Understanding Energy Transfer in Ecosystems and Food Webs
This content explores the fundamentals of energy transfer in ecosystems, highlighting how solar energy is utilized and transformed through various trophic levels. It details the roles of autotrophs and heterotrophs, the structure of food chains and webs, and the processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration. Additionally, it addresses alternative energy sources like chemosynthesis and the limitations of energy transfer due to thermodynamics. This comprehensive overview serves as a valuable resource for understanding ecological interactions and energy flow.
Understanding Energy Transfer in Ecosystems and Food Webs
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Presentation Transcript
Unit A- Section 2.1 Energy Transfer and Food Webs
Out of the Total Incoming Solar • 30% is reflected by clouds or Earth’s surface • 44% heats atmosphere and Earth’s surface • 25% heats and evaporates water • 0.023% photosynthesis • 1% generates wind
Other sources of Energy on Earth Comes From? • Geothermal • Tidal • Waste heat from fossil fuels
Trophic Levels • Show the flow of energy through ecosystems- levels are categorized by how organisms GAIN energy • There are 3 trophic levels: • Autotrophs • Primary consumers • Secondary consumers Heterotrophs
Trophic Levels • 1sttrophic level – AUTOTROPHS (producers) • An organism that uses the Sun’s energy and raw materials to make its own food • Examples: • Plants, algae, and some types of bacteria
Trophic Levels • 2nd tropic level – PRIMARY CONSUMERS- rely on autotrophs for energy
Trophic Levels • 3rdtrophic level – SECONDARY CONSUMERS- eat animals, but rely on autotrophs
Energy & Food Chains • Food chains are a way of showing a step-by-step sequence of who eats whom in ecosystem • One way flow of energy (producer to consumer) • Consumers placed according to trophic level • Final carnivore is TOP CARNIVORE: not eaten by others while alive
Food Webs • Each individual organism in a ecosystem is involved in many food chains • The chains interlock with each other to form a feeding relationships • More complex • Most stable ecosystems with greatest biodiversity = well developed food webs- reduction of one species has only small effects • Fragile ecosystems – abiotic factors limit # of organisms- webs look more like chains- ex) Arctic • Food Webs
Photosynthesis & Cellular Respiration (Complementary Processes) • Photosynthesis • The process by which green plants and some other organisms use solar energy, CO2, and H2O to produce carbohydrates • CO2 + H2O + energy C6H12O6 + O2 energy stored in chemical bonds of glucose
Cellular respiration • The process by which cells break down glucose into CO2 and H2O to RELEASE energy • Energy is used to fuel cell processes and same is released as thermal energy • Plants produce about 9 times the amount of O2 by photosynthesis that they use up in cellular respiration • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE82qtKSSH4
Chemosynthesis • Not all food webs begin with photosynthetic organisms • Chemoautotroph • An organism that can synthesize organic compounds from inorganic chemicals without using solar energy • Occurs in caves or deep ocean vents • Require only CO2, H2O, and an energy source • Chemical energy is extracted from inorganic chemicals such as hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, ferrous ions or sulfur
Ex. Banff National Park Hot spring • Bacteria convert dissolved H2S & CO2 into organic compounds which becomes food for tiny consumers • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XotF9fzo4Vo 6CO2(g) + 6H2O(g) + 3H2S(g) C6H12O6(s) + 3H2SO4(g) carbon dioxide + water + hydrogen carbohydrates + sulfuric acid sulfide (sugars and starches)
Limits on Energy Transfer • Every time energy is transferred between the components of an ecosystem, the amount of energy available to the next trophic level is reduced • http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/27995-assignment-discovery-energy-flow-video.htm
Laws of thermodynamics • Thermodynamics • A scientific study of energy transformations • 1st law • “energy cannot be created nor destroyed” • 2nd law • “Each time energy is transformed, some energy is lost from the system”