Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 26 views

    Chapter 5

    Uploaded by

    Lluvia Roman
    This document discusses key concepts about how ecosystems work. It explains that energy flows from producers like plants through consumers. Producers use photosynthesis or chemosynthesis to obtain energy, while consumers eat other organisms. Food chains show the transfer of energy between organisms, with trophic levels separating producers, primary consumers, and higher-level consumers. Materials like carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus cycle through ecosystems, and human activities can impact these cycles. The document also covers ecological succession, how pioneer species colonize new areas and are eventually replaced by climax communities through primary or secondary succession over time.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Chapter 5

    Uploaded by

    Lluvia Roman
    26 views33 pages
    This document discusses key concepts about how ecosystems work. It explains that energy flows from producers like plants through consumers. Producers use photosynthesis or chemosynthesis to obtain energy, while consumers eat other organisms. Food chains show the transfer of energy between organisms, with trophic levels separating producers, primary consumers, and higher-level consumers. Materials like carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus cycle through ecosystems, and human activities can impact these cycles. The document also covers ecological succession, how pioneer species colonize new areas and are eventually replaced by climax communities through primary or secondary succession over time.

    Original Title

    Chapter_5

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    This document discusses key concepts about how ecosystems work. It explains that energy flows from producers like plants through consumers. Producers use photosynthesis or chemosynthesis to obtain energy, while consumers eat other organisms. Food chains show the transfer of energy between organisms, with trophic levels separating producers, primary consumers, and higher-level consumers. Materials like carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus cycle through ecosystems, and human activities can impact these cycles. The document also covers ecological succession, how pioneer species colonize new areas and are eventually replaced by climax communities through primary or secondary succession over time.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    26 views33 pages

    Chapter 5

    Uploaded by

    Lluvia Roman
    This document discusses key concepts about how ecosystems work. It explains that energy flows from producers like plants through consumers. Producers use photosynthesis or chemosynthesis to obtain energy, while consumers eat other organisms. Food chains show the transfer of energy between organisms, with trophic levels separating producers, primary consumers, and higher-level consumers. Materials like carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus cycle through ecosystems, and human activities can impact these cycles. The document also covers ecological succession, how pioneer species colonize new areas and are eventually replaced by climax communities through primary or secondary succession over time.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as ppt, pdf, or txt
    of 33

    Chapter 5: How Ecosystems

    Work
    Section 1
    Energy flow in Ecosystems
    Life Depends on the Sun
    • Photosynthesis is the process by which plants, algae,
    and some bacteria use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and
    water to produce carbohydrates and oxygen
    From Producers to Consumers
    • Producers (autotrophs) are self-feeders
    – make organic molecules (food) from inorganic molecules
    • Ex: bacteria, plants, algae

    • Consumers (heterotrophs) eat other organisms or


    organic matter
    – Obtain nutrients from other sources
    • Ex: animals, fungi
    An exception to the rule
    • Producers in deep-ocean communities
    (bacteria)
    – don’t receive sunlight so use hydrogen sulfide in
    the water (chemosynthesis) instead of
    photosynthesis
    • Ex. worms, clams, crabs, mussels, and barnacles
    What Eats What?
    • Organisms can be classified by what they eat

    • Types of consumers:
    • Herbivores
    • Carnivores
    • Omnivores
    • Decomposers
    Burning the Fuel
    • Cellular respiration is the process by which cells produce
    energy from carbohydrates
    – atmospheric oxygen combines with glucose to form water and
    carbon dioxide

    – energy obtained is used to carry out daily activities


    – excess energy is stored as fat or sugar
    Food Chains
    • A food chain is a sequence in which
    energy is transferred from one
    organism to the next as each
    organism eats another organism
    Food Webs
    • A food web shows many feeding relationships that are
    possible in an ecosystem (many food chains)
    Output Page – Food Chains
    • BrainPop – Food Chains
    Trophic Levels
    • A trophic level is one of the steps in a food chain
    or food pyramid
    1. producers (bottom of pyramid) – contain the most
    energy
    2. primary consumers
    3. secondary consumers
    4. tertiary consumers (top of pyramid) – contain the
    least energy
    • ** Each time energy is transferred, some of the
    energy is lost as heat  less energy is available
    to organisms at higher trophic levels
    Output Page - Trophic Levels
    Section 2
    The cycling of materials
    The Carbon Cycle
    • The carbon cycle is the movement of carbon from
    the nonliving environment into living things and
    back
    • Carbon is the essential component of proteins, fats,
    and carbohydrates, which make up all organisms
    The Carbon Cycle
    • May be released into the soil or air when
    the organism dies
    • Fossil fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) store
    carbon left over from bodies of organisms
    that died millions of years ago
    Output Page: The Carbon Cycle
    How Humans Affect the Carbon Cycle

    • Increased levels of carbon


    dioxide may contribute to
    global warming
    – Global warming is an increase
    in the temperature of the Earth
    The Nitrogen Cycle
    • The nitrogen cycle circulates nitrogen among the air,
    soil, water, plants, and animals in an ecosystem
    • Nitrogen makes up 78% of the gases in the atmosphere
    – Must be altered or fixed before organisms can use it
    – Nitrogen-fixing bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into
    ammonia (archaebacteria) to be used
    Decomposers and the Nitrogen Cycle
    • Decomposers break down decaying plants and
    animals which returns nitrogen to the soil
    • Bacteria transforms nitrogen into nitrogen gas to
    return to the atmosphere
    Output Page: The Nitrogen Cycle
    The Phosphorus Cycle
    • The phosphorus cycle is the cyclic movement of
    phosphorus in different chemical forms from the
    environment to organisms and then back to the
    environment
    • Plants get phosphorus from soil and water when
    rocks erode
    • Animals get phosphorus by eating plants or other
    plant-eating animals
    The Phosphorus Cycle
    • Some phosphorus washes off the land and ends up in
    the ocean
    – Not soluble so sink to the bottom and accumulate as
    sediment
    Fertilizers and the Nitrogen and
    Phosphorus Cycles
    • Fertilizers contain both nitrogen and phosphorus
    – Excessive amounts enter terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
    through runoff
    • Problems from excess nitrogen and phosphorus:
    – Can cause rapid growth of algae  depletion of
    oxygen  dead fish and other organisms
    Output Page: The Phosphorus
    Cycle
    Acid Precipitation
    • Nitric oxide (burning of fossil
    fuels) in air can combine with
    oxygen and water vapor to form
    nitric acid
    – Dissolved in rain or snow, falls as
    acid precipitation
    Section 3
    Ecological Succession
    Ecological Succession
    • Ecosystems are constantly changing

    • Ecological succession is a gradual process of


    change and replacement of the types of species
    in a community
    – New communities makes it harder for the previous
    community to survive
    Community in Equilibrium
    • A pioneer species colonizes an uninhabited
    area so other species can become established
    – bacteria and lichens most common
    – will make the new area habitable for other
    species

    • A climax community is the final, stable


    community in equilibrium with the
    environment
    – may change in small ways but may remain the
    same through time if it is not disturbed
    Primary Succession
    • Primary succession is a type of
    succession that occurs in an area
    that previously did not support
    life
    – Can occur on rocks, cliffs, or sand
    dunes
    Secondary Succession
    • Secondary succession occurs on a
    surface where an ecosystem has
    previously existed
    – One community replaces another
    community that has been partially or
    totally destroyed
    • Disturbed by humans, animals, or by
    natural process (storms, floods,
    earthquakes, or volcanic eruptions)
    Old-Field Succession
    • Old-field succession is a type of
    secondary succession that occurs
    when farmland is abandoned
    – grasses and weeds quickly grow and
    cover the abandoned land
    – Over time, taller plants, shrubs, and
    trees take over
    Fire
    • Natural fires caused by lightning are
    necessary for secondary succession
    – Remove brush and deadwood
    – Some animals feed on the vegetation
    that sprouts after a fire has cleared the
    land
    Output Page: Ecological Succession

    You might also like