Ecosystems: Interrelatedness, Succession, and Sources of Energy

1. Chapter 19 Ecosystems

2. Ecosystem • All the living and nonliving elements in a given place. • Ex: Marsh, coral reef, rain forest, and a city.

7. Ecosystem • They are not all the same size. • Ex. Can be as big as the Earth, or as small as the tip of your finger. • Living things are adapted to their ecosystems.

8. Not Adapted

9. Community • All the animals and plants living in one area within an ecosystem. • Several communities can be in one ecosystem. • Members of an ecosystem can belong to multiple communities.

10. Ecological Pyramid • Ecosystem (biggest) • Community • Population (one species) • Organism (smallest)

11. Balanced Ecosystems • Balance ecosystems remain stable. • Predator and prey populations will always be in balance • Interrelatedness • A change or removal of one feature in an ecosystem may affect the entire system.

12. Interrelatedness

14. Predator vs Prey

15. Ecosystem Recovery • Succession -The gradual repopulating of a community by different species over a period of time.

16. Succession of a Forest

18. Ecosystem Changes 1.Short-Term (few months) • Quick succession • Ex. Change in seasons 2. Long-Term (many years) • Ex. Slow succession • volcanic eruptions/natural forest fires • global climate changes • Human activities • Introduction of nonnative species

19. Short-TermSeason Change

20. Long-term Climate Change

21. Long-term Climate Change

22. Long-term Climate Change The Jurassic Era’s Al Gore

23. Long-term Human Activities • Human caused forest fires • Pollution entering ecosystems • Over development (building roads, logging, over irrigating) • Over hunting (bringing species near extinction)

24. Long-term Over Development

25. Long-term Pollution

26. Long-term Over Hunting

27. Long-term Over Hunting

28. Long-term Introduction of Nonnative Species • They may have no natural predators to keep population in check. • Brings in unnatural food and habitat competition • They may become an unnatural predator, and wipe out another species.

29. Long-term Introduction of a Nonnative Species

30. Energy and Resources 19.2

31. Need for Energy

32. The Earth at Night

33. Sources of Energy • Fossil fuels (most common) • Sun • Wind • Water • Geothermal • Nuclear Alternative Sources

34. How We Use Our Sources

35. 1. Fossil Fuels • Any carbon based fuel formed from the remains of plant and animal life. • Coal, oil, and natural gas • Nonrenewable Resources -any resource that is used faster than it can be replaced. • We are running out of them • Inefficient, dirty energy source

37. 2. Solar Power • The sun produces enough energy a day, to power the USA for one year. • Solar power is renewable • Any resource that can be continually replaced. • Harnesses the energy by using solar cells • The problem is storing the energy.

38. Solar Cells

40. 3. Wind Power • Oldest source of alternative energy • Collected by windmills. • Very low cost. • Problem is that wind can be unpredictable.

41. Wind Farms

44. 4. Water Power • Dams are built on fast moving rivers to create large holding places for water. • Running water spins the turbines to generate clean efficient hydroelectric power. • The building of dams can be very destructive to the near by ecosystems.

46. Water’s other Source?

47. Is Water a Renewable Resource? Thirst for WATER.PPS

48. 5. Geothermal Energy • The energy from heated steam/water within Earth’s crust near beds of molten magma. • Hot steam and water are used to turn turbines to generate power. • Problem is only a few areas of the world have access to this form of energy.

49. Geothermal Power Plant