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Like all species, humans are dramatically influenced by the biotic and abiotic features of
the ecosystems that surround them
Sustainability varies between ecosystems depending on the amount of diversity that
exists within each one. The more diverse an ecosystem, the more resilient it is to change,
thus more sustainable in the long run
All organisms require energy to stay alive and function:
Radiant energy: energy that travels through empty space
Light energy: visible forms of radiant energy
Thermal: the form of energy transferred during heating or cooling
radiant energy that has been absorbed by the hydrosphere and lithosphere and
converted (70%) into thermal energy
warms atmosphere, evaporates water, produces winds
30% trapped in the ozone
only 51% makes it to the surface, 19% absorbed by clouds, 35% total makes it to
the surface. 0.02% is photosynthesis.
Light energy can be used by some organisms, but cannot be stored and is not
available at night
Photosynthesis: the process in which the Suns energy is converted into chemical energy
most producers use light energy to convert carbon dioxide & water into sugars
this releases oxygen gas into the environment
Cellular Respiration
Photosynthesis produces stored energy
Cellular respiration makes that stored energy available for use
A chemical process in which energy is released from food
Occurs continuously
Consumer: an organism that obtains its energy from consuming other organisms
Humans depend on photosynthesizing organisms for food and oxygen
Ecological Niches
Every species interacts with others and its environment
Includes what it feeds on, what it eats, and how it behaves
Feeding role
Herbivore
carnivore
omnivore
scavenger
definition
Eats plants or other producers
Animas that eat other animals
Both plants and animals
Feeds on remains of another organism
Trophic level
The level of an organism in an ecosystem depending on its feeding position
along a food chain
Producers occupy the lowest trophic level (1st)
Herbivores occupy the second
Carnivores occupy the thirds and fourth (highest)
Higher levels have less energy
Food Webs: more sustainable, options
Highly complex
Represent feeding within a community
Useful to figure out what may happen if a species is removed or added to an
ecosystem
Numbers Pyramid
Shows the number of individuals of all populations in each trophic
Producers are more in numbers than herbivores
More herbivores than carnivores
Ecological pyramids can be used to display energy, number and biomass relationships
Biomass: the mass of living organisms in a given area
All life on earth requires water and nutrients. Water is the liquid component of cells.
Nutrients are the source of building materials and chemical energy
Biogeochemical cycles
Bio (living organism) geo (earth process) : chemical (chemicals involved)
Every particle of an organism is part of this cycle
Particles that makeup matter cannot be created or destroyed
Can only be rearranged into different chemical forms
All water and nutrients must be produced or obtained from chemicals that already
exist in the enviro.
Happens in a series of cycles where chemicals are continuously consumed,
rearranged, stored and used
Water cycle (hydrological cycle)
Series of processes that cycle water through the environment
Liquid water evaporates (water vapor in atmosphere)
Vapor condenses (rain hail snow)
Water on earth may enter (soil, ground, water, lakes, rivers or oceans)
Water taken by roots of plants may be released by leaves transpiration
Animals take in the water and its returned to the enviro through perspiration,
lungs, waste
Most of the water present is in the abiotic enviro
Carbon cycle
Biogeochemical cycle in which carbon is cycled through the lithosphere,
atmosphere, and biosphere
Carbon moves between abiotic and biotic parts of an ecosystem in the carbon
cycle
Most of this exchange occurs between carbon dioxide, (in atmosphere or water)
and photosynthesizing plants or micro-organisms
Carbon deposits
Most of earths carbon is not recycled
Stored as carbon-rich deposits (fossil fuels/natural gas)
Other deposits are sediment found on ocean bottoms (limestone); carbon is slowly
released back in atmosphere over millions of years
Carbon sinks are storage locations (oceans and plants) involved in the process of
removing carbon from the cycle
Oceans contain large amount of dissolved carbon dioxide
Forests and other plant communities store large amounts of carbon but it is
released when they die and completely decompose
Nitrogen cycle
Our atmosphere is 78% nitrogen gas. However plants and animals cannot aquire the
nitrogen from this atmospheric form. Bacteria in the soil are able to convert the nitrogen
gas (N2) into a usable from nitrates (NO3), nitrites (NO2), ammonia (NH4).
This process conversions of atmospheric nitrogen Gas into usable nitrogen containing
compounds is called NITROGEN FIXATION
Small amounts of nitrates can be made during thunderstorms via lightning
Humans also add vast amounts to soil from fertilizer
Within the ecosystem nitrogen is cycled back and forth through consumption, excretion
and ultimately decay, major role of decomposers
Nitrogen must also be cycled back into the atmosphere. Bacteria in the soil can also
reconvert Ammonia and nitrates into Nitrites & back into nitrogen gas. Process called
DENITRIFICATION
Limiting factor: any factor that limits the size of any populations
Tolerance range: physical conditions under which a species can survive.
Optimal range: where the species is best adapted
Both abiotic and biotic determine whether a species can live
Influence on abiotic:
Determines whether able to live
Tolerance range
Optimal
Influence on biotic:
Determine a species success
Interactions between individuals such as: competition, predations, mutualism,
parasitism, communalism
Carrying Capacity
As a populations size increases, the demand for resources (food, water, shelter,
space) increases
Carrying capacity: maximum population size of a particular species that a given
ecosystem can sustain
Can be altered through natural or human activity when resources are added or
removed to an ecosystem
Irrigation or introduction to a new species also alters the capacity
3 abiotic features important to both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems are light, water and
nutrient availability
Biome: large geographical region defined by climate (precipitation/temp) with a specific
set of abiotic and biotic features.
Examples: mountain forest, tundra, boreal forest, grassland, temperate deciduous forest
Watershed: the land area drained by a particular river
Cultural services;
Ecotourism- an example of a cultural service provided by ecosystems; it benefits the
economy with minimal negative impacts on our natural ecosystems
Ecotourists- environmentally responsible when they travel to relatively undisturbed
natural areas
Ecosystem products
Humans use products produced by ecosystems
We obtain food products and food
Forestry is one of the largest industries and employers in Ontario
The industry depends on natural ecosystems for most of its wood and wood fiber
products
Other ecosystem services
Ecosystems regulate and maintain many important abiotic and biotic features in the
environment
Ecosystems also help protect us from physical threats
Plants protect soil from wind and water erosion
Ecosystems act as sponges, absorbing water and release it slowly into the
groundwater and surface water; reduces erosion and protects against flooding
Filters water
Data is then used to place species into one of four categories; extirpated,
endangered, threatened, special concern
Extinct: species has dies out and no longer occurs on earth
Extirpated: no longer exists in a specific area but still lives elsewhere
Endangered: species facing imminent extirpation or extinction
Threatened: species likely to become endangered if factors reducing its survival are not
changed
Special concern: species that may become threatened or endangered because of a
combination of factors
Approximetely 80% of Ontarios original forests cover are gone
Loss and fragmentation of terrestrial ecosystems
Fragmentation is the dividing up of a region to smaller parts
Fragmentation of natural ecosystems decreases sustainability
Some species that require large home ranges may not have enough area to survive (bears)
5 key factors enhance sustainability
These are considered when deciding which areas should be set aside to protect wildlife
and ecosystems
Size, number, proximity, connectedness, integrity
Invasive species: non native species whose intentional or accidental introduction
negatively impacts the natural environment. Impacts are, ecological, economic, tourism,
health.
Chemical control, mechanical control, biological control
Pollution- harmful contaminants released into the environment
Acid precipitation- precipitation that has been made more acid than usual by the
combination of certain chemicals in the air with water vapor
Neutralize- counteract the chemical properties of acid
Affects aquatic and terrestrial
Slower growth
Oil spills can be cleaned using skimming, bioremediation, burning, dispersal agents
Plastic cause significant damage to marine ecosystems
Engineered ecosystems cover a large portion of earth land
As human population increases, natural ecosystems are replaced with land uses to support
modern lifestyles
Farms (agroecosystems)
Urban centers
Roads
Ability of humans to manipulate for environment comes from 2 innovations : tools and
concentrated energy sources
Modern agriculture
Humans obtain very little of their food from natural ecosystems
Support monoculture
Monoculture creates ideal enviroments for pests (insects weeds rodents)
Characteristics of pesticides
There are long lived and short lived pesticides. are obtained from natural sources less
than synthetic
Broad spectrum:
7 toxic to a wide variety of species
pros and cons
pros: Reduction in crop damage, increase in food population, controls population of bitng
insects
cons: some pesticides never reach target species as it is carried away by air or lands on
soil not on the species, this becomes a source of soil, air and water pollutions, can harm
non target species
Non target species:
Often kill species that were not intended to kill (broad spectrum)
Killing beneficial organisms means farmers become dependent upon pesticide use
Bioamplification
One of the most serious side effects of pesticide use is the tendency of it to
acumilate in individual organisms
Some pesticides are not broken down or eliminated from body
As the individual continues to consume contaminated foods it accumulates the
pesticides
Long lived pesticide could create a concentration of that pesticide within the
individual that is much than the concentration of it in the environment
Pesticides not soluble in water
But soluble in fat, cannot be easily excreted from body process called
bioaccumulation
The higher u go up the food chain, greater the concentration of pesticides
If a pesticide bioamplifies in a food chain, it may reach toxic concentrations