your role in the ecosystem. all life on earth is interconnected. all life interacts with the...
TRANSCRIPT
YOUR ROLE IN THE ECOSYSTEM
All life on Earth is interconnected.
All life interacts with the nonliving
environment.
What is an ecosystem?You, all other life forms and all of the nonliving factors in your environment make up the ecosystem.
Ecosystems are influenced by both biotic (living) factors and abiotic (nonliving) factors
Two major things move through the ecosystem, ENERGY and MATTER.
Major DIFFERENCE:
Matter CYCLES, Energy FLOWS in one direction.
What does this mean?
Why does it matter?
Cycling of Matter
•Remember CHNOPS?•Unlike energy, these important elements can be recycled within and between ecosystems.
•Biogeochemical cycles- the passing of matter from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another
The Water Cycle
The Carbon Cycle
LAW: Conservation of MatterNo physical or chemical change can create or destroy any atoms.
All we can ever do is rearrange the atoms that already exist.
We can never throw anything “away”
Energy Flow
The Popcorn Race…1. What was the limiting factor affecting how much popcorn
could be carried?
2. When did the popcorn spill?
3. What would happen if there were fewer transfers?
What do you think this has to do with food chains?
• Why are food chains rarely more than 4 or 5 members (trophic levels) long?
Where does the 90% go? What law is this?
Laws of Thermodynamics
First Law: (CHANGE) Energy is neither created nor destroyed but may be converted from one form to another.
Second Law: (LOSS) In any energy conversion, you will end up with less usable energy thanyou started with.
The 10% Rule: 2nd Law of Thermodynamics in action
•As you travel up the food chain, the amount of energy transferred to each organism declines –• only 10% of the energy is passed on to the next consumer• the remaining 90% is either:
1. Energy lost as heat,2.Energy/biomass is used for growth 3. Biomass excreted as waste
•Actually 5-20%
Food Chains•Represents the transfer of matter & energy within an ecosystemShown by arrows
•Include “trophic levels”Producers, consumers, decomposers
Food ChainsA food chain ALWAYS
starts with a producer
The 2nd trophic level is USUALLY a herbivore (can sometimes be an omnivore)
Although not always shown,
all consumers are eventually consumed & recycled by decomposers
How would you label these trophic levels?
A Forest Food Chain
GRASS
MOUSE
SNAKE
HAWK
1st Trophic Level
2nd trophic Level
3rd Trophic
level
4th Trophic
level
A Forest Food Chain
GRASS
MOUSE
SNAKE
HAWK
Producer 1st Consume
r
2nd Consume
r
3rd Consume
r
1st Trophic Level
2nd trophic Level
3rd Trophic
level
4th Trophic
level
A Forest Food Chain
GRASS
MOUSE
SNAKE
HAWK
Producer 1st Consume
r
2nd Consume
r
3rd Consume
rHerbivore Carnivore Carnivore
1st Trophic Level
2nd trophic Level
3rd Trophic
level
4th Trophic
levelWhat’s still missing?
True or False?
If you ate 20 pounds of food,
you would gain 20 pounds
Discussion…
•Why are food chains rarely more than 4 or 5 members long?
•Keep in mind the popcorn race…
GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSizops50Eo
Pyramid of Energy Flow - Pyramid of BiomassWhy might eating at a lower trophic level be a good idea?
Heat
Heat
Heat
Heat
Heat
1010
100100
1,0001,000
10,00010,000Usable energyUsable energy
Available atAvailable atEach tropic levelEach tropic level(in kilocalories)(in kilocalories)
ProducersProducers(phytoplankton)(phytoplankton)
Primaryconsumers
(zooplankton)
Secondaryconsumers
(perch)
Tertiaryconsumers(human)
Decomposers
Discussion…
•Why could the earth support more people if they eat at lower trophic levels?
So who is in charge?Activity: Tragedy of the Commons
TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONSWhat are the top environmental problems that we face
today?
Resource Depletion
•Natural resource = natural material used by humans• renewable and nonrenewable
•Depletion = large fraction of the resource is used up
Tragedy of the Commons What is it?
•Commons = areas of land that belong to
no one and everyone. •The Tragedy: No one takes responsibility
for shared common resource..
Example: People grazed cows/sheep on land•put as many animals as they could•“If I don’t use this resource someone else will”•No thought of others or the future•No sustainability
So, what’s the problem?
•Short term interests of individuals
vs.•Long term well being of society
Discussion questions
•Did everyone try to take as many as possible? Why or Why not? Does society reward those with the “most”?
•Did anyone sacrifice the # of fish, for the good of the community? Why or why not? Does society ever reward that type of person?
Analysis Questions
•What other common resources might be represented by the paperclips?
•What happened to all the paperclips in the first year of game one? Why?
•How does this relate to these words: infinite/finite, depletion, sustainability?
Sustainability
•meeting the needs of the present without damaging the environment or depleting a resource for future generations