2. Main Ideas
1. What happens to matter in an
ecosystem?
2. What happens to energy in an
ecosystem?
3. Where do living things get their energy
and matter?
3. Interdependence
īAll living things are
connected to other
living things, both
directly and indirectly.
īLiving things eat and/or
get eaten
īLiving things obtain
chemicals that came from
other living things
īThe actions of living
things affect other
organisms
4. SoâĻ
īEcosystems require MATTER and ENERGY
īMatter is stuff â atoms that are used to make
molecules
īEnergy isâĻ Not created or
destroyed, only
converted from
1 form to
another
5. Essential for all life
ī Energy
ī Matter
Can be symbolized by
Sunlight Producer
Primary
consumer
Secondary
consumer
6. An energy Pyramid
Gets smaller as it
goes up since there
is less and less
energy as you go up
7. Pyramid of
numbers
How many
organisms are at
each level
Usually mostly
producers, then
primary
consumers, then
secondary and
so on
100,000 plants
1000
voles
1 owl
8. Pyramid of
numbers
Could look like
this:
1 oak tree
supports lots of
primary
consumers,
which support
fewer secondary
consumers, then
even fewer
tertiary, etc.
1 oak tree
1000
caterpillars
50 bluetits
1 sparrow
hawk
10. Light energy to chemical
energy (photosynthesis)
īGross Primary Productivity â all
the light energy that is converted to
chemical energy in an ecosystem
īNot all of this is available to
consumers though, because the
plants need some for themselves
īNet Primary Productivity â the
chemical energy available to
consumers
11. Ecosystems with high NPP
īTropical rain forests
īEstuaries
īCoral reefs
īOpen ocean (just because so much of the
planet is covered in it)
12. What happens to energy in an ecosystem?
First â write your response
Use these terms
ī%
īTrophic levels
īAutotrophs
īHeterotrophs
īPrimary
productivity
What to do
ī Younger person goes
first
ī Must use at least 3
terms in their answer
ī Older person must
write their answer
ī Switch â same rules
13. Giraffes eat the grass
Lions eat the giraffes
And when they die, they
become part of the soil
and feed the grass
15. Some basics
īļ In all cases (except water) â plants get the C, N, P, and S first, then
animals get it from their food
īļ Decomposers are vital to recycling these nutrients and returning them
to the earth so plants can get them again.
C,N,P,S
16.
17. Human Impacts
1. We use fresh water faster than it is
replenished naturally
2. Water pollution
18. Quick Think
īļWhat do you know for sure about
the water cycle?
īļâI know for sure thatâĻâ
19.
20. Where is the Carbon?
â CO² gas in the atmosphere (air)
â dissolved CO2 in the oceans (water)
â Carbon in organic molecules in every living
thing
â Carbon is in fossil fuels and sedimentary
rocks
21. Review - Photosynthesis
Plants take CO2 + water + energy from the sun
And make
Glucose (sugar) and oxygen
CO2 + H2O C6H12O6 + O2
22. Carbon diffuses into water
īļ Carbon in the atmosphere diffuses into the
oceans
īļ Forms carbonic acid
â CO2 + H20 ī H2CO3
īļ Too much CO2 in oceans leads to ocean
acidification
29. Where is the nitrogen?
īļ Most of the
nitrogen (the main
reservoir) is in the
air.
â 78% of our air is
nitrogen gas
â It is not usable in this
form
â It must be âfixedâ
first
30. How does the nitrogen get fixed?
âBy
lightning
~10%
38. Where is the phosphorus?
īļ stored in rocks and
sediment.
īļ released through
weathering and erosion
īļ Plants can then take it
up through the soil
47. Human Impact on Ecosystems
1. Nutrient enrichment â adding
excess nutrients to aquatic
ecosystems
2. Acid precipitation â pH less
than 5.6, harms trees, aquatic
ecosystems,
3. Biological magnification â
toxins accumulate in the tissues
of organisms, PCBs and DDT
4. Rising atmospheric CO2 â
global warming
5. Depletion of the ozone layer â
CFCs, burns leaves and skin