within a given unit area
Biomass
Elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another through
Biogeochemical Cycles
all the chemical substances that an organism needs to sustain life.
Nutrients
conversion of nitrates into nitrogen gas.
Denitrification
Process of converting nitrogen gas into ammonia
Nitrogen Fixation
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