Ecosystems: What Are They and How Do They Work?

5. How Do Scientists Study Ecosystems?

Using field and laboratory research
Designing controlled experiments
Developing mathematical and statistical models
4. Matter in an Ecosystem
The Nutrients Cycle
Process
driven by solar energy and gravity
through the air, soil, rock, water, and living organisms
The Water Cycle
Process
collection → evaporation → condensation → precipitaton
Human influence
draining and filling in wetlands
withdrawing freshwater resources
replacing forests/vegetation with urban development
increasing runoff
reducing transpiration
The Carbon Cycle
Process
Photosynthesis
Aerobic respiration
Human influence
clear cutting forests → destroys carbon-absorbing vegetation
extracting & burning fossil fuels → causes greenhouse effect
The Nitrogen Cycle
Process
Nitrogen fixation
Nitrification
Nitrogen assimilation
Nitrogen ammonification
Defitrication
Human influence
burning fossil fuels → causes acid rain
removing atmospheric nitrogen → make fertilizer
The Phosphorus Cycle
Process
through soils, rocks, water, and plants
Human influence
reducing phosphorus in tropical topsoils
mining phosphorus deposits → make fertilizer
The Sulfur Cycle
Process
from active volcanoes
absorption by plant roots
through decomposition of organic matter
from sea spray, dust storms, and forest fires
via mining of ore deposits/ocean sediments
Human influence
releasing sulfur dioxide
releasing sulfur dioxide
make gasoline
Mining and smelting metals
3. Energy in an Ecosystem
Energy Flows Through Ecosystems in Food Chains and Food Webs
Food chains
Food webs
Pyramid of energy flow
Some Ecosystems Produce Plant Matter Faster than Others Do
 GPP (gross primary productivity)
NPP (net primary productivity)
2. Major components of an Ecosystem
Ecology
Biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living)
Five levels
Organisms
Populations
Communities
Ecosystems
The biosphere
Levels of the Organization of Matter in Nature
Atom > Molecule > Cell > Organism > Population > Community > Ecosystem >
Biosphere
Producers and Consumers
Producers (autotrophs – plants)
Consumers (heterotrophs)
Herbivores (plant eaters)
Carnivores (meat eaters)
Omnivores (eat both plants and meat)
Living (Biotic) and Non-Living (Abiotic) Components
Natural Capital: The Main Components of an Ecosystem
Solar energy
Producers (plants)
Consumers (plant eaters, meat eaters)
Decomposers (bacteria, fungi)
Chemical nutrients (carbon dioxide, oxygen, nitrogen, minerals)
1. The Earth's life-support system
Four Major Components
Atmosphere
The troposphere
The stratosphere
Hydrosphere
Water at or near the earth’s surface (ice, water, and water vapor)
Geosphere
Composed of hot core, a thick mantle composed mostly of rock, and a thin
outer crust
Biosphere
Wherever life is found within the other three spheres
Interconnected factors
The one-way flow of high-quality energy
Solar energy principle of sustainability
Greenhouse effect
The cycling of nutrients
Chemical cycling principle of sustainability
Gravity