BIOSPHERE Flashcards
What is the biosphere?
Components are lithosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere.
The biosphere is the sum of all ecosystems. It can also be termed the zone of life on Earth, a closed system
(apart from solar and cosmic radiation and heat from the interior of the Earth), and largely serf- regulating.
Origin of the biosphere?
Biosphere has a geological origin, it is an
Indication of the effect of both Charles Darwin and Matthew F. Maury on the Earth sciences.
The biosphere’s ecological context comes from the 1920s, preceding the 1935 introduction of the term
“Ecosystem” by Sir Arthur Tensely.
Vernadsky defined ecology as the Science of the biosphere.
it is an interdisciplinary concept for integrating astronomy , geophysics, meteorology, biogeography, evolution, geology, geochemistry, hydrology and, generally speaking, all life and Earth sciences.
Functions of the biosphere?
ENERGY TRANSFORMATION
Green plants convert light energy into chemical energy that animals use.
Thus Chemical energy is distributed between all living organisms.
MAINTAINING GAS CONTENT
02 is released in the process of photosynthesis and CO2 is released in the process of respiration. The constant quantity of 02 & CO2 in the atmosphere is a result of the vital activity of Organisms.
OBTAINING CHEMICAL ELEMENTS
organisms obtain some chemical elements, necessary for their
construction ,from their physical environment.
- BREAKING DOWN OF ORGANIC MATTER.
Decomposers transform Organic matter
into inorganic ones and in this way plants can use them again.
What is a food chain
Shows us how each living things gets it’s food.
Some animals eat plants and some animals eat other animals.
A simple food chain links trees giraffes and lions. Each link in this chain is food for the next link.
A good chain always starts with plant life and ends with an animal.
An arrow means “is eaten by” and it also shows the flow of energy.
Why are plants producers?
Plants are called producers or autotroph’s because they are able to use light energy to make their own food.
Animals cannot make their own food so they must eat plants or other animals, they are called consumers or heterotrophs.
Consumers
There are three groups of consumers
Herbivore: animals that only eat plants or plant products (seeds) they are also called primary consumers.
Carnivores are animals that eat other animals: there are two kinds
Secondary consumers: carnivores that eat herbivores
Tertiary consumers: Carnivores that eat carnivores
What are omnivores?
Animals and humans that eat both animals and plants.
What are decomposes?
Bacteria worms and fungi which feed on decaying matter.
These decomposes speed up the decaying process that releases mineral salts back into the food chain for absorption by plants as nutrients.
Food chain examples
Grass to deer to hyena to lion
Phytoplankton zooplankton anchovies shark
Why are there more plants than herbivores?
When a herbivore eats, it doesn’t get all of the plants energy. A lot of energy is lost. energy get’s used by each trophic level before it moves up to the next trophic level. By the time the energy level reaches the top, there’s really not a lot of energy to go around. This is why there are more plants than herbivores and more herbivores than carnivores.
Energy transfer?
Energy and mass is transferred from one level of the food chain to the next with an efficiency of about 10%. ENERGY TRAVELS IN A PYRAMID.
Food chains vs Food webs?
Most food chains have no more than four to five links
There cannot be too many links in a single food chain because the animals at the end of the chain would not get enough food or energy to survive.
Most animals are part of more than one food chain and eat more than one kind of food in order to meet their food and energy requirements. These interconnected food chains form a food web. Food chains are linear.
Arrows are drawn from food source to food consumers. Substitute the arrows for “eaten by”. The arrows also show the way energy is moving.
What is ecology?
The relationship between organisms and their environment.
Ecosystem?
When abiotic and biotic factors combine to form a system.
Biotic? Abiotic?
Rested to life and living things.
Animals plants fungi
Related to non living things:
1) environment (ponds lakes ocean desert and mountains)
2) weather (temperature, clouds, rain, and snow)
