concepts and processes relating to ecology. some definitions ecology how organisms interact with...
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Some definitions
Ecology how organisms interact with their environment
Ecosystem all the communities plus the physical factors of the environment in a given area and how they relate to each other
Environment all biotic and abiotic factors in an area that affect the organisms present
Biosphere all communities and physical factors in the world
There are two main factors to consider in the abiotic environment– Energy flow– Chemical recycling
Energy in the ecosystem
Plants capture energy from the sun– Done through photosynthesis– Captured in the chemical chlorophyll– light energy is used by chlorophyll to combine
carbon dioxide from air and water from roots– Oxygen is a waste product
Plants have manufactured all of the oxygen in the air
– Algae does same reaction in water
Flow of energy
Once photosynthesis has occurred the energy is locked in a chemical molecule and can be passed through a food chain
Note that plants do not produce glucose for the benefit of consumers – they produce glucose for themselves
Energy is released from glucose via process of respiration
Respiration
RESPIRATION IS NOT BREATHING.– Breathing is moving gas in and out of lungs– Respiration is combining oxygen and glucose to
release energy Glucose + oxygen carbon dioxide
+ water + energy (ATP adeno triphosphate) ATP is then changed into mechanical energy,
chemical energy, active transport, electrical energy or bioluminescence
enzymes
Eventually energy gets turned to heat, and is lost to space
Two main energy flows– Grazing relationship
Grass herbivores carnivores
– Organic detritus relationship Dead parts and wastes of organisms broken down by
bacteria and fungi
Trophic or feeding levels
Trophic levels determine energy flow and chemical recycling
Note to TJ – draw it on the board!
Food webs and food chains
A food chain is straight. No branchesGrass sheep people
Food webs are more complex
Energy pyramids
Obviously, there is more energy in the lower parts of a food chain. So you can draw how much energy there is in each trophic level
The pyramid can be numbers or as biomass
How humans affect food chains and webs
Biological concentration– Chemicals concentrate in the fat of higher
consumers eg ddt in raptors Removing one part of food chain
– Farming, fishing, forestry– The lower down the food chain the more animals
are affected Introducing exotic species
– Weasels, rabbits, possums, deer, etc
Removal of too much of an organism– Makes ecosystems unstable– Remove too many of reproductive age animal,
and then there are no babies
Nutrient Recycling
You need to know – Water– Carbon– Nitrogen– Calcium/phosphorous (least important)
Water
Sea holds 98.7% of world’s water Two main processes make water go up
– Evaporation– Transpiration
1. Water evaporates off sea and land and transpires off plants
2. Water rises to cold atmosphere and condenses
3. Clouds move round and drop precipitate
4. Water passes into underground waterways or rivers back to the sea
Carbon cycle
Carbon is the molecule we are basically made from. It is part of fats, proteins and carbohydrates.
Most carbon is in the sea.(98% dissolved in sea). Lots of carbon is locked up in limestone. Fossil fuels are largely carbon. Air/atmospheric is 0.036% CO2
How humans affect the cycle
Burn the trees = more CO2 released
Burn the fossil fuel = more CO2 released
Plant the trees = more CO2 locked up
Note that CO2 acts like a blanket and traps the sun’s energy on the planet, so we warm up
Nitrogen cycle
Used to make proteins, which include muscles and enzymes, hormones and haemoglobin and antibodies
Air is 78% nitrogen. We can’t actually use it Nitrate ions are biologically active and
dissolve in soil water Nitrogen fixing is turning nitrogen gas into
nitrate
Other cycles
Calcium and phosphorous are other important nutrients that are recycled.
Calcium is used in bones and in cell membranes
Phosphorous needed to make DNA ATP and bones/teeth
Zoo breeding programs
Some animals unable to breed successfully in the wild– Insufficient habitat– Insufficient genetic diversity
Ecology management
People change the ecology – they add extra nutrients like nitrogen, they remove the trees, they may hunt for some animal in the food chain
Sometimes people try to improve an ecology back to its ‘natural’ state
They do – Pest management– Put in reserves– Artificial breeding– Selective logging
Pest management
Biological control, which is adding more consumers to a food web eg you have too many aphids, so you put more ladybirds into the system
Marine reserves
An area set aside so no-one fishes there Lots of fish breed there, and outside reserve areas
end up with increased fish stock Reserves are good for
– Making things look pretty– More fish in the sea– Endangered fish have a place to live– Science can see how many fish should be in the sea