ENVIRONMENTAL

SYSTEMS
matter, energy, and life
 SYSTEM
a network of interdependent components
AND PROCESSES WITH MATERIALS AND ENERGY

flowing from one component to another

ENVIRONMENTAL
SYSTEMS
matter, energy, and life
Why do we have
to look at our
environment as a
SYSTEM?
ARAL
SEA

ENVIRONMEN
SYSTEMS
TALenergy, and
matter,
 2019
1950’s

ENVIRONMEN
SYSTEMS
TALenergy, and
matter,
life

ARAL SEA
 Earth

Inputs SYSTEM Outputs

Matter Energy

ENVIRONMENTAL
SYSTEMS
matter, energy, and life
 Earth

Inputs SYSTEM Outputs

Closed Open
System Matter Energy System

ENVIRONMENTAL
SYSTEMS
matter, energy, and life
 Earth

Systems Analysis Steady State

Inputs SYSTEM Outputs

Feedback

Negative Positive
Closed Open
Matter Energy System
System

Thermodynamics

ENVIRONMENTAL
Conserved 1st Law 2nd Law SYSTEMS
matter, energy, and life
SURROUNDINGS

SYSTEM
ENVIRONMENTAL
SYSTEMS
matter, energy, and life
You’re a
SYSTEM!
those that receive inputs ENVIRONMENTAL
from their surroundings SYSTEMS
matter, energy, and life
and produce outputs
that leave the system CLOSED
SYSTEM
OPEN no matter exchanges
with the surroundings
increase a process or
component
NEGATIVE
FEEDBACK
POSITIVE decrease a process or
component
FEEDBACK LOOPS HELP STABILIZE SYSTEMS
abundant plants + abundant rabbits

positive

negative
- positive +
negative
few rabbits few plants
 FIRE

DISTURBANCES
FLOODING
CLIMATE CHANGE
INVASION OF NEW SPECIES
DESTRUCTIVE HUMAN ACTIVITIES
 RESILIENCE STATE SHIFT

is the ability to adapt to the

return to a current condition,
previous condition not going back to
from being in a the previous
disturbance condition
EQUILIBRIUM
 EQUILIBRIUM

A relatively stable state that keeps

population sizes within a sustainable range
EMERGENT PROPERTIES
“
properties that are entirely
unexpected and include
emergent phenomena in
materials and emergent
behavior in living creatures.
“
ENVIRONMENTAL
SYSTEMS
matter, energy, and life
substances that cannot be broken
down into simpler forms by
ordinary chemical reactions.

element
the smallest particles that exhibit
the characteristics of an
element.

atom
 MATTER
anything that
occupies space and
has mass
ENVIRONMENTAL
SYSTEMS
matter, energy, and
life
 matter is neither
CREATED NOR DESTROYED
but rather is recycled
OVER AND OVER AGAIN
principle of conservation of

MATTER
 % Composition by Mass of HUMAN

MATTER BODY

ENVIRONMENTAL
SYSTEMS
matter, energy, and
life
 % Composition by Mass of

MATTER OCEAN WATER

ENVIRONMENTAL
SYSTEMS
matter, energy, and
life
 % Composition by Mass of EARTH’S CRUST
MATTER

ENVIRONMENTAL
SYSTEMS
matter, energy, and
life
 % Composition by Mass of

MATTER ATMOSPHERE

ENVIRONMENTAL
SYSTEMS
matter, energy, and
life
ENVIRONMENTAL
SYSTEMS
matter, energy, and life
 ENERGY
ability to do
work
ENVIRONMENTAL
SYSTEMS
matter, energy, and
life
 POTENTIAL ENERGY stored
energy that
is available
for use

the energy
contained in
moving
objects KINETIC ENERGY
EXAMPLES OF POTENTIAL ENERGY
EXAMPLES OF KINETIC ENERGY
 the energy that can be transferred
between objects of different temperature.

HEAT ENERGY
deals with how energy is transferred in
natural processes
THERMODYNAMICS
 ENERGY
ability to do work

FIRST LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS

energy is conserved; that is, it is
neither created nor destroyed ENVIRONMENTAL
SYSTEMS
under normal conditions matter, energy, and
life
FIRST LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS
with each successive energy transfer or
transformation in a system, less energy
is available to do work.

SECOND LAW OF
THERMODYNAMICS
ENERGY ability to do work ENVIRONMENTAL
SYSTEMS
matter, energy, and
life

Useful
Input Energy Energy
Waste Energy

SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS

with each successive energy transfer or
transformation in a system, less energy
is available to do work
Energy
for

LIFE
 CHEMOSYNTHESIS
the synthesis of organic compounds by
bacteria or other living organisms using
energy derived from reactions involving
inorganic chemicals, typically in the absence
of sunlight.

EXTREMOPHILES
are organisms that live in "extreme environments“
A colony of tube worms and mussels clusters over a cool, deep-sea
methane seep in the Gulf of Mexico.
 NOSUN, NO LIFE
a fiery ball of exploding hydrogen gas
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
the process by which green plants
and certain other organisms
transform light energy into chemical
energy.
 electromagnetic spectrum

10 % ultraviolet 45 % infrared 45 % visible

 PHOTOSYNTHETICALLY

ACTIVE RADIATION
the amount of light available for photosynthesis
 WHO CAN
PHOTOSYNTHESIZE?
WHO CAN PHOTOSYNTHESIZE?
some
PROTISTS
WHO CAN PHOTOSYNTHESIZE?
some
BACTERIA
WHO CAN PHOTOSYNTHESIZE?

PLANTS
 BALANCED CHEMICAL FORMULA

H2 C6H12O
6 C02 6 6 02
O 6

Summarized and balanced

photosynthesis equation
 REACTAN
inputs
O TS oxygen sugar

C H O C6H12O6
O
carbon water light PRODUCT
outputs
dioxide
formula
PHOTOSYNTHESIS IS NOT JUST A FORMULA!

CHLOROPLAST CAROTENE
ANTHOCYANIN
XANTHOPHYLL
CHOROPLAST CHLOROPHYLL PIGMENTS
CELLULARRESPIRATIO
Nthat breaks down glucose and produces ATP
it is a metabolic pathway

occurs in the The process of releasing

mitochondria
chemical energy that
involves splitting carbon
POWERHOUSE and hydrogen atoms from
OF THE the sugar molecule and
recombining them with
CELL oxygen to re-create carbon
dioxide and water.
Photosynthesis vs. Cellular Respiration
How do energy and matter move through systems?

TROPHIC
LEVELS
How do energy and matter move through systems?

TROPHIC
LEVELS
 TROPHIC Wild dog Hyena Lion Cheetah Caraca Serva VultureTawny eagle
LEVEL l l
Tertiary
TOP
consumers
CARNIVORES
Pangolin Aardvark Mongoose
Secondary
consumers
CARNIVORES

Wildebeest Thompson’s Impal Consumers

Mous
Gazelle a Dead that feed at all
e
Mouse levels:
Primary Scavengers
consumers GrasshopperHarvester Ant Topi Termite WarthogDung Beetle Detritivores
HERBIVORES Decomposers

Hare Bacteri
Primary Napier grass Red oat Acacia a
Producers grass
AUTOTROPHS
 ECOLOGICAL PYRAMIDS DESCRIBE
TROPHIC LEVEL
0.1
Tertiary
TOP
consumers Tertiary consumers %
CARNIVORES

1.8
Secondary
consumers
CARNIVORES Secondary consumers
%
Decomposers
HERBIVORES
Primary
and Detritivores
consumers
HERBIVORES
16.1%
24.2%
Primary Producers
AUTOTROPHS
PRODUCERS 100%
 FOOD FOOD PRODUCTIVITY
TROPHIC
CHAIN WEB LEVEL
the sequence the amount of
S
connection of an organism’s
of transfers biomass
multiple food feeding status in
of matter and (biological
chains an ecosystem
energy in the material)
form of food produced in a
from given area
organism to during a given
organism period of time
 “
WATER CYCLE & THE
BIOGEOCHEMICAL
CYCLES
“
The water cycle is Movement of moist
complex and involves air from ocean to
state changes in land
Precipitation over CONDENSATION
water as well as the land
physical movement of Precipitation over
water through and seas and ocean
between ecosystems. Evaporation form Evaporation from
Percolation through soils, streams, rivers, seas and ocean
porous rocks and soil and lakesRunoff
to groundwater
Groundwater

Hydrologic Cycle
 Carbon cycle
Carbon functions as a
structural component of
organic molecules and a
chemical bond in carbon
compounds provide
metabolic energy.
Nitrogen cycle
Nitrogen is mostly
found in the
atmosphere as
nitrogen gas, and
it is processed via
nitrogen fixation.
 Phosphorus cycle

The slowest cycle among the

biogeochemical cycles
Sulfur cycle

The sulfur cycle

within the terrestrial
portion starts with
the weathering of
rocks, releasing the
stored sulfur.