Ecosystems
An ecosystem consists of all the
organisms living in a community as
well as all of the abiotic factors with
which they interact.
What is a community?
An association of species
populations inhabiting a given area
at the same time.
Usually defined by the place in
which they live or the nature of their
interaction.
Ecosystems
A pond ecosystem
http://eschooltoday.com/ecosystems/what-is-an-ecosystem.html
Ecosystems - ecotones
Ecosystems:
- Rarely have distinct boundaries
- Are generally not self-contained
- Not self-sustaining
Ecosystems - ecotones
Ecotone - An ecotone is a transition area between two ecosystems,
usually identified by the change in plant communities, such as forest and
grassland.
Some have fuzzy boundaries.
Some have distinct boundaries.
Ecosystems – all together now
All of the ecosystems on earth are collectively called the
The Biosphere
By name, it is meant to include all of the areas on earth that support life.
Ecosystems – Nutrient Cycling
Ecosystems contain:
Living organisms
Energy
Chemicals
Nutrients
Ecosystems – Nutrient Cycling
Recall – Energy does what in ecosystems?
A: Energy flows through systems.
Ecosystems – Nutrient Cycling
Eventually, all energy is lost as heat back into space.
Second Law of Thermodynamics – In the conversion of
energy from one form to another, high-quality, useful energy
is always degraded to low-quality, less useful energy that
can’t be recycled to give high-quality energy. (Can’t even
break even.)
The first law of thermodynamics : “Energy cannot be
created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one
form to another.” It takes energy to get energy.
Ecosystems – Nutrient Cycling
Organisms cannot live by energy alone.
Organism require 17 essential nutrients.
Large quantities:
• Carbon (C)
• Hydrogen (H)
• Oxygen (O)
• Nitrogen (N)
• Phosphorus (P)
• Potassium (K)
Less of:
Calcium (Ca)
Magnesium (Mg)
Sulfur (S)
Iron (Fe)
Manganese (Mn)
Ecosystems – Nutrient Cycling
Even less of:
Sodium (Na)
Boron (B)
Molybdenum (Mb)
Copper (Cu)
Chlorine (Cl)
Zinc (Zn)
Trace amounts of:
Barium (Ba)
Cobalt (Co)
Flourine (F)
Iodine (I)
Selenium (Se)
Silicon (Si)
Vanadium (V)
Can these chemicals
(elements) be lost like heat?
Ecosystems – Nutrient Cycling
Two types of cycles:
• Gaseous cycles
• Non-gaseous cycles
Ecosystems – Nutrient Cycling
Two types of cycles:
• Gaseous cycles
• Non-gaseous cycles
Ecosystems – Nutrient Cycling
Two types of cycles:
• Gaseous cycles
• Non-gaseous cycles
Ecosystems – Nutrient Cycling
Two types of cycles:
• Gaseous cycles
• Non-gaseous cycles
Commemorate Caesar: Take a Deep Breath!
Ecosystems – Nutrient Cycling
Two types of cycles:
• Gaseous cycles
• Non-gaseous cycles – nutrient cycling
Nutrients are passed
from organism to
organism, which results
in nutrient cycles.
These cycles involve both
the biotic and abiotic
components of
ecosystems, hence they
are often called
biogeochemical cycles.
Ecosystems – Nutrient Cycling
Ecosystems – Nutrient Cycling
Ecosystems – Molecules with carbon
Protein
Lignin
Phospholipid – cell memebrane
Ecosystems – Carbon Cycle
Ecosystems – Phosphorus Cycle
Ecosystems – Rhythmic cycles of CO2
Ecosystems – Rhythmic cycles of CO2 over time
2007
If the general trend
continues, the
concentration of carbon
dioxide will be 400 PPM
within ten years. It is
hard to avoid this
conclusion. Nothing short
of a large volcanic
eruption or a nuclear war
or a large meteorite strike
would change this
conclusion.
Charles Keeling began precise monthly measurements of the concentration of carbon dioxide in
1958. He was the first to do so systematically and so his data have come to be known as the
"The Keeling Curve."
The measurements were made at the Mauna Loa Astronomical Observatory which is at the
summit of an inactive volcano in Hawaii. Mauna Loa was chosen because it is far from major
sources or sinks of carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide concentrations measured at Mauna Loa
are a good proxy for the average of the whole Earth.
Ecosystems – Rhythmic cycles of CO2 over time
Ecosystems – CO2 concentrations over geologic time
The data comes from air bubbles trapped in ice taken from a two kilometer
hole drilled into the Antarctic ice sheet.
Ecosystems – CO2 concentrations over geologic time
Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations in parts per million for the past 800,000
years, with the 2013 annual average concentration as a dashed line. The peaks and
valleys in carbon dioxide levels follow the coming and going of ice ages (low CO2) and
warmer interglacials (higher CO2). Graph by NOAA Climate.gov, based on EPICA Dome
C data (Lüthi, D., et al., 2008) provided by NOAA NCDC Paleoclimatology Program.
Ecosystems – The greenhouse effect
Ecosystems – Damaging greenhouse gases
Carbon dioxide (CO2) – Life in atmosphere – part of carbon cycle
Methane (CH4) – Life in atmosphere – 12 years
Impact on climate change – 20x greater than CO2.
Nitrous oxide (N2O) - Life in atmosphere – 120 years
Impact on climate change 300x greater thanCO2
F-gases (CFC), Hydrofluorocarbons
Ecosystems – Damaging greenhouse gases
Carbon dioxide (CO2) – Life in atmosphere – part of carbon cycle
Methane (CH4) – Life in atmosphere – 12 years
Impact on climate change – 20x greater than CO2.
Nitrous oxide (N2O) - Life in atmosphere – 120 years
Impact on climate change 300x greater thanCO2
F-gases (CFC, Hydrofluorocarbons [HCFC] – Life in atmosphere -
Ecosystems – Damaging greenhouse gases
Carbon dioxide (CO2) – Life in atmosphere – part of carbon cycle
Methane (CH4) – Life in atmosphere – 12 years
Impact on climate change – 20x greater than CO2.
Nitrous oxide (N2O) - Life in atmosphere – 120 years
Impact on climate change 300x greater thanCO2
F-gases (CFC, Hydrofluorocarbons [HCFC] – Life in atmosphere -
Ecosystems – Damaging greenhouse gases
Carbon dioxide (CO2) – Life in atmosphere – part of carbon cycle
Methane (CH4) – Life in atmosphere – 12 years
Impact on climate change – 20x greater than CO2.
Nitrous oxide (N2O) - Life in atmosphere – 120 years
Impact on climate change 300x greater thanCO2
F-gases (CFC, Hydrofluorocarbons [HCFC] – Life in atmosphere -
Ecosystems – Damaging greenhouse gases
refrigerants
aerosol propellants,
solvents,
fire retardants.
F-gases (CFC) chlorofluorcarbons
Hydrofluorocarbons (HCFC) – Life in atmosphere – 1 -270 years. Effect 140 – 11,770x
Perfluorocarbons (PFC) – Life in atmosphere – 800 - 50,000 years. Effect 6,500 – 9,200
Sulfur hexafluoride (SF) – Life in atmosphere – 3,200 years. Effect 23,900x
Ecosystems – Damaging greenhouse gases
http://www.climate-connect.co.uk/Home/?q=node/2015
Ecosystems – Damaging greenhouse gases
http://www.wri.org/publication/navigating-numbers
Ecosystems – Perturbations to the CO2 cycle
Ecosystems – Sequestration CO2 - natural
Recent estimates have calculated that 26
percent of all the carbon released as
CO2 from fossil fuel burning, cement
manufacture, and land-use changes over
the decade 2002–2011 was absorbed by
the oceans. (About 28 percent went to
plants and roughly 46 percent to the
atmosphere.) During this time, the
average annual total release of was 9.3
billion tons of carbon per year, thus on
average 2.5 billion tons went into the
ocean annually.
Ecosystems – Sequestration CO2 - natural
Ecosystems – Sequestering CO2 - anthropogenic
As estimated in the U.S. Inventory of
Greenhouse Gas Emissions and
Sinks , more than 40% of
CO2 emissions in the United States
are from electric power generation.
Applied to a 500 MW coal-fired
power plant, which emits roughly 3
million tons of CO2 per year, [1] the
amount of GHG emissions avoided
(with a 90% reduction efficiency)
would be equivalent to:
• Planting more than 62 million
trees, and waiting at least 10
years for them to grow.
• Avoiding annual electricity-related
emissions from more than
300,000 homes.
Ecosystems – Sequestering CO2 - anthropogenic
But so far, it is easier said than done - and expensive!
Ecosystems – Nutrient Cycling
Is there a way to
obtain energy from the
ecosystem without
breaking, or altering
these cycles?
Ecosystems – Nutrient Cycling
Is there a way to
obtain energy from the
ecosystem without
breaking, or altering
these cycles? Yes!
Ecosystems – Nutrient Cycling
Types of biomass that can be
burned for electricity
Grasses, such as Miscanthus
(pictured), or switchgrass.
Hybrid Poplar
Ecosystems – Nutrient Cycling
Harvesting Hybrid Poplar
The regrowth from the initial harvest is called coppice.
Ecosystems – Methane
Methane release
15% of
methane
85% of
methane
Methane loss = energy loss
Energy loss = smaller cows
Presentation by Rand Davis and Lianne Henderson
Methane Production in Animals
0.4%
5%
11%
71%!!!!
Ecosystems – Methane – is it really a problem?
Ecosystems – Methane – is it really a problem?
Prior to 1999 there was a strong relationship between change in atmospheric methane
concentrations and the world ruminant populations. However, since 1999 this strong
relation has disappeared. This change in relationship between the atmosphere and
ruminant numbers suggests that the role of ruminants in greenhouse gases may be less
significant than originally thought, with other sources and sinks playing a larger role in
global methane accounting.