Notes

Ecosystems: community of interacting, plants, animals, and their surrounding's

the two types' of ecosystems
-terrestrial [land] and aquatic [water based]

-terrestrial habitat forest and grasslands

aquatic habitat, lakes, rivers, estuaries and oceans

factors that impact ecosystems
temperature, precipitation, and geography

biodiversity: the diversity of life on earth or an ecosystems

when an ecosystem is unbalanced it is harder for animals to find food and shelter and plants to get the nutrients they need to grow

why ecosystems are important to us:

because a healthy ecosystem keep our air and water clean and provide nutritious food for us and animals

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The four major spheres of earth: geosphere[ground], biosphere[life], atmosphere[air] and hydrosphere[water]

geosphere: rocks, minerals, ground, inner core, outer core and crust and the mantel

biosphere: zone of life, it can be anywhere air, land and water

atmosphere: lair of gasses surrounding earth. Atmosphere composes of nitrogen, oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide and other small gasses,
these gasses are held in place by the pull of gravity

hydrosphere: rivers, lakes, streams, oceans, ice caps, glaciers, and even moisture in the air

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What are Abiotic and Biotic Factors:

Biotic: is living things such as, trees, animals, bacteria, fungi and plants.

Abiotic: non living things such as the, sun, temperature, water, atmosphere gases and soil.

A interaction between abiotic and biotic is plants, the sun gives nutrients to the tree, or clouds give rain to help trees grow.

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climate change.

cause's and effects of climate change.

The green house effect: gases in the atmosphere trap a little heat from the sun, more gases more heat gets trapped melting ice in the artic.

climate change has consequences to our, oceans, weather, food and health

smog contains ozone particles, exposure to high levels of smog can cause heath problems like asthma, heart disease and lung cancer

What happens when the earth gets 1c warmer: animals that are crucial to forest could die and unbalance the ecosystem causing an extinction.

what is permafrost: permafrost is a layer in the ground that stays frozen throught the year

Permafrost what happens If it melts: when permafrost melts it can move the ground causing roads to need maintenance.

wildfires: when temperatures rise then there is less condensation causing forests to be more dry increasing the chance of forest fires

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FEEDING RELATIONSHIPS

Producer (Autotroph): plants, get energy though the sun and make their food through the prosses of photosynthesis.
Plants are the base of the food chain.

Consumers (Heterotroph): animals and fungi is unable to produce its own food, so it must eat plants or animals

The 5 types of consumers are, herbivore(only eat plants), carnivore(only eat meat), omnivore(eats plants and animals), scavenger(carnivore that eats dead meat), consumers(eats dead thing and returns nutrients to earth.

organisms require a constant constant source of energy to survive (ultimate source is the sun)

The bottom of the food chain has both the most biomass and energy.

higher you go in the food chain the energy levels decrease by 10%.

Kcal is a measurement in energy.

primary consumers are the ones that eat only autotrophs (herbivores)

all the energy comes from the sun

tertiary consumers are the apex predators

what items are not on the list, the decomposers (their job is to break down any biomass once it dies)

each link in the food chain is called a trophic level
first level producers (plants)
second level feeds on producers, they are primary consumers
third level feeds on primary consumers they are secondary consumers carnivores and omnivores
fourth feed on secondary consumers, they are tertiary consumers (often apex predators)


Constructing a food chain:

berries, producers chipmunk, primary consumer racoon, secondary consumer wolf top consumer
1 trophic level 2 trophic level 3 trophic level 4 trophic level





pros and cons of a food chain

pro cons

- good at representing - multiple producers and herbivores?
simple relationships
- herbivores that eat multiple producers?

- omnivores (animals eating both plants and animals)?

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food web

A food web is made up of many different intersecting food chains.



differences between food chain and a food web
food chain: neutral food web:
-A specific pathway by which -allow for the flow of energy through -A network of interacting
materials and energy moves organisms. food chains operating
through an in an ecosystem.
ecosystem. - allow for the flow of matter through
organisms. -it includes more
organisms in a ecosystems
- producers capture some of the suns energy; then a food chain.
they use 90% of the suns energy to grow and
live; the rest is passed onto consumers. - shows competition.

- consumers (heterotrophs) eat green plants (1)
and other consumers (2).


The more complex a food web of an ecosystems, the more stable it is
because there is more biodiversity.

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population dynamics



ecological levels of a organism

definition of a species: individuals that can mate and produce fertile off spring.

definition of a population: members of the same species living together in a defined area.

definition of a community: a group of population all living and interacting together.

definition of a ecosystem ecology: living and non living interacting together.

definition of a biome: represents similar ecosystems across the world.

definition of a biosphere: anywhere on earth that you find living things ether land air or water.



exponential growth (j-curve): un restricted growth, no limitation on resources.

S-curve: restricted growth, limited factors on a population and the carrying capacity is reached, population do not grow infinitely because there are limited resources.


carrying compacity: the largest population of a species that can be sustained in a ecosystem over time.

limiting factors: anything that constrains a population's size and slows or stops it from growing (controls it).


symbiotic organism relationship: because different species often inhabit the same spaces and share-or compete for-the same resources,
they interact in a variety of ways, known collectively as symbiosis. symbiosis in any relationship interaction between two dissimilar organisms.


there are 5 types of symbiosis, 1 competition (one benefits one loses or compromised benefit), 2 predator and prey (one benefits one loses),
3 commensalism (one benefits one nether loses or benefits), 4 mutualism (both benefit), 5 parasitism (one benefits one loses)


competition: competition can occur because of food, space, sunlight, mates, any other limited recourse.


predator and prey: one eats the other.


predator and prey cycle: when the prey population is high then the predator population will increase decreasing the prey population,
and low prey will decrease the predator population will decrease. and it will keep continuing like this.




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Photosynthesis and cellular respiration

why: we need a mechanism for converting the suns energy into a form of energy that can be used by all living things to live.

where and when: Photosynthesis takes place in the chloroplasts of plants. when light hits a plants leaves, it shines on chloroplasts and into their thylakoid membranes. those membranes are filled with chlorophyll, a green pigment. this pigment absorbs light energy.

What happens: the prosses where plants make their own energy (food). plants convert suns energy
into chemical energy usable by cells. radiant energy is energy that come from the sun. light energy is seen by human; its absorbed by plants
chlorophyll and converted into chemical energy during photosynthesis.

chemical energy is the energy stored in the bonds of compounds and molecules.

In photosynthesis, chemical energy is produced in the forms of two molecules
glucose and oxygen

a molecule is a combination of atoms (same or different atoms)

an atom is the most basic unit of a chemical element

an element is a pure substance consisting of only like atoms. we represent elements by letters. so we represent a molecule by showing what elements are in it and how many of each.
photosynthesis
chemical equation is CO2+H2O+ sunlight chlorophyll = C6 H12 O6+O2

word equation is carbon dioxide + water sunlight + chlorophyll glucose oxygen


plants use sugar (glucose) as they produce as energy to grow

energy enters an ecosystem through plants; food chains, food webs, energy pyramid


why is cellular respiration important: it is important because living organisms generate energy for dayliy activity with cellular respiration


in plants it takes place in the mitochondria, the mitochondria is like the powerplant for the cell because the energy of the cell is generated at the mitochondria.

cells that need more energy have more mitochondria like muscles.

at the mitochondria sugar combines with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide plus water and energy


chemical equation for mitochondria

C6 H12 O6+ O2 mitochondria = CO2+H2O+ATP
word equation is

glucose + oxygen mitochondria = CO2 + H2O + ATP


Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are complementary (they work together)
what one needs the other provides

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nutrient cycles


A ecosystem nutrient cycle: matter cannot be created or destroyed, nutrients can only cycle through, energy flows through

organic and inorganic

organic: contain both C (carbon) and H (hydrogen) atoms
E.g. glucose (C6 H12 O6)


inorganic; do not contain both C (carbon) and H (hydrogen) atoms
E.g CO2 (carbon dioxide) H20 (water) NM3 (ammonia)


organic compounds: paper, nail polish, candle, fabric, soap, gasoline

A compound consists of two or more elements chemically bonded in a fixed ratio.

inorganic compounds: carbon dioxide, DNA, methane, benzene, ethanol


4 atoms make up 96% of your body in most organisms
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen
these atoms are recycled again and again within the biosphere in biogeochemical cycles.




hydrologic cycle: condensation lifts the water off of lakes oceans rivers (anywhere where is water) then the clouds of water travel places around the globe then precipitation may take the form of rain snow or hail (depending on the weather) once the water hits the ground may occur, some of the water may evaporate back into the clouds or the water may penetrate the surface and become groundwater. the ground water may take many different paths it may seep back into the rivers, lakes or oceans or it can go into an aquifer which is a body of saturated walk water through which can easley move or it may be released back into the atmosphere by transpiration, transpiration occurs when leaves from trees or other vegetation give off water vapors through pores in their leaves, some water on earths surface is not absorbed by plants or become groundwater and it becomes surface runoff this runoff may empty into lakes, streams, rivers and is carried back into the ocean where the cycle repeats.




why is water important: it makes up 60 to 70% of you body, water helps with temperature regulation, its a universal solvent,
hydrogen in H2O supplies protons (H+) and electrons for photosynthesis, oxygen and hydrogen are found in all building blocks of cells.


plants absorb carbon in photosynthesis and animals breath out CO2 and heterotroph eat plants that contain CO2,
also during digestion they realease carbon esmethane and the ground contain decomposers that release carbon into the air


the ocean contains the most amount of carbon. the ocean absorbs carbon in carbon dioxide. the ocean has a large amount of plankton that absorbs the carbon dioxide it uses for photosynthesis. humans also influence the movement of carbon we burn fossil fuels which releases
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Also the production clinker which is used for cement from limestone also releases carbon in addition
deforestation can cause the amounts of carbon to increase in our atmosphere.


is carbon important?: carbon is found in all the building blocks of cells, carbon in CO2 provides the atoms for glucose production during photosynthesis, easily forms bond with other elements, which gives flexibility to the form and function molecules take, part of DNA and RNA which are essential for growth and replication


where is carbon stored: oceans, terrestrial biosphere soil, lithosphere, atmosphere


nitrogen falls to the ground by precipitation once in the soil it finds its way to bacteria on the root of plants, at the roots the nitrogen is combined with hydrogen to create ammonia in a prosses called nitrogen fixation, lightning in the atmosphere can also do that, ammonia is toxic so additional bacteria combines this ammonia with oxygen in a prosses called nitrogen fixation, at this point the nitrogen is in xena form called nitrite.

nitrogen is important: nitrogen bases make DNA and RNA, adenine (nitrogen based)is used in ATP, it makes the amino part of amino acids,
79% of the atmosphere is made up of nitrogen gases N3, Bactria in in the soil converts nitrogen from the atmosphere into ammonia (NM3)
that is used by plants this is called nitrogen fixation, bacteria in the soil converts ammonia into nitrates and nitrites that plants use, nitrogen humans need for proteins, ATP, and nucleic come from the food we eat not the air we breath,


until the 20th century N-fixation was only natural and most wild plants thrive in low N-levels

scientists developed a way to fix N and phosphorus (artificial fertilizers)

farmers increased crop yield



pros and cons of agriculture fertilizers

pro N and P are essential to all living things
nitrogen cycle depend on how fast things decompose
N and P leave the soil in plants so when they are harvested N and P is removed from this ecosystem and this would deplete the soil if not replaced
fertilizers restore nutrients and production from the land and can double yields



cons

to much fertilizers can change the PH of soil (acidic) and impact plant growth
fertilizers runoffs can affect other ecosystems and can lead to vary serious environmental problem's





algae blooms

spring rain carry fertilizers into lakes algae grow rapidly and then die bacteria decompose algae using 02 less o2 for the fish so they die
decomposing fish means less o2 (meaning more less o2 will kill off more fish)


eutrophication of lakes

fertilizers and human waste flow into a lake,
then lake becomes rich in nitrogen and phosphorous
plants grow more rapidly
lake goes to oligotrophic to eutrophic
lake more shallow and dries out


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human relationships with ecosystems


human relationships with ecosystems E.g.: abuse, bioaccumulation, biomagnification, invasive species, species at risk, factory farms, brown fields.
Sustainability: protection of critical habitats, recycling, composting, biomimicry, sustainability and diversity, environmental assessment.

relationship: indigenous relationship


pesticides: they are chemicals that destroys anything that humans consider pests.

they can be:

herbicides: kill off weed
insecticides: kill off insects
fungicides: kill off fungi

use: they prevents the damage of crop and stop the spread of disease's.

pesticides and bioaccumulation

Unfortunately, pesticides are not specific to the organism they are deigned to kill. modern day pesticides are extremally harmful to all organisms. some of these chemicals are fat soluble and become stored in animal issue, this causes a problem known as bioaccumulation.

bioaccumulation: toxins and poisons slowly build up in living organisms. toxins increase in concertation over time. the substance taken in
(inhaled, eaten, absorbed) is stored faster then it is broken down by the body.

bioaccumulation example:
benefits: insecticide, easy and inexpensive to manufacture.

problems: remains in environment for a long time, DDT affects the central nervous system of insects and other animals, this results in hyperactivity paralysis and death, causes shell thinning in birds, following exposures to high doses in humans, humans systems include vomiting, tremors, shakiness and seizers, laboratory's animals studies showed effects on liver and reproduction, considered a possible carcinogen.

status: the registered use of DDT was suspended in Canada in 1985 and the use of existing stocks was only permitted until the end of 1990, after which time it was banned under the pest control products act (but still used is some areas of the world)

biomagnification: biomagnification occurs when the pesticides in organisms in the lower part of the food chain pass on their internal toxins to their consumers. the toxic becomes more and more concentrated the higher the trophic level.


biomagnification examples: metals, lead not considered safe at any level. it causes anemia, nervous and reproductive system damage,

cadmium toxic to earth worms and causes many health problems in fish.
causes lung disease, cancer, nervous and immune system damage in humans.



mercury bioaccumulates in the brain heart and kidneys of many animals and causes birth defects



invasive species: introduction of non native species,
people bring live non native species on boats or planes, or seeds to plant,
non native species usually do well because they have no natural competition,
they out compete native species for resources. as a result, the population of a non native species can increase very quickly and have a negative impact on the ecosystem.


non native species can deal allot of damage.




threats to wild wildlife include

pollution

climate change

habitat loss and fragmentation



invasive species introduced species compete with native species for space, food
and other resources, some even prey on native species

unsustainable harvest: over-exploitation of wildlife can be direct such as unsustainable hunting, harvesting and poaching or indirect including bycatch




species at risk: classification

1. A species shall be classified as an extinct species if it no longer lives anywhere on earth.

2. a species shall be classified as an extirpated species if it lives somewhere in the world, lived at one time in the wild i Ontario, but no longer lives in the wild in Ontario.

3. A species shall be classified as an endangered species if it is lives in the wild in Ontario but is facing extinction or extirpation.


4. A species shall be classified as a threatened species if it lives in the wild in Ontario, is not endangered but is likely to become endangered if steps are not taken to address factors threating to lead to its extinction or extirpation.


5. A species shall be classified as a special concern if it lives in the wild in Ontario, is not endangered or threatened, but may become threatened or endangered or threatened because of a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats


Factory farms: factory farms is a term used commonly used to describe an industrial facility that raises a large numbers of farm animals like pigs, chickens or cows in intensive confinement where their movement are extremally inhibited.

release vast quantities of carbon dioxide and methane (contributing to greenhouse gases)


animal conditions include cages and over crowded; poor air quality; unnatural light; inability to engage in natural behavior's.



fish farms: fish farming involves commercial breeding of fish, usually for food in fish tanks or artificial enclosures such as fish ponds. Quote from the David Suzuki Foundation: Canada has some of the worlds most and the worlds least sustainable fisheries, even though they are managed under the same federal law.
sea lice outbreaks on the farms in the Broughton Archipelago in 2015 led to a 23% loss in pink salmon.
A single salmon farm can be the size of 4 football fields.
Canadian exports of seafood bring in 6.6 billion annually.
72,000 make their living directly from fishing and fishing related activities.



Brownfields: brownfields are properties are vacant or underutilized places where past industrials or commercial activity's may have left contamination
(chemical pollution) behind, including: gas stations factory's, waterfront properties (port lands)formally used for industrial or commercial activities

brown fields can pose health and safety risks
be costly for the communities where they are located
potentially be redeveloped to meet health, safety and environmental standards with considerable investment to restore water, soil and air quality's



So far, human relationships with ecosystems are looking pretty bleak.
so what can we do to relate to our ecosystems in a more positive way? to understand our impact, mitigate them, and focus on sustainability and ultimately reciprocity?



Recycling's: in Canada, we emphasize the 4 R's: reduce, reuse, recycle and recover this is the order of preference

and it wont generate other forms of waste that impact ecosystems and the 4
spheres

the top five recycling country's

1 Switzerland

2 Austria

3 Germany

4 Netherlands

5 Norway



plastic is a major problem, this is why the first step of the 3 R's is reduce



composting: composting is the natural processes of recycling organic matter, such as leaves and food scraps, into a valuable fertilizer that can enrich soil and plants. some municipalities gather compost and processes it centrally,
but many people choose to compost it in their backyard.



Biomimicry: biomimicry or biomimetics is the emulation of the models, systems and elements of nature for the purpose of solving complex human problems. the idea is that new products and systems are inspired by nature and put natures lessons into practice


The replacement rate
is using somthing that can replenish, but at the same rate it replenishes, you use


The 3 E's is environment, economy and equality



Biodiversity: sustainable ecosystems are biodiverse. Biodiversity refers to the varity of life on Earth and all's its levels, form genes to ecosystems , and can encompass the evolutionary, ecological, and cultural processes that can sustain life.






The environmental assessment act:



governments officials must sign papers before any projects are started

to promote sustainability by protecting the environment, fostering a sound economy, supporting the well being of British Colombians and their community's
to support reconciliation with indigenous people in British Colombia