LS CH 20: Matter and Energy in The Environment
Name:
Ecology
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The study (science) of the _______________________________________________
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Study of ecosystems
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Includes everything in a given area:
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Living things (____________________________)
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Nonliving things (___________________________)
Abiotic Factors
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Any ___________________________ in an ecosystem
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Examples:
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Still impacts organisms
Sunlight, Atmospheric gases, Climate, Temperature, Soil, Water, Human impacts
The Sun
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The _____________________________________________ for our planet
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Also plays a role in many other abiotic factors
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Sun  Producers (photosynthesis)  Primary consumers  Secondary consumers  etc.
Evaporates water, creates wind and weather due to heating patterns on Earth controls temperature
Why do we experience seasons?
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_______________________________________
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In our summer, the Northern Hemisphere tilts towards the sun, giving us more direct sunlight
and keeping it warmer
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In our winter, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted away from the sun, giving us less direct
sunlight (sunlight is spread out more) and cooling it down.
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The Southern Hemisphere tilts away, giving them winter
The Southern Hemisphere tilts towards the sun, giving them summer
Atmospheric Gases
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The atmosphere is the
_____________________________________________
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Atmospheric composition (see graph)
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Oxygen is breathed in by many organisms, and made by
others
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Nitrogen is used by many organisms
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Climate and Weather
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Climate is the ____________________________________________________________
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NOT THE SAME AS WEATHER!
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Includes __________________________, ________________________, and ______________
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Weather is the _________________________________
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A vast majority of scientists and researchers (97% who work in this area of research) believe that
________________________________________________________
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Temperature
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How hot or cold something is
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Polar bears in the desert, cacti in Antarctica…
Soil
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Made up of
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Essential for survival of plants, and therefore all organisms
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_____________________________ within the soil break down dead organisms
Water
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________________________________________________ important
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Only raw material that
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Could have drastic impacts to many ecosystems
All organisms are made up of water, animals drink it to stay alive, plants need it for energy production
and photosynthesis, marine life and many protists live in it
While most of the earth is covered in water, it is not all in the proper form for all organisms to use
Human Impacts
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General Theme in Ecology
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We tend to mess things up rather a lot
Humans are biotic factors, but we create a lot of abiotic factors
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_____________________________ impacts ecosystems greatly
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____________________________________ fragment ecosystems
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We also impact other abiotic factors
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Water pollution and climate change
Matter is cycled in nature
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Matter Cycles
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The Water Cycle
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Water, Nitrogen, Carbon-Oxygen, Others we won’t be exploring
Terms:
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_______________________-Liquid to gas
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_______________________-Gas to liquid
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_______________________-Water falling to earth’s surface
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_______________________-Water leaving plants
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_______________________-Water leaving as organisms exhale
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______________________- Water that travels over surfaces
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______________________- The water stored underground
The Carbon-Oxygen Cycle
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Oxygen is needed by much of the life on earth
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Essential for the _____________________________________________
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Oxygen is __________________________________________________ (includes tiny plants, some bacteria,
and some protists) during __________________________________
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The oxygen is then taken in by organisms to allow respiration to occur
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Provides ATP so that cells can do their jobs
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During respiration, _______________________________________
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Carbon is found in the air in the form of carbon dioxide
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Comes from:
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Exhalation of organisms (created in cellular respiration)
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Burning of ________________________________
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Fossil fuels are fuels made from the ____________________________
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Contributes significantly to climate change
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Natural release of carbon from soil
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Forest fires and _____________________________
Taken in by:
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Soil and Photosynthetic organisms
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CO2 As A Greenhouse Gas
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Carbon dioxide ____________________________________________
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This _____________________________ (similar to a greenhouse trapping heat), increasing
global temperatures
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Over time, the average temperatures throughout the planet have increased
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___________________________________
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Carbon Dioxide is not alone
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Other gases (especially methane) are greenhouse gases
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However, increased CO2 emissions are accelerating climate change faster than other gases
The Nitrogen Cycle
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Nitrogen is the ____________________________________ in the atmosphere
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Atmospheric electricity (__________________) causes nitrogen compounds to fall to the surface
Nitrogen is a component of ________________________
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Organisms get nitrogen into their body by __________________________________
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Animals release Nitrogen into the soil through waste (__________________)
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Also, when an organism dies, ________________________ the organism and turn the nitrogen into
forms that plants can use
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They also release nitrogen from the soil back into the atmosphere
Movement of Energy in an Ecosystem
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Every living thing needs energy
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The ___________________________________________
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The Law of Conservation of Energy
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Also a little bit of energy from Earth’s interior and hydrothermal vents in the ocean
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Types of Organisms (Review)
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_________________________________
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Able to make their own “food” (energy sources)
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Can be done by photosynthesis or chemosynthesis
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Chemosynthesis is like photosynthesis, only it uses chemical energy instead of sunlight
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Occurs near hydrothermal vents
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Often uses sulfur compounds
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____________________________________
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Organisms that must __________________________________ to get energy
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Classified by type of food sources
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Classifications of Consumers
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_________________________-Eat only plants
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_________________________-Mostly eat other animals
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_________________________-Able to eat both plants and animals
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It all starts with the _________ (or hydrothermal vents in some oceanic ecosystems)
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____________________________________ and use it to make sugars
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_____________________________________________________, collecting the sugars
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Consumers and producers eventually _______________________________________________________
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At each level, only about __________________________________________________________________
Around 90% of the energy is used by the organism
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Cannot be destroyed
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Transferred to the environment as _______________________________________
Modeling Energy Transfer
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Food chains
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Very simple diagram showing ______________________________________________
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Not even close to complete
Food Web
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A more complex diagram showing ____________________________________________________________
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_________________________-Feed on dead or decaying organisms
Transferring Energy in an Ecosystem
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Humans, regardless of their diet, are omnivores
Can still be sort of simple or can be extremely complex
In either case, the _________________________________________________________
Energy Pyramids
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A different sort of diagram, related to the others
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Shows ________________________________________________________________________________