Ecology Basics The flow of matter and energy

Ecology Basics The flow of matter and energy through an ecosystem.

What are we learning? Standard Element: SB 4. b Explain the flow of matter and energy through ecosystems by ●Arranging components of a food chain according to energy flow. ●Comparing the quantity of energy in the steps of an energy pyramid. ●Explaining the need for cycling of major nutrients (C, O, H, N, P).

What's alive? • Characteristics of Living things – Require food for energy to carry out life processes – Use energy to maintain homeostasis – Respond to stimuli in their environment – Reproduce similar offspring, passing genetic information to them – Made of cells • Also called Biotic • Nonliving factors are called Abiotic

Organization of Life • • • Biosphere Ecosystem Community Population Organism Biomes- the major ecosystem’s on the Earth.

Food chains • A food chain shows how matter and energy flow through an ecosystem. • The energy typically starts with the sun. • Producers harness this energy for photosynthesis. – Primary producer is plants – Others are bacteria and algae

Food chains. . the rest of the picture. • Producers are eaten by consumers – Herbivores eat plants only – Omnivores eat everything • Consumers are eaten by other consumers – Carnivores- eat meat (other consumers) – Omnivore eats everything • Decomposer are a special type of consumer that break down the dead and waste. They recycles the essential nutrients.

Trophic levels • Organisms are grouped according to their source of energy. • The first trophic level is the producers • Second are the herbivores and the omnivores eating plants • Third and up are the consumers and the omnivores eating other consumers.

A food web • Many food chains tied together • Many organism feed on more than one species. • The links between these organisms create a web. They show the flow of energy as it travels through the system.

The Energy pyramid • Shows the decrease of energy at each succeeding trophic level. • The total energy transfer up is about 10% – Not all food that is eaten can be digested – Some of the digested food is used as energy • Most organism use up most of the energy instead of storing it. • Some of it is lost as heat

The other pyramids • Pyramid of numbers – Shows the number of organisms on each trophic level • Biomass pyramid – Shows the mass of organisms on each trophic level

The elements • The elements that are the components in all organic molecules must be recycled because there a finite amount on our planet. • The elements are: – Carbon (C) – Oxygen (O) – Hydrogen (H) – Nitrogen (N) – Phosphorus (P)