Ecosystems & Communities: Organisms and their Environments 1
Slide 2 Ecosystems have living and non- living components What are
ecosystems? 2 Slide 3 What is an Ecosystem? A community of
biological organisms plus the non- living components with which the
organisms interact. Living organisms are not self-sufficient. They
need energy and raw materials. 3 Slide 4 4 Slide 5 5 Slide 6 What
is an Ecosystem? The biotic environment consists of all the living
organisms within an area and is often referred to as a community.
The abiotic (aka non-living or physical) environment, often
referred to as the organisms habitat, consists of: the chemical
resources of the soil, water, and air, such as carbon, nitrogen,
and phosphorus the physical conditions, such as the temperature,
salinity (salt level), moisture, humidity, and energy sources 6
Slide 7 7 Soil erosion on a trail in the Adirondack mountains Slide
8 Which scenario below exemplifies an ecosystem? 1.A group of
organisms of the same species living in the same place at the same
time 2.Different species interacting together at the same place and
time 3.Different species interacting with each other at the same
time in a desert 4.A smaller species living on a larger species in
a mutually beneficial relationship 8 Slide 9 Take-Home Message An
ecosystem is all of the living organisms in a habitat as well as
the physical environment. Ecosystems are found not just in obvious
places such as ponds, deserts, and tropical rainforests but also in
some unexpected places, like the digestive tracts of organisms or
the shell of a beetle. 9 Slide 10 Challenge Question An ecosystem
is made of two components: the biotic environment, or community,
consisting of the living organisms within an area, and the physical
environment, or the habitat in which these organisms live. A
habitat consists of its chemical resources of the soil, water, and
air as well as its physical conditions. List some of the aspects
that make up the physical conditions of a habitat. 10 Slide 11
Ecosystems have living and non- living components A variety of
biomes occur around the world, each determined by temperature and
rainfall. 11 Slide 12 A variety of biomes occur around the world,
each determined by temperature and rainfall. What is the average
temperature? What is the average rainfall (or other precipitation)?
Is the temperature relatively constant or does it vary seasonally?
Is the rainfall relatively constant or does it vary seasonally? 12
Slide 13 13 Slide 14 14 Slide 15 15 Slide 16 Tropical Rain Forest
forest of tall trees in a region of year-round warmth ~ 125 to 660
cm yearly rainfall temperature ranges from 20 C - 34 C average
humidity 77 - 88% rainfall > 250 cm/year (may be a brief dry
season) almost all rain forests lie near the equator 16 Slide 17
Tropical Rain Forest < 6% of Earth's land surface > 50% of
all the world's plant and animal species live in tropical rain
forests produce ~40% of Earth's oxygen ~70% of the plants in the
rainforest are trees ~25% of all the medicines we use come from
rainforest plants 17 Slide 18 Tropical Rain Forest 18 Slide 19
Indicator Species any biological species that defines a trait or
characteristic of the environment may delineate an ecoregion could
indicate an environmental condition such as a disease outbreak,
pollution, species competition or climate change can be among most
sensitive species in a region; sometimes act as early warning to
monitoring biologists 19 Slide 20 Tropical Rain Forest Indicator
Plant Species 20 Slide 21 Tropical Rain Forest Indicator Animal
Species Gorilla Gorilla gorilla Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) Spider
Monkey Ateles geoffreyi 21 Slide 22 Tropical Rain Forest Indicator
Animal Species 2-toed sloth Cholepus hoffmanni Three-toed Sloth
(Bradypus variegatus) with baby - Costa Rica 22 Slide 23 Tropical
Rain Forest Indicator Animal Species Collared Aracari Pteroglossus
torquatus 23 Slide 24 Grasslands (Prairie) 2 different types
tall-grass: humid & very wet short-grass: dry; hotter summers
and colder winters than the tall-grass prairie found in middle
latitudes in the interiors of continents either moist continental
climates or dry subtropical climates Argentina grasslands are known
as pampas Russia steppes grasslands in southern hemisphere tend to
get more precipitation than those in the northern hemisphere 24
Slide 25 Grasslands (Prairie) 25 Slide 26 Grasslands (Prairie)
temperatures range from -40 F 70 F growing season and a dormant
season growing season is when there is no frost and plants can grow
(which lasts from 100 to 175 days) tropical and subtropical
grasslands the length of the growing season is determined by how
long the rainy season lasts temperate grasslands the length of the
growing season is determined by temperature ( 50 F) dormant (not
growing) season: nothing can grow because its too cold 26 Slide 27
Grasslands (Prairie) average rainfall per year ranges from 10 - 30
inches tropical and sub-tropical grasslands: average rainfall per
year ranges from 25 - 60 inches amount of rainfall is very
important in determining which areas are grasslands hard for trees
to compete with grasses in places where the uppers layers of soil
are moist during part of the year but where deeper layer of soil
are always dry. 27 Slide 28 Grasslands (Prairie) 28 Slide 29
Grasslands Indicator Plant Species Old Field Habitat, Ohio
Grassland, North Dakota Ironweed (Vernonia sp.) with Hedge Bindweed
Vine (Calystegia sepium) 29 Slide 30 Grasslands Indicator Plant
Species Ironweed (Vernonia sp.) Joe Pye Weed Eupatorium purpureum
30 Slide 31 Grasslands Indicator Plant Species Common Teasel
Dipsacus fullonum Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota) 31 Slide 32
Grasslands Indicator Animal Species Bison (Bison bison) on the
range, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota 32 Slide 33
Grasslands Indicator Animal Species Przewalski's horse (Equus
caballus przewalskii), The Wilds, Ohio 33 Slide 34 Grasslands
Indicator Animal Species 34 Slide 35 Taiga Russian word for forest
largest biome in the world Eurasia, North America located just
below the tundra biome many coniferous trees aka boreal forest;
Boreal was the Greek goddess of the North Wind 35 Slide 36 Taiga
winter temperature range is -54 to -1 C (-65 to 30 F) summer: -7 C
(20 F) to 21 C (70 F) summers are very short (50 - 100 frost free
days) average yearly precipitation: 30 - 85 cm (12 - 33 in) main
seasons are winter and summer spring and autumn are very short
weather is either hot and humid or very cold 36 Slide 37 Taiga 37
Slide 38 Taiga Indicator Plant Species Balsam Fir Abies balsamea
Black Spruce Picea mariana 38 Slide 39 Taiga Indicator Plant
Species Jack Pine Pinus banksiana Paper Birch Betula papyrifera
White Poplar Populus alba 39 Slide 40 Taiga Indicator Animal
Species American Black Bear Ursus americanus Bald Eagle Haliaeetus
leucocephalus 40 Slide 41 Taiga Indicator Animal Species Long-eared
Owl Aiso otus Snowshoe Rabbit Lepus americanus 41 Slide 42 Desert
cover about one fifth of Earth's land surface hot and dry: near
Tropic of Cancer/Tropic of Capricorn cold: near the Arctic
temperature hot & dry: ~ 25 C to ~ 49 C cold: -2 to 4 C
(winter) 21 to 26 C (summer) precipitation hot & dry: very
little rainfall and/or concentrated rainfall in short periods
between long rainless periods (< 15 cm/year) cold: 15 - 26
cm/year 42 Slide 43 Desert 43 Slide 44 Desert Indicator Plant
Species 44 Slide 45 Desert Indicator Plant Species Saguaro Cactus
Carnegiea gigantea Fishhook Cactus Mammillaria microcarpa 45 Slide
46 Desert Indicator Plant Species Trichomes 46 Slide 47 Desert
Indicator Animal Species Zebratail Lizard - Callisaurus draconides
47 Slide 48 Desert Indicator Animal Species Rock hyrax (Procavia
capensis) 48 Slide 49 Desert Indicator Animal Species Bactrian
Camel, Camelus bactrianus 49 Slide 50 Temperate Deciduous Forest
temperature: 0 - 20 C precipitation: ~ 50 200 cm/year 50 Slide 51
Temperate Deciduous Forest 51 Slide 52 Temperate Deciduous Forest
Indicator Plant Species Oaks (Quercus sp.) Dutchman's-Breeches
Dicentra cucullaria 52 Slide 53 Temperate Deciduous Forest
Indicator Plant Species Sassafras Sassafras albidum Redbud Cercis
canadensis 53 Slide 54 Temperate Deciduous Forest Succession
orderly succession of communities to a climax community (biome) two
main types of succession: primary succession: begins with bare rock
exposed by geologic activity secondary succession: begins on soil
from which previous community has been removed (by fire,
agriculture, etc.) secondary succession can proceed much faster
because the soil has been prepared by the previous community 54
Slide 55 Temperate Deciduous Forest Indicator Animal Species
American Toad Bufo americanus Box Turtle 55 Slide 56 Temperate
Deciduous Forest Indicator Animal Species Eastern Chipmunk Tamias
striatus Eastern Gray Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis 56 Slide 57
Temperate Deciduous Forest Indicator Animal Species Yellow-breasted
chat Icteria virens 57 Slide 58 Tundra annual average temperature
< 5 C precipitation (mostly in the form of snow) < 100
mm/year summer is brief temperatures above freezing last only a few
weeks at most "warm" summer coincides with periods of almost 24
hour daylight, so plant growth can be explosive 58 Slide 59 Tundra
Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska 59 Slide 60 Tundra Indicator Plant Species
Arctic Tundra Wildflowers - Alaska 60 Slide 61 Tundra Indicator
Plant Species Lichen Polytrichum Moss (photographed in Ohio, not on
the Tundra) 61 Slide 62 Tundra Indicator Animal Species Reindeer
Rangifer tarandus 62 Slide 63 Tundra Indicator Animal Species
Caribou On Autumn Tundra Denali National Park Alaska 63 Slide 64
Savanna rolling grassland scattered with shrubs and isolated trees
found between a tropical rainforest and desert biome not enough
rain falls on a savanna to support forests found in a wide band on
either side of the equator on the edges of tropical rainforests
warm temperature year round very long dry season (winter): ~ 10 cm
rain; none at all from Dec - Feb very wet season (summer): ~ 35-65
cm rain 64 Slide 65 Savanna 65 Slide 66 Savanna Indicator Plant
Species Baobab Adansonia digitata Umbrella Thorn Acacia Acacia
tortillis 66 Slide 67 Savanna Indicator Animal Species Savanna
Elephant Loxodonta africana Black Mamba Dendroaspis polylepis Lion
Panthera leo 67 Slide 68 Chaparral winter: mild and moist, but not
rainy summer: very hot and dry. annual temperature range: between
-1 and 38 C annual precipitation: ~ 25-45 cm, mostly in the winter
68 Slide 69 Chaparral 69 Slide 70 Chaparral Indicator Plant Species
Blue Oak Quercus douglasii Common Sagebrush Artemisia tridentata
Olive Tree Olea europaea 70 Slide 71 Chaparral Indicator Animal
Species Black-tailed Jackrabbit Lepus californicus Golden Jackal
Canis aureus Spotted Skunk Spilogale gracilis 71 Slide 72 The
Freshwater Biome low salt concentration usually less than 1% plants
and animals in freshwater regions are adjusted to the low salt
content and would not be able to survive in areas of high salt
concentration (i.e., ocean) 3 different types of freshwater
regions: ponds and lakes streams and rivers wetlands 72 Slide 73
The Freshwater Biome Ponds and Lakes From left: a view across
Manzanita Lake toward Mt. Lassen, California; a forest pond near
Donnelly, Idaho; a Great Blue Heron; Paranagat Lake, southeastern
Nevada. 73 Slide 74 The Freshwater Biome Streams and Rivers From
left: McArthur-Burney Falls State Park, California; trout; Green
River, Utah; Brooks River, Alaska. 74 Slide 75 The Freshwater Biome
- Wetlands From left: Pescadero Marsh, California; coastal marsh at
Umpqua Dunes, Oregon; trees and bogs on Esther Island, Alaska. 75
Slide 76 The Marine Biome cover about three-fourths of the Earth's
surface marine algae supply much of the world's oxygen supply and
take in a huge amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide evaporation of
the seawater provides rainwater for the land 3 different types of
marine regions: oceans coral reefs estuaries 76 Slide 77 The Marine
Biome - Oceans From left: mussels, worms, and a spider crab at a
hydrocarbon seep community in the Gulf of Mexico; a sea fan and
brain coral in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary; a school
of Atlantic amberjack off North Carolina. 77 Slide 78 The Marine
Biome Coral Reefs From left: reef life in the Gulf of Aqaba, Red
Sea; a reef at Fanning Island atoll in the central Pacific; a reef
in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. 78 Slide 79 The
Marine Biome - Estuaries From left: Mangrove roots, south Florida;
wetlands and tidal streams in the Ashe Island area, ACE Basin
National Estuarine Research Reserve, South Carolina; a salt marsh
in Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, South Carolina.
79 Slide 80 Ecological Notes These are the biomes, in order of
their productivity (highest first) 1.estuaries and tropical rain
forest (highest) 2.temperate forest 3.agricultural land 4.temperate
grassland 5.lakes and streams 6.coastal zone 7.tundra 8.open ocean
9.desert (lowest) 80 Slide 81 Ecological Notes In order to be
productive and have a lot of living material standing around
(biomass), an ecosystem has to have 4 basic necessities for plant
life to thrive (if there are enough plants, the ecosystem will also
support a lot of animals). The four things are: 1.Sunlight
2.Nutrients 3.Warm temperatures 4.Water 81 Slide 82 Biomes Video 82
Slide 83 Take-Home Message Biomes are the major ecological
communities of earth, characterized mostly by the vegetation
present. Different biomes result from differences in temperature
and precipitation, and the extent to which they vary from season to
season. 83 Slide 84 Challenge Question Terrestrial biomes are
determined by the temperature and precipitation amounts as well as
whether those factors are constant or vary by season. By contrast,
how are aquatic biomes determined? 84 Slide 85 Energy and chemicals
flow within ecosystems Energy flows from producers to consumers. 85
Slide 86 86 Slide 87 87 Slide 88 First Stop: Primary Producers
ecosystem: producers or consumers primary producers: plants, algae
(some), bacteria convert light energy from sun into chemical energy
through photosynthesis chemical energy = food consumers eat or
absorb their food energy stored in chemical bonds of carbohydrate,
protein, and lipid molecules is captured and harnessed for
consumers own movement, reproduction, and growth 88 Slide 89 Food
Chain 89 Slide 90 Food Web 90 Slide 91 Food Web 91 Slide 92 Food
Chains & Food Webs A change in one link in a food chain will
affect the other links. The table on the next slide gives one
example of a food chain and the trophic levels represented in it:
92 Slide 93 Food Chains & Food Webs 93 GRASS GRASSHOPPER TOAD
SNAKE HAWK BACTERIA IN GENERAL, AUTOTROPHS (PRODUCERS) HERBIVORES
(PRIMARY CONSUMERS) CARNIVORES (2 , 3 , ETC.) DECOMPOSERS Slide 94
94 Chain Reaction Game Slide 95 95 Slide 96 Energy Flows through a
Food Web Losses at every step in a food chain Inefficiency of
energy transfers 96 Slide 97 Energy flow through a food chain
Energy flow refers to the way that energy is transformed through a
food chain (pictured here) containing a series of levels, including
plants, consumers, predators, and decomposers. 97 Slide 98 Amount
of energy available at each of the four levels of an ecosystem
Ecological pyramids illustrate the amount of energy available at
each of the four levels of an ecosystem. 98 Slide 99 Ecological
Pyramid 99 Slide 100 A grasshopper eats a plant. A mouse eats the
grasshopper. A snake eats the mouse. A hawk could eat the snake or
the mouse. In this food web, how would we categorize the hawk?
1.Producer 2.Primary consumer 3.Secondary consumer 4.Tertiary
consumer 5.Quaternary consumer 6.4 and 5 100 Slide 101 Take-home
message Energy from the sun passes through an ecosystem in several
steps. First, it is converted to chemical energy in photosynthesis.
Herbivores then consume the primary producers, the herbivores are
consumed by carnivores, and the carnivores, in turn, may be
consumed by top carnivores. 101 Slide 102 Take-home message
Detritivores and decomposers extract energy from organic waste and
the remains of organisms that have died. At each step in a food
chain, some usable energy is lost as heat. 102 Slide 103 Energy and
chemicals flow within ecosystems Energy pyramids reveal the
inefficiency of food chains. 103 Slide 104 Biomass biomass: total
weight of all living organisms in a given area only about 10% of
the plants in an ecosystem is converted into biomass Food Energy
Pyramid flow of energy through a food chain trophic level: position
that an organism occupies in a food chain - what it eats, and what
eats it African savannas and grasslands sustain more species of
higher-order carnivores than any other terrestrial ecosystem 104
Slide 105 105 Slide 106 Food Energy Pyramids flow of energy through
a food chain trophic level: position that an organism occupies in a
food chain - what it eats, and what eats it 106 Slide 107 107 Slide
108 108 Slide 109 You go out to eat at a fancy restaurant. You have
a salad, salmon, and for dessert ice cream! Which part of the meal
was the most energy efficient food for you to eat? 1.Salad 2.Salmon
3.Ice cream 4.2 and 3 109 Slide 110 Take-home message Energy from
the sun passes through an ecosystem in several steps known as
trophic levels. Energy pyramids reveal that the biomass of primary
producers in an ecosystem tends to be far greater than the biomass
of herbivores. The biomass transferred at each step along the food
chain tends to be only about 10% of the biomass of the organisms
being consumed, due to energy lost in cellular respiration. As a
consequence of this inefficiency, food chains rarely exceed four
levels. 110 Slide 111 Energy and chemicals flow within ecosystems
Essential chemicals cycle through ecosystems. 111 Slide 112
Chemical Reservoirs Each chemical is stored in a non-living part of
the environment. Organisms acquire the chemical from the reservoir,
a non-living part of the environment. The chemical cycles through
the food chain (biogeochemical cycles). Eventually, the chemical is
returned to the reservoir. 112 Slide 113 Hydrologic Cycle and the
Florida Springs Click here for a description of how falling rain
feeds underground aquifers in Florida and forms springs.here 113
Slide 114 The Most Important Chemical Cycles 1)Carbon 2)Nitrogen
3)Phosphorus 4)Sulfur 114 Slide 115 115 The Carbon Cycle Slide 116
116 The Carbon Cycle Slide 117 Keeping Up With Carbon NASA video
provides key information on the carbon cycle.video 117 Slide 118
118 Carbon Cycle Game Slide 119 Fossil Fuels created when large
numbers of organisms die and are buried in sediment lacking oxygen
In absence of oxygen, at high pressures, and after very long
periods of time, organic remains are ultimately transformed into
coal, oil, and natural gas burning coal, oil, and natural gas
releases large amounts of carbon dioxide increases average CO 2
concentration in the atmosphere current level of CO 2 in the
atmosphere is the highest it has been in almost half a million
years 119 Slide 120 Global CO 2 levels are rising in general, but
they also exhibit a sharp rise and fall within each year why? 120
Slide 121 121 The Nitrogen Cycle Slide 122 122 The Nitrogen Cycle
Slide 123 Fertilizers Because it is necessary for the production of
every plant protein, and because all nitrogen must first be made
usable by bacteria, plant growth is often limited by nitrogen
levels in the soil. For this reason, most fertilizers contain
nitrogen in a form usable by plants. 123 Slide 124 124 Slide 125
125 Slide 126 126 Slide 127 127 Oxygen reduction downstream of a
source of organic pollution Slide 128 128 Algal growth and
eutrophication in an Australian outback waterway Slide 129 129
Slide 130 Sulfur Cycle component of protein cycles in both a gas
and sedimentary cycle source : earth's crust enters the atmosphere
as hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) during fossil fuel combustion, volcanic
eruptions, gas exchange at ocean surfaces, decomposition 130 Slide
131 Sulfur Cycle H 2 S is immediately oxidized to sulfur dioxide
(SO 2 ) SO 2 + water vapor H 2 SO 4 (falls to earth in rain) sulfur
in soluble form is taken up by plant roots, incorporated into amino
acids such as cysteine travels through food chain eventually
released through decomposition 131 Slide 132 How is carbon recycled
back to the atmosphere in the carbon cycle? 1.It is fixed by
bacteria. 2.It is a product of cellular respiration. 3.Burning of
fossil fuels. 4.2 and 3. 5.All of the above. 132 Slide 133 Why do
commercial fertilizers usually contain usable forms of nitrogen and
phosphorous? 1.These chemicals are not efficiently recycled in the
soil. 2.Nitrogen and phosphorous need to be fixed by bacteria or
the plant. 3.Nitrogen and phosphorous are found at high levels in
the atmosphere but not in the soil. 4.Nitrogen and phosphorous only
enter the soil through erosion. 133 Slide 134 Take-home message
Chemicals essential to lifeincluding carbon, nitrogen, and
phosphoruscycle through ecosystems. They are usually captured from
the atmosphere, soil, or water by growing organisms; passed from
one trophic level to the next as organisms eat other organisms; and
returned to the environment through respiration, decomposition, and
erosion. These cycles can be disrupted as human activities
significantly increase the amounts of the chemicals utilized or
released to the environment. 134 Slide 135 Symbiotic Relationships
Symbiosis: close relationship between organisms of two different
species At least one participant gains some sort of benefit
(usually nutritional) Types of symbiosis: Parasitism Commensalism
Mutualism Predation 135 Slide 136 Symbiotic Relationships in the
Ocean Click here for an explanation of the relationships of marine
animals, including sharks, rays, and various fishes.here 136 Slide
137 Parasitism Parasite derives nutrition from the host This harms
the host but a true parasite does not usually kill its host
(directly) 137 Slide 138 Ectoparasites Remain outside the host
Ticks, fleas, leeches 138 Slide 139 Endoparasites Live inside the
hosts body Tapeworms, malarial parasites 139 Slide 140 Parasite
Transmission Many parasites live on or in a single organism Some
will alternate between 2 or more host species Vertical transmission
from mother offspring Horizontal transmission between members of a
population Direct contact (head lice) Vectors (mosquitos) 140 Slide
141 141 Slide 142 Commensalism Neither species is totally dependent
on the other One benefits no effect on the other Feeding or
protection Porcelain anemone crabs and anemones 142 Slide 143
Mutualism Both species benefit Food or shelter Examples: Plants and
microbes (rhizobium in root nodules) Plants and fungi (orchids and
mycorrhizae) Protists and fungi (lichen) Plants and insects
(pollination) Animals and bacteria (ruminants) Animals and other
animals (crocodiles and plover birds) 143 Slide 144 Mutualism,
shrimp and moray Cleaner shrimp cleaning a zebra moray eel.
Mutualistic relationships such as these promote the well-being of
the host fishes and provide food for those that do the cleaning.
144 Slide 145 Rhizobium Rhizobium in root nodules of certain plants
convert nitrogen in soil to usable form. 145 Slide 146 Orchid/
Mycorrhizae Fungi aid the plant in the uptake of nutrients. Fungi
ingest some of the food from plant photosynthesis 146 Slide 147
Lichen Most of the lichen is composed of fungal filaments, but
living among the filaments are algal cells, usually from a green
alga or a cyanobacterium. The lichen fungus provides its partner(s)
a benefit (protection) and gains nutrients in return. 147 Slide 148
Ruminants Ruminants are characterized by their four-chambered
stomach and "cud-chewing" behavior. Cud is a food bolus that is
regurgitated, rechewed, and reswallowed. The rumen is a large
fermentation vat containing billions of microorganisms, including
bacteria and protozoa, which allow ruminants to digest fibrous
feeds such as grass and hay that other animals cannot efficiently
utilize. 148 Slide 149 Crocodiles & Plover Birds The bird gets
into the crocodile's mouth and picks out the tiny bits of food
stuck in his teeth, then eats it (the tiny bits). This cleans the
crocodile's teeth and keeps his mouth fresh and free from
infections. 149 Slide 150 Predation Consumption of one living
organism by another Predators must have offensive strategies ways
of finding, catching, and eating their prey Prey organisms must
have defensive strategies ways of avoiding or discouraging this
activity 150 Slide 151 Predation Encompasses all levels within an
ecological food chain/web plant-herbivore systems
herbivore-carnivore systems three-way interactions of
interdependent plant-herbivore- carnivore systems 151 Slide 152
This goshawk is the tertiary consumer in his ecosystem, and the
mouse in his beak is the secondary consumer. Beneath the mouse on
the ecological pyramid lies his foodsource, likely a worm, which
fed on the primary producer, leafy plants. 152 Slide 153 Ecosystem
of Life in Florida's Springs Click here for a close-up look of life
in Florida's springs and the various predator-prey interactions
there.here 153
