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Energy and Nutrient Transfer in Ecosystems

Learn about photosynthesis, cellular respiration, food chains, food webs, and the cycling of materials in ecosystems. Explore the role of producers, consumers, and decomposers in energy transfer. Discover the impacts of energy loss and the importance of the water, nitrogen, and carbon cycles.

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Energy and Nutrient Transfer in Ecosystems

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  1. Photosynthesis

  2. Chlorophyll • The cells in leaves contain chlorophyll • Traps energy from the sun to produce energy-rich sugar molecules--carbohydrates 6CO2 + 6H2O + solar energy = C6H12O6 + 6O2

  3. Energy & Nutrient Transfer

  4. Producer • Organism that makes its own food • Also called autorophs

  5. Consumer • Organism that get their energy by eating other organisms. • Also called heterotrophs

  6. Decomposers • Organisms that feeds by breaking down organic matter from dead organisms • Examples: bacteria and fungi

  7. Exception to the Rule • Deep-Ocean Ecosystems --Tube worms depend on bacteria that live inside them to survive. The bacteria uses energy from Hydrogen Sulfide to make their own food chemosynthesis

  8. Chemosynthesis

  9. Life Depends on the Sun • Organisms use energy to move, grow and reproduce

  10. Grizzly Bears Omnivore—eats both meat & plants Can eat up to 1.5% of their body weight in one day when eating salmon and 33% of body weight when eating fruits & vegetation. • How many pounds of salmon can a 200lb grizzly bear eat in one day? 15% of 200 = 30lbs • How many pounds of fruits and vegetation can the same bear eat in one day? 33% of 200 = 66 lbs

  11. Cellular Respiration Breaking down of food to yield energy using the O2 you breath in C6H12O6 + 6O2 = 6CO2 + 6H20 + energy

  12. Excess Energy • Stored as Fat or Sugar

  13. Energy Transfer • Food Chains, Food Webs, Trophic Levels

  14. Food Chain • Sequence in which energy is transferred from one organism to the next as each organism eats another organism

  15. Food Web • Feeding Relationships that are possible in an ecosystem

  16. Who Eats Who-Energy Transfer

  17. Food Chain – Food Web

  18. Trophic Level • Each step in the transfer of energy through a food chain or web in an ecosystem

  19. 5 tertiary consumers secondary consumers 5000 primary consumers 500,000 producers 5,000,000 producers 5,000,000 Trophic Levels

  20. Food Pyramid

  21. energy lost energy transferred Energy Pyramid

  22. tertiary consumers 75 g/m2 150g/m2 secondary consumers primary consumers 675g/m2 2000g/m2 2000g/m2 producers producers Biomass—total dry mass of organisms in an area

  23. Energy Loss Affects • 1. decrease amount of energy impacts each trophic level • 2. Loss limits the number of trophic levels; rarely have 4 or 5 levels since so much energy is needed to support

  24. Trophic Cascade • Indirect interaction between predators and the resources consumed by the predator’s prey

  25. Biosphere

  26. Cycling of Materials • Materials in an ecosystem are constantly reused in an endless cycle

  27. Erosion • Water erosion by rivers and oceans dramatically changes the Earth’s surface • Wind erosion blows away top soil and erodes soft rocks, such as sandstone.

  28. Nitrogen 78% • Oxygen 20% • Argon 0.9% • CO2 0.04% • Water Vapor 1%

  29. Atmospheric Circulations Source: Wikipedia

  30. Earth’s Energy Balance Earth’s overall average equilibrium temperature changes only slightly from year to year. A balance exists between incoming solar energy (shortwave radiation) and outgoing energy from Earth to space (longwave radiation). Source: Ahrens, C. D., 2008: Essentials of Meteorology, An Invitation to the Atmosphere (5th Edition)

  31. Without greenhouse gases, the average surface temperature of the Earth would be –18° C No greenhouse gases (only permanent gases) The current atmosphere (with greenhouse gases) Source: Ahrens, C. D., 2008: Essentials of Meteorology, An Invitation to the Atmosphere (5th Edition) 33° C difference

  32. The World’s Water • 97% Salt Water • 2.5 % Frozen Fresh Water • .5% Usable Fresh Water

  33. The Water Cycle

  34. Water Cycle

  35. Ocean circulation Source: NOAA

  36. Source: Wikipedia

  37. Nitrogen & Carbon Cycle

  38. Carbon is the Building Block CO2 in air Combustion Respiration photosynthesis respiration photosynthesis Decomposition of organisms CO2 dissolved in water Fossil fuels

  39. Terrestrial Ecosystems are an… • Integral part of global carbon system • Plants take in and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis • Below ground microbes decompose organic matter and release organic carbon back into the atmosphere www.bom.gov.au/.../ change/gallery/9.shtml Cycle shows how nature’s sources of CO2 are self regulating – that which is released will be used again – Anthropogenic carbon not part of natures cycle – is in excess

  40. Nitrogen Cycle Movement of Nitrogen between atmosphere, bacteria and other organisms

  41. nitrogen cycle mostly takes place underground Nitrogen in atmosphere plant Nitrogen fixing in roots nitrates Nitrifying bacteria decomposers nitrites ammonia Nitrogen fixing bacteria

  42. Phosphorus Cycle Movement of phosphorus from the environment to organisms and back

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