Unit 10: Ecosystems

Index1. What is an ecosystem?2. The organisation of ecosystems3. Biogeochemical cycles

1. What is an ecosystem?An ecosystem

is the combined group of:

living beings COMMNUNITY

physical factors of the environment where they live

BIOTOPE

relationships between them

1.1 The cycle of matter

(organic matter)

(inorganic matter)

1.2 Energy in ecosystems

Energy enters an ecosystem and flows in one direction

Aphid(pulgón)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0glkXIj1DgE energy transfer in trophic levels

10% Rule

2. The organisation of ecosystems

2.1 Trophic levels in a food chain

Organisms that obtain matter and energy in the same way are at the same trophic level

2.2 Food webs

In an ecosystem, food chains do not exist as isolated linear connections between four or five different species.

http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/genbio/virtual_labs/BL_03/BL_03.html ==> trophic levels virtual lab.Write 15 sentences describing some trophic relationships between organisms in the different biomes

Biomass is the quantity of matter that makes up an organism, population, trophic level or ecosystem

2.3 Ecological pyramids

Trophic pyramids Types of pyramids

Energy pyramids

Biomass pyramids

Number pyramids

Pyramids of energy

Pyramids of biomass

Pyramids of numbers

Work in your own: what type of pyramids are these?

1 2

65

3

4

(kg)

Energy pyramid

Energy pyramid

Biomass pyramid

Biomass pyramid

Numbers pyramid

Numbers pyramid

Goats climbing a near vertical brick dam wall to lick the stone for salt and mineralsDams are among the most daunting examples of mankind's engineering savvy, and they're also perhaps the most environmentally impactful, too -- but none of that could keep this brave herd of Ibex goats from scaling the sheer face of the Cingino-dam in Italy.It's a classic illustration of how well this species has adapted to its environment.

3. Biogeochemical cycles

Nitrogen cycle

Phosphorus cycle