1 / 23

Interactions & Ecosystems

Interactions & Ecosystems. Cycles in the Environment. The Cycle of Life . Everything and everyone is cycled back into the environment What is the life cycle of a dead tree?. The Carbon Cycle. Plankton, microscopic plants, animals, etc … what do they have in common?

greg
Download Presentation

Interactions & Ecosystems

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Interactions & Ecosystems Cycles in the Environment

  2. The Cycle of Life • Everything and everyone is cycled back into the environment • What is the life cycle of a dead tree?

  3. The Carbon Cycle • Plankton, microscopic plants, animals, etc … what do they have in common? • They are all made carbon! • What is carbon?

  4. Carbon • It is an element on the periodic table • Can you spot it?

  5. Carbon • It is an element on the periodic table • Can you spot it? • Considered the building block of life by many • Why? • Found in DNA • Required for photosynthesis • Required for cellular respiration • Key factor in fossil fuels

  6. Back to the Carbon Cycle • As carbon is a major component of life it is cycled through the environment • Over time, and great pressure, decomposing plankton, plants, etcetera do what? • Turn into fossil fuels! • They still have carbon! • Enter the Carbon Cycle

  7. The process in which carbon is used and reused through environment! The Carbon Cycle

  8. The Water Cycle • What do we know about water? • All living things require water! • Did you know …

  9. The Water Cycle • So what is the water cycle? • The continuous movement of water through an ecosystem! • There are 4 main processes … • First two processes • Water into atmosphere • Evaporation & Transpiration • Second two processes • Water back to Earth • Condensation & Precipitation

  10. Water Cycle Key Terms

  11. Pollution & Environment • Pollution • When a substance is added to the environment at such a fast rate that it cannot be broken down storedor recycled • Pollutants • Substances that cause pollution • What are some examples of pollutants?

  12. Pollution & Environment • Acid Rain • What is it? • What caused it? • When we burn fossil fuels nitrogen and phosphorus are released as waste • As they are released they mix with water vapour • This causes the water vapour to be acidic • We have acid rain • What can this cause/do to ecosystem?

  13. Pollution & Environment

  14. Movement of Pollutants • Many different pollutants moving through the environment constantly • Examples… • PCBs (old paint/packaging material) • Mercury (mining, thermometers, disposed as waste) • DDT (pesticide from the 40s-60s) • The question is how do they get around?

  15. Bioaccumulation • They move from level to level in the food web • Stored essentially like food energy is • Classic example: Mercury in fish …

  16. Interactions & Ecosystems Succession and Change in Ecosystems

  17. Succession • The gradual process by which some species replace other species is called succession • Primary Succession • The gradual growth of organisms in an area as they become established and grow. They change the conditions of the area but it can take hundreds or even thousands of years to occur. • Secondary Succesion • The growth of organisms over a long period of time, which happens after a disaster. The area was formerly home to different species.

  18. Species & Adaptations • When we cleared out land for human resources (farms, roads, etc …) we did not do good for everyone  • Song birds: Warbler & Vireos were affected • How? • They did not adapt very well while another bird, Brown-Headed Cowbird, thrived • How? • The BHC laid its eggs in the other birds nest because it needed space and loves open spaces • They hatch and push the other birds/eggs out • Bye bye birdy!

  19. Species & Adaptations Cont … • What are adaptations you may have noticed? • Hint: What is this? • Coyotes! • They are being forced from their environments because … • We are taking it over • We are taking over the areas their prey live in • This forces them to live closer to humans • This is dangerous!

  20. Pest Control • Using pesticides is not good • Why? • Aside from potential bioaccumulation …? • It kills other species in the area! • What is the pest we are killing the most, inadvertently, which is causing problems for us?

  21. Biological Controls • This is the addition of a new species to eliminate an unwanted species • Cassidy’s Example: • You have a gorilla problem • You introduce a herd of T-Rexs • They eat the gorillas • No more gorilla problem

  22. Introduce Species • Introducing a new species to a new environment • Tons of research goes into this before it is done to weight the pros & cons • Famous examples of accidentally/intentionally introduce species? • Starlings • Purple Loosetrife

  23. Species in Danger • Being extinct = no longer existing • Most common reasons? • Loss of habitat • Hunted • Introduced species • The Canadian List of Endangered Species

More Related