Biosphere: (Balence Of The Matter And Energy Exchange)

Question 1

Matter and energy are closely related:

Answer 1

•the amount of water and energy impacts the amount of matter produced (plants).
•little water, little energy (sunlight) = little plant growth.
•productivity is a measure of the rate at which an ecosystems producers capture and store energy within organic compounds over a certain length of time. (Units —> J/m2 OR g/m2).
•productivity depends on available moisture.

Question 2

The biosphere in balance:

Answer 2

•1979— James Lovelock (ecologist) proposed the Gaia hypothesis.
-earth is like a living organism that regulates itself to maintain homeostasis.

Question 3

Stromatolites:

Answer 3

•(scientists believe) 3.8 to 2.5 billion years ago, the atmosphere lacked free oxygen (anoxic) and bacteria grew, forming thick mounds in shallow seas, lagoons, and lakes.
•Cyanobacteria use sunlight, H2O, and CO2 and produce O2 as a byproduct.
•as the micro-organisms died, the cells piled up, trapping or precipitating sediments and eventually forming sedimentary rocks = stromatolites.

Question 4

Human activities and the natural balance:

Answer 4

1. Eutrophication has lead to dead zones (aquatic life has suffocated due to algal blooms) in oceans and lakes.
2. Wetlands are the biospheres solution to some environmental problems.
   -wetlands are environments where soil is permanently saturated with water (from ground/surface).
   -wetlands act as large water filters.
   •PROOF: Calcutta, India has created canals and large wetlands to clean the massive amounts of sewage that comes out of the city.
   -algae and bacteria feed on waste (organic material).
   -fish added to feed on algae (prevent algal bloom).
   •PROBLEM: many wetlands are being drained for agricultural land or urban growth.
3. Cycling of contaminants:
   •DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) and PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls) can be cycled and carried up food chains = biomagnification.
   •these contaminants deposit in the fat of organisms and cannot be excreted.
   •DDT and PCB are known as POPs (persistent organic pollutants) and can travel far distances (found in Arctic ice cores).

Question 5

Preserving the natural balance:

Answer 5

•Piikani First Nation of Southern Alberta— operate wind turbine that powers 450 homes and produces no CO2 emissions (eliminates the potential of 2500 tonnes of CO2 being released every year).
•wind sites are hard to find:
-high wind areas.
-close to public.
-impacts local wildlife.