1. Ecosystems
Chapter 16

2. Ecology Hierarchy Species – one particular living organism
Population – two or more of the same species
Community – A group of organisms of different species living together in a particular place
Ecosystem – both living organisms (biotic) & non-living (abiotic) in a particular place
Biome – group of ecosystems

3. Ecology Hierarchy examples
Species – One dolphin
Population – Pod of dolphins
Community – Pod of dolphins & group of sharks
Ecosystem – Pod of dolphins/sharks/water
Biome- the entire ocean with all biotic & abiotic factors

4. HABITAT- The physical location of an ecosystem
in which a given species lives
ABIOTIC – only non living factors that effect the
ecosystem
Ex.– soil / water / weather/ sun
BIOTIC - only living factors that affect an ecosystem
Ex. Plants / people / animals / bacteria

5. Succession Two types of Succession
Primary
Secondary
PRIMARY – Where NO life was previously
Ex. Lichens appear after a volcanic eruption
SECONDARY – as a previously existing community is replaced.
Ex. Plants grow after a forest fire.

6. Primary Succession
Succession that occurs where life has NOT existed before
Ex. Receding glacier (Glacier Bay)
Ex. Volcano forms a new island
Lichens / Moss – two primary organisms
that appear first.
Pioneer species – 1st species to appear
and grow in an area.

7. Pioneer Species
Pioneer Species – 1st organisms to appear are SMALL, FAST-GROWING plants
They make the ground more hospitable for other species

8. Secondary Succession
Succession that occurs in areas where there HAS been PREVIOUS growth.
Example - When settlers arrived in New England, many forests were turned into fields, Eventually, some fields were abandoned and then grew back into forests.
Example - An abandoned garden
Natural Causes
Forest fires
Floods
Earthquake
Sudden climate change

9. When an organism dies, the nutrients in the body – are released by the action of decomposers
Examples of decomposers – FUNGI & BACTERIA
Primary Producers - Organisms that manufacture organic nutrients for an ecosystem.
Grasses – Primary producer in a grassland
ecosystem
Green Algae – Primary producer in water ecosystem
NOT all algae arephotosynthetic.

10. Trophic Levels Trophic levels – Energy levels Lowest level – Producers
(highest energy)
Usable energy decreases as you move up.
Only 10% useable energy passes up to the next level
Number is limited by the amount of energy that is lost at each level

11. Energy moves UP As it moves up it DECREASES

12. Because energy diminishes at each successive trophic level, few ecosystems can contain more than three or four trophic
Food chain – path of energy through tropic levels of an ecosystem (pg 346)
Food Web – made up of interrelated food chains (pg 347)
Energy Pyramid – shows the amount of
energy contained in the bodies
of organisms at each trophic level (pg 348)

13. Page 347 (Draw Out) The Algae are PRODUCERS
This diagram is an example of a FOOD WEB
The Leopard seals are carnivores ( they may eat elephant seal/squid/cod/Adelie penguin/crabeater seal)
Killer whales feed at the third & fourth trophic levels

14. Every time that energy is transferred in an ecosystem, potential energy is lost as HEAT.
The change in the number of predators in a food web CAN affect an entire ecosystem

15. Types of Consumers Consumer (Heterotroph) – can NOT make its own food
Carnivores – meat eaters
Carnivores – eat carnivores /herbivores /omnivores
Herbivores – Feed only on producers
Herbivores – Feed only on plants
Omnivores – eat meat & plant material
Omnivores – eat omnivores/herbivores/producers
Decomposers – organism that receives energy from
every other type – found in all levels

16. First level (PRODUCERS)
Bottom of the pyramid
Algae – Plants – Phytoplankton
Use the sun’s energy to make food
Plankton – the base of most aquatic webs/pyramids/chains

17. Second Level HERBIVORES Eat only plant material Cows / horses
Must be able to break down a plant's molecules into useable cpds.
Must be able to digest cellulose ( cell wall of plants)

18. Third & Higher levels Carnivores and Omnivores
Carnivore – animals that eats other animals
Omnivores – animals that eat both carnivores & herbivores
A relationship between a producer and a consumer may be illustrated by a zebra eating grass. (zebra-consumer/ grass-producer)

19. Energy Pyramid
Energy stored – one-tenth of the energy in the level BELOW it.
In going from one trophic level to the next higher level, the amount of usable energy DECREASES
Animals that feed on plant eaters are no lower than level C (snake)
Level A = producers
10% level B energy is available to level C
Tertiary (3rd) consumer- carnivore
Eagle
(D)
30,000 kcal
Secondary consumer (carnivore)
Snake
(C)
300,000 kcal
Rat
(B)
Primary consumer (herbivore)
3,000,000 kcal
30,000,000kcal
Plants
(A)
Producers

20. Section 3 cycling materials
WATER CYCLE STEPS
evaporation/transpiration
condensation (forms clouds)
Precipitation

21. Water Cycle
TRANSPIRATION – water leaves plants and enters the atmosphere.
TRANSPIRATION – movement of water from the biotic to the abiotic
More than 90% of the moisture in the Tropical Forest ecosystem passes through plants by transpiration.

22. CARBON CYCLE pg 352 Carbon returns to atmosphere by
Respiration (we exhale carbon dioxide)
Combustion (burning fossil fuels or wood)
Erosion (erosion of limestone)
Carbon is temporarily removed from the atmosphere by Photosynthesis

23. Nitrogen Cycle pg 353
About 78% of the atmosphere is Nitrogen. However, most organisms are unable to use it in this form (nitrogen gas)
Therefore for nitrogen to be useful is must go through a process call nitrogen fixation
Nitrogen fixing bacteria – live in the soil and plant roots.

24. Nitrogen Cycle general overview
conversion of nitrogen into usable organic cpds by bacteria
conversion of nitrogen from decaying organisms into ammonia
Nitrogen fixation