Essential Question: How are the entities of life interconnected?

1. Essential Question: How are the entities of life interconnected?

2. Four Spheres of Earth • Atmosphere: air • Lithosphere: land/ crust • Hydrosphere: water in all forms • Biosphere: all living things

4. Ecology • = the study of how living things interactwith each other AND their environment • Can be studied at different levels! • Includes: • Nutrient Cycles • Feeding Relationships & Energy Flow • Species interactions: competition, symbiosis, & important roles

5. Biotic vs. Abiotic Bio: living A: no or non Biotic: living organism Abiotic: non living organism

6. Ecological Hierarchy • Individual organism • Population • Community • Ecosystem • Biome • Biosphere

7. Ecological Hierarchy II.Population:same species living in an area • Species = group of similar organisms that can interbreed • Example: all the Giant pandas in a forest III.Community:group of different populations living in same area • Example: All the different plants & animals in a forest with the panda

8. Ecological Hierarchy IV. Ecosystem: area where living (biotic) & nonliving (abiotic) things interact • where plants & animals interact with each other & water, soil, wind, sunlight

9. Ecological Hierarchy V. Biome:Ecosystems with similar climates and communities • Examples: forest, desert, grassland, ocean, etc. VI. Biosphere:all ecosystems on earth

10. Draw your own Ecological Hierarchy Pick an organism and then draw the 5 different levels in that organism’s ecological hierarchy. Must be labeled correctly, neat, colorful, and creative!

12. Biogeochemical Cycles (Nutrient Cycles) • In terms of matter, Earth is a closed system • Nothing enters or leaves, just recycled • This is the Law of Conservation of Matter! • Matter is neither created nor destroyed, but recycled and reused • Important cycles: carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, water

13. Carbon Cycle = process where C is cycled b/w atmosphere, land, water, & organisms (during photosynthesis & cellular respiration) • Steps: Write steps into notes!

14. How Humans Affect the Carbon Cycle • Burn fossil fuels → releases CO2 into atmosphere • More CO2 in atmosphere causes global warming through greenhouse effect

15. How You Can Reduce YourCarbon Impact: • Use gas-efficient cars • Carpool/ use public transportation • Walk or ride bike when possible • Eat locally-grown food • Use less plastics & disposable products

16. Oxygen Cycle = process where oxygen is cycled b/w atmosphere, ocean, & organisms • All organisms need Oxygen 1. Producers release O2 during photosynthesis • CO2 + H2O + sun → C6H12O6 + O2 2. Organisms use O2 during cellular respiration • C6H12O6 + O2→ CO2 + H2O + energy 3. O2 is stored: • Dissolved in oceans • Oxygen in the atmosphere: • O2 is 21% of lower atmosphere • Ozone (O3) in upper atmosphere protects us from UV rays

18. Nitrogen Cycle = process where nitrogen (N) is cycled b/w atmosphere, bacteria, & other organisms • All organisms need N for proteins & nucleic acids (DNA) 1. N2 gas must be changed by nitrogen-fixing bacteria: • They convert N2 into nitrates (NO3) 2. Plants get NO3 from soil → animals eat plants 3. Plants & animal waste puts N back into soil in form of ammonia (NH4) 4. Other bacteria convert ammonia into nitrites (NO2) & nitrates

19. Nitrogen Cycle

20. How Humans Affect the Nitrogen Cycle • Have doubled amount of N on land due to use of fertilizers & burning fossil fuels • Problems of too much N: • Rivers & lakes becoming acidic • Global warming

21. Hydrologic (Water) Cycle= path of H2O through environment • Most H2O is stored in oceans • Ocean H2O is turned to vapor (gas) by evaporation & winds push vapor around globe • H2O vapor turns to liquid in atmosphere = condensation • Liquid falls as precipitation(rain, snow, etc.) • Living organisms use H2O, then return it to environment through: • Breathing & sweating • Waste • Transpiration from leaves (plants) (leaves sweating)

22. Water Cycle

23. How Humans affect the Water Cycle: • Remove H2O faster than nature can replace it • Drain wetlands → increases flooding • Pollution

24. Phosphorus Cycle = movement of phosphorus (P) between environment & organisms • P is important in DNA and ATP Steps: 1.Rocks erode, putting phosphate into soil and water 2. P is taken up by plants & converted to organic molecules 3. Animals eat plants 4. Decomposing plants & animals & waste return P to environment • How humans affect P cycle: • Excess phosphate from fertilizers can cause too much algal growth in water → kills fish & other organisms

25. Phosphorus Cycle Excess P due to fertilizers!

26. Energy Flow in Ecosystems Ultimate source of energy = sun Plants, algae, & some bacteria capture solar energy - perform photosynthesis Organelle that performs photosynthesis = chloroplast (pigment inside = chlorophyll)

27. Photosynthesis • = Carbon dioxide + water + solar energy → sugar (glucose) & oxygen • CO2 + H20 + solar energy → C6H12O6 + O2 Reactants Products

28. Photosynthesis • Performed by producers= an organism that makes its own food via photosynthesis* • Aka autotrophs

29. From producers to …. • Consumer = an organism that gets energy by eating other organisms • Aka heterotroph • Producers & Consumers convert sugar into usable energy through cellular respiration • Organelle that performs cellular respiration = mitochondria

30. Cellular respiration • = Glucose + oxygen →carbon dioxide & water & energy (ATP) • C6H12O6 + O2 → CO2 + H20 + ATP Energy molecule Reactants Products

31. Consumers can be categorized by… • What is eats: • Herbivore: eats producers • Carnivore: eats other consumers • Omnivore: eats producers & consumers • Scavenger:eats dead large animals • Decomposer: breaks down dead producers & consumers (bacteria & fungi)

32. Consumers are Categorized by Trophic Level • In a food chain/ web, each step is called a trophic level • Producers = 1st trophic level • Herbivores = primary consumers = 2nd trophic level • Carnivores & Omnivores = secondary consumers – 3rd trophic level • And so forth…

33. Trophic Level Energy Loss • Energy flows through environment (sun → organisms → space) • Energy is lost as it flows (according to 2nd Law of Thermodynamics) • At each trophic level: • 90% of energy from food is used for life functions(ex: movement, growth, reproduction, homeostasis) • Some energy is lost as heat • Remaining 10% energy becomes part of organism’s body & is available to next trophic level

34. Energy Pyramids • Each layer of pyramid represents a trophic level • Only 10% of energy makes it to next level • B/c so much energy is lost at each level, there are fewer organisms as go up • Loss of energy limits the # of tropic levels in ecosystems • Usually have <5 Example: a single lion needs ~250 km2 of land to hunt

35. Energy Pyramid Math Problems – write these in your notes! • If the producers in an ecosystem capture 1000 units of energy, how many units are available to the primary consumers? • Answer: 100 units • 1000 x 10% (0.1) = 100 units to next level • If the producers in an ecosystem capture 5000 units of energy, how many units are available to the tertiary consumers? • Answer: 5 units • 5000 for producers → 500 for primary consumers → 50 for secondary consumers → 5 for tertiary consumers

36. Roles In The Environment • Niche = unique role of a species in its ecosystem • Includes: • What it eats & what eats it • If/ how it alters the environment • Interactions with other species**

37. Species Interactions Include: • Predator/prey • Competition = when individuals or populations attempt to use the same limited resource • What resources might be competed over? • Food, space, water, mates • Symbiosis = relationship in which 2 species live in close association

38. 3 Types of Symbiosis: 1. Mutualism = close relationship where both organisms benefit (+,+)

39. 2. Commensalism = relationship where one organism benefits & the other is neither helped nor harmed (+,0) 3 Types of Symbiosis:

40. 3. Parasitism = relationship where one organism benefits and the other gets hurt (+,-) 3 Types of Symbiosis:

41. Other Important Roles that Organisms Play: • Keystone species: have a large effect on other species & biodiversity • Generally = top predators • Loss of top predator can cause trophic cascade • Examples: • Alligator • Sea otter • Gray wolf keystone

42. Other Important Roles that Organisms Play: • Indicator species: provide early warning of damage/pollution to an ecosystem • Examples: • Frogs – warn of water pollution • Birds & Butterflies – warn of air pollution, habitat loss • Aquatic insects – warn of water pollution

43. Foundation species: create or enhance their habitats (physically), which benefit others Ex: Beavers, alligators, elephants Other Important Roles that Organisms Play: