COSSA D 219008020

DIMBA A 219024816
CHOLO A 218030120
CHIMEDZA I.P 218092511

Group 2
CHAPTER 2:Structure and composition of the
Ecosphere.
03 August 2020
 The Earth

• Life is limited to a very small thin layer on earth that includes the oceans and part of the earths atmosphere.

• The zone where life is possible is known as the BIOSPHERE.

• The biosphere is the collective sum of all ecosystems that exist on earth.

• Some areas in the biosphere are unsuitable for large scale life, only a few organisms which are adapted to the

conditions can prosper. E.g the polar areas and high mountainous regions.

• Areas where life is possible on a large scale are known as the EUBIOSPHERE or the ECOSPHERE.

• Some inhabitable areas also include exceptionally warm water like geysers.

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 Elements of the Ecosphere
• The biosphere can be divided into many ecosystems as it is an integral of all the ecosystems.

• The main ecosystems include:

1. Abiotic – this ecosystem consists of non-living components for example water, light , radiation from

the sun

2. Biotic – this ecosystem consists of living organisms for example animals ,plants, Bacteria , Fungi,

insects.

• These components play a large role in determining the life on earth.

• For organisms to have a better chance at life, they must be able to adjust and learn to adopt

to the existing living conditions.

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 The abiotic or non-living component
• This is the physical environment in which all life on earth exists and which influences a definite influence on all
forms of life.
• Energy – energy can be defined as the ability to do work and the amount of work that can be carried out is
expressed in joules.
• Forms of energy include kinetic energy, this is the energy that an object possesses as a result of its mass and
movement.
• Potential energy - this is the energy that an object possesses due to its position relative to the ground, its
composition and condition.
• Other forms of energy include mechanical energy , chemical energy electrical energy , radiation. These forms of
energy are all derived from the two main energies kinetic energy and potential energy.

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 Radiation
• Solar energy can be deemed as the source of all energy in the ecosystem. It consists of 10% ultra

violet radiation, 45% visible light which is the only source of energy that is used in photosynthesis

and 45% infra-red radiation which is mainly responsible for heating the earths atmosphere.

• The surface of the earth receives an enormous amount of solar energy each day.

• Incoming radiation has to be balanced to the outgoing radiation otherwise the earth would quickly

overheat hence the earth has to be kept at an almost constant temperature.

• Air pollution and an increase in CO2 carbon dioxide in the atmosphere upsets the balance of

temperature in the atmosphere and hence causing a significant amount of temperature increase,

This is called the greenhouse effect.

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 Energy balance of the Earth

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 Light
• All plants need light to maintain their life processes this is through photosynthesis where the

inorganic elements and compounds such as carbon dioxide , water and nitrogen are

converted to organic compounds such as carbohydrates, oils and amino acids that can help

the plant stay healthy and produce fruit.

• The light from the sun may also be absorbed by animals’ skin and aid the synthesis of

vitamin D.

• Photoperiodism is the response of an organism to seasonal changes in day

length and is aided by the light from the sun.

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 Water
• All forms of life depend on water for their life processes.
• Water covers about 70% of the earths surface and hence a greater percentage of the
ecosphere.
• 97% of the world’s supply of water is found in the oceans which are unevenly distributed.
• For the water on the earth to be at constant availability , it has to go through a process call the
hydrological cycle of which less than 1% of the world’s supply of water is involved.
• The processes involved in the hydrological cycle include evaporation , precipitation and run
off.
• Plants and animals have made special adaptations in order to preserve and store water such
as the watertight skin composed of scales.

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 Hydrological cycle

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 Temperature
• Temperature extremes can be very hazardous to animals as animals have very low tolerance to
low or high temperatures.
• This means the temperature of the atmosphere plays a large role on the distribution of the
animals.
• Most animals are more dense in regions with warm temperatures.
• Ordinary life forms are limited to regions of temperatures between 1 and 50 degrees centigrade.
• Temperature variations are greater on the land than they are in water bodies.
• Some animals are able to maintain their body temperature at a constant level, these animals are
called endotherms or thermoregulators. E.g birds and mammals.
• Plants and animals that change their body temperature according to the environmental
temperatures are called ectotherms.
• Reptiles are greatly affected by the temperature of the environment, very sluggish in mornings
and fast by midday when the sun is out.

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 More abiotic elements

1. Atmosphere (air) – this is a mixture of gases that make up the earths atmosphere from
which the living organisms on earth can obtain life sustaining gases such as oxygen for
respiration carbon dioxide for photosynthesis nitrogen for protein synthesis.
2. Soil – soil aids the growth of plants by providing the nutrients required and is one of the
factors determining the nature of the terrestrial ecosystems(an ecosystem found on certain
landforms).
3. Soil profile – comprises of a series of horizontal layers of different layers of also different
chemical composition structure, texture, particle size and porosity and many other factors.
4. Fire – many ecosystems have adapted to seasonal fires and fires from caused by natural
factors such as lightning are less harmful to the ecosystem. Fire is also important to the
ecosystem as it reduces dead and dry organic matter to soluble compounds by releasing
important minerals such as phosphorus , calcium.

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Soil profile

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 The biotic or living component
Vegetation
• The most important of plants in the ecosystem is to provide nutrients upon all life in the ecosystem.
• As a result of this, plants are known as primary producers and ecosystems are primarily dependant
on green plants.
• The roots of the plants bind the soil and protect it from erosion by flood water.
• Plant cover minimizes the effects of heavy rainfall on the soil.
• Plants recycle the important nutrients in the soil.
Green plants - they are well adapted to the environment they exist. They can be classified into four
groups namely tundra , forest , grassland and desert plants.
Non green plants – these plants are not capable of making their own food hence are dependant on the
green plants. They are either decomposers or parasites.
• Decomposers – these are small fungi or mould in the soil.
• Parasites – plants that live on the tissue of other plants.

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 Animal life
• Animals play a completely different role from plants in the ecosystems , the plants are

mainly the producers of food and the animals are at the higher trophic levels and are the

consumers of food.

• Animals are completely depended on plants for their survival.

• Plants are said to be sedentary ( they do not move from one place to another).

• Animals are capable of locomotion hence can migrate from one place to another.

• Animals are able to sleep during winter (hibernate)

• Aestivate, sleep during summer.

• Plant eating animals are called herbivores

• Meat eating animals are called carnivores

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 Question 1
First law of thermodynamics
• It states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, but it can be transferred from one
form to another in an exchange process between two systems.
• The law explains that only limited amount of energy is available on earth and all activity
is based on consumption of energy. As a result, the production capacity is limited by
the availability of energy.
Second law of thermodynamics
• It states that energy flows from a higher temperature region to a lower temperature
region, but not the other way around.
• Application explanation of the law is that in a motor car engine, the high quality energy
in a form of petrol is converted into mechanical energy which drives the motor car, and
the low quality energy in a form of heat is released through the cooling system of the
car.

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 Question 5
The application of energy laws is that we only have a limited amount od energy available
on earth. Since all activities are based on consumption of energy, our production
capacity is limited by available energy. For example, if we all have an unlimited energy
available, we could remove all the salt from the ocean water and irrigate all our country
agricultural production.
• Matter and Energy
This law tells us about environmental implications that we have limited resources
available. It says if we have an available resource, we should use them wisely otherwise
we would be depleting their availability and further implies that once we have produced
an article, we cannot dispose it. Matter and energy say everything in the system is either
as useful or rubbish as an essence of pollution. Pollution is much more defacing the
visual environment.
• Second law and degradation of energy
This law determines that the energy will always move from higher quality to lower quality.
It can be illustrated by the motorcycle, where high quality potential energy in form of
petrol is converted to mechanical energy. The motorcycle sometimes uses a low certain
amount of energy and the other energy cannot be used again as it dissipated in space.
• Radiation
This solar radiation energy is known as the source of almost all energy in the ecosystem.
Plants absorb the visible in a longer wave lengths and infra-red radiation of shorter wave
lengths forms most source of heat energy. The surface of the earth receives the amount
of solar energy everyday but the imbalance of outgoing and incoming radiation results in
greenhouse effects.
 Question 8

Environmental problems associated with energy utilization can be discussed in terms of

renewable energy resources through thermodynamics. The most important contribution of
thermodynamics is in determining whether a given conceivable process is possible or not.
Thermodynamics answers this question by making use of its first and second laws and
providing insights into environmental impacts. The thermodynamic itself does not offer no
solution but the integration of thermodynamics into renewable energy hinges on a limit of
environmental impacts. The potential usefulness of renewable energy results in substantial
solution of environmental problems.

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