Chapter 5 How Ecosystems Work. Energy from the sun enters an ecosystem when a plant uses sunlight...
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Transcript of Chapter 5 How Ecosystems Work. Energy from the sun enters an ecosystem when a plant uses sunlight...
Chapter 5How Ecosystems Work
Energy from the sun enters an ecosystem when a plant uses sunlight to make sugar molecules
Energy Flow
This process in which sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water are used by plants, algae and bacteria to make carbohydrates, oxygen, and water
6CO2 + 12H2O C6H12O6 + 6O2 + 6H2O
Photosynthesis
Organisms use carbohydrates to carry out daily activities such as movement, growth, and reproduction
Energy Flow
Organisms that makes its own food
Also known as: Autotrophs- are at the base of
the food chain Ex. Plants, algae, and some bacteria
Producer
Organisms that get their energy from eating other organisms
Also known as: Heterotrophs
Consumers
Also known as herbivores; these organisms eat autotrophsEx. Insects, fish, rabbits, cows
Primary Consumers
Known as carnivores; these organisms eat herbivoresEx. Chameleon, fish, rats
Secondary Consumers
a carnivore which eats a carnivore which eats a herbivoreEx. Snake, fish, seal
Tertiary Consumer
eat tertiary consumers; have no natural enemies
Hawks and a shark
Quaternary Consumer
eat both plant and animal (primary consumers and secondary consumers) Ex. Bears, pigs, and humans
Omnivore
Decomposers eat dead plants and animals to help break down complex compounds into simpler ones.
fungi, bacteria,
Decomposers
By a process called cellular respiration
C6H12O6 + 6O2 = 6CO2 + 6H2O + energy (ATP)
-during cellular respiration cells absorb oxygen and use it to release energy from food occurs within the mitochondria of the cell
*So how do organisms use the energy they get?
A way to visualize this loss of energy from one trophic level is through an:
energy pyramid- with the lowest trophic level on the bottom (pg. 131)
Energy Transfer
Also visualize the transfer of energy through food chains and food webs
also helps us determine which organisms in an ecosystem depend on other organisms to survive
Energy Transfer
a sequence in which energy is transferred from one organism to the next as each organism eats another
Food Chain
shows many feeding relationships that are possible in an ecosystem
Food Web
Decreased amount of energy at each trophic level results in fewer organisms at the higher trophic levels and also limits the number of trophic levels
Only 10% of the energy is available at each level
Energy loss
3 Main Cycles
Carbon Cycle Nitrogen Cycle Phosphorus Cycle
Cycling of Materials
Essential for proteins fats and carbohydrates Carbon enters ecosystem by way of plants; convert
carbon dioxide into carbohydrates Consumers eat the producers and get carbon from
the carbohydrates Some of the carbon is then released back into the
air as carbon dioxide Cycle (pg. 132)
Carbon Cycle
Needed to build proteins 78% of gases in atmosphere Must be altered or fixed from the atmosphere Nitrogen-fixing bacteria accomplish this task Excess nitrogen is released into the soil Animals get nitrogen by eating plants Cycle (pg. 134)
Nitrogen Cycle
Needed for bones and teeth Plants get it from soil and water; absorb through
roots Animals get it by eating plants or from herbivores Added to soil and water by decomposition Some washes off the land into the ocean Some comes from the erosion of rocks Some from fertilizers Cycle (pg. 135)
Phosphorus Cycle
A gradual process of change and replacement of the types of species in a community
can take hundreds or thousands of years
each new community that arises often makes it harder for the previous community to survive or the new community will not survive at all
Ecological Succession
Succession that occurs on a surface where no ecosystem has existed before; such as on rocks, cliffs, newly formed islands, sand dunes,
occurs in areas where there is no soil
Primary Succession
Occurs on a surface where an ecosystem has previously existed
occurs in ecosystems that have been disturbed by humans, animals, or by natural processes (fires, volcano’s, etc.)
occurs faster than primary succession
Secondary Succession
Plants that will colonize the area and begin the process of ecological succession
make the new area habitable for other species
Pioneer Species
Over time, pioneer species and other species will continue to grow and inhabit the disturbed ecosystem
Eventually it will form a final and stable community:
Climax community
Succession
Occurs when farmland is abandoned First pioneer species take over (grasses and
weeds) taller grasses and perennial plants grow in the
area (eventually killing the pioneer plants) over time the taller plants are taken over by
taller growing trees Finally, the land returns to the community that
existed before the farmers cleared it for farmland
Old Field Succession