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Ecology & Energy Flow - Coggle Diagram
Ecology & Energy Flow
Global Warming
Deforestation is when natural forests are destroyed to logging and burning
Reasons for deforestation: to grow staple foods such as rice or palm oil, to rear more cattle, to grow crops such as sugar cane and maize
Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide, which forms a layer in the atmosphere
Farming cattle results in large amounts of methane
Radiation reflected from the earth's surface cannot leave the atmosphere as it is blocked by a layer of carbon
Many scientists are very worried that the average temperature of the earth is getting warmer. The greenhouse affect is necessary to keep the earth at a suitable temp.
Levels of CO2 and methane in the atmosphere are increasing and contribute to global warming,
CO2 is released into the atmosphere as peat (otherwise known as turf) is burnt or used as compost, increasing atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide and depleting the carbon store. Destruction of peat bogs destroys habitats and reduces biodiversity.
Land, water and air pollution
Pollution
: Contaminating environments with harmful effects. There are different kinds of pollution: air, water, light and land, for example.
Sewage
: waste water and excrement contained in sewers.
Air pollution
can be caused by burning fossil fuels: oil, coal, natural gas. As well as smoke from burning
Water pollution
can be caused by sewage from homes, dangerous industrial waste, fertiliser washed into streams and rivers (causing growth in algae which creates competition) and toxic chemicals like pesticides and herbicides.
Land pollution
can be caused by soil fertiliser, human and household waste, landfills and industrial waste, as well as herbicides and pesticides used for farming.
By burning fossil fuels we don't just release carbon dioxide, we release sulphur oxide, because fossil fuels contain sulphur impurities. These react with oxygen when they burn to form sulphur dioxide gas, acidic sulphur dioxide reacts with rain water to produce dilute sulphuric acid and nitric acid, otherwise known as
acid rain
Sampling
The simplest way to count the numbers of organisms is to use a sampler called a quadrat. Quadrats are used to investigate the size of a population of plants.
Abundance
: Species abundance is the number of individuals per species, and relative abundance refers to the evenness of distribution of individuals among species in a community.
Distribution
: Distribution is the general structures of the species population.
Abiotic and Bitotic
ABIOTIC
Abiotic
(non-living) factors which can affect a community are:
Light intensity
Temperature
Moisture levels
Soil pH and mineral content
Wind intensity and direction
Carbon dioxide levels for plants
Oxygen levels for aquatic animals
BIOTIC
Biotic
(living) factors which can affect a community are:
Availability of food
New predators arriving
New pathogens
One species outcompeting another so the numbers are no longer sufficient to breed eg.
introduction of grey squirrels into Britain leading to native reds being outcompeted
Ecosystems
An ecosystem is the interaction of a community of living organisms (biotic) with the non-living (abiotic) parts of the environment.
A stable community (eg. tropical rainforests / ancient oak woodland) is one where all the species and environmental factors are in balance so the population sizes remain fairly constant
Interdependance
Competition
is the interaction between organisms of species in which both the organisms or species are harmed. Can be caused by limited supply of at least one resource. Animals compete for food, mates and space to live.
Primary consumers
eat plants or algae. This has its problems, because cellulose is very difficult to digest. Herbivores have to use a variety of methods to break down plants cell walls to get at the contents of the cells. Primary consumers have to find and eat enough plant materiel to provide them the nutrients they need
Photosynthetic
organisms are the produces of biomass for life on earth. Feeding relationships within a community can be represented by food chains. Producers are eaten by primary consumers.
Plants in a community or habitat often compete for light, space, water and mineral ions
Animals compete for food, mates and territory
Trophic levels
: the position of an organism in a food chain
Trophic Levels
Trophic level 2 : Catapillar / fish
Trophic level 3 : blue tit / shark
Trophic level 4 : Sparrow halk / whale
Trophic level 1 : oak tree / seaweed
Biomass refers to the mass of living organisms, including plants, animals, and microorganisms, or, from a biochemical perspective, cellulose, lignin, sugars, fats, and proteins