Ecosystem Ecology

1. Ecosystem Ecology Community (biotic factors) interacts with abiotic factors

2. Abiotic Factors that the community interacts with • Energy it is needed by organisms to do the processes to keep alive Forms: light, chemical, heat Type of energy used by living things: • Chemical elements carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous, oxygen They are what organisms are made of (matter) Type of matter that organisms are made of: Remember the law of matter and energy!

3. Energy is stored as chemical energy. 2 Sugar Oxygen Oxygen Electromagnetic energy in sunlight Cellular respiration releases chemical energy from sugar molecules. Photosynthesis captures electromagnetic energy from sunlight. Released chemical energy is made available for other metabolic processes. Carbon dioxide and Water

4. These processes allow for the movement of energy and chemicals in an ecosystem

5. Is this a food web or a food chain?

6. Trophic structure: The different feeding relationships in an ecosystem What trophic level are you if you eat an apple? What trophic level are you if you eat a steak?

8. Sun Key Chemical cyclingEnergy flow Lossofheat Movement of energy through the ecosystem Primary producers Primaryconsumers Detritus Microorganismsand otherdetritivores Secondary and tertiaryconsumers Is the movement of energy and matter(chemicals) linked? What is happening to the energy at each level? What is happening to the chemicals at each level? Does energy and chemicals move in the same way?

9. Energy flow and trophic levels

10. Amount of energy and Trophic structure What happens to the energy at each trophic level? Which energy is available to the next trophic level? Energy available to all the consumers and decomposers in an ecosystem comes from the energy in the producers

11. The higher the trophic level a species is at, the less available energy that it has from the original energy stored as photosynthesis Implication: Animals at higher trophic levels require more vegetation to provide for their food than animals at lower trophic levels Energy pyramid shows the available energy to the next trophic level

12. Which of the following statements about energy flow are true? A. Energy spent on cellular respiration is available to higher trophic levels. B. Energy used in the production of offspring is available to higher trophic levels. C. Energy contained in feces is available to higher trophic levels. D. If the lowest trophic level of an ecosystem--the primary producers--contains 12,000 calories per square meter, it is reasonable to expect the secondary consumer level to contain about 120 calories per square meter. E. Autotrophs typically capture about 90% of the available energy from the sun through photosynthesis.

13. Meat eaters vs. Plant eaters 3,000 lbs of corn and soybeans is capable of supporting ONE person if converted to beef, however, the same amount of soybeans and corn utilized directly without converting to beef will support 22 people! If the world population ate like in the US,  ONLY less than ½ of the population could be fed. If the world population ate strict vegetarian diets  we could feed 1 billion MORE than present

15. As biomass is consumed through food chain The amount of biomass is reduced But The amount of toxic does not (due to accumulation) RESULT: The concentration of the toxic increases Having a greater impact on top predators What happens to these toxics in the food chain? Biological Magnification or Biomagnification: accumulation of toxics in tissues of consumers in food chains

17. CO2 in atmosphere Photosynthesis Photo- synthesis Cellular respiration Burning of fossil fuels and wood Phyto- plankton Consumers Consumers Decomposition The carbon cycle

18. nitrogen and phosphorus cycles N2 in atmosphere Reactive N gases Industrial fixation Denitrification N fertilizers Fixation Runoff Dissolved organic N NO3− N2 Terrestrial cycling NO3− NH4+ Aquatic cycling Denitri- fication Decomposition and sedimentation Assimilation Decomposition NO3− Fixation in root nodules Uptake of amino acids Ammonification Nitrification NH4+ The nitrogen cycle

19. Wind-blown dust Geologic uplift Weathering of rocks Runoff Consumption Decomposition Plant uptake of PO43 − Dissolved Plankton PO43− Uptake Leaching Sedimentation Decomposition The phosphorus cycle

21. Eutrophication and dead zones

22. The map illustrates the severity of our global “human footprint” rated on a scale from 0 to 100. Green areas are the least influenced by humans and black areas are the most heavily influenced. The human footprint index includes measures of population density- land use- light pollution- and the region’s accessibility by roads, railroads, rivers, and coasts. The white dots on the map are hypoxic systems, or dead zones, caused by eutrophication. Is there an association between the locations of dead zones and the human footprint? The scientists that constructed this map write, “The key to reducing dead zones will be to keep fertilizers on land and out of the sea.” How do you think this could be achieved?

23. The green house effect SPACE ATMOSPHERE Heat is trapped by greenhouse gases. 1 4 3 2 Solar radiation passes through Earth’s atmosphere Radiation is absorbed, warming Earth’s surface. Energy is emitted as heat.

24. The amount of CO2 in the atmosphere determines the temperature, which affect climate Without these gases the Earth would be 59oF cooler!!! Do we need greenhouse gases?

25. The IPCC reports summarize evidence of recent changes in global climate • Since 1990, the world’s climate scientists have been gathering to produce the single most comprehensive and authoritative research summary on climate change:

26. Is climate the same as weather?

27. Should climate be stable?

28. Is the current change natural or human driven ? Extremely Likely human responsibility emissions of GH gases from human activities have caused “most of the observed increase in globally averaged temperatures since the mid-20th century.”

29. THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON HUMAN HEALTH IN THE UNITED STATES: A SCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENT Health2016.globalchange.gov

30. The impacts of climate change on human health • Temperature • Air quality • Extremes • Vector • Water • Food

31. Temperature

32. Temperature and death Future Increases in Temperature-Related Deaths Even Small Differences from Seasonal Average Temperatures Result in Illness and Death Older adults and children have a higher risk of dying or becoming ill due to extreme heat [Very High Confidence]. People working outdoors, the socially isolated and economically disadvantaged, those with chronic illnesses, as well as some communities of color, are also especially vulnerable to death or illness [Very High Confidence]

34. Air quality impacts • Exacerbated Ozone Health Impacts:these climate-driven increases in ozone will cause premature deaths, hospital visits, lost school days, and acute respiratory symptoms • Increased Health Impacts from Wildfires:Wildfires emit fine particles and ozone precursors that in turn increase the risk of premature death and adverse chronic and acute cardiovascular and respiratory health outcomes • Worsened Allergy and Asthma Conditions

36. Increase in extreme events

38. Vector borne diseases • Changing Distributions of Vectors and Vector-Borne Diseases • Earlier Tick Activity and Northward Range Expansion • Changing Mosquito-Borne Disease Dynamics: Rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and a higher frequency of some extreme weather events associated with climate change will influence the distribution, abundance, and prevalence of infection in the mosquitoes that transmit West Nile virus and other pathogens

40. Food impacts

42. Climate Change in the United States: Benefits of Climate Action

43. TOP TEN WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR CARBON EMISSIONS (AND SAVE MONEY AT THE SAME TIME) 1. Switch to a car with better fuel economy. Upgrading from a 20 mpg car to a 40 mpg car can save you 4,500 gallons of gasoline over the car’s life span. At today’s gas prices, that’s a total savings of more than $18,000. 2. Make your house more air tight. Even in reasonably tight homes, air leaks may account for 15 to 25 percent of the heat our furnaces generate in winter or that our homes gain in summer. If you pay $1,100 a year to heat and cool your home, you might be wasting as much as $275 annually. 3. Buy and USE a programmable thermostat for a 15 percent reduction in your heating and cooling emissions and save $180 a year. During the summer, a setting of 78 degrees Fahrenheit is optimal during the hours you are at home, and 85 degrees when you are away during the day.

44. 4. Eat less meat, especially beef. An average family of four that cuts its meat intake in half will avoid roughly three tons of emissions annually. 5. Use power strips in your home office and home entertainment center to curb “phantom loads” and save a surprising amount on your electric bill. Keeping your laser printer turned on when not in use could be costing you as much as $130 annually. 6. Upgrade your refrigerator and air conditioner, especially if they are more than five years old. New ones are twice as efficient or more. For fridges: if they’re old an upgrade can pay for itself in as little as three years in energy savings alone. 7. Get an electricity monitor from your local hardware store or even borrow one from many local libraries to see where the energy hogs are in your home. This can help you save hundreds of dollars annually.

45. 8. Change those light bulbs. New LED light bulbs can give the same light for 15 percent the electricity. That adds up to more than $100 in savings for most families each year. 9. Wash clothes in cold water. They get just as clean with today’s detergents. But hot water washes use five times the energy—and create five times the emissions. This could save you nearly $100 a year. 10. Buy less stuff. Reduce, re-use, and recycle—it’s not just about pollution, but the strategy will lower your emissions too and help combat global warming. And one more… 11. Spread the word. If all Americans reduced their emissions by 20 percent we could shutter 200 of the nation’s 600 coal plants, a great step in fighting the worst consequences of climate change. SCALING IT UP Scaling it up