Chapter 29
How
Do Ecosystems Work?
Energy Enters Ecosystems through
Photosynthesis
Energy Captured by Producers Is Available to the Ecosystem
How Does Energy Flow through Ecosystems?
•
Energy Passes
from One Trophic (feeding) Level to Another
•
Feeding
Relationships within Ecosystems Form Chains and Webs
How Does Energy Flow through Ecosystems?
•
Detritus Feeders and Decomposers
Release Nutrients for Reuse
•
Energy Transfer
through Trophic Levels Is Inefficient
–
The laws of
thermodynamics again!
The rule of 10
How Do Nutrients Move within and among Ecosystems?
•
Nutrients
:
–
Macronutrients:
C, H, O, N, P, S,Ca
–
Micronutrients:
traces needed, Ex zinc
•
Biogeochemical
cycles follow these nutrients as they are passed between components of
ecosystems
•
Nutrients can
accumulate in reservoirs, remain there for long periods
How Do Nutrients Move within and among Ecosystems?
•
Carbon Cycles
through the Atmosphere,
Oceans, and Communities
•
The Major
Reservoir for Nitrogen Is the Atmosphere
•
The Major
Reservoir for Phosphorus Is Rock
•
Water Remains
Unchanged During the Water Cycle
What Is Causing Acid Rain and Global Warming?
•
Overloading the
Nitrogen and Sulfur
Cycles Causes Acid Rain
–
Reactions in the
Atmosphere Form Corrosive Acid Deposition
What Is Causing Acid Rain and Global Warming?
–
Acid Deposition
Damages Life in Lakes, Farms, and Forests
Back to schedules:
MWF
TTH
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