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Ecology Podcast 1 – AP Bio. Ecosystem Basics and Nutrient Cycling. Make sure you know basic vocab/concepts…. Organism > population > community > ecosystem > biome > biosphere Biotic/Abiotic Habitat Niche Autotroph/heterotroph Photoautotroph/chemoautotroph
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Ecology Podcast 1 –AP Bio Ecosystem Basics and Nutrient Cycling
Make sure you know basic vocab/concepts… • Organism > population > community > ecosystem > biome > biosphere • Biotic/Abiotic • Habitat • Niche • Autotroph/heterotroph • Photoautotroph/chemoautotroph • At the end of this podcast, please click on the 2 videos in the playlist that will show great footage of ecosystems based on chemoautotrophism
Movement of Nutrients and Energy in Ecosystems • Nutrients CYCLE • Physical molecules; the actual stuff; the building blocks • Used over and over again • BIOGEOCHEMICAL (Nutrient) CYCLES • Carbon Cycle • Nitrogen Cycle • Water Cycle • Phosphorus Cycle • Energy FLOWS • “The ability to do work”; Not matter; Not stuff; • Passes once through the ecosystem and then gone • Well…not gone, but useless to living things…
Movement of Nutrients and Energy in Ecosystems biosphere Nutrients… • N • P • C • H2O constant inputof energy energy flowsthrough nutrients cycle Energy • Ultimate source? • SUN inputs • energy • nutrients
Carbon Cycle CO2
The Nitrogen Cycle NO3- and NO2- NH3
Water Cycle Solar energy Transpiration Water vapor Evaporation Precipitation Oceans Runoff Lakes Percolation in soil Aquifer Groundwater
Transpiration Water moves from roots to shoots Transpiration = Water Loss through the Leaves of a plant Transpiration = Has many important Effects on water flow and Nutrient cycling in an ecosystem
Effects of deforestation 40% increase in runoff • loss of water • 60x loss in nitrogen • 10x loss in calcium loss into surface water nitrate levels in runoff 80 40 loss out of ecosystem! Concentration of nitrate (mg/l ) 4 Deforestation 2 0 1965 1966 1967 1968 Year
Nutrients as Limiting Factors • Nutrient availability is an important factor that determines productivity • Can you have too much of a good thing? • Dead zone / hypoxic zone • Caused by eutrophication • Excess nutrients leading to algal blooms > decay by bacteria > oxygen depletion