Ecosystems and Biomes

1. Ecosystems and Biomes Energy Flow in Ecosystems

2. Where do you get your food? • Producers – an organism that can make its own food by using the sun • Examples: plants, algae, bacteria • Consumers – an organism that feeds on other organisms; they cannot make their own food

3. What do you eat? • Herbivores – eat plants • Example – deer, horses • Carnivores – eat animals • Example – lion, bobcats • Omnivores – eat plants and animals • Example – humans, raccoons, dogs • Scavenger – feed on dead bodies • Example – crow, vulture

4. Where does it all go? • Decomposer – break down wastes and dead organisms and return the raw materials to the ecosystem • Examples – mushrooms, bacteria

5. So…what eats what? • Food Chain – series of events in which an organism eats another and obtains energy • Food Web – consists of many overlapping food chains in a system (organism has many roles)

6. ENERGY! • Energy Pyramid – shows the amount of energy that moves from one feeding level to another another • The most energy is available at the producer level of the pyramid

7. Ecosystems and Biomes Cycles of Matter

8. The Water Cycle • A never ending process by which water moves from Earth’s surface to the atmosphere and back (ice, liquid, gas)

9. The Water Cycle • Evaporation – the sun’s heat evaporates water • Liquid to gas • Condensation – clouds • Gas to liquid • Precipitation – small drops of water  larger drops of water • Rain, snow, hail, sleet

10. Carbon and Oxygen Cycle • All living things are made up of carbon • Most organisms use O2 in their life processes • Producers – take in CO2 • Consumers – release CO2 • Producers – release O2 • Consumers – take O2 in

11. The Nitrogen Cycle • Nitrogen – necessary building block • Consumers – eat substances that have nitrogen • Decomposers – break down dead organisms and wastes

12. The Nitrogen Cycle • Nitrogen Fixation – changing nitrogen into a usable form • Bacteria found in (roots) • Clover • Beans • Peas • Alfalfa • peanuts Legumes

13. Ecosystems and Biomes Biogeography

14. The Theories • Biogeography – the study of where organisms live • Continental Drift Theory (Pangaea Theory) • When the continents move because of the movements of plates • 225 million years ago it was one big land mass called Pangaea

15. But…How? • Dispersal – ways in which organisms can move from one area to another • Wind, water, other organisms • Exotic species – organisms that are new to an area

16. Again, How? • Physical Barriers of Dispersal – mountains, deserts, bodies of water • Competition as a Barrier of Dispersal – if an organism goes to an area with too much competition, they will have a hard time finding a niche • Climate as a Barrier of Dispersal – too hot/ too cold, too dry/ too wet • the organism will not succeed in that area

17. Ecosystems and Biomes Biomes and Aquatic Ecosystems

18. Biomes • Biome – a group of land ecosystems with similar climates and organisms. • Determined by their climate and precipitation

19. Biomes Temperate Rain Forest • Lot of rain • Located on the Northwestern coast of the U.S. • Moderate temperatures (medium)

20. Biomes Tropical Rain Forest • Lots of rain • High temperatures • Canopy – tops of the tall trees • Understory – shorter trees and vines • More plants and animals than all other biomes combined

21. Biomes Desert • Little or no rain • Very hot • Rate of evaporation > precipitation • Colder at night – nocturnal animals

22. Biomes Grassland • Hot temperatures • Some rainfall, not enough rain to help trees grow • Lots of tall grass • Savanna – more rainfall than a prairie, low shrubs and trees • Largest animals – lions, buffaloes, cheetahs

23. Biomes Deciduous Forest • Moderate temperatures • Good amount of rain • Lots of summer animals, but they hibernate or migrate in the winter • We live in this biome - NY

24. Biomes Boreal Forest (Taiga) • Spruce – moose biome • Colder temperatures • Lots of snow • Pines, spruce (needles store water) • Lynx, moose, fox, beavers • NY is in this biome also

25. Biomes Tundra Biome • Extremely cold and very dry (no rain and not a lot of snow) • Permafrost – frozen soil (not a lot of plants) • Permafrost and moss • Caribou, wolves, arctic foxes, arctic hares

26. Biomes Arctic • Massive amounts of ice • Tops of mountains and glaciers • Greenland, Antarctica • No plants, no soil • Emperor penguins, polar bears

28. Freshwater Ecosystems • Only a tiny fraction is covered by freshwater Streams and Rivers • Water is flowing in one direction • Streams typically lead to rivers • Not a lot of algae Ponds and Lakes • Water stays still • Lots of algae

29. Marine Ecosystems Estuary • Where the freshwater of a river meets the saltwater of an ocean • Calm waters are located here, so it’s a prime spot for breeding

30. Marine Ecosystems Intertidal Zone (ITZ) • Line between high-tide and low-tide lines • Barnacles, sea stars, crabs Neritic Zone • Shallow area that extends out over the continental shelf • Lots of light penetrates this area • Lots of plants, coral, fish, sharks

31. Marine Ecosystems Open Ocean Zone • Out past the neritic zone • Only the surface gets light • Phytoplankton • Whales, squid, deep sea angler fish