Ecosystem, What Are They and How Do They Work.pptx
- 1. Ecosystem: What are they and How do they work?
- 2. Intended Learning Outcomes 1. Describe how does the earth's life support system work 2. Identify the major components of ecosystem 3. Explain what happens to matter and energy in the ecosystem; 4. Describe how scientists study the ecosystem.
- 3. Ecosystem An ecosystem is like a giant, interconnected web of life. It comprises all living things (plants, animals, bacteria) in a particular area and their non- living surroundings like air, water, and soil. Think of it like a puzzle. Each piece, whether it's a plant, an animal, or a rock, plays a role in keeping the ecosystem balanced. Plants use sunlight to make food, animals eat plants or other animals, and decomposers break down dead things, returning nutrients to the soil. This constant cycle of energy and nutrients keeps the ecosystem thriving. An ecosystem is a complex community of living organisms (plants, animals, bacteria) interacting with each other and their non-living environment, like air, water, and soil. Imagine a giant web of life where everything is connected and depends on each other for survival.
- 4. These interactions create a delicate balance, where energy and nutrients flow through the system in a continuous cycle. • Producers: Plants are the foundation of most ecosystems. They use sunlight to create their own food through photosynthesis, providing energy for the rest of the ecosystem. • Consumers: Animals are consumers, meaning they get their energy by eating other organisms. Herbivores eat plants, carnivores eat other animals, and omnivores eat both. • Decomposers: Bacteria and fungi are decomposers, breaking down dead plants and animals, and returning nutrients to the soil. This allows the cycle to continue, providing nutrients for new plant growth.
- 5. This constant flow of energy and nutrients keeps the ecosystem thriving. However, if one part of the ecosystem is disrupted, it can have a ripple effect throughout the entire system. For example, if a predator is removed, its prey population might explode, leading to overgrazing and harming the plants, which in turn affects other animals that depend on those plants. Ecosystems are incredibly diverse, ranging from tiny tide pools to vast rainforests. They are essential for the health of our planet, providing us with clean air, water, and food. Understanding how ecosystems work is crucial for protecting them and ensuring their continued survival.
- 6. Example Imagine a forest. The trees are the producers, making their food from sunlight. The deer eat the leaves and berries, making them consumers. When a deer dies, bacteria and fungi break it down, returning nutrients to the soil, and making them decomposers. The soil itself provides nutrients for the trees to grow, and the water from the nearby river nourishes all the living things. This interconnected web of life, from the trees to the deer to the soil and water, is what makes up the forest ecosystem. Everything is connected, and each part plays a vital role in keeping the whole system alive and healthy.
- 7. Producers, Consumers, and Decomposers: An Overview This response will provide examples of producers, consumers, and decomposers, key components of any ecosystem. These organisms work together in a complex web of life, transferring energy and nutrients throughout the environment. Producers: The Foundation of the Food Web Producers, also known as autotrophs, are organisms that create their own food. They form the base of the food web, providing energy for all other organisms. The most well-known producers are plants, which use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to produce glucose through photosynthesis.
- 8. Examples of Producers: • Plants: Trees, grasses, flowers, bushes, and all other plants. • Algae: Microscopic to large multicellular seaweeds, found in aquatic environments. • Cyanobacteria: Photosynthetic bacteria found in aquatic and terrestrial environments. • Phytoplankton: Microscopic algae that float in the ocean, responsible for a significant portion of Earth's oxygen production • Chemosynthetic bacteria: These bacteria obtain energy from chemicals in their environment rather than sunlight. They are found in environments lacking sunlight, such as deep-sea vents.
- 9. Consumers: Energy Transfer Through the Food Chain • Primary Consumers (Herbivores): These animals eat plants. Examples: Deer, rabbits, caterpillars, grasshoppers, sheep, and many more. • Secondary Consumers (Carnivores): These animals eat primary consumers (herbivores). Examples: Lions, snakes, hawks, spiders, and many more. Consumers, also known as heterotrophs, are organisms that cannot produce their own food. They obtain energy by consuming other organisms. Consumers are categorized into different levels based on their position in the food chain:
- 10. Consumers: Energy Transfer Through the Food Chain • Primary Consumers (Herbivores): These animals eat plants. Examples: Deer, rabbits, caterpillars, grasshoppers, sheep, and many more. • Secondary Consumers (Carnivores): These animals eat primary consumers (herbivores). Examples: Lions, snakes, hawks, spiders, and many more. Consumers, also known as heterotrophs, are organisms that cannot produce their own food. They obtain energy by consuming other organisms. Consumers are categorized into different levels based on their position in the food chain:
- 11. • Tertiary Consumers: These animals eat secondary consumers. They are often apex predators. Examples: Polar bears, killer whales, wolves, and humans. • Omnivores: These animals eat both plants and animals. Examples: Raccoons, bears, humans.. • Decomposers: Recycling Nutrients Decomposers break
- 13. Importance of Ecosystem The importance of the world’s incredibly diverse tropical rain forests (Core Case Study). These ecosystems showcase the functioning of the three scientific principles of sustainability, which apply as well to the world’s other ecosystems. First, producers within rain forests rely on solar energy to produce a vast amount of biomass through photosynthesis. Second, species living in the forests take part in and depend on the cycling of nutrients and the flow of energy within the forests and throughout the biosphere. Third, tropical rain forests contain a huge and vital part of the earth’s biodiversity, and interactions among species living in these forests help to sustain these complex ecosystems.
- 14. Core case Study: Tropical Rainforests are Disappearing Cover only 2% of the Earth's surface, but can contain up to half of the world's terrestrial plant and animal species -Destroyed by logging, crop development, cattle grazing, and encroaching civilization. Why should you be concerned about the disappearance of tropical rainforest? -Tropical rainforests are vital for the planet as they generate 20% of the Earth's oxygen and are home to half of the world's plant and animal species. Their destruction contributes significantly to climate change and biodiversity loss, with dire consequences for the entire planet.
- 15. Core case Study: Tropical Rainforests are Disappearing Can you identify the ecosystem in which you live? -To identify the ecosystem you live in, consider the dominant plant and animal life, as well as the overall climate and physical features of the area. These factors, such as whether you're surrounded by forests, grasslands, or an urban environment, will help you determine the type of ecosystem you inhabit.
- 16. How Does the Earth's Life-Support System Work? • Earth's life-support system has four spherical components that interact with each other • Life is sustained by the cycling of nutrients and energy between and through these systems
- 17. Earth's Life-support systems have four major components • Atmosphere - composed of the troposphere and the stratosphere • Hydrosphere - water at or near the Earth's surface (Ice, Water, and Water Vapor) • Geosphere - composed of a hot core, a thick mostly rocky mantle, and a thin outer crust • Biosphere - whenever life is found within the other three spheres
- 18. Natural Capital: Earth's Four Life-Support Systems
- 19. Three Factors Sustain the Earth's Life • The one-way flow of high-quality energy -Solar Energy principle of sustainability -Greenhouse effect • The cycling of nutrients -Chemical Cycling principle of sustainability • Gravity
- 20. What are the Major Components of an Ecosystem? • Organism that: -Produce their own nutrition (Autotrophs) -Satisfy Nutritional requirements by consuming other organisms -Decompose waste and remains of organism thereby recycling nutrients
- 21. Ecosystems Have Several Important Components • Ecology: Organisms interact with each other and with their non-living environment • Biotic(Living) and Abiotic (Non-Living) parts of the environment exhibit sequential levels of organization -Five of these levels: Organisms, Population, Communities, Ecosystem, and the Biosphere.
- 22. Key Questions and Concepts 2.1 What keeps us and other organisms alive? Concept 2.1 A - The four major components of the earth’s life-support system are the atmosphere (air), the hydrosphere (water), the geosphere (rock, soil, sediment), and the biosphere (living things). Concept 2.1 B - Life is sustained by the flow of energy from the sun through the biosphere, the cycling of nutrients within the biosphere, and gravity. 2.2 What are the major components of an ecosystem? Concept 2.2 - Some organisms produce the nutrients they need, others get the nutrients they need by consuming other organisms, and some recycle nutrients back to producers by decomposing the wastes and remains of organisms. 2.3 What happens to energy in an ecosystem? Concept 2.3 - As energy flows through ecosystems in food chains and webs, the amount of chemical energy available to organisms at each succeeding feeding level decreases.
- 23. Key Questions and Concepts 2.4 What happens to matter in an ecosystem? Concept 2.4 - Matter, in the form of nutrients, cycles within and among ecosystems and the biosphere, and human activities are altering these chemical cycles. 2.5 How do scientists study ecosystems? Concept 2.5 - Scientists use field research, laboratory research, and mathematical and other models to learn about ecosystems.
- 24. Thank you REPORTERS: CASAPAO, MICHAELJOHN ESTEBAN, KYLE VINCENT P.