A detailed presentation on ecology along with biosphere.

1. Ecology and the Biosphere
Hercules scarab beetle-Panama

2. Definitions
• The Biosphere:
– The global ecosystem, the sum of all the planet’s ecosystems
• Ecology
– The study of interactions between organisms and the
environment
• Ecosystem:
– A community of organisms and its physical environment
• Biome
– A group of ecosystems that have the same climate and similar
dominant communities

3. Organisms and the
Environment
• The environment of any organism
includes
– Abiotic, or nonliving components
– Biotic, or living components. (All the
organisms living in the environment are the
biota)

4. Aquatic Biomes
• Aquatic biomes
– Account for the largest part of the biosphere in terms of area
– Can contain fresh or salt water
• Oceans
– Cover about 75% of Earth’s surface
– Have an enormous impact on the biosphere
• Wetlands
• Lakes
• Rivers, streams
• Intertidal zones
• Oceanic pelagic biome
• Coral reefs
• Benthos

5. Aquatic Biomes-distribution
30N
Tropic of
Cancer
Equator
30S
Continental
shelf
Lakes
Coral reefs
Rivers
Oceanic pelagic
zone
Estuaries
Intertidal zone
Abyssal zone
(below oceanic
pelagic zone)
Key
Tropic of
Capricorn

6. Stratification of aquatic biomes
Stratified into zones or layers defined by
light penetration, temperature, and depth
Marine zonation. Like lakes, the marine environment is generally
classified on the basis of light penetration (photic and aphotic zones),
distance from shore and water depth (intertidal, neritic, and oceanic
zones), and whether it is open water (pelagic zone) or bottom (benthic
and abyssal zones).
Zonation in a lake. The lake environment is generally classified on the basis
of three physical criteria: light penetration (photic and aphotic zones),
distance from shore and water depth (littoral and limnetic zones), and
whether it is open water (pelagic zone) or bottom (benthic zone).
(a)
Littoral
zone Limnetic
zone
Photic
zone
Benthic
zone
Aphotic
zone
Pelagic
zone
Intertidal zone
Neritic zone Oceanic zone
0
200 m
Continental
shelf
Photic zone
Pelagic
zone
Aphotic
zone
Benthic
zone
2,500–6,000 m
Abyssal zone
(deepest regions of ocean floor)
(b)

7. Terrestrial Biomes
• Are often named for major physical or climatic
factors and for their predominant vegetation
– Climate largely determines the distribution and
structure of terrestrial biomes
– Important in determining why particular
terrestrial biomes are found in certain areas
• Tropical forest
• Savanna
• Desert
• Chaparral
• Temperate grassland
• Temperate deciduous forest
• Coniferous forest
• Tundra

8. Climate and Terrestrial Biomes
• climograph
Desert Temperate grassland Tropical forest
Temperate
broadleaf
forest
Coniferous
forest
Arctic and
alpine
tundra
Annual mean precipitation (cm)
Annual
mean
temperature
(ºC)
100 200 300 400
30
15
0
15

9. Terrestrial biomes

10. Producers & Consumers
• Primary Producers
• Autotrophs
– photosynthesis.
• Chemotrophs
– Chemosynthesis
– Consumers
• Herbivores
• Carnivore
• Omnivore
– Scavengers
– Detritivores
– Decomposers

11. Function of an Ecosystem
1. Ecosystem Cycling
Biochemical Cycle-Nutrients, the chemical essential to life, are
cycled in the ecosphere and in the mature ecosystems. In these
cycles, nutrients move from the environment, through
organisms, and back to the environment.
Carbon Cycle-is based on carbon dioxide gas, which makes up
only about 0.03% by volume of the troposphere and is also
dissolved in water. Carbon is the basic building block of
carbohydrates, fats, proteins, nucleic acids, and other organic
compounds essential to life.

12. Nitrogen Cycle-The Earth's largest reservoir of nitrogen is the
troposphere, with about 78% of its volume made up of nitrogen
gas(N2). Nitrogen is required to synthesize proteins, and
nucleic acids. The abundant form of nitrogen cannot be used
directly. The conversion of atmospheric nitrogen gas into other
chemical forms useful to plants is called nitrogen fixation.
Phosphorus Cycle-Various forms of Phosphorous is cycled
through water, the earths crust, and living organisms.
Sulfur Cycle -Sulfur enter the atmosphere from natural
sources.
Hydrologic Cycle (water cycle)-collects, purifies, and
distributes the Earth's fixed supply of water. Water is an
important medium for the movement of nutrients into and out of
ecosystems.

13. 2. Unidirectional flow of Energy
• Photosynthesis explains how energy from the sun is captured
by green plants and used to make food. Most of this energy is
used to carry on the plant's life activities. The rest of the
energy is passed on as food to the next level of the food
chain.
The figure above shows energy flow in a simple food chain.
At each level of the food chain, about 90% of the energy is
lost in the form of heat. The total energy passed from one
level to the next is only about one-tenth of the energy
received from the previous organism.

14. 3. Ecological Regulation

15. Trophic Levels and Energy Flow in Ecosystem
• Energy moves from one organisms to another.
Each step in this transfer of energy is know as a
trophic level
• The energy flow from one trophic level to the
other is know as a food chain

16. Biomass
• The total mass of the organic matter at each
trophic level is called biomass
• Biomass is just another term for potential energy
– energy that is to be eaten and used.
• The transfer of energy from one level to another
is very inefficient

17. Food Web
• Most organisms eat more the JUST one organism. When
more organism are involved it is know as a FOOD WEB.
Food webs are more complex and involve lots of
organisms

18. Ecological Pyramid
• An ecological pyramid shows the relationship
between consumers and producers at different
trophic levels in an ecosystem
• Shows the relative amounts of energy or matter
contained at each trophic level
• The Pyramid shows which level has the most
energy and the highest number of organisms

19. Pyramid of Energy and Biomass

20. Levels of Organization

21. • Organism level
• how an organism’s structure, physiology, and behavior meet the
challenges posed by the environment
• Population ecology
• Concentrates mainly on factors that affect how many individuals
of a particular species live in an area
• Community ecology
• Deals with the whole array of interacting species in a
community
• Ecosystem ecology
• Emphasizes energy flow and chemical cycling among the
various biotic and abiotic components

22. Climate and the distribution of
organisms
• Interactions between organisms and the
environment limit the distribution of species
• Ecologists recognize global and regional
patterns of distribution of organisms within
the biosphere
• Biogeography: study of distribution of
organisms

23. Dispersal and Distribution
• Dispersal
– Is the movement of individuals away from
centers of high population density or from their
area of origin
– Contributes to the global distribution of
organisms

24. Biotic Factors
• Biotic factors that affect the distribution
of organisms may include
– Interactions with other species
– Predation
– Competition

25. Abiotic Factors
• Abiotic factors that affect the distribution of
organisms may include
– Temperature
• because of its effects on biological processes
– Water
– Sunlight
• Light intensity and quality can affect photosynthesis.
• Also important to the development and behavior of organisms
sensitive to the photoperiod
– Wind
– Rocks and soil

26. Wind
• Wind
– Amplifies the effects of temperature on
organisms by increasing heat loss due to
evaporation and convection
– Can change the morphology of plants

27. Rocks and Soil
• Many characteristics of soil limit the
distribution of plants and thus the
animals that feed upon them
– Physical structure
– pH
– Mineral composition

28. Climate
• Climate is the prevailing weather
conditions in a particular area
• Four major abiotic components make up
climate
– Temperature, water, sunlight, and wind

29. Climate scale
• Climate patterns can be described on two
scales
– Macroclimate, patterns on the global,
regional, and local level
– Microclimate, very fine patterns, such as
those encountered by the community of
organisms underneath a fallen log

30. Microclimate
• Microclimate is determined by fine-scale
differences in abiotic factors.
– Shade from a tree
– Wind blockage by a boulder
– Low-lying area that collects moisture

31. Succession
• Ecological succession - transition in
species composition over ecological
time
• Primary - begun in lifeless area; no
soil, perhaps volcanic activity or
retreating glacier
• Secondary - an existing community
has been cleared by some disturbance
that leaves the soil intact
• Climax Communities
A climax community is one that has reached the stable stage an
extensive and well defined, the climax community is called a biome.
(Ex. tundra, grassland, desert, and the deciduous, coniferous, and tropical
rain forests.)
Stability is attained through a process known as succession, whereby
relatively simple communities are replaced by those more complex.

32. Humans Affect the Biosphere
• Pollution
• Urbanization
• Industrialization
• Overexploitation of resources
• Global Climate Change
• Acid Rain
• Ozone Layer Depletion
• Biological Magnification/Bioaccumulation
• Threatening Biodiversity

33. Applied Ecology
• Applied ecology is a subfield within ecology, which considers
the application of the science of ecology to real-world (usually
management) problems.
• It is an integrated treatment of the ecological, social, and
biotechnological aspects of natural resource, conservation and
management.
• It is also called ecological or environmental technology.
• Applied ecology mainly focuses on geomorphology, soils, and
plant communities as the underpinnings for vegetation and
wildlife (both game and non-game) management.

34. Applied Ecology
• Aspects of applied ecology include:
• Agro-ecosystem management
• Biodiversity conservation
• Biotechnology
• Conservation biology
• Ecosystem restoration
• Habitat management
• Invasive species management
• Protected areas management
• Rangeland management
• Restoration ecology