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How Do Matter and Energy Move Through Ecosystems? - Coggle Diagram
How Do Matter and Energy Move Through Ecosystems?
Evidence 4: Specific Ecosystem
One example of a specific ecosystem that I learned about was the arctic. The sun was the initial source of energy which allowed the producers to create food. There is grass, lichen, and moss on this level. Lemmings, musk ox, caribou, and arctic hares all eat at least one of those plants. They are the first level of consumers. Arctic foxes are carnivores. Snowy owls and polar bears are tertiary consumers because they both eat other carnivores. Grizzly bears like the artic foxes are secondary consumers but they like the owls and other bears are apex predators.
One specific position is center defender. Just as the arctic has it's own ecosystem and complex relationships, a center back has a specific job and lots of different people to communicate and connect with. Lots of the animals eat and are eaten by multiple things. A center back has lots of people to pass the ball to and receive from. A central defender has to defend the goal, clear the ball, delay or block passes and runs and constantly communicate with nearly everyone on the team. Often many of these things are happening at once just like in the arctic ecosystem the arctic hares are trying to find a meal, find a resting place,and run away from foxes or anything else that might eat them.
Evidence 3: Energy Flows
Energy flows through the food web between trophic levels. Producers are the 1st trophic level because they are most close to the source of energy. Producers create their own food most commonly from the sun(Plants, bacteria). Consumers are next and they are split into a few subgroups. Primary consumers (herbivores) are animals that eat plants. Secondary consumers (carnivores) are animals that eat herbivores. Tertiary animals (super carnivores) are animals that eat other carnivores. Apex predators have no natural enemies and they are at the top of the food chain. Omnivores are animals that consume many types of food. They eat both plants and other animals. They overlap multiple trophic levels. Detritivores (scavengers) eat both animals and plants, but only after they are dead. Decomposers complete the food cycle by breaking down organic waste into inorganic material. At each level, 90% of energy is lost.
This is kinda like the different types of players. Keepers are kind of like the producers because they are most close to the goal and defending your goal is very important. Defenders are comparable to the primary consumers because they are the next line away from the goal. They don't usually attack the goal just like herbivores don't usually attack other animals. Midfielders are comparable to secondary consumers and omnivores. They are like secondary consumers because they are the next level up away from their own goal. They are like omnivores because they both defend and get pretty far back as well as attack and get pretty high. Forwards are more like tertiary consumers or apex predators because their main focus is to go and score in the other teams goal.
Evidence 2: Element Cycles
The same amount of players stay on the field, 1 ball, 2 goals, and the sidelines stay constant just as energy and matter are not destroyed or created just moved around. If the ball starts from the defense it will go through the midfield usually before reaching the offense. Often the holding mids get the ball a lot. Defenders often end up shielding the ball outside. This is like how certain elements end up collecting in some places more than others.
Element are flow through cycles in different ways. Each one follows it's own path and tends to collect in certain places. When we did the bead experiment the carnivores ended up with lots of carbon, and the producers had lots of nitrogen. Sulfur was not common and pretty much all air did was exchange back and forth with everyone. Us omnivores ended up having some blue, some red and some green. This is because we breathed and ate. We had both red and green because we ate plants and animals.
Evidence 1: Ecosystem Function
An ecosystem is a group of living things and nonliving things in a specific place. Energy and materials enter, are transferred, and then leave. An ecosystem can refer to a small area or a quite large one. Most ecosystems work in a cycle involving using energy from the sun. Usually, the energy from the sun is used in photosynthesis (Usually plants) to create food. This process results in an output of oxygen and sugar. Then through cellular respiration (animals) oxygen and sugar are taken in with an output of carbon dioxide and water.
Soccer is all about moving the ball back and forth to get the other team out of position. This is how ecosystems function, constantly moving everything around. There is often a common pattern between moving the ball in the middle twice, then going out wide. Just like in an ecosystem, there are patterns and cycles happening. Each team moves the ball differently before eventually giving up the ball to the other team who moves the ball through their formation differently. This is like how things go through photosynthesis and cellular respiration differently.
Claim
Matter and energy move through ecosystems through complex cycles that are interconnected.
I chose soccer positions on the field and the movement of the ball during a game to connect to this. I chose it because it easily connected, I know a lot about it and our first games are coming up soon.
Resources
Biochemical Cycles pg. 35
Cycle Jigsaw Notes pg. 36
Ecosystem Ecology pg. 34
Food Webs pg. 37
Prairie Food Web pg. 38
Conclusion
I think the best thing I learned was how elements flow through ecosystems because I knew nothing about it until then.