2. Studying organisms in their environment
biosphere
ecosystem
community
population
organism 2

3. Essential questions What limits the production in ecosystems?
How do nutrients move in the ecosystem?
How does energy move through the ecosystem? 3

4. Ecosystem All the organisms in a community plus abiotic factors
Transform energy & process matter
Ecosystems are self-sustaining
what is needed?
capture energy
transfer energy
cycle nutrients 4

5. Ecosystem inputs nutrients cycle inputs energy nutrients
biosphere
energy flows through
constant input of energy
nutrients cycle
Matter cannot
be created or destroyed
Don’t forget the laws of Physics!
Nutrients cycle
inputs
energy
nutrients 5

6. Generalized Nutrient cycling
consumers
decomposers
abiotic reservoir
nutrients made available to producers
geologic processes
producers
nutrients ENTER FOOD CHAIN = made available to producers
return to abiotic reservoir
Decomposition connects all trophic levels 6

7. Water cycle Solar energy Transpiration Evaporation Precipitation
abiotic reservoir:
surface & atmospheric water
enter food chain:
precipitation & plant uptake
recycle:
transpiration
return to abiotic:
evaporation & runoff
Water cycle
Solar energy
Transpiration
Water vapor
Evaporation
Precipitation
Oceans
Runoff
Lakes
Percolation in soil
Aquifer
Groundwater

8. Breaking the water cycle
Deforestation breaks the water cycle
groundwater is not transpired. Precipitation is not created.
forest  desert
desertification

9. Repairing the damage The Greenbelt Movement planting trees in Kenya
restoring a sustainable ecosystem
establishing democracy
empowering women
Wangari Maathai
Nobel Peace prize 2004

10. Nitrogen cycle Atmospheric nitrogen Carnivores Herbivores Birds Plants
abiotic reservoir:
N in atmosphere
enter food chain:
nitrogen fixation by soil & aquatic bacteria
recycle:
decomposing & nitrifying bacteria
return to abiotic:
denitrifying bacteria
Atmospheric
nitrogen
Carnivores
Herbivores
Birds
Plankton with
nitrogen-fixing
bacteria
Plants
Death, excretion, feces
Fish
Nitrogen-fixing
bacteria
(plant roots)
Decomposing bacteria
amino acids
excretion
Ammonifying bacteria
Nitrogen-fixing
bacteria
(soil)
loss to deep sediments
Nitrifying bacteria
Denitrifying
bacteria
soil nitrates

11. Phosphorus cycle abiotic reservoir: rocks, minerals, soil
enter food chain:
erosion releases soluble phosphate
uptake by plants
recycle:
decomposing bacteria & fungi
return to abiotic:
loss to ocean sediment
Land
animals
Plants
Animal tissue
and feces
Urine
Soluble soil
phosphate
Decomposers
(bacteria and
fungi)
Loss in
drainage
Rocks and
minerals
Phosphates
in solution
Decomposers
(bacteria & fungi)
Animal tissue
and feces
Aquatic
animals
Plants and
algae
Precipitates
Loss to deep sediment

12. Carbon cycle abiotic reservoir: CO2 in atmosphere enter food chain:
photosynthesis = carbon fixation in Calvin cycle
recycle:
decomposition
return to abiotic:
respiration
combustion
Carbon cycle
CO2 in
atmosphere
Diffusion
Respiration
Photosynthesis
Plants and algae
Plants
Animals
Industry and home
Combustion of fuels
Carbonates in sediment
Bicarbonates
Deposition of
dead material
Deposition
of dead
material
Fossil fuels
(oil, gas, coal)
Dissolved CO2

13. Carbon Cycle
Most of the carbon on earth is locked up in the crust in limestone rocks: CaCO3

14. Some of the rest is in fossil fuels: coal, crude oil and natural gas.
Coal = carbon
Methane = CH4

15. Some is in the atmosphere as CO2

16. A lot is dissolved in seawater as carbonate (CO32-), bicarbonate (HCO3-), carbonic acid (H2CO3) and carbon dioxide (CO2)

17. And of course some is in living & dead biological tissue (Biomass)

18. PHOTOSYNTHESIS (plants and Algae): 6CO2 + 6H2O  C6H12O6 + 6O2
(sunlight)
RESPIRATION (all life)
C6H12O6 + 6O2  6CO2 + 6H2O (+ energy!)
Where:
C6H12O6 = sugar
O2 = oxygen
CO2 = carbon dioxide
H2O = water

19. Carbon Cycle getting started…
Respiration:
Sugar + O2
 CO2 + H2O
CO2 + H2O  sugar + O2
Photosynthesis:
CO2
Limestone
CaCO3
CO2

20. The main thing is to present it as a CYCLE
That means every place with carbon has at least one arrow coming in and one arrow going out!