Chp: 55 Ecosystems

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Ecosystem

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includes all biotic and abiotc factors within a specific area.

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Law of conservation of engery

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energu can neither be created nor destroyed, only transformed.

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2nd Law of Thermodynamics

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Energy transfers/ transformations are not completely efficient-some energy will be lost as heat.

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Primary consumers

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heterotrphs feeding on planets (herbivores)

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Secondary Consumers

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An organism that largely feeds on primary consumers.

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3rd consumers

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they are large carnivorous animals which feed on small carnivorous animals. ex. rabit-snake-coyote.

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Detritivores

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heterotrophs that obtain energy from dead/decaying organic material (detritus) and recycled nutrients back to producers (saprophytes-prokaryotes, protists, fungi)

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Gross Primary Production

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total amount of light energy converted into chemical energy by producers during a given amount of time. Ex. prokaryotes, algea, green plants.

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Net Primary production

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gross primary production minus the energy used by producers during respiration

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Net Primary Production Determined by

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size od area covered by primary producers, efficiency of primary producers.

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Primary Production in Aquatic Systems

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50% solar radiation is absorbed n the 1st M of water, 5-10% more solar radiation is absorbed down to 20 M, SOlar radiation increased from the poles to equator where the greater amount of light hits the earth.

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Nutrient Limitation

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element that must be added in order for primary production to increase in a particular area.

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Marine Limitng Nutrients

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Phosphorous, Nitrogen, Iron

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Upwellings

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when nutrient-rich waters circulate to the ocean's surface from the ocean floor. results in higher primary production.

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Eutrophication

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Process in which nutrients (P,N) becoming highly concentrated in a body of water resulting increased algal growth. Results in excessive primary production, caused mainly by human sources (sewage, agriculture, landscaping.)

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Primary Production in terrestrial systems

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temperature and moisture are two key factors in terrestrial primary production, highest production- tropical rainforest, lowest primary production-tundra and desert.

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Actual Evapotranspiration

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Annal amount of water transpired by plants and evaporated from landscapes. Evaportranspiration increases with more preciptaiton and solar radiation.

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Secondary Producton

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Amount of chemical energy converted nto bimass by hetertophs during a given amount of time. ex. browser and granzer.

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Trophic Efficiency

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amount of energy transfearred from one trophic level to the next. 10% energy level is transferred between levels, 90% energy is lost between levels.

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Green World Hypothesis

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Predators hold terrestrial herbivores in check, preventing them from consuming excessive amounts of plant biomass (carnivores, parasite, disease, etc.) Predators=carnivores, parasite, disease, etc., herbivores= consume less than 17% of total plant biomas.

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Keeping Herbivores in Check

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Intraspecific competition, Interspecific interactions, Abiotic factors (climate), Nutrient limitations,Plant defenses.

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Biogeochemical Cycle

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Nutrient cycels involving both biotic and abiotic components, carbon (global), Water (gobal), Nitrogen (local), Phosphorus (local).

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Detritvorore

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Organisms that feeds on dead or decaying organic material (detritus); decomposer, rate of nutrient cycling is dependent open rate of decomposition, wamer temps and more moisture= faster rate of decomposition.

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Tropical Rainforest

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10% of nutrients are contained with in the soil, Faster Nutrients, cycling (high tem/ moisture).

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Temperate Forest

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50% of nutrients are contained with in soil, slower nutrient cycling (lower temp/ moisture.)

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Nutrient Enrichment

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N is the main nutrient lost in agriculture, synthetic fertilzers increase N in the soil, Legumes increase N in the soil.

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Critical load

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Amount of nutrients asses (N/P) that can be absorbed by plants without damaging ecosystem integrity.

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Excess Nutrients

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leach into groundwater or runoff into aquatic ecosystems, contaimate water cupplies, chokes waterways (eutrophication), kills fish.

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Source of Contamination

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Fertilizer runoff- agriculture/ landscaping, sewage/ ndustrial waste, Animal waste runoff.

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Results of Contamination

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Algal blooms, O saturatio during photosynthesis (day), O depletion during respiration.

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Acid precipitaiton

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rain, snow, sleet, or fog with pH of less than 5.6. Burning of wood, coal or fossisl fules releases sulfur and nitrogen which reacts with water forming sulfuric and nitric acids. Lowers pH of aquatcs ecosystems, alters soil chemistry of terrestrial ecosystems.

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Bioaccumulation

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increasing concentrations of potentially toxic substances in living organisms; easily ingested, but not biodegradable.

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Biomagnification

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Increasing concentrations of potentially toxic substance in food chains; exponentially increasingat each level

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First generation pesticides

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heavy metals (As, Pb, Hg), expensive to produce, persisted in the environment, toxic to all living organisms, insects developed resistance.

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Second Generation Pesticides

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Synthetic Organics (ddt), Inexensive to produce, Persisted in the enviornment, toxic only to insects-at first, convered a broad spectrum.

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Environmental Toxins (DDT)

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DDt accumulated in the tissues of eagels, interfering with the deposition of Ca in egg shells, During incubation, egg shells would break resulting n a signifcant decline in reproductive rates.

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Atmospheric Carbondioxide

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Co2 concentration has been increasing since the industrial revolution due to combustion of fossil fuels and burning of enormous quantities of wood as well as deforestation.

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Greenhouse effect

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Co2, H20 vapor, etc. Intercept much of the reflected solar radiation from much of the reflected solar radiation from eath's surface, re-reflecting some of it back to earth.

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Global Warming

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Increase in average temperature of earth's near-surface air and oceans.

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Results of Global Warming

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shift in precipitation patterns, melting polar ice caps, rising sea levels (100m), coastal flooding (150 km), mass extinctions.

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Ozone Layers

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17-25 km high layer in earth's atmosphere containing high concentrations of ozone (o3) blocking 97-99% of solar ultraviolet radiation.

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Ozone Depleation

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Most apparent over antartica, thinning since 1975, Due to CFC's, Montreal Protocol (1989).

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Consequences of Ozone Layer Depletion

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increases in cases of skin cance, cataracts, adverse effects on ecosystems, Adverse effects on crops.