Energy Pyramids – Instructions

1. Energy Pyramids – Instructions • Pick a food chain and go to page 72-73 in your textbook (4 extras) • Trophic Level – using the appropriate term • Example – drawing (include word if not clear) • Side three • Numbers – how many organisms? (given for you) • Energy (Joules – unit of energy) and Biomass (total mass for one trophic level) – you are given base level, how will you find the rest? • Color, Cut, Fold, Affix, and you’re done!

2. cut here fold here Flow of energy: Example Pyramid 10,000n kg (biomass) 1,000n kg 100n kg 10n kg 10,000 J (energy) 10 J 100 J 1,000 J 3 40 250 6000 (numbers) Example food chain MAY NOT USE this one fold here fold here

3. Climate, Terrestrial Biomes and Aquatic Ecosystems

4. Latitude and Climate • Weather – condition of the atmosphere at a given time v. Climate – the average weather conditions in an area • Temperature and precipitation • Climate is affected by latitude (distance between the equator and any point N-S), ocean currents, and land masses (Shape and elevation) • Why? Angle of the sun. • One factor that influences distribution of biomes on earth

5. How are humans affecting climate? • Example: global warming via the Greenhouse Effect

6. Tundra • Below polar ice caps • No trees • Frozen soil (permafrost) • Minimal precipitation

7. Boreal Forest or Taiga • South (or North) of Tundra • Evergreen forest – no permafrost • Short summers

8. Temperate Forest • Broad-leaved, deciduous trees • Four seasons • Woodland animals (bears – top predator)

9. Temperate Shrubland or Chaparral • Less rainfall than temperate forests • Dominated by shrubs—adapted to dry environment • E.g. California

10. Temperate Grassland • Fertile soils – to support grasses • Drought, grazers, and fires prevent it from becoming a forest • Example: prairie

11. Desert • Evaporation exceeds precipitation • Organisms adapted to this: succulents (cacti), insects, lizards, etc.

12. Tropical Savanna • Grasses and scattered trees • Minimal precipitation • Zebras, lions, etc.

13. Tropical Rain Forest • Warm temperatures, lots of rain • Highest species diversity • Vegetation: canopy v. understory

14. Other Terrestrial Areas • Mountains – climate changes as altitude changes • Communities resemble that of the tundra at the top • Polar regions – cold all year, covered in ice

15. Aquatic Ecosystems - Overview • Freshwater • Transitional (“brackish”) • Marine (salty)

16. Freshwater Ecosystems • Rivers and streams – water flows in one direction, carries sediment, cause erosion • Plants and animals must be able to withstand water currents • Lakes and ponds – standing water, vary greatly in size • Eutrophic (nutrient-rich) v. Oligotrophic (nutrient-poor) • What effect would this have on the organisms present? • Seasonal patterns (next slide)

18. Transitional Ecosystems • Brackish water – between salty and fresh • Wetlands – marshes, swamps, and bogs • Very productive environments (nutrients) • Often anoxic, usually pretty salty (adaptations) • Estuaries – where salt water meets fresh!

19. Marine Ecosystems – Salt Water • Intertidal – where ocean meets land • Wave and tide action • Persistent organisms • Coastal ocean and coral reefs • Very diverse (next slide) • Subject to human disturbances • Open ocean • Photic zone – where light reaches (up to 100 meters!) • Phytoplankton/algae