Draw a system diagram of a compost pile Starter Draw a system diagram of a compost pile Application and skills: Construct a system diagram or a model from a given set of information

A teaspoon of productive soil generally contains between 100 million and 1 billion bacteria. That is as much mass as two cows per acre.

Introduction to Ecosystems Significant Ideas: A species interacts with its abiotic and biotic environments, and its niche is described by these interactions. Ecosystems are linked together by energy and matter flows. The Sun’s energy drives these flows

Biotic A living biological factor that may influence an organism or ecosystem: for example, a predator, parasite, competitor or prey. Abiotic A non-living physical factor that may influence an organism or ecosystem. For example, temperature, sunlight, pH, salinity, precipitation

What is an Ecosystem? Abiotic Factors Biotic Factors Interactions of biotic with abiotic; biotic with biotic A community of interdependent organisms and the physical environment they inhabit System of all interacting organisms, including their non-living surroundings Abiotic Factors – The non-living components (energy, non-living matter, various processes involving the interactions of energy and non-living matter); examples: sun, elements [carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous], water, characteristics of their spatial surroundings [elevation, latitude] Biotic Factors – The living components (plants, animals, bacteria, fungi)

1. Where an organism lives Habitat 1. Where an organism lives Niche 1.How the organisms affects other organisms 2.How an organism modifies its physical surroundings 3.All the interactions of the organism with its surroundings Habitat – the place where an animal or plant normally lives or grows, usually characterized either by physical features or by dominant plants; the space an organism inhabits How is “habitat” different from “ecosystem”? They are often used interchangeably, but ecosystem refers more to a system while habitat is more specifically used when describing a particular plant or animal. Niche – 1. How the organism affects other organisms 2. How an organism modifies its physical surroundings 3. All the things that happen to an organism Its HABITAT, its BEHAVIOURAL ADAPTATIONS, and its relationships to PREDATORS, PREY and ABIOTIC FEATURES

Energy Flow through an Ecosystem Producers Consumers Primary Secondary Herbivores Carnivores Omnivores Parasites Decomposers Detritivores Producers – organisms able to use sources of energy to make complex organic molecules from simple inorganic molecules in the environment; only organism in an ecosystem that can trap energy Consumers – consume organic matter to provide themselves with energy and organic matter necessary for growth and survival Primary Consumers – herbivores (eat plants) Secondary Consumers – carnivores (eat meat); omnivores (plants and meat) Decomposers – digest organic molecules in detritus into simpler organic compounds, and absorb soluble nutrients (bacteria and fungi); use non-living organic matter as a source of energy Energy flow through ecosystems; Each step in the flow of energy through an ecosystem is known as a trophic level. As energy moves from one trophic level to the next, most of the useful energy (90%) is lost as heat. (2nd Law of Thermodynamics) Because energy is difficult to track, biomass (weight of living material) is often used as a proxy.

Ecosystems Coral Reef Sea Grass Bed Mangrove Red Wood Tree Canopy Limestone Karst Abiotic Biotic

BINGO Ecosystem Abiotic Habitat Biotic Predator Consumer Food Web Producer Prey Herbivore Parasite Hyperparasite Niche

Sloth Ecosystem Which organisms are the main ones involved in the sloth ecosystem? Which is the producer in this ecosystem? What is the source of energy for this ecosystem? Which animals are the secondary consumers in the ecosystem? Draw a food chain that includes the 3-toed sloth The moths are primary consumers. What do they eat? What evidence did the scientists find that suggests the sloths not only eat leaves, but also eat algae? What relationship did the scientists find between moth infestations, nitrogen content of the sloth’s fur and amount of algae? What kind of relationship does the sloth have with the moth? Explain your answer.

Symbiotic Species Interactions Mutualism Organisms interact in other ways too. Mutualism – both benefit. Lichen – fungus and moss. Anenome and clown fish. What other examples have we talked about? Coral and bacteria. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43id_NRajDo

Symbiotic Species Interactions http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMG-LWyNcAs Parasitism Parasitism – a form of predation. All these intereactions are between species and affect the individuals which are able to survive and reproduce to the next generation. Although we are talking about a lot of aspects of the ecosystem which end up killing the individual organisms this is really the process of increasing diversity and thereby is a life affirming process. The diversity of organisms is also mirrored by the diversity of ecosystems. Aside from the physical factors we’ve already discussed regarding ecosystems, what temporal factors affect the diversity of habitats we see?

Competition Interspecific Interference Exploitation niches overlap in some places. Interference: limit access to resource regardless of abundance e.g. hummingbird protecting patch of flowers Explotation competition – gets to resource first – good at exploiting. Invasive species http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IgRFpdK3BM

Pollination http://www.ted.com/talks/louie_schwartzberg_the_hidden_beauty_of_pollination#

Predator-Prey Interactions Competition is not the only ecosystem dynamic driving evolution. Predator prey interactions. Can predation help the prey population? Think about natural selection. Reduces competition. Improves genetic stock. Constant ‘warfare’ betweeen predator and prey. Also drives diversity. Plants and insects. Resistance to insects. Ask students about resistance.

Mekong River Ecosystem https://sites.google.com/site/crittersetc/cast- studies/the-xayaburi-dam