ecosystem energy flow
11/2/2011
ECOSYSTEM ENERGY FLOW Group 1 Rochelle Daley, Karlene Kameka Wai Yee Ng and Tigest Perry
NEVER FEAR!!!! GROUP ONE IS HERE TO THA RESCUE!!!!!
•ECOSYSTEM •HABITAT •ECOLOGICAL
NICHE •What are they?
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving (abiotic), physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight. The organisms which comprise the biotic component are collectively known as the community. • E Ecosystems can be studied at any level of organisation. For t b t di d t l l f i ti F example Puddle pond lake sea ocean planet All organism and all features of the physical environment are necessary for the system to be maintained and flourished. Hence, an ecosystem is homeostatic meaning, it is self‐regulatory.
Within each ecosystem, there are habitats which may
also vary in size. A habitat is the place where a population lives.
A population is a group of living organisms of the same
kind living in the same place at the same time.
All of the populations interact and form a
community. y
The community of living things interacts with the
non‐living world around it to form the ecosystem.
The habitat must supply the needs of organisms, such Can you name all the biotic and abiotic component above?
as food, water, temperature, oxygen, and minerals. If the population's needs are not met, it will move to a better habitat.
1
11/2/2011
Habitats, then, are specific to a population. Each
population has its own habitat. For example, a population of ants has its own habitat. Several populations may share a habitat. For example, in a small pond several aquatic populations may co‐exist in the same water at the same time An may co‐exist in the same water at the same time. An aquarium is a good example of a shared habitat.
An example of an ant habitat.
The link.....
• The ecological niche describes how an organism
or population responds to the distribution of resources and competitors (e.g., by growing when resources are abundant, and when predators, parasites and pathogens are scarce) and how it in turn alters those same factors (e.g., limiting access to resources by other organisms, acting as a food p source for predators and a consumer. e.g. a dolphin could potentially be in another
ecological niche from one that travels in a different pod if the members of these pods utilize significantly different food resources and foraging methods.
Don’t get it??? A shorthand definition of niche is how an
organism makes a living.
Variation in the appearance of organisms as a result of ecological niche
The ecological niche involves both the place where
an organism lives and the roles that an organism does i i h bi F in its habitat. For example, the ecological niche of a l h l i l i h f sunflower growing in the backyard includes absorbing light, water and nutrients (for photosynthesis), providing shelter and food for other organisms (e.g. bees, ants, etc.), and giving off oxygen into the atmosphere
2
11/2/2011
Diagram showing energy flow within an ecosystem.
Diagram showing energy flow in a food chain
Diagram showing a grazing food chain Aquatic food chains Phytoplankton Zooplankton Frog Snake Bird
Grass
Grasshopper
Toad
Snake
Owl
How does energy flow within an ecosystem? •The ultimate source of energy in most ecosystems is the sun. •Energy is passed on by feeding on preceding organism and this in turn provides energy for the next organism that feed on the organism. Autotrophs
Heterotrophs
Producers
Consumers
Manufacture organic food from inorganic molecules. Producers that use light to make food are known as photoautotrophs. This process is known as photosynthesis. Feed on organic matter that is living or dead
Decomposers
Producers: these are the photoautotrophic organisms which absorb solar energy to make organic food from inorganic molecules (photosynthesis). Producers are usually green plants and algae. In aquatic organisms, the main producer is the phytoplankton. Primary consumers: Organisms that feed on the producers and therefore also known as the herbivores. In terrestrial ecosystem, some typical herbivores include insects, birds, reptiles and some mammals. In aquatic ecosystem, ept es a d so e a a s. aquat c ecosyste , zooplankton is a primary consumer that feed on the phytoplankton. Secondary, tertiary and other top consumers: secondary consumers feed on the primary consumers; tertiary consumers feed on the secondary consumers and vice versa. They are fresh eaters and therefore are known as omnivores.
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11/2/2011
Final links on the food chain are the decomposers and detritivores. When an organism dies some of the energy is still “locked” inside its body. Decomposers and detritivores are organisms that break down and feed on dead organic matters. Decomposers are saprophytes that live on or in non‐ living organic matter. They secret digestive enzymes onto dead matters and absorbs the product of digestion. They are microorganisms mainly fungi and bacteria are microorganisms, mainly fungi and bacteria. Detritivores are organisms that ingest small fragments of decomposing or dead organic matter known as detritus. E.g. earthworm, woodlice, mites, springtails, millipedes and slugs
Each stage of the food chain is known as a trophic level. Energy flow is usually limited to five trophic levels. The more levels in the food chain, the less energy is available at the top consumers. This explains why the top consumers become endangered species. Energy flow within an ecosystem can be represented by gy y p y food chains and food webs. Energy transformations are never 100% efficient. Not all energy is transferred to the subsequent trophic levels as energy is lost in ways such as heat (which will be discussed later).
Food chains: sharks
A food chain shows the feeding relationship between organisms. It also
shows the sequence of transfer of energy and materials from one organism to another using arrows
crocodile Sting ray
Arrows show the movement of energy
turtle
lobster
N.B. ENGERY DOES NOT CYCLE
Sea gull crab S ll fi h Small fish
Grazing food chains: primary consumers feed on a photosynthesizer Detritus food chains: when the primary consumers feed on detritus
(dead organisms)
of an ecosystem because they give only a limited impression of the feeding relationship in a community. In most communities, organisms feed on more than one kind of organisms.
Food web
shrimp
oyster
An example of detritus food chain in the forest: Detritus soil bacteria earthworm Limitation of food chains: food chains may be misleading in the study
j ll fi h jellyfish Corals (polyps)
zooplankton phytoplankton
algae
Aquatic Food Web of organisms in the Caribbean Sea
Can you construct some food chains from this food web?
A food web is a collection of one or more food chains.
A food web shows a more complex interaction among organism within an ecosystem or a community.
4
11/2/2011
Terrestrial Food Web
Advantages of food web over food chains
Diagram showing an aquatic food web.
In a food web: There are more than one producers supporting the community A producer can be a food source for a number of consumers A food web shows more accurately the actual feeding habits of the organism. That is, it appreciates the fact that animals eat a variety of things and are eaten by a variety of things
A consumer can be an omnivore feeding at different trophic levels, that
is, an organism at a third trophic level, for example, may feed on a producer. In a food chain only primary consumers are shown to feed on producers .
A consumer can feed on organisms that are at the same or different
trophic levels, while in a food chain, they were limited to consuming organisms of a lower trophic level;
Food webs show that an organism may be omnivorous and carnivorous,
while in a food chain, the organism may have thought to be carniovorous only.
The efficiency of energy transfer between trophic levels • As previously stated the transfer of energy between trophic levels is relatively inefficient because energy is lost from the organisms in each trophic level. • Energy is transferred form one trophic level to another as organisms are consumed; each trophic level relates to the one below it by absorbing some of the energy it consumes, and in this way can be regarded as supported by the next lower trophic level. • The efficiency with which energy or biomass is transferred from one trophic level to the next is called ecological efficiency.
Energy Efficiency in terms of Energy from the Sun Approximately 40% of solar energy from the sun that
comes in contact with the earth is immediately lost by reflection from clouds, dust in atmosphere and the earth’s surface. About 15% is absorbed and converted to heat energy in the atmosphere. The remaining 45% is what penetrates the Earth’s surface. Striking the earth in the photosynthetically active range (PAR), the visible wavelength is approximately less than half of the radiation.
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11/2/2011
Energy loss in producers
Diagram showing energy loss by producers
• In primary producers the main energy input is from the solar energy. However only 1‐2% of solar energy available actually makes it into the leaf. Most of the solar energy is reflected from the leaf and some is not absorbed due to incorrect wavelength. • The energy taken up by the producer is then fixed by photosynthesis, although a proportion of this energy is lost as it is used up during photosynthetic reactions. • Of the energy that is fixed by photosynthesis, some will be used during respiration whilst the remaining energy is the portion that is incorporated into the biomass. It is the energy incorporated into the biomass that is available for the next trophic level.
Energy loss in consumers
Energy loss in heterotrophs
The consumer will take in a certain amount of energy from the
trophic level beneath it.
The energy intake does not equal the amount of energy available
in the biomass of this organism since feeding is an insufficient process. There will be a loss of energy through the production of urine and faeces, as well as loses through respiration and heat loss. This leaves proportion of the energy consumed to be incorporated into the biomass. it is generally accepted that only around 10% of the energy gained from the previous trophic level is passed onto the next level. All other energy is lost, this limits the number of trophic levels in any food chain. (they rarely extend to more than 5 or 6 trophic levels.)
Additionally…. In general herbivores make less efficient use of their
Diagram showing energy transfer in a ecosystem.
food than carnivores because plants contain a high proportion of cellulose and sometimes wood which are relatively indigestible and therefore available as energy sources for herbivores The efficiency of energy transfer is also influenced by
the nutritional quality of material that is consumed because consumers can convert high‐quality food sources into new living tissue more efficiently than low‐quality food sources.
6
11/2/2011
Diagram showing percentage energy loss in an ecosystem.
References Taylor, D. J., Green, N.P.O. & Stout, G.W. Biological
science 1 & 2 (3rd edition). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Sylvia S. Mader. Biology (4th edition). USA: Wm.C. Brown Publishers Marietta College Department of Biology & Environmental Science. Energy flows through ecosystems. Retrieved October 22, 2011 from http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/102/ecosystem.html#E nergyflowthroughtheecosystem3
Reference Trophic level. (2011, October 19). In Wikipedia, The
Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 21, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trophic_le vel&oldid=456275001 Energy flow (ecology). (2011, October 19). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 22, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Energy_flo w_(ecology)&oldid=456274621
Song: Ecosystem Energy Flow Group 1 here we go Teaching you what you don’t know Maybe you know but just forgot What an ecosystem is I t Interaction of abiotic and biotic factors ti f bi ti d bi ti f t Habitats ‐ Where an organism lives Their way of life is a niche Be careful that you don’t get these concepts confused. ………………… please don’t Or you will regret for your bio test you’ll be screwed…………… damn!
Ecosystem energy flow Energy flows from one organism to another when they eat each other Ecosystem energy flow Food chains and food webs represent this well Let’s start with producers Ecosystem energy flow They take solar energy make it chemical energy Primary consumers eat producers Ecosystem energy flow Secondary eat primary consumers Tertiary eat secondary consumers Oh, Oh, Oh Energy transfer is inefficient (ecosystem energy flow) Mainly due to cellular respiration (ecosystem energy flow) Then they do it all again
7
ECOSYSTEM ENERGY FLOW Group 1 Rochelle Daley, Karlene Kameka Wai Yee Ng and Tigest Perry
NEVER FEAR!!!! GROUP ONE IS HERE TO THA RESCUE!!!!!
•ECOSYSTEM •HABITAT •ECOLOGICAL
NICHE •What are they?
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving (abiotic), physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight. The organisms which comprise the biotic component are collectively known as the community. • E Ecosystems can be studied at any level of organisation. For t b t di d t l l f i ti F example Puddle pond lake sea ocean planet All organism and all features of the physical environment are necessary for the system to be maintained and flourished. Hence, an ecosystem is homeostatic meaning, it is self‐regulatory.
Within each ecosystem, there are habitats which may
also vary in size. A habitat is the place where a population lives.
A population is a group of living organisms of the same
kind living in the same place at the same time.
All of the populations interact and form a
community. y
The community of living things interacts with the
non‐living world around it to form the ecosystem.
The habitat must supply the needs of organisms, such Can you name all the biotic and abiotic component above?
as food, water, temperature, oxygen, and minerals. If the population's needs are not met, it will move to a better habitat.
1
11/2/2011
Habitats, then, are specific to a population. Each
population has its own habitat. For example, a population of ants has its own habitat. Several populations may share a habitat. For example, in a small pond several aquatic populations may co‐exist in the same water at the same time An may co‐exist in the same water at the same time. An aquarium is a good example of a shared habitat.
An example of an ant habitat.
The link.....
• The ecological niche describes how an organism
or population responds to the distribution of resources and competitors (e.g., by growing when resources are abundant, and when predators, parasites and pathogens are scarce) and how it in turn alters those same factors (e.g., limiting access to resources by other organisms, acting as a food p source for predators and a consumer. e.g. a dolphin could potentially be in another
ecological niche from one that travels in a different pod if the members of these pods utilize significantly different food resources and foraging methods.
Don’t get it??? A shorthand definition of niche is how an
organism makes a living.
Variation in the appearance of organisms as a result of ecological niche
The ecological niche involves both the place where
an organism lives and the roles that an organism does i i h bi F in its habitat. For example, the ecological niche of a l h l i l i h f sunflower growing in the backyard includes absorbing light, water and nutrients (for photosynthesis), providing shelter and food for other organisms (e.g. bees, ants, etc.), and giving off oxygen into the atmosphere
2
11/2/2011
Diagram showing energy flow within an ecosystem.
Diagram showing energy flow in a food chain
Diagram showing a grazing food chain Aquatic food chains Phytoplankton Zooplankton Frog Snake Bird
Grass
Grasshopper
Toad
Snake
Owl
How does energy flow within an ecosystem? •The ultimate source of energy in most ecosystems is the sun. •Energy is passed on by feeding on preceding organism and this in turn provides energy for the next organism that feed on the organism. Autotrophs
Heterotrophs
Producers
Consumers
Manufacture organic food from inorganic molecules. Producers that use light to make food are known as photoautotrophs. This process is known as photosynthesis. Feed on organic matter that is living or dead
Decomposers
Producers: these are the photoautotrophic organisms which absorb solar energy to make organic food from inorganic molecules (photosynthesis). Producers are usually green plants and algae. In aquatic organisms, the main producer is the phytoplankton. Primary consumers: Organisms that feed on the producers and therefore also known as the herbivores. In terrestrial ecosystem, some typical herbivores include insects, birds, reptiles and some mammals. In aquatic ecosystem, ept es a d so e a a s. aquat c ecosyste , zooplankton is a primary consumer that feed on the phytoplankton. Secondary, tertiary and other top consumers: secondary consumers feed on the primary consumers; tertiary consumers feed on the secondary consumers and vice versa. They are fresh eaters and therefore are known as omnivores.
3
11/2/2011
Final links on the food chain are the decomposers and detritivores. When an organism dies some of the energy is still “locked” inside its body. Decomposers and detritivores are organisms that break down and feed on dead organic matters. Decomposers are saprophytes that live on or in non‐ living organic matter. They secret digestive enzymes onto dead matters and absorbs the product of digestion. They are microorganisms mainly fungi and bacteria are microorganisms, mainly fungi and bacteria. Detritivores are organisms that ingest small fragments of decomposing or dead organic matter known as detritus. E.g. earthworm, woodlice, mites, springtails, millipedes and slugs
Each stage of the food chain is known as a trophic level. Energy flow is usually limited to five trophic levels. The more levels in the food chain, the less energy is available at the top consumers. This explains why the top consumers become endangered species. Energy flow within an ecosystem can be represented by gy y p y food chains and food webs. Energy transformations are never 100% efficient. Not all energy is transferred to the subsequent trophic levels as energy is lost in ways such as heat (which will be discussed later).
Food chains: sharks
A food chain shows the feeding relationship between organisms. It also
shows the sequence of transfer of energy and materials from one organism to another using arrows
crocodile Sting ray
Arrows show the movement of energy
turtle
lobster
N.B. ENGERY DOES NOT CYCLE
Sea gull crab S ll fi h Small fish
Grazing food chains: primary consumers feed on a photosynthesizer Detritus food chains: when the primary consumers feed on detritus
(dead organisms)
of an ecosystem because they give only a limited impression of the feeding relationship in a community. In most communities, organisms feed on more than one kind of organisms.
Food web
shrimp
oyster
An example of detritus food chain in the forest: Detritus soil bacteria earthworm Limitation of food chains: food chains may be misleading in the study
j ll fi h jellyfish Corals (polyps)
zooplankton phytoplankton
algae
Aquatic Food Web of organisms in the Caribbean Sea
Can you construct some food chains from this food web?
A food web is a collection of one or more food chains.
A food web shows a more complex interaction among organism within an ecosystem or a community.
4
11/2/2011
Terrestrial Food Web
Advantages of food web over food chains
Diagram showing an aquatic food web.
In a food web: There are more than one producers supporting the community A producer can be a food source for a number of consumers A food web shows more accurately the actual feeding habits of the organism. That is, it appreciates the fact that animals eat a variety of things and are eaten by a variety of things
A consumer can be an omnivore feeding at different trophic levels, that
is, an organism at a third trophic level, for example, may feed on a producer. In a food chain only primary consumers are shown to feed on producers .
A consumer can feed on organisms that are at the same or different
trophic levels, while in a food chain, they were limited to consuming organisms of a lower trophic level;
Food webs show that an organism may be omnivorous and carnivorous,
while in a food chain, the organism may have thought to be carniovorous only.
The efficiency of energy transfer between trophic levels • As previously stated the transfer of energy between trophic levels is relatively inefficient because energy is lost from the organisms in each trophic level. • Energy is transferred form one trophic level to another as organisms are consumed; each trophic level relates to the one below it by absorbing some of the energy it consumes, and in this way can be regarded as supported by the next lower trophic level. • The efficiency with which energy or biomass is transferred from one trophic level to the next is called ecological efficiency.
Energy Efficiency in terms of Energy from the Sun Approximately 40% of solar energy from the sun that
comes in contact with the earth is immediately lost by reflection from clouds, dust in atmosphere and the earth’s surface. About 15% is absorbed and converted to heat energy in the atmosphere. The remaining 45% is what penetrates the Earth’s surface. Striking the earth in the photosynthetically active range (PAR), the visible wavelength is approximately less than half of the radiation.
5
11/2/2011
Energy loss in producers
Diagram showing energy loss by producers
• In primary producers the main energy input is from the solar energy. However only 1‐2% of solar energy available actually makes it into the leaf. Most of the solar energy is reflected from the leaf and some is not absorbed due to incorrect wavelength. • The energy taken up by the producer is then fixed by photosynthesis, although a proportion of this energy is lost as it is used up during photosynthetic reactions. • Of the energy that is fixed by photosynthesis, some will be used during respiration whilst the remaining energy is the portion that is incorporated into the biomass. It is the energy incorporated into the biomass that is available for the next trophic level.
Energy loss in consumers
Energy loss in heterotrophs
The consumer will take in a certain amount of energy from the
trophic level beneath it.
The energy intake does not equal the amount of energy available
in the biomass of this organism since feeding is an insufficient process. There will be a loss of energy through the production of urine and faeces, as well as loses through respiration and heat loss. This leaves proportion of the energy consumed to be incorporated into the biomass. it is generally accepted that only around 10% of the energy gained from the previous trophic level is passed onto the next level. All other energy is lost, this limits the number of trophic levels in any food chain. (they rarely extend to more than 5 or 6 trophic levels.)
Additionally…. In general herbivores make less efficient use of their
Diagram showing energy transfer in a ecosystem.
food than carnivores because plants contain a high proportion of cellulose and sometimes wood which are relatively indigestible and therefore available as energy sources for herbivores The efficiency of energy transfer is also influenced by
the nutritional quality of material that is consumed because consumers can convert high‐quality food sources into new living tissue more efficiently than low‐quality food sources.
6
11/2/2011
Diagram showing percentage energy loss in an ecosystem.
References Taylor, D. J., Green, N.P.O. & Stout, G.W. Biological
science 1 & 2 (3rd edition). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Sylvia S. Mader. Biology (4th edition). USA: Wm.C. Brown Publishers Marietta College Department of Biology & Environmental Science. Energy flows through ecosystems. Retrieved October 22, 2011 from http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/102/ecosystem.html#E nergyflowthroughtheecosystem3
Reference Trophic level. (2011, October 19). In Wikipedia, The
Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 21, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trophic_le vel&oldid=456275001 Energy flow (ecology). (2011, October 19). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 22, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Energy_flo w_(ecology)&oldid=456274621
Song: Ecosystem Energy Flow Group 1 here we go Teaching you what you don’t know Maybe you know but just forgot What an ecosystem is I t Interaction of abiotic and biotic factors ti f bi ti d bi ti f t Habitats ‐ Where an organism lives Their way of life is a niche Be careful that you don’t get these concepts confused. ………………… please don’t Or you will regret for your bio test you’ll be screwed…………… damn!
Ecosystem energy flow Energy flows from one organism to another when they eat each other Ecosystem energy flow Food chains and food webs represent this well Let’s start with producers Ecosystem energy flow They take solar energy make it chemical energy Primary consumers eat producers Ecosystem energy flow Secondary eat primary consumers Tertiary eat secondary consumers Oh, Oh, Oh Energy transfer is inefficient (ecosystem energy flow) Mainly due to cellular respiration (ecosystem energy flow) Then they do it all again
7
