Lecture 2 Ecology Ecosystems Energy Flow

Ecology
Ecology
- the study of interactions between organisms and their non-living environment

Components of the Environment

The environment can be divided into: 1) the physical or non-living component known as the ABIOTA and,

2) the biological or living component known as the BIOTA

Biotic Structure
How is the environment organised biologically?
Individual Population Community Ecosystem

Biosphere

Abiotic Structure
How is the physical environment organised?
Atmosphere Hydrosphere Lithosphere Biomes

Ecosphere

The goal of ECOLOGY is to understand how Earths air, water, soil & organisms work and are sustained.

Ecosystems & Energy

Matter - anything that has mass and takes up space
Energy - capacity to do work

Scientists classify energy as:

Kinetic - moving energy - e.g., flowing streams, falling rocks
Potential - stored energy - e.g., unlit dynamite, chemical energy stored in food

Thermodynamics
- the study of energy and its transformations
First Law of Thermodynamics - called law of conservation of energy - no detectable amount of energy is created or destroyed - energy can change from one form to another

Thermodynamics contd
Second Law of Thermodynamics - called second law of energy - when energy changes from one form to another, some of the useful energy is always degraded to lower quality, more dispersed, less useful energy - this degraded energy is usually lowtemperature heat

Sun
ultimate source of energy middle-aged star expected to provide Earth with energy for at least 4 billion more years supplies green plants and some bacteria with energy for photosynthesis 0.023% of incoming solar energy is used to fuel photosynthesis

Photosynthesis
- a complex process that takes place in the cells of green plants
- radiant

energy from the sun is combined with CO2 and H20 to produce O2 and C6H12O6

Respiration
also called cell respiration or aerobic respiration
organisms use respiration to provide energy for their life processes
glucose + oxygen carbon dioxide + water + energy

Autotrophs vs Heterotrophs
Autotrophs - called producers - self-feeders - only producers make their own food
Heterotrophs - also called consumers - other feeders - get nutrients by feeding on producers or other consumers

There are several classes of consumers:

Herbivores
Carnivores Omnivores

Detritivores
Decomposers

Food Chain
- the

sequence of who eats or decomposes whom

Trophic Levels
- the feeding level of an organism
- the number of energy transfers away from the original source of energy (sun)

Trophic Levels contd

4th trophic level (Tertiary Consumers) 3rd trophic level (Secondary Consumers) 2nd trophic level (Primary Consumers) 1st trophic level (Producers)

Food Web
- complex network of inter-connected food chains and feeding relationships

Detritus wastes of living organisms and parts of dead organisms

Detritus Feeders/Detritivores
- extract nutrients from partly decomposed organic matter - e.g., crabs, termites, earthworms

Decomposers
- also called saprophytes - digest detritus extracellularly then absorb the nutrients - mainly bacteria and fungi

Biomass
- the weight of all organic matter contained in its organisms
- total dry weight of all living organisms

Pyramid of Biomass

Pyramid of Biomass contd

Notice that the total producer biomass (mass of biologic material) is very large.