Biology Chapter 28

Community of plant and animal life

Living organisms of an ecosystem

Physical and chemical aspects of an ecosystem

• Atoms and molecules organisms obtain from an environment
• Cycle through ecosystem and converted to many forms

• Obtained from sun
• Used by organisms
• Released as heat
• Constant output required

Feeding levels

• Self-feeders
• Produce food for themselves through inorganic nutrients and solar energy

• Other-feeders
• Rely on other organisms for food and energy

• Primary; herbavores
• Secondary; carnivores
• Tertiary; carnivores eat carnivores

Study of organisms home environment and interaction

Energy photosynthetic organisms store at any given time period

• Dry biological material
• Used to measure energy

• Linear feeding relationship of trophic levels
• "Circle of Life"

• Everything eaters
• Humans

Debris eaters

primarily fungi and bacteria

Illustrates the energy relationships between trophic levels

• Macronutrients-required in large quantities
• Micronutrients-required in trace quantities

Path of water from reservoir, to river, to lake, to ocean, to clouds, and then back to reservoir

Path of carbon from reservoirs in the air, through producers, into bodies of consumers , then back to reservoirs

Path of nitrogen through an ecosystem

Path of phosperous through an ecosystem

Nitric acid in cloud falling back to earth as rain

• Acid rain
• Greenhouse effect
• Soil erosion
• Climate change